Everybody needs defense against malware. There’s no denying that. Plenty of security products are available, and each one claims to offer complete protection. But if independent testing labs are to be believed, only a handful of security solutions can really fulfill your security demands. Here are some of the best, paid antivirus program this year has to offer (in alphabetical order).
Avira Antivirus Pro 2016
In terms of protection, the Avira Antivirus Pro 2016 is an excellent choice according to independent testing labs. It also plays nicely with legitimate programs, reporting fewer false positives and slowing the system performance for only a few seconds on average.
In addition, Avira Antivirus Pro 2016 features protection against phishing—online tricks that lure users to malicious websites that steal personal and financial information. The antivirus program blocks websites it knows are malicious and also provides safety ratings for search engine results.
Avira Antivirus Pro 2016 starts protecting your computer right after you install it. No restart is required. It also comes with a Game Mode or a silent mode that keeps protecting your computer without disturbing you as you play a video game or watch a movie.
The user interface could use some improvement, though, seeing that it has an old-fashioned look and somewhat complicated navigation. Simple tasks, such as on-demand full scanning, require more steps to accomplish, whereas competing products offer one-click options. Even setting a schedule for scanning at certain times and days may confuse you the first time around, but you do have plenty of choices to enjoy once you get the hang of it.
All products on this list are paid software. But if you’re strapped for cash, you can get the Avira Antivirus Free 2016. As the name implies, it doesn’t cost you a dime, for as long as you don’t use it for business. It comes with most features of the Pro version, including its great malware protection. In fact, there are few good reasons to upgrade to the paid version when the free edition can already handle many of your needs.
Furthermore, the pro version lacks many extra features that you’d find in other security suites, such as a whitelist, password manager, firewall and system optimizer. On the plus side, it does come with mail protection that scans for and quarantines attachments that have malware. If you need to have live chat with a technical support, you’re out of luck. Avira only offers email and phone support 24/7.
The Avira Antivirus Pro 2016 costs $31.99 for a one-year, single license.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016
The Bitdefender brand is usually the go-to choice if you want superior protection while paying for a bit less money. Its products consistently come out on top, or at least close to it, in lab tests and annual reviews. The Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is no different. It’s the editor’s choice of many publications for its excellent malware protection.
If you attempt to allow malware into your computer (which you really shouldn’t do unless it’s a test system), Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is expected to detect them all and quarantine them immediately. It performs better than most security software when dealing with zero-day malware, easily surpassing the 98-percent industry average detection.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 has minimal impact on performance; it does not significantly slow down copying of files, downloading applications, and other common tasks. It’s also not prone to giving false detections of genuine software.
If you’re like many users who want an antivirus program that you only need to install and then forget, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is for you. It has an autopilot mode that automates maintenance tasks, including updates and scanning. It makes all security-related decisions without needing user interaction. Settings are automatically configured and optimized for your system. Bitdefender even coordinates with Windows in looking out for vulnerabilities and applying the necessary patches and updates.
No matter how good Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is, it’s still not perfect. The software knows this unfortunate fact, which is why it offers a feature called Rescue Mode that lets you boot outside of Windows to disinfect all existing hard drive partitions.
All the aforementioned good things about Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is just a start. There are so many more features to enjoy: password manager, file shredder, URL scanning, the SafePay browser for secure banking, and protection against USB malware and ransomware. The antivirus program even protects you from attacks that exploit social networks.
If you’re planning to buy and install Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016, make sure you do it on your free time. Save your work and close your other programs, because the installation requires a restart. The same goes with uninstallation. Using Windows XP or Vista? Sorry, this antivirus program is not compatible with your system.
The official price of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 is $59.95 for three PCs for a one-year subscription. Like Avira, Bitdefender also offers a no-frills, free edition.
BullGuard Antivirus 2016
BullGuard is the underdog in this list. It does not have the same level of popularity and reputation that brands like Bitdefender or Kaspersky have. But when it comes to widespread malware protection and detection measures, its security software BullGuard Antivirus 2016 does surpass the industry average.
BullGuard Antivirus 2016 does try its best to make a name for itself in the sea of antiviruses. It not only effectively identifies and removes malware, it also provides two extra features. One is an antiphishing tool for blocking websites that attempt to steal your usernames and passwords. The other is a spam filter, which is good enough not to mistake your legitimate messages for spam. BullGuard is also great at blocking URLs and websites known to have malware.
The interface is user-friendly, although it does show modules you only have access to once you upgrade to BullGuard’s pricier, more comprehensive security solutions. If for instance, you need a firewall, parental control and vulnerability scanner, you have to grab BullGuard’s Internet Security or Premium Protection software package.
Per the assessments from independent labs, BullGuard Antivirus has great protection and low impact on performance. A real-world protection test in March 2016 by AV-Comparatives, however, shows that BullGuard has one of the higher false positive detection rates among the tested products.
If you need technical support, you can contact one of BullGuard’s customer representatives through live chat and email, but there’s no telephone support.
BullGuard Antivirus 2016 costs 24.95 euros for a one-year license for one computer. If you’re unsure on whether it meets your security needs, a trial version is available that lets you try the program for 15 days before you purchase a license.
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016 has the basic malware protection pretty much covered and nothing else. It doesn’t overwhelm you with bonus features it claims you won’t actually use. So if you just want real-time and on-demand malware scanning, this antivirus program is a good choice.
Lab tests show that F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016 scores highly for its zero-day protection. It doesn’t claim the top spot in terms of overall performance, but it’s nearly there. When it encounters malware that it doesn’t recognize, it relies on its DeepGuard feature. It’s an in-house technology that closely monitors programs and blocks them if they perform suspicious activities. It has a tendency to produce false positive more often than the industry average, but you might not experience these false alerts depending on what you do on your computer.
The user interface is simple yet very effective. One tab shows your computer’s protection status, another tab neatly organizes available tools, and a third tab shows how many viruses and suspicious files the antivirus program has cleaned and blocked.
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016’s installation process is simple yet unique, in that it automatically removes existing antiviruses—having more than one security solution with real-time protection is bad for your computer—and then scans for malware. It also doesn’t require a restart when it’s done, and nor does the uninstallation process. The installation may take some time to finish, though.
As a no-frills software package, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016 lacks antiphishing or malicious URL blocking. You’re pretty much on your own if you visit websites that host malware or trick you into divulging your login credentials and credit card information.
The price of F-Secure Anti-Virus 2016 starts at $39.99 for a 12-month protection for up to three computers. You can also get F-Secure Booster that claims to speed up your device and prolong battery life, as well as a rescue CD for when your computer no longer starts properly, but these extras cost additional money. Customer support is available over the phone, via email or live chat.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016
Kaspersky products appear in most (if not all) lab tests, and they consistently end up ranking among the highest every year. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 continues that trend, earning near-perfect or perfect scores in protection, performance, and usability.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 identifies malware, both widespread and zero-day, with high accuracy. Its influence on system performance is negligible, adding only a very short delay to common computer tasks. You can even continue doing your work and other tasks on your computer while the antivirus program is performing a full system scan; you won’t notice any significant slowdowns on your part. If you’re fed up with false positives, you’ll love Kaspersky. It didn’t mistakenly report any legit files and websites during lab tests.
Plus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 has a wealth of extra features that can be really useful. The program offers remote management that lets you perform a scan and view reports remotely. Its Safe Surf component guards you while you visit websites. By promptly blocking sites that are laden with malware and other questionable content, Kaspersky guarantees full protection as you browse the web. In addition, a virtual keyboard is available that allows you to enter confidential information, such as passwords and credit card security codes, without worrying about keyloggers.
The user interface is simple, showing necessary elements on each section without overwhelming users with too much information. However, the organization leaves something to be desired. Some common tasks, such as performing a quick scan, needlessly requires additional mouse clicks when a single click of a button would have sufficed.
Installing Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 is a breeze and typically requires only a few minutes to finish. You’ll need to have a fast internet connection, though, if you want to download the installer that’s more than 150 megabytes in size.
Need help? You can contact thru email, live chat or over the phone, but note that the company’s customer support only operates on an 18-hour schedule. But given that the Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 blocks more malware than most competing solutions do, we doubt you’d find yourself in constant need of customer support. The antivirus program has an official price of $39.95 for a full-year protection for one computer.
McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2016
McAfee is a veteran in the antivirus industry. Over the years, the company has continually released products with good ratings in lab tests, even though it also has had the occasional missteps like bad updates and poor customer support. One of its recent releases, McAfee Antivirus Plus 2016, provides very solid, capable virus protection and offers a number of useful extras.
Perhaps the best thing about McAfee Antivirus Plus 2016 is that it offers protection for unlimited devices. That’s $59.99 for a yearly subscription that you can use on not just up to three computers, but every device you own. That includes devices that run Android, Mac OS or iOS.
Bonus features of McAfee Antivirus Plus 2016, specifically the extras you can enjoy other than the essential malware protection, include a firewall, Recycle Bin shredder, phishing protection, vulnerability scanner, website rating and silent mode. If you need a password manager, you have to spend for a different McAfee product. Note that many of these features may be limited or non-existent on non-Windows platforms.
With or without the extras, McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2016 effectively protects devices from malware. Its scanning engine is sophisticated enough to exceed expectations, beating most of the competition in catching widespread and zero-day malware. The antivirus program does this without hogging system resources and mistaking genuine programs for malware.
McAfee has customer support thru the phone and live-chat. It also has an extensive online documentation for its products and a lively community forum where customers can seek help from employees and other customers.
Symantec Norton Security Deluxe
Symantec used to give customers so many choices when buying Norton security software, but that only ended up confusing the customers. Beginning in 2014, Symantec made the Norton brand more streamlined, combining the features and capabilities of several products into just three, all-purpose suites. One of these is Norton Security Deluxe.
The Deluxe edition is the midrange option. It comes with the essential malware protection, antispam, password manager, optimization tools and identity theft protection you can benefit from the cheaper, basic option called Standard. In addition, the Deluxe also lets you secure up to five devices across different platforms and provides a convenient Web portal to manage them. Five is no nowhere near McAfee’s unlimited device support for one license, but the Deluxe is still quite a valuable offer at $49.99 for a one-year subscription. If you want family safety features and online backup, the Premium edition is available at $59.99 with support up to 10 devices.
Norton Security Deluxe is an excellent antivirus program. It frequently ranks among the best in lab tests and achieves test scores higher than the industry average. It’s also able to protect the computer with minimal use of system resources. However, it’s rather inclined to identify non-malicious files as malware, even more so than the industry average. That said, Norton Security Deluxe promises to safeguard your computer from every digital threat. If it fails, you can reach out to a trained Symantec professional to inspect your computer and remove the threat for you. Customer support is available 24/7 by telephone or online chat. If the professional fails to clean your computer, you can ask for a refund.
Installing Norton Security Deluxe doesn’t require a restart. Its interface may be a bit confusing to the average user at first, but it’s clean and slick. The entire software is also resilient in that it can’t be easily disabled by malware or user attempts.
Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus Program
Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus has one distinct advantage that hardly other security tools can beat: it’s lightweight. While we did mention that many other products in this list have a negligible effect on the computer’s performance, Webroot takes efficiency to another level while offering great malware protection.
Right from installation you can already notice how lightweight Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is. Only a few core files are installed on your computer, and it only requires less than 5 megabytes of storage space. For comparison, the other products in this list need 100 megabytes or more. The whole installation process takes a few seconds to finish, after which you already have an antivirus program that’s fully functional and protecting your computer. System scans only take a couple of minutes, and system memory consumed is very minimal. The antivirus program leaves more than enough for you and your multitasking needs.
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is able to protect your computer without weighing it down by offloading the majority of data analysis to a cloud-based server. This online server basically keeps a list of all legitimate and malicious programs Webroot is aware of, and the desktop client simply refers to this list when deciding to whether block or allow apps and processes on the computer. If an app is not recognized in the list, the desktop client begins observing the app’s activities and rolls them back when the app is later found to be malicious. When you go offline, which means the desktop client can’t contact the cloud-based server, every new program you launch undergoes the monitoring process. When you connect to the internet again, Webroot promptly contacts its server and rolls back the actions of programs that turn out to be malicious.
Besides its unique approach to malware protection, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus offers antiphishing, firewall and ransomware protection. It also has a sandbox feature that you can use to run suspicious programs in a contained, testing environment.
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus starts at $29.99 for a one-year, one-device license.
