Rating of the best antiviruses for Windows for 2022

There is no sadder story in the world than private photos on the Internet. The price of fame in 2022 is not high, but is it really necessary, for example, after an explosive corporate party with a face in a salad? In order to avoid unintended popularity, it is better to think about personal cybersecurity until she has done it herself.

There are an unimaginable number of ways to protect vital files, and no less to infect them. Viruses, worms, zombies and Trojan horses - this is not a complete list of "living creatures" that will gladly settle in your laptop for many years to come. Of course, antiviruses will help to expel arrogant tenants.

“What are there, how to choose, and why is it so expensive?” - quite expected reaction. In order not to make your head spin, we will tell you about all the pitfalls and winners in the “Defender of the Year” category among antiviruses for Windows right now!

Types of viruses and methods of infection

• Phishing is the theft of data by clicking on a malicious link. One click on spam in the mail, and the attacker already owns a bunch of passwords and logins.
• Pharming is a young successor to the Trojan family that looks exactly like the main page of the social network, except for one letter in the link (which also needs to be checked!). The virus will not reveal itself until the account is logged in, and then - goodbye correspondence!
• Worm - an infected file (when it enters a PC) multiplies and overloads the system. Getting rid of the problem is quite difficult, since the worm can attack harmless programs, which makes it necessary to delete even healthy documents.
• The Trojan virus is the fear of children and adults, the most complex and dangerous of viruses. Direct acquaintance with him often ends with the deletion of personal files, system failures and theft of passwords.

To avoid such misfortune, we present the legendary eight, which has been tested by time and the most difficult Trojans!

What should an ideal antivirus look like?

Questions that torment everyone who came to read this rating: how to avoid mistakes? What are the selection criteria?

1. In the heyday of spyware and neural networks, preference should be given to antiviruses focused on calculating SpyWeb in real time.
2. If you don’t have to go online to customize the program.Choosing by cover, in this case, is not a mistake at all, but a contribution to reliable protection. The simpler and "chewed" the interface, the better.
3. All high-quality antiviruses slow down the system. If the antivirus does not create the effect of presence, but only blinks from the control panel, get rid of it before it's too late. Good programs eat up memory (in moderation) and reduce internet speed by a few percent. How else can they work?
4. The program disinfects, but does not delete files from the quarantine.
5. Does not conflict with other programs. Well-known brands solved this problem a long time ago, because their products have heuristic analysis and neural networks that correctly recognize the threat.

Rating of high-quality antiviruses

What a pity that for all the good things in life you have to pay.

ESET NOD32 INTERNET SECURITY

ESET NOD32 antivirus impresses with a huge base of positive reviews. A minimalistic interface with full Russification will not let even a cast-iron teapot in the IT field get confused.

On the main screen, the user is greeted by a complete lack of bright accents, only a robot uncle and a huge amount of functions to protect the PC. The latest version (12.0) will hit the wallet with a force of 1,500 thousand rubles for 12 months. However, she deserves it!

The first and most important advantage: profitability. After purchasing a license, the program can be used from three devices at once and run a threat scan with one click for the entire home network. Also, the company added the possibility of a trial period and a free transition between Internet Security and Smart Security Family versions.

The home page immediately suggests turning on the Anti-Theft program (locking the device in case of theft and loss) or parental control.In addition, ESET will protect against viruses at deep levels, monitor connections to the webcam, optimize the system, remove unwanted ads, and audit the PC offline.

In April 2019, during a large-scale performance review of security programs, ESET took the honorable 1st place, collaborating with devices starting from a minimum RAM of 60 MB!

• Favorable terms of use;
• Versatility (suitable even for weak PCs);
• A small number of false positives;
• Does not overload the operating system;
• Program guarantee for up to a year;
• More than 15 protection features (from phishing, trojans, rootkits, web blocks and unwanted sites for children).

• Consumes a lot of RAM;
• High price;
• The program often crashes when multitasking;
• The antivirus does not disinfect the file, but completely deletes it.

DR.WEB

Dr.Web anti-virus has experienced more than one ups and downs during its existence. However, the version of Space Security, released in 2018, intends to erase the negative characteristic from the face of the Internet and get into 2nd place in our rating. What is it about her?

For 1300 rubles, the user acquires a whole complex for protecting a PC in one box, these are: antivirus, firewall, web antivirus, antispam, parental control and data backup. As we can see, the new generation of defenders specialize not only in checking files. Doctor Web does an excellent job of surfing the Internet and optimizing the workspace.

If earlier the program was suitable only for weak devices that support only manual scanning, now Dr.Web scans in real time without any problems.

Together with an unpretentious interface, which can be understood intuitively, and small notification icons (instead of huge windows that slow down the system), the antivirus gets a solid four and an audience award.

• License for 2 years;
• Ability to use on 2 devices at the same time;
• Real-time check;
• Huge functionality at a bargain price;
• Cloud Dr.Web;
• No false positives;
• Discounts and bonuses for regular users.

• Works stably only on powerful devices;
• The firewall blocks everything;
• Long check;
• Takes up about 1 GB of memory;
• Requires tuning.

KASPERSKY TOTAL SECURITY

And here is a smart old man from the Russian segment. Is there even one person who does not know about Kaspersky Anti-Virus?

The glory of the application is rather heterogeneous, what one likes, others see as a living hell. The first plus is definitely the easy-to-use official website. The company offers to buy a license based on the features that the antivirus version should have and the number of devices connected to the home network. The best option for 2 devices is sold at a price of 1800 rubles for a year, but the developers recommend not to stint on 200 rubles and purchase a full package of services, or “maximum protection”.

As a guarantee, the team offers to get acquainted with the demo version for 30 days. This can be done by users of the Windows operating system, starting from the 2000th.

Internet or Total?

The versions are almost identical, so much so that they are separated only by a couple of hundred difference.But Kaspersky suggests that in addition to Internet protection, anti-theft, webcam control, an ad blocker and a firewall, add parental control, which is not available on the Internet, online payment protection and VPN encryption.

• Nice price;
• Russian manufacturer;
• Convenient and simple design;
• Multifunctional;
• It has a software update function.

• Slows down the system even with 16 GB of RAM;
• False positives;
• Conflicts with other programs;
• Consumes half the internet speed while surfing securely;
• Complicated program setup.

Avast! PRO ANTIVIRUS

I'm easy to install, easy to understand, and impossible to uninstall. I am Avast Premium Security for 2000 rubles.

The lightest 350 MB defender is unlikely to clog even the weakest PC. Installing Avast takes less than a minute, and he is immediately ready to rush into battle without prior configuration. Antivirus receives average reviews and ratings from users of various price categories (Mac, Windows).

Main functionality: blocking viruses, spyware, protection against switching to fake online stores, online banking control, firewall, webcam activity control.

However, trying a new product after Avast is unrealistic! Residual files will scatter all over the nooks and crannies of the hard drive, and will certainly conflict with other programs.

In general, the application does not stand out among its fellows and even loses ground, so the price can be reduced.

• Antivirus is designed to work with Windows OS;
• Multifunctionality;
• Stylish and simple design;
• Little weight;
• Quick installation;
• You do not need to set additional settings.

• No VPN encryption;
• Slows down the PC;
• Conflicts with the Google Chrome browser;
• High price;
• Difficult to remove.

AVIRA ANTIVIRUS PRO

There are good antiviruses in the still waters.

The Avira defender is undeservedly deprived of attention. The way the developers speak of it with awe and love speaks volumes.

Firstly, Avira Antivirus was named the best in 2019 by AV-TEST, because the product coped with the tasks by 99.9! Secondly, the program is installed in two clicks + everything, it is aimed at Apple and Windows OS in equal shares, which means it becomes universal.

Avira has a modern design, easy operation and a full package of services. Based on customer reviews, the application is a huge competitor to ESET NOD32. A subscription for a year will add an extra 1800 rubles to the losses. But this purchase is unlikely to upset anyone!

The main star of Avira is anti-theft. The lost device takes pictures of the area, turns on geolocation, and maybe grows legs to get away from the robber. Also, the antivirus conducts training at the first start and helps you manually select settings for better protection.

Features: malware blocking, online financial check, price comparison with Avira, online protection, emergency file cloud, system optimization, battery saving.

As we can see, the word "antivirus" cannot fully reflect the functionality of Avira, in fact, the program is a good assistant for a PC user and protection in one bottle.

• Beautiful design;
• Availability of a free version;
• Versatility;
• Rich functionality;
• Developer warranties;
• Improved version of Anti-Theft;
• Easy installation.

• High price;
• System overload;
• Big size;
• Remains in the deep layers of the computer after removal;
• Conflicts with other programs.

Free antiviruses

AVZ ANTIVIRUS

The first free antivirus in our rating as a gift to state employees.

You won’t hear too much about AVZ, either no one wants to share happiness, or is he completely bad? Let's find out!

Of course, a free program does not compare to the maximum protection from ESET or Avira. This defender is fully aimed at eliminating SpyWare and AdWare modules. In terms of treating trojans, AVZ is rather weak, it will cure light viruses that do not penetrate into the deep layers of the OP without any problems, but the miracles end there.

This application can be recommended for online protection against spyware, worms and passwords. In addition, there are such features: keylogger detector, own neural network (assistant), driver optimization, checking USB ports and flash drives. One major BUT, AVZ works with Windows and only works well with Internet Explorer.

• Russian production;
• Does not overload the system;
• Few false positives;
• Verification speed;
• Small file size;
• Suitable for beginners;
• Aimed at work on the Internet.

• Deals only with easy viruses;
• Does not work correctly with all browsers.

McAfee

Probably there is no person who? when updating the flash player, I did not forget to uncheck additional installations, or briefly about how the not very popular McAfee antivirus falls into the hands of users.

The program is free, but certainly not for beginners. The settings are a solid IT jungle, in which it is better not to meddle without equipment.

The design of the antivirus is not too simple, so figure out “where and how?” not easy.With all the “minuses”, the application quickly copes with its duties, performing a full PC scan every time it is launched. And what tricks does he do with the Anti-Theft function! If suddenly the device was stolen - McAfee will notify the whole area with a terrible siren and take a picture of the thief.
For cleaning from viruses and worms - a win-win option.

• Availability of a free version;
• Anti-Theft function;
• Verification speed;
• Safe access to the Internet;
• File size.

• Frequent updates;
• Clogs memory;
• Complex interface;
• Send healthy files to quarantine by mistake;
• Not suitable for beginners.

Windows Defender

There is no better antivirus for Windows than the one they made themselves.

The program can be downloaded free of charge for an unlimited period. The interface completely simulates the OS, down to the window design and style. Using it is no more difficult than working with a computer.

The application focuses on the search for trojans, perfectly finds keygens and spyware. You won't find a better option for nothing!

Its functionality includes: synchronization with cloud storage, firewall, phishing protection, secure surfing, webcam control, parental control and financial tracking, website URL checking.

• Convenient, minimalistic design;
• Free;
• Multifunctional;
• Parental control;
• Fast support;
• Strong protection system.

• Works only with licensed OS;
• Mistakenly sends to quarantine;
• False notifications.

Outcome

The main conclusion: without antiviruses now nowhere. Which one is suitable for a grandmother from the village, and which one is suitable for a student from Moscow? The question is ambiguous. Among the presented brands, absolutely all are excellent companions for secure work on the Internet.Based on the power of the PC, important characteristics, budget and the "ideal defender" section, choosing the right program is not difficult. So go cybersecurity!