Security experts and users alike take into consideration many factors when choosing an antivirus software, aside from its security features. Cost as well as system impact compatibility, usability, and personal judgment regarding a company’s policies can all be important elements that influence a user’s choice of an antivirus software.
Germany-based Avira is a good option for anyone looking for an antivirus suite with solid test results and the option of billing monthly. Avira’s antivirus program is incredibly good. lab scores in all categories, and offers many useful extras such as a password manager. Avira’s scans have a light background effect and are not heavy on resources. However, the speed drop is quite significant at 53 percent, which is one of the highest in our tests.
A few of our top choices aren’t perfect. Kaspersky can slow down your PC by up to 53% with its heavy background effect, whereas Avast is only slightly slower at 44 percent. On the other the other hand, Bitdefender has an excellent free version and a strong subscription-based antivirus solution that has excellent independent lab scores. Its feature set includes the VPN and is comprehensive, which helps it stand out among the other options.
F-Secure is the top-rated paid antivirus program. McAfee Total Protection and Trend Micro Internet Security are also highly reviewed. While Microsoft Defender, which is built right into Windows 10 and 11, has a moderate post-installation background impact of 9%, it’s also prone to heavy slowdowns during full system scans.