What Antivirus Is the Best?

So you are thinking of getting a new antivirus. There are a lot of security programs to choose from, both free and paid. But what antivirus is the best? Well, that depends on what sort of features you are looking for. Let’s find out and see which features you really need.

There are lots of antiviruses available for download and sold in stores. Some of the antiviruses offer only basic protection, whereas others include features to protect your files, your network, IMs, online privacy and more. But what antivirus is the best? Well, this largely depends on how you use your computer and what sort of protection you are looking for. However, there is one thing you need to consider and that’s antivirus independent rating.

Every year different independent bodies test antiviruses from different developers. Each antivirus receives a rating based on the tests and that’s how the decision what antivirus is the best is made. So, before you purchase an antivirus, check its rating with VB100 and AV Comparatives. The higher the rating, the better the antivirus. And now let’s see what sort of features you need.

If you are a home user who doesn’t know a lot about viruses, malware and other infections, then you should consider getting an antivirus that offers complete protection from all kinds of threats. Ideally, you’d want an antivirus that does everything automatically – updates itself, scans your computer on a schedule, scans your emails and instant messaging chats, and monitors your PC’s behavior. Combined with a firewall, an antivirus like that will make your computer very hard to infect. In this category, the answer to the “what antivirus is the best” question is BitDefender,Kaspersky and ESET. And if you are looking for a free antivirus, then avast! is a good choice for those wanting complete PC protection.

However, most of these complete security products have one big disadvantage. Because of all their features, they can be very resource-hungry, which means they can make your computer slow. So, what antivirus is the best if your computer is not very powerful? As a rule, you should look for a lighter, more customizable antivirus. This doesn’t mean that you should compromise the security of your computer. Good lightweight, but comprehensive antiviruses are Auslogics Antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials.

When deciding what antivirus is the best, it’s important to check its essential features. For a start, you should choose an antivirus that updates its definitions automatically at least once a day because having the latest definitions will ensure that your antivirus manages to detect even the latest viruses. Another thing you absolutely need is behavioral real-time protection. If your antivirus doesn’t have real-time protection and can’t detect viruses based on their behavior, then your computer is at risk of being infected by malware that has just hit the Internet. These are the two things you need to keep in mind when deciding what antivirus is the best.

Choosing what antivirus is the best can be difficult, but it mainly depends on your computer usage preferences and independent ratings. Just make sure you get an antivirus from a reputable developer and check user reviews on websites like Download.com and Softpedia.