Antivirus Software Reviews

This report covers antivirus software, which scans your hard drive, removable media, incoming and outgoing mail, e-mail attachments and instant-messaging chats for viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Antivirus software is just one component of Internet security. Reviews say that Windows computer users should also employ a spyware scanner and a firewall to keep their computers safe. ConsumerSearch has other reports on anti-spyware software , spam filters and firewalls . You can save quite a bit of time by choosing a security suite, which bundles all these features into one program (see our report on Internet security software for more information).

With most computer products, comparative professional reviews can be the best guide to the usefulness and relative quality of a product. With antivirus software, professional reviews only provide guidance regarding some of the major buying considerations. Few reviewers answer all three major questions, such as: How effective is the program at preventing malware relative to the competition? Will the program make my computer perceivably slower? And what problems am I likely to encounter if I buy and install this software? Common problems include installation difficulties, removal difficulties, software conflicts and incompatibilities (especially and primarily with other security programs) and inadequate tech support.

At this point, major American computer magazines and specialty websites have abandoned independent antivirus performance testing. Instead, they rely on one or more of the third-party test labs for gauging effectiveness. To the extent that those labs publish their findings on the Internet, consumers can do that themselves. Also, the manufacturers' websites always tout which labs have certified their products (but be aware that some tout previous certifications as if they were current). Those test labs are now the best sources for comparing the relative effectiveness of antivirus programs.

Scot's Newsletter is the most comprehensive and believable review source in general, but like most review sources, it has not considered the generation of products released this fall. Bright Hub and CNet are the only reviewers to cover a number of the new releases. PC Magazine doesn't review any of the latest standalone antivirus software programs, but has very good reviews of the new Internet security suites from the same manufacturers. Judging from early professional and user reviews, the new versions of most programs are neither significantly better nor worse than the preceding versions.

User reviews are a good guide to problems. Because professional reviewers usually test programs on virtual machines instead of real-world computers, they often don't encounter the problems that many users will experience. That's the main reason why average user ratings often fall well below professional ratings, and why user reviews are as valuable as many professional reviews in this category: if a program won't work on your computer, it doesn't matter how effective or easy to use it is.

Symantec, which makes Norton security products, dominates the antivirus market. McAfee is a distant second, with a share of 13 percent. McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 (*est. $25) has only been reviewed by CNet.com so far. Reviewer Robert Vamosi says, "McAfee VirusScan 2008 looks and feels like warmed-over last year's product." Considering that McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007 fared poorly in most professional reviews and earned more consumer ire (according to user reviews) than any other program, Vamosi's observation cannot be considered praise. He says performance is average. PC Magazine reviews McAfee Total Protection 2008 (*est. $40) and rates it average. Reviewer Neil Rubenking says it's good at detecting viruses, but itemizes a number of problems he had during testing.

Users say that McAfee causes an unacceptable drain on system performance. Customer reviews of McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007 at Newegg.com, Amazon.com and CNet.com are extremely unflattering. People complain about conflicts with other programs. The new version has too few user reviews to indicate a level of satisfaction.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with Retailer Links)	Details from Amazon.com
7	ESET NOD32 3.0/2.7 (*est. $40)	details
5	Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0/6.0 (*est. $40)	details
4	Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5 (free)	-
2	Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic (free)	-
2	Norton AntiVirus 2008 (*est. $40)	details
1 each	Alwil avast! Home Edition 4.7, BullGuard Anti-Virus, CA Antivirus 2008 , F-Secure Anti-Virus 2008, McAfee VirusScan Plus , Norton AntiVirus 2008 , Panda Internet Security 2008 , Trend Micro AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware 2007

Note that some of the listings on this chart come from recent reviews of discontinued versions. Because reviewers do not appear to be changing their tunes about the new versions, reviews of the old versions that were conducted this year (especially if tested with Windows Vista) still have some validity. Be aware, though, that all new versions were released within the past four months, and until we see a significant number of user reviews, we won't know which of the new versions introduce new problems. The 2007 versions of Trend Micro, McAfee and BitDefender programs were considerably worse than their predecessors, according to people who used both 2006 and 2007 versions.

We found the most recommendations for versions 6 and 7 of Kaspersky Anti-Virus and versions 2.7 and 3.0 of ESET's NOD32. NOD32 2.7 is universally praised for its effectiveness, and equally discredited for its clunky, counterintuitive interface. That's the only reason why not all experts have historically rated it as the best program. Now, version 3.0 has a new interface. Reviewers say it's still ugly (from an aesthetic standpoint), but some feel that the new two-tiered (novice/expert) interface overcomes previous objections. Kaspersky also is very effective and has some conflict issues, but all credible reviewers rank both programs among the two or three best.

Norton AntiVirus 2008 continues to be controversial. The 2007 version was redesigned to be much less of system hog, but its drain on computing speed was still worse than that from most competitors. Conflicts with ZoneAlarm (the top-rated firewall program) and Spy Sweeper (the top-rated anti-spyware program) also plagued Norton AntiVirus 2007, according to some reports we've seen. We await user reviews that tell us whether the new version overcomes those issues. Tests by all the independent labs show that Norton works well.

AVG is the most popular free antivirus program. It does well in some tests and not as well in others. It offers little user control and no free tech support, but you can't pay less. AntiVir is more effective in a few tests.

If you need more than just antivirus software, consider a security suite, which also includes a software firewall, a spam filter, spyware protection, parental filters, popup blockers and anti-phishing features. See the ConsumerSearch report on Internet security suites for more information.