The Best Antivirus for Windows 10
Windows is the most popular operating system in the world. This comes as both a good and bad thing. On the brighter side, an operating system selling millions of copies each year is a ripe opportunity for other tech companies which develop a vast number of software to meet the needs of the users. On the flip side, such a popular OS attracts attention from hackers who are constantly creeping in the web in search of private data in the form of personal, financial, health, and other sorts. Therefore, the fact that you are already using a Windows 10 PC means that you are at high risk of losing your personal data through malware, ransomware, and hackers.
Isn’t the Windows Defender supposed to protect my system from data breaches? Why do I need another antivirus? Well, the Windows Defender does indeed work, and actually, the Windows Defender in Windows 10 is the best one yet. Yes, it’s a lightweight software that comes preinstalled into your system, so it works pretty well without affecting the system’s performance, and it’s also easy to use. Unfortunately, based on AV-Comparatives Tests, Windows Defender is a decent antivirus but with a 99.1% protection rating, (as of 2017) the software is not powerful enough to deliver optimal protection. While the score saw it outperform a significant majority of other commercial antiviruses, it still placed it outside the top 10 which means that there are better options that will give you the added peace of mind you need for your active online life.
1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2019
If you are looking for an accurate and reliable antivirus, then the award-winning Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2019 is your best pick. What makes Bitdefender so incredible is how, with each passing year and every new edition, the software keeps on getting better and better. This is unlike most of the other antiviruses in the market which release software with bugs and lots of loopholes once in a while, which forces them to go back into fixing the bugs. While these companies are fixing bugs, Bitdefender is coming up with new ways of protecting your systems against the constantly-advancing world of malware and hackers. That explains why out of 20 AV-Test reports, Bitdefender delivered a 100% protection rate 17 times with the last fail coming from back in 2014.
According to Av-Comparatives Report of 2019 (Feb to March), Bitdefender had a success rate of 100.0% in blocking some of the most notorious malware in the web today. The system scored 0.0% when tested for compromises done by malware and 0.0% on user dependency in terms of executing malware. The report also shows that the software reported 1 false positive. It’s not a clean bill, but 1 is better than the 36 that were reported on Windows Defender and 6 from McAfee just to compare a few.
The software comes with smart tech that detects and blocks malicious links and malware before they even appear or find their way into your PC. The antivirus is always monitoring your system, which makes it a particularly excellent choice for people who do a lot of online banking and shopping (which is everyone really).
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is also engineered with a vulnerability scanner which checks your system to make sure that all security measures are up and running. The scanner will alert you in case it detects poor system settings that may compromise your security.
The Basic Licence from Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2019 can cover up to three of your devices.
Other Features
- Password manager
- Frequent updates included to the subscriptions
- Integrated VPN (optional)
- Work, game and movie modes
- Battery mode
- Rescue mode
- Anti-fraud
- Anti-phishing
- Anti-tracker
- Multi-layer ransomware protection
- Real-time data protection
- Autopilot
- File shredder
- VPN compatibility
2. Kaspersky Total Security
Kaspersky Total Security is the flagship suite for Kaspersky’s antivirus. The renowned company also provides two other antivirus options i.e., Kaspersky Antivirus, which offers basic protection and Kaspersky Internet Security, which provides the basic protection plus identity and financial protection. So, why should you spend more on Kaspersky Total Security instead of settling for one of the other more affordable options?
Well, most people usually pay so much attention to securing their financial data against basic internet threats and forget about the importance of data encryption and password management something very crucial, especially on a work PC. Apart from offering the two services, Kaspersky Total Security will also help you to monitor your children’s activities online and wipe sensitive files from your computer permanently. You will also get an automatic backup for all your data.
Based on the 2019 (Feb-Mar) AV-comparative tests, Kaspersky labs got a 100.0% rating on blocking malware and 0.0% on false positives, 0.0% compromised systems due to malware and 0.0% user dependency on executing malware. This puts Kaspersky Total Security up there among the very best antiviruses available in the market today.
Kaspersky Total Security comes in different packages going for different prices. Based on the package you choose; you can use the antivirus on between 3 to 10 different devices. Of course, all of this would be rather useless if the antivirus was exclusively available for Windows OS and that’s why the software is also available on Mac desktops, laptops and tablets and also on both Android and iOS smartphones.
Here is the thing though, Kaspersky Total Security is quite a costly antivirus which may not offer the best value to you if you are not particularly interested in all the extras that this package has to offer. If you think that internet security and identity and financial protection is enough for you, then you are better off choosing Kaspersky Internet Security which does an equally incredible job in the said departments without costing you too much.
Other Features:
- Anti-banner
- Anti-malware
- Anti-spam
- Installation assistant
- Network attack blocker
- Application control for whitelisting specific applications
- Excellent data encryption
- Advanced anti-phishing
- Exploit prevention
- File shredder
- Online backup
- Webcam protection
- Kaspersky Safe Kids offers easy-to-use parental controls
- Gamer mode
3. Norton Security Premium
The Norton Security Premium is yet another brilliant flagship product that comes with a myriad of features for optimal protection, and the best part is that it achieves all that without slowing down the performance of your devices.
The antivirus comes with impressive data encryption that protects all the data you are receiving and sending through public WiFi.
The software also comes with real-time protection that will fight both pre-existing and new malware, including viruses and ransomware. Something unique about Norton Security Premium that you don’t come across so often is the 100% virus protection promise. The company promises to have an expert at your disposal whenever you need any assistance fighting malware. In case viruses and ransomware end up in your devices, their experts will fight it remotely, and if they don’t succeed, then you will get a refund. This is a bit interesting in that a refund would mean very little if your data (including financial details) ends up in the wrong hands, but it’s a good gesture nonetheless.
The Norton Security Premium can run on different operating systems. Since the premium package supports up to 10 devices, the company makes the software available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. The award-winning tech will also make sure that you receive alerts on time before downloading a malicious Android application. This is vital given the vast number of risky android apps out there.
Other than protecting your system, Norton Security premium also gives you 25 GB in online backup storage. This helps to secure your vital data against data loss due to ransomware or normal hard drive failures.
The Norton Security Premium is a costly package, but you can choose other options which are without a couple of features but still deliver water-tight protection. For instance, you can save up to $10 by going for the Deluxe edition which comes with the same features as the premium version except for the online backup, kid’s safety feature and reduces the number of supported devices.
Other Features
- Smart firewalls
- 100% virus protection promise
- Available on all the popular operating systems
- Family safety features
- 25 GB automatic backups for essential and sentimental files e.g., financial records, photos, etc.