Internet Security Software Reviews

Internet security suites include the three essential components of Internet security -- antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall software -- along with optional components that many people want or need. Most Internet security software suites include a spam filter and parental-control software (to monitor kids' Internet use and to filter websites). Some companies bundle additional components, such as identity-theft and phishing protection.

The major benefits to buying an Internet security software suite are that you can save some money compared with buying separate programs and reduce the likelihood of having to deal with programs that may refuse to work together. However, you can assemble your own -- and likely better -- security software system by choosing the best software of each type, and you can get some good software for free. Please see our separate reports on antivirus software , spam filters , firewalls , anti-spyware and parental control software if you prefer to use individual programs.

PC Magazine and PC World have the best reviews of Internet security suites. No other sources are as comprehensive in testing the ability of programs to prevent each type of malware. The magazines do an excellent job of reporting the specific results of lab testing. PC Magazine rates each component of suites, which enables readers to focus on the ratings for the components that they will use. British consumer magazine Which? compares nine programs but offers little explanation, especially relative to PC Magazine. However, Which? is up-to-date, unlike its U.S.-based contemporary Consumer Reports.

Since professional reviewers usually test software on "clean" test computers, they don't encounter the conflicts or system problems that real-world users do. For that reason, we highly value user reviews of Internet security software at CircuitCity.com, Amazon.com and elsewhere. We've included that user feedback in our discussion of each program below.

A year ago, CheckPoint ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.0 was the critics' darling. It was top-rated by everyone who reviewed it. That generated a lot of sales and a lot of unhappy users. Conflicts with other security programs, frequent firewall pop-ups, an overly aggressive firewall that silently blocks harmless websites, inadequate tech support, and system drag are just some of the issues that caused consumer ire. The current version, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.1 (*est. $35) , isn't nearly as highly rated in professional reviews. CheckPoint was the last major software company to develop Vista compatibility, and wound up splitting the program into XP and Vista versions. The Vista version lacks many of the capabilities and features of the XP version of the software.

ZoneAlarm ties for the lowest score among the eight suites reviewed by PC World. Slow scanning, limited user controls and abridged Vista compatibility are some of the reasons. Other reviewers experienced problems in the course of testing. InformationWeek's Serdar Yegulalp reports, "The program took several seconds to kick in and allow user interaction after a logon, and the program's own UI would sometimes become unresponsive." In his PC Authority review, Davey Winder says, "Upgrading to 7.1 trashed our XP test machine. All went well until the system needed to reboot, and found it couldn't."

More than half of Amazon.com's customers who rate it give ZoneAlarm's security suite the bottom rating, but even the best security suite sellers also have high percentages of totally unhappy customers. ZoneAlarm fares better by that yardstick than McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007, but worse than Norton Internet Security 2008.  ... Continued

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

BitDefender tops the most reviews so far among 2008 Internet security software. BitDefender Internet Security 2008 and BitDefender Total Security 2008 are basically the same program. The latter adds maintenance and backup software. The previous version, BitDefender Internet Security 10, caused considerable system drag and had a complicated interface. Reviews say those issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

Although BitDefender is favored by more reviewers, Norton Internet Security 2008 is the best Internet security suite according to the three most credible reviewers. Tests show that it is a very good performer, but more than a third of users give it the lowest possible rating because of the problems it causes on their computers. It's likely a good choice if you are using a new computer without other security software that could conflict.

Panda Internet Security 2008 receives fewer reviews than some programs. Reviews agree that protection against viruses and spyware are excellent. The secondary features of the program, however, don't get the same enthusiasm. For that reason, Panda is a good option for those who mainly want antivirus and firewall protection, but aren't as concerned with spam filtering or spyware scanning.

Most reviewers think Windows Live OneCare 2.0, a managed service, is a poor option, but a couple of reviewers think it's great. It fares better than full-service suites in user reviews. ZoneAlarm was the overwhelming favorite of reviewers last year, but it has fallen out of favor. Vista compatibility is incomplete, and too many users have trouble installing it and living with it.