Craig Haley – January 2023 – Editor’s Choice Antivirus Software 2023
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It goes without saying that having good security software and antivirus installed on your computer is a vital part of keeping yourself secure.
If you’re looking for full protection against the wide array of threats online, your best bet is to purchase a full security suite. This will include the important antivirus component, and also a variety of other features to keep you safe from the myriad of online threats, not just malware, such as phishing, spam and identity theft. A good security suite can also offer other great tools such as password managers.
The great news is that there are plenty of good, affordable choices out. If you don’t have time to wade through the plethora of different solutions, we’ve come up with our top three recommended full security apps that we recommend based on our own testing and reputations within the industry.
1. Bitdefender Total Security
5/5
EDITOR’S CHOICE
While it still struggles to get the name recognition is deserves, Bitdefender continually offers exceptional malware detection along with a host of other useful features that once again makes it our first choice for 3 years running.
Pros
– Great detection rates
– Detects known phishing websites
– Real-time protection
– Protection designed for social networks
– Support for 5 devices
– Good support
Cons
– No VPN included (separate subscription.)
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2. Trend Micro Maximum Security
4/5
A very powerful security suite with an above average antivirus and ransomware detection, and some really useful features bundled inside a user friendly interface that beginners will appreciate.
Pros
– Great detection rates
– Especially great detecting ransomware threats
– Best user interface
– Good support
– Anti-phishing feature
Cons
– Few false positives with antivirus
– Not as many tools come bundled with this package
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3. Avast One
4/5
Avast’s new full security suite builds upon their impressive and well-known antivirus and adds impressive features protecting against phishing scams, ransomware attacks and a whole host of other online threats.
Pros
– Clean intuitive interface
– Good antivirus detection
– Plenty of added features
– Good anti-phishing feature
– Ransomware protection for personal files and folders
Cons
– Included VPN is limited
– No included password manager
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See below for full reviews.
Bitdefender Total Security
Supports Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
It’s the third year in a row we’ve listed Bitdefender Total Security as our go-to security suite and for good reason. Despite not having the name recognition of Norton or McAfee, it consistently outperforms them and comes bundled with some of the best security tools and features we’ve seen from a security program with this price tag.
Let’s start of with the core component of any security package – the antivirus. Bitdefender has one of the best detection rates we tested, consistently in the 90%s and it has never moved from the top three since we started tested many moons ago, even doing well removing new and emerging malware threats.
But what earns Bitdefender Total Security our coveted number one spot is the sheer number of features you get with it. These are not lightweight token features – rather premium apps that could be sold with a nice price tag in their own right.
Great Usability & Support
Phishing scams remain one of the most popular online attacks that home users face, so we’re always happy when we see security packages with decent anti-phishing tools that analyse websites for phishing-related activity and warns you before you enter any sensitive data into them.
With the popularity of password managers surging, you’ll have your own premium password manager app included with the Total Security package.
The standard subscription will get you a license for 5 devices, so you can protect phones, tablets and PCs with the same subscription. You can increase this to 10 for only a little extra.
Other features include SafePay which is an online secure browser for online banking, webcam protection, anti-spam tools, firewall and a permanent “file shredder” for documents you want gone gone, as well as other great tools.
The only con here for us is the tiny niggle that the bundled VPN feature isn’t great, with a small 200mb limit, meaning if you want a full VPN solution too, you’d need to purchase a separate subscription from Bitdefender or go with a third party if you want a VPN.
Trend Micro Maximum Security
Supports Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Trend Micro’s Maximum Security suite offers users a simple set of security tools that are both powerful and intuitive, and a great option for those that love a clean easy interface, yet still want exceptional performance.
Trend Micro are one of the oldest cybersecurity companies around, having been in the industry since the 1980s. They’ve been a bit up and down in the malware detection charts, but recently we’ve seen a surge towards the top with detection rates regularly hitting the 90%+ tiers.
Trend Micro excels, however, on two fronts. Firstly, the simple and clean interface will be a real advantage to those who are not too familiar with security packages, or just want a simple security program that they can learn quickly and then set-and-forget. Trend Micro’s products are generally more pushed towards novices than they are experts, so if you’re not looking for a plethora of confusing controls, Trend Micro is ideal.
Secondly, Trend Micro was particularly good in testing when it comes to ransomware. Since ransomware is one of the most prolific and destructive types of malware out there, it’s good to know that Trend Micro has been taking this malware-type seriously. It’s anti-phishing features that detect and block known phishing domains is also very good, meaning another prolific cyber-threat is being protected against.
While not as many as other competitors, Trend Micro does come bundled with some extra goodys. A simple password manager is good enough for the undemanding user, and a secure vault adds another layer of protection for those important files.
A few niggles – the antivirus is powerful but does occasionally generate some false positives (detects harmless files as dangerous) but it’s not a big issue. Also the additional features aren’t quite to par when compared to Bitdefender, with both the password manager and parental controls being pretty basic. And finally, as stated above, if you’re looking for some more hands-on advanced controls, this package is lacking.
You can buy licenses for 3, 5 or 10 devices.
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Avast One
Supports Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Avast One is the new name of Avast’s full security suite package and it’s core antivirus is again another high performer, and just like Bitdefender, Avast bundles a number of handy extras in with its core features to offer an above average premium security solution.
It’s no surprise that Avast’s Antivirus feature is one of the highlights of the One security suite – Avast has one of the most popular free antivirus tools on the market, and its malware detection rates are far above average with plenty of different options ranging from quick scans to full scans and target specific scans.
Avast has massively improved their interface with this new security suite, removing plenty of the confusing and compacted navigation tools for a more minimalist, fresher interface that beginners will prefer.
Again it’s the added extras that impressed us. Ransomware Shield adds folders containing your personal documents to a protected list, meaning unauthorized apps cannot touch them (ransomware tries to encrypt your personal files) and just like all three of our top security suites, Avast One has very good anti-phishing protection, blocking dangerous websites before you land on them.
Other features include webcam protection, email protection (for web based email users), a firewall, data breach monitoring and protection from DNS hijacking attacks. A standard subscription will protect up to five devices.
A lack of a password manager isn’t ideal since most premium suites offer this, and some of the extra features are lacking in quality including the VPN (another very limited VPN with average speeds) but overall this is a strong suite full of useful tools and another intuitive option that beginners should find easy to navigate.
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