The 2010 Anti-Virus league tables are out!

Mike Halsey MVP
Aug 20, 2010
Updated • Feb 20, 2014
Security, Windows software
|
12

AV Test have now released the results of their 2010 best anti-virus for Windows 7.  The tests put each anti-virus package through a rigorous set of tests to determine not only how good they are at detecting and removing malware and viruses, but also how usable the software is…

During the 2nd quarter of 2010 we have tested 19 security products in the areas protection, repair and usability. The "Protection" covers static and dynamic malware detection, including real-world 0-Day attack testing. In case of "Repair", we check the system disinfection and rootkit removal in detail. The "Usability" testing includes the system slow-down caused by the tools and the number of false positives. A product has to reach at least 12 points total in order to receive a certification. 13 products have fulfilled our requirements and received an AV-Test certificate.

The following, in order from best score to worst, are the packages that have received certification, the top four also scored highest for anti-virus and malware protection.

  1. AVG : Internet Security 9
  2. G Data : Internet Security 2010/2011
  3. Panda : Internet Security 2010
  4. Symantec : Norton Internet Security 2010
  5. F-Secure : Internet Security 2010
  6. Kaspersky : Internet Security 2010
  7. PC Tools : Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 7.0
  8. BitDefender : Internet Security Suite 2010
  9. Avira : Premium Security Suite 10.0
  10. Microsoft : Security Essentials 1.0
  11. Avast : Internet Security 5.0
  12. Eset : Smart Security 4.0
  13. Webroot : Internet Security Essentials 6.1

Old favourite McAfee failed to gain certification this year.

My personal recommendations are, as always, AVG and Microsoft Security Essentials.  Partly because they’re both free (AVG also has paid-for options). but also because they’re simple to set-up and easy to use.  Neither impact on your system resources very much either.

I will always recommend that you make sure you have anti-virus and anti-malware software installed and that you keep it up to date.

Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Rob Raymond said on August 23, 2010 at 4:38 pm
    Reply

    I’m surprised to find ESET so low on the list. I don’t use their full security suite, but their AV solution has always been rock solid.

    1. Mushaf said on January 27, 2011 at 8:43 pm
      Reply

      +1 for ESET. Hard to believe it’s way down in the list.

  2. Jojo said on August 21, 2010 at 5:02 am
    Reply

    For those making snarky comments about AVG, I’m been using AVG Free for some time. The following components are included. Doesn’t look too shabby to me.

    Anti-Virus
    Anti-Spyware
    LinkScanner
    E-mail Scanner
    Identity Protection
    Resident Shield
    Update Manager

    What I don’t like about AVG is that it has _8_ processes and one service running, which seems excessive to me. These _8_ processes consume 800k of TOTAL memory, which again , is excessive. If you were going to ding AVG for something, it would certainly be resource usage.

    1. Womble said on August 21, 2010 at 7:57 am
      Reply

      800k is less than one megabyte. You find that excessive?

      1. Jojo said on August 21, 2010 at 8:48 am
        Reply

        I meant 800MB.

  3. jasray said on August 20, 2010 at 6:37 pm
    Reply

    I think the list is only meant to help users realize a number of options exist and that they should have at least one of the options installed.

    ViRobot is extremely effective because of its main market location: I’ve yet to see it mentioned anywhere:

    http://www.hauri.net/

  4. jimmyjamesjimmy said on August 20, 2010 at 4:02 pm
    Reply

    who does these reports? i work in an IT company and we scan infected computers with everything out there to be sure. AVG doesn’t rate at the top anymore. It’s bloated and the free edition has cut out all the usefull stuff.

    Personally i find nothing out there rates as number 1. They all miss stuff. For example, hardly anything detects and protects against the latest google redirector virus doing the rounds.

    but i do like tools like combofix, tdsskiller, rkill, gmer and malwarebytes.

  5. Anon A. Mus said on August 20, 2010 at 2:25 pm
    Reply

    What about Comodo’s security suite?

  6. giedrius majauskas said on August 20, 2010 at 1:59 pm
    Reply

    You are slightly misleading. This is comparison of paid and full packages.
    AVG free is antivirus only, and very limited antivirus by that (no rootkit protection, no internet protection).

  7. Bill said on August 20, 2010 at 10:17 am
    Reply

    What about Avira??!

    1. Martin said on August 20, 2010 at 10:20 am
      Reply

      Avira appears to be placed in the ninth spot.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.