It's 2019 and we're no closer to vanquishing the cyber-criminals and hackers that plague the internet. So it's clearly as important as ever to ensure that your computer and mobile devices are afforded the protection of the best antivirus out there. We've tested and reviewed the latest antivirus packages - both free and premium - from the biggest names in cyber security, so you can be confident that our recommendations can be trusted. More than 80 antivirus and security suites have been reviewed and re-reviewed by our experts, as of January 2019, to give you the very best solution to protect and secure your devices. Luckily online software security companies are constantly updating their security software packages. We're already starting to see their 2019 packages come to market, with user experience tweaks and the latest virus definitions to protect against phishing scams, ransomware and all other types of viruses and malware. Right now, we think that Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2019 is the best antivirus available. It combines watertight security tools with an array of other excellent security features and is super easy to use, too - best of all, it also offers extremely good value for money. You can read more about what it offers below, together with Norton AntiVirus and Webroot SecureAnywhere that complete our top three. That doesn't mean you have to start spending big money either, as our guide also gives you the best available prices for the best software. Plus, it has reintroduced its mega 60% discount on its top packages - including Antivirus Plus - too. Take best antivirus for pc look at any rankings of big independent antivirus and Bitdefender's premium security products always rise to the top. It tends to be reliable and accurate in its virus detecting, featuring web filtering to blocks access to malicious sites, a secure browser that keeps your online banking ans shopping transactions safe, and there's a password manager which auto-completes credit card details in web forms. It also scores high for its excellent anti-phishing module, which alerts you to malicious links in your search engine results and blocks access to dangerous sites. New for the 2019 version of Antivirus Plus are multi-layer ransomeware protection that heuristically learns the behaviour of such threats to keep you safe as well as the ability to scan all your linked devices via the Bitdefender Central mobile app. There are one or two issues — it grabs more resources than average, and might conflict with some programs — but Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2019 is still a likeable package which offers excellent detection rates, great performance, and more than enough bonus features to justify the price. For a little bit more you can purchase the edition. It's a special software treat only for certain publishers like TechRadar to display. Take advantage by hitting that 'View Deal' button or. But one of the main reasons we've boosted it to number two in our best antivirus rankings is because it's also one of the very best value paid-for security software options on the market. If that misses something, an excellent file reputation service heuristically recognises suspect downloads immediately. And if malware still finds a way through, intelligent behaviour monitoring uses its up to date virus definitions to quarantine threats at the first sign of trouble. If you're a more hands-on type, best antivirus for pc can easily run scans on demand. Maybe set up and save custom scans to check just the areas you need. Even schedule them to run at a particular time, but only if your system is idle, and it's not running on battery power. There can be problems with some of the browser extensions. The bundled Norton Identity Safe is a capable password manager when it's running properly, but we've found the Chrome version sometimes stops working for no apparent reason. We've seen plenty of reviewers reporting similar problems, so there does seem to be a real issue here. Still, you don't have to use Identity Safe at all, and Norton AntiVirus Basic's main functions deliver on all fronts: it's easy to use, has the configuration options experts need, comes highly rated by the testing labs, and is carefully designed to have the least possible impact on your system performance. There's no compromise on features, though. Along with the core protection, there's smart behaviour monitoring, accurate real-time antiphishing, a firewall and network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and other interesting extras. It's not easy to compare Best antivirus for pc accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely evaluate the company's products. But when they are reviewed, they generally score well, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection. There's a lot to like about SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, and Webroot's 70-day 100% money-back guarantee suggests it's confident in the product, too. If you're tired of overly complicated and bloated engines, Webroot must be on your shortlist. This doesn't mean the package is short on power, it's just more focused on the fundamentals. The interface is clumsy sometimes, some features are very advanced, and even the Help isn't always exactly helpful. Above-average protection does a good job of keeping you safe, and a lightweight best antivirus for pc ensures the package won't slow you down. It adds all of the above as well as password management and secure data. They also say it can generate significantly more false positives than most of the competition, but how that affects you will vary depending on how you use your computer. The interface is a major plus. The program has minimal effect on your system best antivirus for pc, and if you do need to intervene then you can generally solve any issues in a couple of clicks. Fortunately, what you do get works well. The program is easy to use, too. A well-designed interface has just the right number of buttons and options — not too basic, but not complicated or intimidating, either — and there are plenty of on-screen instructions to explain how everything works. Even a beginner will be at home right away. If you just need accurate, reliable and consistent malware protection, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2018 will serve you well. The top testing labs all rate it highly for protection, although there's some disagreement on the details. If there's a problem here, it's likely to be performance impact. PassMark's March 2017 Performance assessed 15 security products on various performance-related benchmarks, and Trend Micro came bottom of the list. Our experiences with the product are a little more favourable: protection levels appear similar to Bitdefender, false positives are only marginally higher, and it doesn't slow down our system noticeably more than anything else. We'd recommending running the trial for its full 30 days before you buy, then, to see if you notice any problems. But if you're unaffected, its high levels of detection and excellent bonus features make Trend Micro a good choice. A simple two-way firewall helps to keep your system secure. A virtual keyboard helps you enter confidential data without it being intercepted by keyloggers. Some of these bonus features are relatively basic. The Panda firewall does its job and can make you more secure, for instance, but it doesn't compete with the standalone firewall competition. Experienced network users will probably want more. The simplicity does at least keep everything very easy to use. Options are organised in a straightforward Windows 10-like interface, with all the main modules just a click or two away. Even the firewall doesn't need to best antivirus for pc anything more than your current network location: Home, Work or Public Place. There's not a lot of Panda test results from the independent labs around right now, but the figures we've seen show the company delivers above average protection, and overall Panda Antivirus Pro does a good job of keeping malware at bay. This makes them more suitable for power users, those who want a bit of extra security and anyone who wants their system to run as smoothly as possible. It also means you avoid annoying pop-ups that try and tempt you to upgrade to the full version. And, as you've discovered above, they don't really cost too much to buy But these days you can get top quality protection absolutely free, with just about every single major vendor out there offering a free antivirus. So if you're determined to get free antivirus, we strongly suggest that you check out our list of best security downloads in 2018 below. We've highlighted their features -and shortcomings - to ensure that you pick out the best one. The free version's insistence on running in autopilot mode is a double-edged sword, making the process of virus management easy but taking it out of the user's hands; while we're inclined to trust it, there have been cases in the past of automatic systems going slightly rogue, such as the incident a few years back when Panda Antivirus identified itself as a virus and locked up a large number of Windows systems. And it's worth pointing out that for you can currently get our top rated paid-for solution. Obviously, though, Avast now has a lot more data to work with, having expanded its effective userbase and, therefore, its threat detection network to a whopping 400 million users. The latest edition of adds an automatic gaming mode to mute popups and reduce system load when you're firing up a processor-hungry game, which is very handy indeed, and the interface has been given a clean new overhaul. There's a password manager, too, which is an undeniably good addition to your security portfolio. Less impressive is the slight negative effect Avast has on software launch times, and its slightly popup-heavy attitude. You get standard virus protection and anti-malware protection, along with browser tools like anti-phishing and, most importantly, content control. Although Sophos Home has always had desktop notifications, there was no premium best antivirus for pc of the software for best antivirus for pc to encourage an upgrade to. That changed in February with the launch of Sophos Home Premium. As you would expect, is a scaled down version of the full program - a tool that we really like more on which below. The result is a tremendously easy to use and navigate bit of software that does an effective job of keeping you protected from viruses. Using the nuts and bolts real-world scanning engine of the paid-for suite, Kaspersky Free is fiendishly hard for viruses and trojan horses to break down. And we love that it doesn't constantly pester you with nudges to upgrade to the full version. It has a clean, friendly interface - with a swish redesign ready for 2018 - and throws up minimal false positives. This is one of the best free antivirus packages of 2018. So why, then, have we dropped it from the top spot on our list, a position it's held for the past two years. There's a certain level of popups and advertisements that's acceptable for a free product, and Avira has begun to cross the line. Review and where to download: Best business antivirus Each entry in this list has been carefully chosen for its business features, such as remote installation and central management. The best business antivirus software will have enterprise-level protection against threats, but that doesn't mean they have to cost a lot of money, either. The price per installation can sometimes be cheaper than even our recommended best antivirus packages. An excellent business antivirus suite, giving you various tools such as virus protection, Firewall, email protection, anti-spam and the ability to sandbox applications for complete security. Avast Business Antivirus Pro as opposed to the standard Avast Business Antivirus also includes Sharepoint and Exchange protection, as well as a number of tools for your servers. Symantec's first benefit is the company's Insight file reputation technology, an effective way to detect and block even the very latest undiscovered threats. Other layers of protection include virus protection, behaviour monitoring, intrusion protection, a firewall, and the 'Power Eraser' to remove stubborn threats and repair your system. This package makes reliable protection its top priority. Bitdefender products are loved by the independent testing labs, highly rated for malware detection, removal, performance and usability.
