7.5
out of 10
Bitdefender S.R.L. · Romania
Regular Lab TestsCloud ChecksFree Windows VersionRomania
7.5
out of 10
Bitdefender S.R.L. · Romania
Regular Lab TestsCloud ChecksFree Windows VersionRomania
Antivirus Software 2026
An antivirus sees every file you open and every web address you visit, so it has to be judged twice: on how well it protects, and on what it does with what it sees. For each of the 10 we reviewed, we look at the results independent test labs publish (with the test, the period and the system named), what leaves your device during a scan, what the vendor does with the data, who owns the company, and what renewal costs.
7.3
out of 10
ESET, spol. s r.o. · Slovakia
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree Android VersionSlovakia
7.3
out of 10
ESET, spol. s r.o. · Slovakia
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree Android VersionSlovakia
7.2
out of 10
Kaspersky Labs Limited · Russia and United Kingdom
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesCompany-Paid AuditNot Sold in the USGovernment Warnings
7.2
out of 10
Kaspersky Labs Limited · Russia and United Kingdom
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesCompany-Paid AuditNot Sold in the USGovernment Warnings
7.0
out of 10
Microsoft Corporation · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesBuilt Into WindowsUnited States
7.0
out of 10
Microsoft Corporation · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesBuilt Into WindowsUnited States
6.7
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesSmart FirewallUnited States
6.7
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesSmart FirewallUnited States
6.6
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree AntivirusUnited States
6.6
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree AntivirusUnited States
6.6
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · Czech Republic
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree AntivirusCzech Republic
6.6
out of 10
Gen Digital Inc. · Czech Republic
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesFree AntivirusCzech Republic
6.4
out of 10
Investor group led by Advent International and Permira · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesWindows Lab ResultsAndroid Lab ResultsBundled VPNUnited States
6.4
out of 10
Investor group led by Advent International and Permira · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesWindows Lab ResultsAndroid Lab ResultsBundled VPNUnited States
6.3
out of 10
Malwarebytes Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesWindows Lab ResultsFree ScannerUnited States
6.3
out of 10
Malwarebytes Inc. · United States
Regular Lab TestsUploads FilesWindows Lab ResultsFree ScannerUnited States
6.1
out of 10
Surfshark B.V. · Netherlands
Occasional Lab TestsBundle OnlyWindows Lab ResultsNetherlands
6.1
out of 10
Surfshark B.V. · Netherlands
Occasional Lab TestsBundle OnlyWindows Lab ResultsNetherlands
Don't see the antivirus product you use?
The antivirus rating rubric
Every antivirus is scored out of 10 against five weighted categories. Protection comes first and rests on independent lab results; what the product does with everything it sees on your device carries almost as much weight.
- Protection Quality — 30%
Results from independent test labs, each tied to a named test, a period and a system, and how the product fares on false alarms. A product no lab publishes results for cannot score high here: the vendor's own detection figures are not counted.
- Privacy & Data Practices — 25%
What leaves the device during a scan, whether usage statistics are collected, what the vendor does with the data, any documented past sale or sharing of users' data, the jurisdiction and who owns the company.
- Usability & System Impact — 20%
How much the product slows the computer, as measured by labs, how often it raises false alarms, how clear the settings are, and which systems it covers.
- Transparency & Verifiability — 15%
Whether the product itself has been audited and who paid for it, a bug bounty, how openly the vendor describes what it collects, and whether its claims name a test and a period.
- Price & Value — 10%
The renewal price, not the first-year offer; what the plan includes, how many devices it covers, whether a free version exists and whether the product is sold on its own.
Reading the scores
Protection Quality comes first, because it is why a product is bought, and it rests on results from independent labs, each tied to a named test, period and system. Privacy & Data Practices comes second and is large on purpose: an antivirus reads everything on the device, so the review asks what is sent to the vendor for a check, whether usage statistics are collected, what the vendor does with the data, whether any past sale or sharing of users' data is documented, and who owns the company. Usability & System Impact covers the load on the computer and everyday use. Transparency & Verifiability covers an audit of the product itself and honest wording. Price & Value is judged by the renewal price, not the first-year offer.
Why does a product with no lab results score lower on protection?
Without a published result from an independent lab, the only evidence of detection is the vendor's own statement. The reviews cap Protection Quality for such products and say so, rather than repeating the vendor's percentages.
Is the built-in Windows protection enough?
That is the question many readers start with. Where a built-in protection tool has a review, it is used as the baseline the others are measured against; the review states what it checks and what it sends to its maker.