{"id":57149,"date":"2013-12-13T01:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=57149"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:58:37","slug":"antivirus-comparison-2013-2014-best-security-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/antivirus-comparison-2013-2014-best-security-software\/","title":{"rendered":"Softonic&#8217;s big antivirus comparison: Software to stay safe in 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Like every year, we&#8217;ve once again\u00a0carefully examined the top antivirus programs of 2013. Our criteria for analysis include\u00a0the best <a title=\"Antivirus software on Softonic\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/windows\/anti-virus\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">antivirus<\/a> for virus <strong>detection rate<\/strong>, <strong>system performance<\/strong> and <strong>quality of the user interface<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, we compared\u00a0free and commercial antivirus software separately. Thanks to even more extensive data this year, we&#8217;ve been able to\u00a0crown the best antivirus software for 2014 using a new approach.<\/p>\n<h3>Free and commercial\u00a0in a single\u00a0overview<\/h3>\n<p>In this year&#8217;s comparison,\u00a0commercial and free anti-virus software compete head-to-head. Products like <a title=\"Norton Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norton<\/a> and <a title=\"Kaspersky Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/kaspersky-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky<\/a> can compete with free software like\u00a0<a title=\"avast! Free Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avast.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">avast!<\/a>, <a title=\"AVG Antivirus Free 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avg-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AVG<\/a>, or <a title=\"Avira Free Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-free-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Avira<\/a>, giving you both paid and free versions to choose from.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57326\" title=\"Softonic antivirus comparison\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/1-participants-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014.jpg\" alt=\"Softonic antivirus comparison\" width=\"568\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/1-participants-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014.jpg 568w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/1-participants-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-195x256.jpg 195w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/1-participants-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-434x568.jpg 434w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h3>Comparison of principal components<\/h3>\n<p>For the first time, we&#8217;re not comparing actual products such as <a href=\"http:\/\/avast.en.softonic.com\/\">avast! Free Antivirus<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/norton-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\">Norton Internet Security<\/a>, but rather aspects that are the same in the various editions, including shield\u00a0and scan components from the individual manufacturers.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, our analysis is aimed at users who expect powerful protection and think of additional functions as secondary features.<\/p>\n<p>Our tip: first, select the software. Then, you can decide on an edition, depending on your\u00a0need for additional features. Many additional features of the premium editions such as backup, cloud storage, browser protection, encryption, or parental control can also be found in free programs.<\/p>\n<h3>More winners<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to the overall best antivirus software for 2014, we&#8217;ve selected a number of other award winners:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The strongest antivirus<\/strong>: for virus detection rate<\/li>\n<li><strong>The fastest\u00a0antivirus<\/strong>: for speed and system loading<\/li>\n<li><strong>The most complete\u00a0free antivirus<\/strong>: for free antivirus software with the most features<\/li>\n<li><strong>The most promising antivirus<\/strong>: for the newest product with the best results<\/li>\n<li><strong>The disappointment of the year<\/strong>: for the\u00a0antivirus that\u00a0actually slows down your system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Our winner: The best antivirus software for 2014<\/h2>\n<p>For the evaluation of programs, we relied on a rich set of data from the past year. Our partner, the renowned <a title=\"Virus Bulletin\" href=\"http:\/\/www.virusbtn.com\/vb100\/rap-index.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">test laboratory Virus Bulletin<\/a>, tests the recognition rates of 30-60 antivirus programs and system performance\u00a0every two months.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57327\" title=\"Virus Bulletin\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/2-virus-bulletin-logo.jpg\" alt=\"Virus Bulletin\" width=\"350\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/2-virus-bulletin-logo.jpg 350w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/2-virus-bulletin-logo-256x139.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p>Virus Bulletin runs these individual tests <strong>exclusively<\/strong> for us. Additionally, we test all the programs using their benchmarks. We evaluate interface and features separately.<\/p>\n<h3>Long-term data instead of individual tests<\/h3>\n<p>Our winners are not based on a single test, but on the average test results over the course of the year. This ensures the long-term quality of the winning programs.<\/p>\n<p>Based on this information, we determined our individual marks for safety and performance. The help of a test editor for the variety of features combined with\u00a0the basic results\u00a0ultimately gives us\u00a0our 2013 Softonic Rating.<\/p>\n<p>So,\u00a0here they are, the results for fifteen of the most popular anti-virus programs, sorted by overall score.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57364\" title=\"Complete Ratings Table 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/3-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-table1.jpg\" alt=\"Complete Ratings Table 2013\" width=\"507\" height=\"722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/3-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-table1.jpg 507w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/3-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-table1-179x256.jpg 179w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/3-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-table1-398x568.jpg 398w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s big\u00a0<strong>winner <\/strong>is Symantec\/Norton with its <a title=\"Norton Antivirus on Softonic\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"Norton Internet Security on Softonic\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Internet Security<\/a> and <a title=\"Norton 360 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-360.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norton 360<\/a> products.\u00a0Norton convinces with high ratings in all categories and seals the deal with its user interface and many standard features.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second and third place<\/strong> go to <a title=\"ESET programs on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/author\/eset\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESET<\/a> (NOD32 AntiVirus, Smart Security, Cyber \u200b\u200bSecurity) and <a title=\"Kaspersky Products on Softonic\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/s\/kaspersky?ab=3\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky<\/a> (Antivirus, Internet Security, PURE). Kaspersky is on par with\u00a0Norton on interface and features, as well as having excellent detection rates. Slightly worse values \u200b\u200bin system performance cost Kaspersky the top spot.<\/p>\n<p>ESET is up there with Kaspersky with very good performance values. Light compromising on user interface\u00a0made\u00a0no difference. <a href=\"http:\/\/avg-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\">AVG<\/a> is the best free solution this time, although it only reaches fourth place. Last year, we were able to crown <a title=\"Download Avira Free Antivirus\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-free-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Avira Free Antivirus<\/a> as the big winner because of good performance values \u200b\u200bin this category, however the\u00a0competition this year has improved significantly.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57353\" title=\"2013 Softonic ratings for all products\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/4-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-chart.jpg\" alt=\"2013 Softonic ratings for all products\" width=\"494\" height=\"567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/4-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-chart.jpg 494w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/4-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-total-rating-2013-chart-223x256.jpg 223w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><strong>Check out our winners this year in our video overview<\/strong>:<br \/>\n<!-- Start of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<div>\nDefault player\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- By use of this code snippet, I agree to the Brightcove Publisher T and C  found at https:\/\/accounts.brightcove.com\/en\/terms-and-conditions\/.  --><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><object><\/object><\/p>\n<p><!--  This script tag will cause the Brightcove Players defined above it to be created as soon as the line is read by the browser. If you wish to have the player instantiated only after the rest of the HTML is processed and the page load is complete, remove the line. --><br \/>\nbrightcove.createExperiences();<\/p>\n<p><!-- End of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<h3>The best antivirus software for protection <\/h3>\n<p>If you want maximum protection, and if user interface\u00a0and system performance aren&#8217;t as important, the result is quite different. The top 3 here are <strong>G Data<\/strong> (<a title=\"G Data Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/g-data-antivirus-2012.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Antivirus<\/a>, Internet Security, Total Protection), <a title=\"Bitdefender programs on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/author\/bitdefender-espana\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BitDefender<\/a> (AntiVirus Free, Antivirus Plus, Internet Security, Total Security) and <a title=\"BullGuard programs on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/author\/bullguard-ltd\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BullGuard<\/a> (Antivirus, Internet Security Premium Protection).<\/p>\n<p>In the table below, alongside\u00a0our Softonic rating (for reference), you can see\u00a0the security score from the independent testing laboratory AVtest.org. Avtest.org tests differ slightly from Virus Bulletin, and they assign\u00a0a maximum of six points. As you can see, our winners are also confirmed by the data from AVtest.org.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57354\" title=\"Softonic Security Rating 2013 and AVtest.org Security Score in 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/5-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-table.jpg\" alt=\"Softonic Security Rating 2013 and AVtest.org Security Score in 2013\" width=\"507\" height=\"738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/5-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-table.jpg 507w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/5-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-table-175x256.jpg 175w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/5-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-table-390x568.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Softonic Security Rating 2013 compared to AVtest.org Security Score in 2013<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A look at the chart illustrates the last places particularly well. <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> (Security Essentials, Windows Defender) isn&#8217;t overly convincing in\u00a0last place, since the scores are relatively close,\u00a0but it&#8217;s clear that the results for all products are good overall.<\/p>\n<p>The Softonic Security Rating reflects average recognition rate of known viruses. A software with a rating of 9 recognizes, on average, 90% of viruses present. Microsoft was last here, but still achieved a value of\u00a084.40%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57355\" title=\"Softonic Security Rating 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/6-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-chart.jpg\" alt=\"Softonic Security Rating 2013\" width=\"532\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/6-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-chart.jpg 532w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/6-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-security-rating-2013-chart-242x256.jpg 242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Softonic Security Rating 2013 <\/em><\/p>\n<h3>The best antivirus software on system performance<\/h3>\n<p>When you assess the programs\u00a0only on system performance, the results give yet another picture. The top 3 here are\u00a0ESET, Norton, and the Chinese newcomer Baidu. The programs with the highest detection rates, G Data and BitDefender, only occupy the last places on this test.<\/p>\n<p>This illustrates the actual price of safety: the more thoroughly a software protects your system\u00a0from threats, the more computing power is\u00a0needed. According to this formula,\u00a0Microsoft should rank\u00a0first in our performance tests. The free programs (Windows Security Essentials and Windows Defender), however, only achieve middle positions in the ranks.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57356\" title=\"Softonic Performance Rating in 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/7-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-table.jpg\" alt=\"Softonic Performance Rating in 2013\" width=\"506\" height=\"738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/7-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-table.jpg 506w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/7-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-table-175x256.jpg 175w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/7-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-table-389x568.jpg 389w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Average Softonic performance rating in 2013<\/p>\n<p>Our Softonic<strong> performance rating assesses memory and CPU requirements<\/strong> of the shields as well as the scans. In addition, we take into account how much the shields of the respective antivirus software slowed down\u00a0our system test. To this end, we extracted an example, a large encrypted ZIP file, and measured the time required to work on it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57357\" title=\"Softonic Performance Rating in 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/8-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-chart.jpg\" alt=\"Softonic Performance Rating in 2013\" width=\"494\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/8-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-chart.jpg 494w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/8-softonic-antivirus-comparison-for-2014-performance-rating-2013-chart-225x256.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Average Softonic performance rating in 2013<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other winners<\/h3>\n<p>Not every system is identical\u00a0and the demands of users are different. That&#8217;s why this year, we chose a number of\u00a0winners\u00a0in addition to our three overall winners Norton, ESET and Kaspersky:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>G Data &#8211; strongest\u00a0anti-virus software<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>ESET &#8211; fastest\u00a0anti-virus software<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><strong>Avast! &#8211; most complete\u00a0free solution<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Baidu &#8211; most promising<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><strong>Microsoft &#8211; disappointment of the year<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- Start of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<div>\nDefault player\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- By use of this code snippet, I agree to the Brightcove Publisher T and C  found at https:\/\/accounts.brightcove.com\/en\/terms-and-conditions\/.  --><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><object><\/object><\/p>\n<p><!--  This script tag will cause the Brightcove Players defined above it to be created as soon as the line is read by the browser. If you wish to have the player instantiated only after the rest of the HTML is processed and the page load is complete, remove the line. --><br \/>\nbrightcove.createExperiences();<\/p>\n<p><!-- End of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<h3>G Data: the strongest\u00a0antivirus of the year<\/h3>\n<p>As shown above, G Data achieved the highest recognition rates over a long period of time. The table below illustrates how well\u00a0G Data detects viruses\u00a0over\u00a0a long-term comparison with the second and third placed software packages in this category &#8211; Bitdefender and BullGuard.<\/p>\n<p>There wasn&#8217;t a single test run since 2011\u00a0in which G Data admitted defeat to its\u00a0two rivals,\u00a0and in the last test from November, G Data performed particularly well (the data gaps only occur if the product didn&#8217;t participate in that round).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57358\" title=\"G Data vs. Bitdefender vs. Bullguard - Softonic Security Rating in Single Tests\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/9-security-rating-evolution-gdata-bitdefender-bullguard.jpg\" alt=\"G Data vs. Bitdefender vs. Bullguard - Softonic Security Rating in Single Tests\" width=\"568\" height=\"629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/9-security-rating-evolution-gdata-bitdefender-bullguard.jpg 568w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/9-security-rating-evolution-gdata-bitdefender-bullguard-231x256.jpg 231w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/9-security-rating-evolution-gdata-bitdefender-bullguard-512x568.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>G Data vs. Bitdefender vs. BullGuard &#8211; detection rates in individual tests<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>ESET: the fastest antivirus of the year<\/h3>\n<p>Our award for the best system performance this year goes to ESET. The runner-up in the overall category is the only software to nab two prizes.<\/p>\n<p>A long-term comparison with G Data and Kaspersky products\u00a0illustrates the\u00a0impressive differences: up until October 2011, ESET was \u200b\u200balways on\u00a0top, and when compared with\u00a0other programs, the results\u00a0didn&#8217;t vary as much, which shows consistency. Since October 2012, ESET has always achieved a performance score of eight.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57359\" title=\"ESET vs. G Data vs. Kaspersky - Softonic Performance Rating in Single Tests\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/10-performance-rating-evolution-eset-gdata-kaspersky.jpg\" alt=\"ESET vs. G Data vs. Kaspersky - Softonic Performance Rating in Single Tests\" width=\"568\" height=\"644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/10-performance-rating-evolution-eset-gdata-kaspersky.jpg 568w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/10-performance-rating-evolution-eset-gdata-kaspersky-225x256.jpg 225w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/10-performance-rating-evolution-eset-gdata-kaspersky-500x568.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>ESET vs. G Data vs. Kaspersky &#8211; Softonic performance rating in individual tests<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Avast!: The most complete free solution<\/h3>\n<p>Avast! gets\u00a0our extra prize this year\u00a0for its free version Avast! Free Antivirus. It may\u00a0only reach\u00a0the middle of the rankings in our overall comparison, but there&#8217;s no other free anti-virus software which comes with such an extensive package of features and functions.<\/p>\n<p>Avast! is particularly popular with Softonic users. No other anti-virus software has been\u00a0downloaded as\u00a0often. The visually attractive and tidy interface is certainly one reason for this.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57360\" title=\"avast! Free Antivirus\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/11-avast-free-antivirus-interface.jpg\" alt=\"avast! Free Antivirus\" width=\"600\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/11-avast-free-antivirus-interface.jpg 600w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/11-avast-free-antivirus-interface-256x161.jpg 256w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/11-avast-free-antivirus-interface-568x357.jpg 568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>avast! Free Antivirus<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Baidu! Antivirus: the most promising antivirus<\/h3>\n<p>The free software Baidu Antivirus is our most promising antivirus of the year. With its new product, the Chinese search giant Baidu provides an excellent product in the antivirus industry. In our initial tests, the software showed better detection rates than Microsoft, and grabbed hold of third place in the system performance\u00a0category.<\/p>\n<p><strong>German search technology in Chinese scanner<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Baidu combines its virus protection with German\u00a0scan technology from Avira.\u00a0In addition to its own protection technique, you can also use the Avira engine. How well Baidu performs long-term is yet to be seen, however with this offering especially popular in China,\u00a0the results have\u00a0already been very impressive. As a free product, Baidu also enters into direct competition with Avast!, AVG, and Avira.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57361\" title=\"Baidu Antivirus\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/12-baidu-antivirus-interface.jpg\" alt=\"Baidu Antivirus\" width=\"568\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/12-baidu-antivirus-interface.jpg 568w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/12-baidu-antivirus-interface-256x177.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Baidu Antivirus<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Microsoft: the disappointment of the year<\/h3>\n<p>No product has\u00a0disappointmented as much this year\u00a0as Microsoft Windows Defender. What was known up until Windows 7 as Microsoft Security Essentials has become an integral part of Windows 8.1. And as our tests show, it slows down the system considerably.<\/p>\n<p>If we replace it with any other free solution, this makes for noticeably higher system performance. Although Microsoft ends up scoring in midrange in our performance rating, this is really only\u00a0due to the relatively fast scan engine. Looking at the quality of real-time protection, it&#8217;s a very different picture.<\/p>\n<p>This is illustrated by the results of our Unzip tests. Here, we extract a very large encrypted ZIP file and measure the time required to scan with the respective anti-virus software. With Microsoft Windows Defender, the process took two and a half times longer than it did for\u00a0Norton, Kaspersky, Avira, or Baidu on the same test system.<\/p>\n<p>And Microsoft can&#8217;t even dazzle with particularly high detection rates. As shown above, Microsoft Scanner was in last place in our test.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57362\" title=\"Shield-Performance: Time needed to uncompress a huge encrypted test-archive in ZIP-format\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/13-antivirus-performance-2013-unzip-test-softonic.jpg\" alt=\"Shield-Performance: Time needed to uncompress a huge encrypted test-archive in ZIP-format\" width=\"525\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/13-antivirus-performance-2013-unzip-test-softonic.jpg 525w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2013\/12\/13-antivirus-performance-2013-unzip-test-softonic-239x256.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Shield Performance: Time needed to unpack a large compressed test archive<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Spoiled\u00a0for choice<\/h3>\n<p>Based on our results, you can easily choose a suitable antivirus software product to suit your needs. One thing our overall competition makes clear is that this year, the commercial providers are ahead of the free programs by the narrowest of margins. If you&#8217;re willing to spend money, Norton, ESET and Kaspersky are particularly good choices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For comparison: Our comparative tests of 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Comparison: Free Antivirus suites 2012 \" href=\"http:\/\/features.en.softonic.com\/comparison-free-antivirus-2012\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The best free antivirus software 2012<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Have you found your\u00a0favorite program? You&#8217;ll find all the downloads here!<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Our prizewinners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Norton Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norton Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"Norton Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norton Internet Security<\/a>, <a title=\"Norton 360 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/norton-360.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norton 360<\/a> (1st place overall)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"ESET NOD32 Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/eset-nod32-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESET NOD32 Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"Eset Smart Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/eset-smart-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESET Smart Security<\/a>, ESET Cyber Security (2nd place\u00a0overall; 1st place on system performance)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Kaspersky Anti-Virus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/kaspersky-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"Kaspersky Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/kaspersky-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky Internet Security<\/a>, <a title=\"Kaspersky PURE 3.0 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/kaspersky-pure.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky PURE<\/a> (3rd place\u00a0overall)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"G Data Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/g-data-antivirus-2012.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">G Data Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"G DATA Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/gdata-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">G Data Internet Security<\/a>, G Data Total Protection (1st place on detection rates)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"avast! Free Antivirus 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avast.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">avast! Free Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"avast! Pro Antivirus 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avast-pro.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">avast! Pro Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"avast! Internet Security 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avast-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">avast! Internet Security<\/a>, <a title=\"avast! Premier Antivirus 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avast-premier-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">avast! Premier<\/a> (Most comprehensive free software)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Baidu Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/baidu-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baidu Antivirus (Free)<\/a> (Best\u00a0Newcomer)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Others:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"AVG AntiVirus Free 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avg-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AVG Antivirus Free<\/a>, <a title=\"AVG AntiVirus 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avg-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AVG Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"AVG Internet Security 2014 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avg-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AVG Internet Security<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Avira Free Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-free-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Avira Free Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"Avira Antivirus Suite on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-antivirus-suite.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Avira Antivirus Suite<\/a>, <a title=\" Avira Family Protection Suite on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-family-protection-suite.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Family Protection Suite<\/a>, <a title=\"Avira Internet Security Suite on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-internet-security-suite.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Internet Security<\/a>, <a title=\"Avira Ultimate Protection Suite on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/avira-ultimate-protection-suite.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ultimate Protection Suite<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Bitdefender Antivirus Free on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/bitdefender-antivirus-free.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitdefender Antivirus Free<\/a>, <a title=\"BitDefender Antivirus Plus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/bitdefender-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitdefender Antivirus Plus<\/a>, <a title=\"BitDefender Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/bitdefender-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitdefender Internet Security<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"BullGuard Antivirus 2013 on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/bullguard-antivirus-2013.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bullguard Antivirus<\/a>, <a title=\"BullGuard Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/bullguard_internet_security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bullguard Internet Security<\/a>, Bullguard Premium Protection<\/p>\n<p><a title=\" F-Secure Anti-Virus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/f-secure-anti-virus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">F-Secure ANTI-VIRUS<\/a>, <a title=\"F-Secure Internet Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/f-secure-internet-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">F-Secure INTERNET SECURITY<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Ad-Aware on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/ad-aware.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Antivirus +,<\/a> <a title=\"Ad-Aware  Personal Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/ad-aware-personal-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ad-Aware Personal Security<\/a>, <a title=\"Ad-Aware Pro Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/ad-aware-pro.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ad-Aware Pro Security<\/a>, <a title=\" Ad-Aware  Total Security on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/ad-aware-total-security.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ad-Aware Total Security<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/microsoft-security-essentials.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft Security Essentials<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Panda Cloud Antivirus on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/panda-cloud-antivirus.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Panda Cloud Antivirus Free<\/a>, <a title=\" Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro on Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/panda-cloud-antivirus-pro.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like every year, we&#8217;ve once again\u00a0carefully examined the top antivirus programs of 2013. Our criteria for analysis include\u00a0the best antivirus for virus detection rate, system performance and quality of the user interface. In 2012, we compared\u00a0free and commercial antivirus software separately. Thanks to even more extensive data this year, we&#8217;ve been able to\u00a0crown the best &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/antivirus-comparison-2013-2014-best-security-software\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Softonic&#8217;s big antivirus comparison: Software to stay safe in 2014&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2046,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-57149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2046"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57149"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331642,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57149\/revisions\/331642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57149"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=57149"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=57149"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=57149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}