VIPRE Antivirus 2014
VIPRE Antivirus excels in every area that counts, but it's not perfect. For starters, the design is far behind its competitors with a basic color scheme and dated inner windows.
However, we're not looking for antivirus that looks pretty. We're looking for antivirus software that really works: VIPRE does that in spades.
Despite an uninspired user interface design, VIPRE Antivirus has the best real-time malware protection we've seen, unmatched customer support, and a price tag that's affordable to everyone.
Testing proved VIPRE to be the best at:
- virus prevention
- virus removal
- tech support
BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2013
While Bit defender is still not as well-known as products such as Norton or McAfee, it's quickly earning a top seat among reviewers and sellers — and for good reason.Techincal support is better than it was last year (which was not very good), and the program itself is a bit large compared to other antivirus software (but it won't slow down your computer).
Regardless of these minor flaws, BitDefender provides excellent real-time antivirus protection with a refreshingly well-designed and nice-looking user interface.
Norton Antivirus Software 2013
Norton's 2013 Antivirus Software is a good product with a reputable name. It simply excels in protecting against real-time threats and removing stubborn viruses.It also installs in no time at all, the fastest of all of all we've tested.
However, its user interface relies too heavily on animation and lacks graphics cohesion.
It's also weak on extra features when compared to the competition.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Software 2013
Kaspersky offers a great product, again placing in our top three, and continues to earn accolades worldwide.It mainly falls down on resource usage, usability and technical support.
These not inconsequential areas, but Kaspersky still performed quite well in our tests this year.
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 6
ESET has been a strong performer in the marketplace for several years, however they have been unable to keep pace on virus removal capabilities.Also, it does not offer what today is considered top-notch technical and customer support.
Its look is clean, simple and professional.
It doesn't offer a lot of extra features, but that's not why we buy it.
Their self-help technical support is also good.
avast Pro Antivirus 2013
Avast has grown up from it's free days and continues to provide a strong product.It performs well in most technical areas, but needs to improve rivus removal and anti-phishing.
It's also fast and efficient and provides great tech support, though only for basic issues.
Avira Antivirus Premium 2013
Avira Antivirus Premium 2013 is a good product with a lot of great features not usually found in basic antivirus software.We're not impressed that its antiphishing filter missed some sites usually uncovered by competitors and and it wasn't able to remove bad rootkits.
We do give high praise to Avira for its free phone technical support and found their self-help options good, as well.
The user interface is clean and simple. We find Avira to be a great product.
AVG Anti-Virus Software 2013
AVG is best known for their quality, free antivirus software. This year it continues to perform well and is a great option for those just looking for basic protection. Upgrading to their paid antivirus program brings some great extra perks, including parental controls, which is rare for a non internet security suite.We did find a few areas of concern, however. For one, while their antivirus protection is generally good, in our tests AVG missed one scare ware-style virus and some well-known viruses were extremely difficult or impossible to remove — not good.
The user interface is inefficient and cumbersome and technical support is limited and not free.
However, AVG has gained solid respect in the marketplace and we'd recommend it.
McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2013
McAfee has been a respected name in antivirus software for a long time and they still offer good real-time protection. However, they fall down in all other areas, in our opinion.Virus removal is a bit of a challenge for them.
They have not yet mastered the efficiencies in resource usage that their competitors have.
Their user interface is not fun or easy to use.
Their self-help technical support is good, but the fees for additional assistance are high.
For these reasons, McAfee is not a recommendation from us this year.