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The lightest antiviruses for PC and laptop. The best virus removal utility according to users Antivirus is simple and reliable

The results presented by AV-Comparatives in this antivirus performance comparison report only show the impact on system performance (mainly real-time/on-access protection components) of various antivirus programs under given conditions.

Users are encouraged to try the antivirus program on their own computer and see how the antivirus performs on a particular system configuration.

In April 2018, we used budget computers with HDD hard drives (instead of SSD) for the performance test.

Test computer

Testing for the performance of antiviruses was carried out on Lenovo laptop G50 with Intel processor Core i3-4005U CPU, 4 GB (RAM) random access memory and HDD drive. Operational testing was done on a clean and fully updated Windows 10 (1709) (64-bit, English) system, and then with an antivirus program installed (with default settings). The tests were run with an active internet connection to ensure the real impact of cloud services and features.

Tested antiviruses

In this comparative testing The following antiviruses took part in performance and speed (default settings were used):

Tested antiviruses

Tencent PC Manager 12.3 (English)

AV-Comparatives laboratory specialists used the latest versions of antiviruses available at the time of testing (April, 2018). The test includes products from both the "Antivirus" category and the "Internet Security" category - all of which are marked as "security programs". The laboratory has tested products that vendors provide for the main test series. Please note that the results of the report only apply to individual product versions listed above (i.e. a specific version for a specific system architecture, such as a 64-bit OS). You also need to take into account that different development companies offer different functions (and their number) in their antiviruses.

The following types of operations/tests were performed on a computer running the latest updated Windows 10, version 1709 64-Bit:

Copying files
Archiving / Unarchiving
Installing / Uninstalling Applications
Application launch
Downloading files
Website visits
PC Mark 10 Professional Testing Suite

Test Methodology

Measures have been taken to minimize third-party factors that may have affected test results and/or system compatibility. The optimization technologies used in the products were also considered - this means that the results represent the impact of the product on the system after some period of use of the product by the user. The tests were carried out several times (with and without optimization technology enabled) to obtain average values and eliminate measurement errors. After each launch, the test computer was defragmented and rebooted 6 times. The researchers simulated different kinds of file operations: copying clean files from one place to another, compressing files into archives, decompressing archives, downloading files from the Internet, and launching applications (opening documents). For individual tests, the Windows Assessment and Deployment Toolkit (Windows ADK) was used with the Windows Performance Toolkit (WPT). This toolkit is widely used in the industry to measure the performance of computer systems. This tool makes it easy for vendors to replicate results and discover what is causing slowdowns. In order to prevent possible optimization of products for the test, our own drivers for the ADK were implemented. These tools allow you to assess the impact of products on performance in individual subtests, independent of other tests.

The lab used a third-party industry-recognised test suite (PC Mark 10 Professional) to confirm system impact during real-world use. Users are invited to evaluate various products on their own systems (results may vary depending on software conflicts, user settings, and various system configurations).

Antiviruses should be loaded in the system at an early stage to ensure maximum protection - such loading affects the computer startup time. Accurately measuring download times is a difficult task. The biggest problem is determining the system's fully ready state, because in many environments startup activity continues for some time after the system has become fully responsive to the user. It is also important to consider when antivirus protection is fully active, because this can be an important criterion for completing the download process. Some vendors implement very late boot for their products - in this case, the system may be slow for a while after it has fully booted. In fact, the product simply loads its services and processes late, leaving the system vulnerable for a while. The lab believes that this situation can be misleading, so load times are not published in the reports.

Test results

AV Comparatives score

file copying- Copy files
archiving/unarchiving- Archiving / Unarchiving
Installing/uninstalling applications- Install / Uninstall applications
Launching applications- Launch applications
Browsing Websites- Website visits

slow- slow
Mediocre- average
Fast- quick
very fast- very fast

Overall score based on the PC Mark test

Assessment of the impact of the antivirus on the system (less is better)

Performance test. What is the fastest antivirus?

Certifications based on antivirus performance scores with default settings on Windows 10 64-Bit:

(6) AV-Comparatives suggests that products with the same award have the same impact on system performance.

To evaluate the effectiveness of antivirus protection, see the results of dynamic testing and malware detection rate verification, which were conducted in early 2018.

Both products score very well in antivirus labs and PCMag's own tests, and include several additional security features. Avast notably includes a built-in password manager and home network vulnerability scanner. If you have a certain budget for computer security, the best commercial solutions will provide more effective and comprehensive protection. Otherwise, you can safely choose among the free solutions presented here.

Vendors	Antivirus	Rating PCMag
Avast	Avast Free Antivirus
Avast	AVG AntiVirus Free
Bitdefender
check point	ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus+
"Kaspersky Lab"	Antivirus Kaspersky Free
Sophos	Sophos Home
Avira	Avira Free Antivirus
Adaware	Adaware Antivirus Free
Comodo	Comodo Antivirus
panda security	Panda Free Antivirus

Free protection against various types of threats

These days, new computers and laptops come with antivirus protection. As a rule, trial versions of commercial antiviruses from well-known brands are preinstalled on devices. If the trial version expires and you ignore the reminders to purchase a subscription, your PC will be protected by Windows Defender. However, you can get better and better protection with the help of third-party solutions. Do not worry if your budget does not include the purchase of a paid antivirus. You can really get good protection without paying a dime. PCMag has tested 17 free antivirus programs to help you choose the right solution to protect your computer.

Your antivirus should definitely do a great job of cleaning up existing infections, but its main job is to protect your PC from ransomware Trojans, botnets, Trojans, and other types. malware. All antiviruses in this collection offer real-time protection. Some solutions additionally offer web protection to prevent visits to fraudulent sites and web resources with malware.

Free or commercial antivirus?

If free antiviruses are really effective, why would anyone pay? First of all, many of the antiviruses offered in the rating are free for non-commercial use only - if you want to protect computers in an organization, you will have to purchase a paid version. In this case, it is recommended to buy a comprehensive antivirus product because business security is at stake.

Even for personal use, many commercial tools offer much more functionality than the corresponding free versions. For example, Kaspersky Free does not include the powerful Activity Monitor component that is present in the paid version. This protective module monitors suspicious activity and allows you to roll back malicious changes. The paid version of Adaware Antivirus comes with a similar behavioral detection tool, as well as a malicious site protection component that you won't find in this vendor's free antivirus. Panda also reserves some advanced security features for commercial solution customers only, including firewall, software control, and insecure wireless network detection.

In addition, many companies do not offer a complete technical support clients free version. If you need expert help cleaning up stubborn infestations, you may regret not being able to do so.

Tests by independent laboratories

Researchers at independent labs spend a lot of time and effort testing antiviruses. Some organizations regularly publish test reports. PCMag tracks results from 4 major labs: AV-Comparatives, AV-Test Institute, SE Labs, and MRG-Effitas. The presence of certification in ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs is also taken into account.

Typically, antivirus developers pay for the opportunity to participate in testing. In turn, the labs provide vendors with detailed reports that help improve products. Thus, the number of laboratories that test a particular product is an indicator of the significance of this decision. In any case, to test an antivirus, two conditions must be met: the laboratory must consider the product important enough, and the development company must be satisfied with the cost of participation. Labs are not required to test free products, but many vendors include full protection in free solutions, adding only advanced features to paid products.

PCMag Tests

In addition to a thorough analysis of the results of laboratory tests, PCMag conducts its own amateur testing of antiviruses to block malware. Every antivirus faces a set of malware different kind, after which the reaction of the product to the threat is recorded. Typically, the antivirus removes most of the samples at once and detects a few more instances of malware when it tries to run. Based on the results of the test, the product can receive from 0 to 10 points for blocking, depending on how carefully it protects the system from test samples.

The test collection has been in use for months, so the malware blocking test does not provide any indication of the ability of antiviruses to detect the latest threats. A separate test attempts to download malware from 100 online sources, less than a day old, provided by the MRG-Effitas laboratory. The testing process notes whether the product blocked access to a network location, cleared the malware payload at boot time, or ignored the threat. Norton scored the highest in this test, followed by Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security and Avira Free Antivirus in the final standings.

Useful Features

Each antivirus product in the collection scans files on access to prevent potential malware from running, and scans the system on demand or on a set schedule. Blocking access to malicious links is another effective way to avoid trouble. Many products expand protection to prevent visits to fraudulent resources, phishing sites that try to steal your credentials. Some solutions rank search results by flagging suspicious and dangerous links.

Behavioral detection is featured in some of the products in the collection. On the one hand, this component can detect malware, which are unknown threats. On the other hand, behavioral analysis can lead to false positives for trustworthy programs.

Any antivirus should detect spyware, but some products include separate anti-spyware components. Features such as encryption of personal data and webcam protection help keep confidential information safe from third parties, but they usually come with paid solutions. However, some free antiviruses have an on-screen keyboard in their security arsenal to protect against keyloggers.

One in a simple way for maximum computer protection is to install security updates for Windows, browsers and other popular programs. In Windows 10, updates are mandatory and fully automated, but there are still a lot of gaps in the old ones. Windows systems, popular apps and plugins. Scanning for vulnerabilities in the form of missed updates is a feature often found in commercial antivirus products. However, some free antiviruses have similar functionality.

Who is not represented in the ranking

This rating contains information only about free antivirus solutions that received at least a “good” (Good) rating from PCMag reviews - from 3 points and above. According to the results latest review Windows Defender Security Center got exactly 3 stars and did better than last time. However, it is more of a Windows component than a standalone product. The best free antiviruses offer more layers of protection.

Some free tools security are designed solely to protect against ransomware. Cybereason RansomFree, Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware Beta, and Trend Micro RansomBuster all serve the same primary purpose of preventing any ransomware attacks that may not be visible to mainstream antivirus protection. Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware tries to fool ransomware trojans into thinking that the system is already infected. They didn't make the rating because they are not full-fledged antivirus products.

There are numerous free antivirus utilities, which exist solely to clean up malicious infections. You turn to the help of these utilities only if you suspect an active infection. Once the problem is resolved, they are not used because they do not offer permanent protection. The Editors' Choice award in this category belongs to Malwarebytes Free - this product is worth using in case of a malicious infection. Since such solutions are usually free, you can use several scanning programs at once. Once the threat has been removed, you will need a full-fledged antivirus for ongoing protection.

List of all tested free solutions

Avast Free Antivirus. Avast Free Antivirus combines highly effective antivirus protection with an extensive collection of additional tools.
AVG Antivirus Free. AVG Free Antivirus has received an updated interface and new security technologies. Tests by independent laboratories and PCMag's own tests show that protection is even stronger than before.
Acronis ransomware protection. If your antivirus misses the latest ransomware, your data is at serious risk, Acronis Ransomware Protection will add an extra layer of protection for files and provide 5 gigabytes of cloud storage for backups.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition. Bitdefender Free Antivirus includes the same antivirus protection as the paid Bitdefender Antivirus, but lacks the extra functionality of the commercial version.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus+. ZoneAlarm free antivirus combines a high-quality and powerful firewall with a licensed antivirus protection engine from Kaspersky Lab. It's a great choice for users who don't need advanced security features.
Cybereason ransom free. Effects malicious attack involving a ransomware can be disastrous. Therefore, the possibility of strengthening protection against this type of threat should be considered. Cybereason RansomFree is a free solution for organizing an additional layer of protection against ransomware.
kaspersky free. Free Kaspersky Antivirus offers full-featured basic antivirus protection that scores excellent in lab tests.
Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware Beta. Malwarebytes A analyzes the activity of programs in search of suspicious actions specific to ransomware. This lightweight utility will detect ransomware Trojans that can bypass basic antivirus protection.
Sophos Home. Sophos Free Antivirus allows you to provide powerful corporate antivirus capabilities to ordinary home users absolutely free of charge. Users have access to a cloud-based console that allows them to control up to three product installations.
Avira Free Antivirus. Avira's free antivirus gets excellent scores from independent labs, but in amateur tests PCMag was very slow in scanning the test system. Also, web protection only works in Chrome and Firefox.
CyberSight RansomStopper . RansomStopper offers free advanced ransomware protection, but PCMag's own tests showed that the product failed to respond to one rare type of ransomware.
Adaware Antivirus Free. Free antivirus Adaware got a new name and a new appearance. However, its test results are not the best, and competing free antiviruses offer more features.
Bitdefender Anti ransomware. Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware protects your PC from infections by four ransomware families. Tests have shown that the product successfully copes with this task. However, you will need additional solutions to protect against other types of ransomware Trojans.
Comodo Antivirus. Comodo's free antivirus got a new look and scored a perfect detection rate in the malware blocking test. However, the product performed worse in other tests by PCMag and in tests by independent labs.
Panda Free Antivirus. Panda Free Antivirus has an attractive user interface and an unusual USB vaccination feature. However, the product did not perform well in independent lab tests and in PCMag's own tests.
Qihoo 360 Total Security. Qihoo 360 comes with a powerful set of additional tools, but its basic antivirus protection can't compete with the best free antiviruses.
Trend Micro Ransom Buster. Built-in folder protection successfully blocks unauthorized changes to protected documents. However, the behavioral detection system needs some work.
Baidu Antivirus 2015. The anti-virus has not been developed for a long time and cannot be recommended as the main anti-virus protection.
Comodo Internet Security Premium. Comodo's complete solution combines a standalone antivirus and a standalone vendor firewall in one product. As for a free product, this antivirus includes a large number of features, but not all of them are effective.
Windows Defender Security Center. Microsoft Antivirus keeps you safe Windows computers 10 with no other antivirus solutions installed. In the latest round of testing by PCMag, the product performed better than before.

Almost every owner of a weak computer, be it a laptop or a stationary one, at least once thought about how to speed up his work. In a separate article on our website, we talk in detail about optimizing Windows 10. And in this article we will consider the question of which is the easiest anti-virus program to choose for a weak computer. Since the vast majority of owners of old low-power computers are unlikely to be eager to buy software, then in this article we will consider free antiviruses.

Let's start with the fact that there is no unequivocal answer to the question of which antivirus is the fastest in operation. Different labs that study and compare antivirus programs use different evaluation methods, and it is likely that they have their own unspoken preferences. In this variety, it is difficult to choose the results of which anti-virus programs can be trusted.

However, at present, data from a very authoritative source have appeared on this issue. Roskachestvo released its serious study of antiviruses. This autonomous non-profit organization was established by the Government of the Russian Federation to carry out independent quality checks of goods and services sold in Russia. The state funding of this organization and a wide range of activities suggest that the results of its research have every chance of being more objective than those of other companies that make up antivirus ratings.

The study of anti-virus programs was carried out by Roskachestvo together with the International Association of Consumer Testing Organizations. This fact also testifies in favor of the impartiality and maximum objectivity of this examination. In the course of semi-annual tests, experts in the field of computer security thoroughly examined the work of the most popular 24 security programs in Russia from 18 anti-virus laboratories. All antiviruses (both paid and free) were evaluated according to more than two hundred indicators, but the main criteria for checking were three: the level of security provided, ease of use, and the impact on the speed of the computer (lightness of the product).

Since the topic of our article concerns fast antivirus for a weak computer, then we will first of all consider the results of testing anti-virus programs precisely in terms of their performance.

We will not walk around for a long time, but we will immediately announce the winner in terms of speed. By the impact on the performance of a computer or laptop the lightest free antivirus, according to Roskachestvo experts, has become a product Avira Free Antivirus. The speed of his work on a PC was rated by experts at 4.62 points out of 5.5 possible. Next among the free products is the Free version of the Kaspersky Lab program with a score of 4.28. Avast Free Antivirus ranked third in performance among free antivirus software with a score of 4.08. Free products from other companies scored less than 4 points. Recall that we do not consider paid products, so we excluded them from the rating below.

Rating of free antiviruses by their impact on computer speed:

(The higher the score, the better. Only free products are selected in the list!)

Avira Free - 4.62
Kaspersky Free - 4.28
Avast Free - 4.08
AVG Free - 3.99
Bitdefender Free - 3.73
Windows Defender - 3.69

As you can see from the last paragraph, Windows Defender, installed on the operating system by default, ranks 6th in performance among all the free antiviruses reviewed. This indicates to us that for a weak computer or laptop, it is still preferable to install a faster and lighter third-party antivirus. Standard protection will slow down the system more than other antivirus programs. In addition, the protective properties of the built-in antivirus are far from ideal. This can be seen from the rating below.

Rating of free antiviruses by their ability to protect against various kinds of dangers:

(not for speed)

Bitdefender Free - 4.95
Avast Free - 4.58
Avira Free - 4.43
AVG Free - 4.31
Kaspersky Free - 3.73
Windows Defender - 3.49

Comparing both ratings (both in terms of security and speed) of all the free antivirus programs studied, we can conclude that Avira Free is not only the fastest, but also the most safe program. She is takes 1st in speed work and 3rd place in safety among all free products. Let's add that in terms of influence on the speed of the computer, Avira overtook even all paid antiviruses. It ranks first in performance among all 24 antivirus programs studied. Based on this, for a weak laptop or stationary it is best to use Avira Free. Avast Free also got a high score in both cases (3rd in speed and 2nd in security among free solutions). We can say that this program ranks second in terms of speed and security among all free products. This program can be installed if Avira Free is not suitable for some reason.

Recall that within the framework of this article, only free antiviruses studied by Roskachestvo are considered. However, if you still study the paid options for security programs, then the best options for combining speed and security will be Kaspersky Internet Security (protection - 4.61 and speed - 4.2) and Norton Security Deluxe (protection - 4.74 and speed - 4 ,3). The overall rating of paid and free antiviruses is shown in the picture below.

We also mention that among the free anti-virus programs, the best in terms of the level of security provided by Roskachestvo was recognized Bitdefender Free. She took 3rd place among all (free and even paid) programs. This indicates that the most preferred free antivirus option in terms of security is Bitdefender. Unfortunately, this product does not have a Russian-language interface. In terms of speed, this program is far from ideal. According to this indicator, she takes 18th place (3.73 points). We repeat that in terms of speed, Avira Free has gone far ahead.

If we compare these two programs specifically, then Bitdefender has higher security than Avira (4.95 vs. 4.42), but in the case of speed, the opposite is true (4.62 vs. 3.84).

conclusions

The fastest antivirus program is Avira Free(among paid and free).
The best level of security ever free programs provides Bitdefender Free.
The best options for paid programs in terms of speed and protection are provided by Norton Security Deluxe and Kaspesky Internet Security.

Links

AVIRA Free official website(choose "Download only antivirus" to avoid installing a lot of rubbish in the form of paid add-ons)

AVAST Free official website

Bitdefender Free official website

Norton Security Deluxe official website(there is trial version for 30 days)

The main evaluation criteria, which included 200 indicators, were:

virus protection;
Ease of use;
impact on computer speed.

Malware protection is the most important evaluation criterion: indicators within this group of parameters accounted for 65% of the overall antivirus score. Ease of use and impact on computer speed accounted for 25% and 10% of the overall score, respectively.

Anti-virus programs were selected for research on the basis of popularity among consumers and affordability. For this reason, the list of antivirus programs studied included:

Free programs - both built-in and offered separately.
Paid programs from leading antivirus brands. Based on the principles of selection, the study did not include the most expensive versions software products from these brands.
From one brand for one operating system, only one paid product could be presented in the rating. The second product could get into the rating only if it is free.

This time, products developed by Russian companies were included in the category in the international study. As a rule, the list of products for international testing includes products with a sufficient market share and high recognition among consumers, so the inclusion of Russian developments in the study indicates their wide representation and demand abroad.

Top Ten for Windows

All antiviruses in the top ten cope with protection against spyware and protect against phishing - attempts to gain access to confidential data. But there are differences between antiviruses in the level of protection, as well as in the presence or absence of a particular function in the tested versions of the antivirus.

The pivot table shows ten the best programs by overall rating. It also takes into account the features of the packages in terms of the set of functions.

How good is standard Windows 10 security?

As of February 2018, the percentage of Windows PC users with desktop computers installed Operating Systems Windows 10 accounted for 43%. On such computers, the antivirus is installed by default - it protects the system Windows program Defender, which is included with the operating system.

The standard antivirus, which, judging by the statistics, most people use, was only on the 17th line of the rating. Overall, Windows Defender scored 3.5 out of a possible 5.5.

Built-in protection latest versions Windows has only gotten better over the years, but it's still not up to par with many specialized antivirus programs, including those that are available for free. Windows Defender showed satisfactory results in terms of online protection, but completely failed the test for phishing and ransomware. By the way, protection against phishing is declared by antivirus manufacturers. It also turned out that he does a poor job of protecting your computer in offline mode.

Windows Defender is quite simple in terms of design. It clearly communicates the presence of a particular threat, clearly demonstrates the degree of protection and has a “parental control” function that limits children from visiting unwanted resources.

Standard Windows protection 10 can only be called decent. Based on the overall rating, 16 programs to protect personal computer on Windows OS turned out to be better than it. Including four free ones.

Theoretically, you can only rely on Windows Defender if the user has regular updates turned on, their computer is connected to the Internet most of the time, and they are advanced enough not to consciously visit suspicious sites. However, Roskachestvo recommends installing a specialized anti-virus package for greater confidence in the security of the PC.

How We Tested

Testing was carried out in the world's most qualified laboratory specializing in anti-virus programs for six months. A total of four groups of malware protection tests were carried out: general online protection test, offline test, level of false positives and a test for automatic scanning and on-demand scanning. To a lesser extent, the final rating was influenced by checking the usability of the antivirus and its impact on the speed of the computer.

General protection

Each antivirus package was tested online for a set of viruses, totaling more than 40,000. It also tested how well the antivirus copes with phishing attacks - when someone tries to access the user's confidential data. Ransomware has been tested to protect against ransomware that restricts access to a computer and data on it in order to obtain a ransom. In addition, an online test of a USB drive with malware is carried out. It is needed to find out how well the antivirus copes with the search and elimination of viruses when neither the presence of malicious files nor their origin is known in advance.

USB offline test

Detection of malware residing on a USB drive connected to a computer. Before the scan, the computer was disconnected from the Internet for several weeks so that the anti-virus packages were not 100% up to date.

False alarm

We tested how effective the antivirus is in identifying real threats and skipping files that are actually safe, but which are classified as dangerous by the product.

Auto-scan and on-demand scan test

It was tested how effectively the scanning function works with automatic check computer for malware and when manually started. Also during the study, it was checked whether it is possible to schedule scans for a certain time when the computer is not in use.