Best security and antivirus softwares? Comparisons made!

The Ultimate Question has always been "Which is the Best?" while opinions and ratings are abundant in regards to what is mostly seen available on the software market.

For a long time an old but reliable name in that industry had been Sunbelt Software mostly due to the Sunbelt Firewall software being a Top Rated Corporate software. And For Home Users were to eventually see VIPRE which while still found available with different products including the Internet Security Suite has changed hands over the years from Sunbelt to ThreatTrack and... who now? Here I gathered up the lifetime product licensing to solve that question of "What Should I go with?" going for the VIPRE Advanced Security as well as the Internet Security suite.

Well that was the nice setting when the previous version of Windows 10 was out in RTM form back in 2015. So what about 2023? Is there a Top Choice list to pick from like the 5 Top Rated for 2023 seen at:


NOTE: This is only one guide for the year seen there. Norton tops off as the #1 with TOTAL AV coming in second place until we see another review of this time 10 different products where Norton Slips? down to second place under TOTAL AV! This list however brings up another product besides VIPRE offering mobile security namely Malwarebytes which also sees a free version available.


So what are some of the things to look for when going to choose from a good number of other softwares to compare to these listed in both reviews? Let's see:
1) Virus Protection
2) Malware Protection
3) Adware Protection
You will most likely find those three alone are the most commonly seen items being looked at!
4) Ransom wares?!
5) Anti-Phising(found more in email spam filtering)
6) VPN security
7) Mobile Security(even VIPRE was found at the Playstore for smart phones and tablets)

Should we call this the "LUCKY 7" items of interest when going to pick and choose which and what of security and antivirus softwares to consider?
With an ongoing Triple Boot replacing the long time Dual Boot with the latest version of the Windows OS it had to be a consideration here! Any thoughts

AND TO ADD FURTHER? The next list finds Malwarebytes above Trend Micro another well known product in this other review's Top Ten seen at:

This is the disclaimer from antivirusguide.com

Please be advised that our company receives monetary compensation for listing and providing information, free of charge, on our website. The level of compensation may impact the order in which the products are presented. We do our best to strike a balance between the quality of our recommendations and the revenue generated by promoting specific products.

Better site for reviews IMO. They are not funded by any AV companies. Home

Best is really subjective and, with the exception of some criteria, different people/entities will be looking for certain qualities or features.

I would like to see free security apps separated from paid security apps.

Also, I only use Windows Security (formerly Windows Defender) and have had no security problems in several years.

neemobeer said:

Better site for reviews IMO. They are not funded by any AV companies. Home

Best is really subjective and, with the exception of some criteria, different people/entities will be looking for certain qualities or features.

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Agreed, a much better site. But not at all user friendly. Not made for a novice that just wants an answer to “Which antivirus/firewall should I use?”

@Night Hawk whats with the all caps thread title? Chill.

antspants said:

Agreed, a much better site. But not at all user friendly. Not made for a novice that just wants an answer to “Which antivirus/firewall should I use?”

@Night Hawk whats with the all caps thread title? Chill.

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I saw that, but decided not to tell him that's screaming at us.

Wynona said:

I saw that, but decided not to tell him that's screaming at us.

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Ha! It’s OK, I have my cape (& my pants) on

antspants said:

Ha! It’s OK, I have my cape (& my pants) on

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I should hope so!

neemobeer said:

Best is really subjective and, with the exception of some criteria, different people/entities will be looking for certain qualities or features.

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I really agree with that statement. It all depends on the individual - company.
I've been using MalwareBytes' since it came out. It was only a scanner at the time and
people were telling that it wasn't good. Well , people were wrong. I've since then
had a never expires license from them. You cannot buy those anymore.



As noted the sites I like to visit for this purpose are.

Flashorn said:

AV-TEST | Antivirus & Security Software & AntiMalware Reviews

Provides independent comparative tests and reviews for antivirus software, antimalware tools, and security software for Windows, Mac, and Android.

www.av-test.org

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No “Best Overall” conclusion, or did I miss it? They seem to apply the same rating to most of their tested products.

Wynona said:

I should hope so!

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You’ve caught me on a good day

antspants said:

No “Best Overall” conclusion, or did I miss it? They seem to apply the same rating to most of their tested products.

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You choose the one that best suits your needs.
They test and you choose. Simple.

So many AV programs seem to score 98% plus on the comparative sites it seems they are all nearly equal. So it's down to what is important to you.
I don't need an anti-malware that is obsessed with 'trackers' (i.e. cookies) PUPS (potentially unwanted programs) and other red herrings. Nor do I want constant interruptions or suggestions. I've no doubt Bitdefender gives good protection but it slows down my modestly-specced laptop and is very slow to scan. Why does it scan non-executable files? Webroot only intervenes when it detects an ACTIVE malware. It journals all changes and can reverse encryption if it detects a bad actor.

If my home computers get infected, it's much less of a deal than it uused to be, because I have backups and most of my data is in the cloud. I would just format the HSS/SSD and restore.

But in all my days, no computer has ever been infected by a virus or malware. I may have downloaded some, but none has ever become active or done any harm.

If there truly was a "best", everybody would be using it.

IMO ......... Windows Defender is prob the best for everyday people. Most of the Malware Forums recommend it & along with MalwareBytes or AdwCleaner is for running every once in awhile. It's really not necessary to keep these 2 installed i go get them if needed ! But what ever works for your use !!!

But, I've read reports that Defender does impact performance.

kelper said:

But, I've read reports that Defender does impact performance.

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I don't run it on a daily basis but, I sometimes will and as far as I can tell, I don't see any slow downs
from it. Maybe on some less powerful PCs/notebooks, there could be an impact if run with another
a/v.

They have a performance analyzer (from MS) if you think yours is impacting it ! No difference in mine !

flashh4 said:

IMO ......... Windows Defender is prob the best for everyday people. Most of the Malware Forums recommend it & along with MalwareBytes or AdwCleaner is for running every once in awhile. It's really not necessary to keep these 2 installed i go get them if needed ! But what ever works for your use !!!

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I use AdwCleaner but it hasn't been updated for ages nor does it seem to update the definition file it uses. Is it no longer supported and a waste of time using it?

flashh4 said:

They have a performance analyzer (from MS) if you think yours is impacting it ! No difference in mine !

reports that Defender does impact performance. - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

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The fact that MS has released this tool is proof that Defender is slowing down some systems!

Steve C said:

I use AdwCleaner but it hasn't been updated for ages nor does it seem to update the definition file it uses. Is it no longer supported and a waste of time using it?

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I would use it on a computer where the browsers have been hijacked etc as it's only a scanner. Updated August last year. Otherwise I don't have it on my comps. It's just an extra tool in the arsenal to run if needed, as it's not installed, just runs from the .exe file.