Top Antivirus Software

BitDefender, McAfee, and Kaspersky Lab top our chart, showing excellent ability to detect both known and unknown malware.

Antivirus software

1 - BitDefender 9 Standard

• Performance: Superior
• Ease of Use: Very Good
• Features: Very Good
• Price when ranked: $30

Inexpensive product received excellent scores in our performance tests, although its scan speed was sluggish.

2 - McAfee VirusScan 2006

• Performance: Superior
• Ease of Use: Very Good
• Features: Very Good
• Price when ranked: $40

Relatively good heuristics help VirusScan provide solid protection. Phone support costs $3 per minute.

3 - Kaspersky Lab Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0

• Performance: Superior
• Ease of Use: Good
• Features: Good
• Price when ranked: $40

Program had the fastest response to new malware outbreaks. Interface is clean but not exceptional.

4 - F-Secure Anti-Virus 2006

• Performance: Superior
• Ease of Use: Good
• Features: Good
• Price when ranked: $40

Solid performer responded quickly in tests and provides best breaking news on malware outbreaks.

5 - Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2006

• Performance: Good
• Ease of Use: Very Good
• Features: Very Good
• Price when ranked: $40

Veteren utility offers solid threat detection and a nice interface. Phone support costs $30 per incident.

6 - Panda Software Panda Titanium 2006 Antivirus + Antispyware

• Performance: Very Good
• Ease of Use: Good
• Features: Very Good
• Price when ranked: $50

This former Best Buy performed well, but not exceptionally, in our newest nonspyware tests.

7 - AntiVir Personal Edition Classic 6.32

• Performance: Good
• Ease of Use: Good
• Features: Fair
• Price when ranked: Free

AntiVir performed the best of the free programs, although it failed to clean several old macro viruses.

8 - Alwil Software Avast Home Edition 4.6

• Performance: Fair
• Ease of Use: Very Good
• Features: Good
• Price when ranked: Free

Free product has a slick media-player-style interface that hides some features. Scan speed
was slow in tests.

9 - Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security Security 2006

• Performance: Fair
• Ease of Use: Superior
• Features: Good
• Price when ranked: $50

Former Best Buy performed poorly in heuristics and zoo tests but has the best interface of the bunch.

10 - Grisoft AVG Free Edition 7.1

• Performance: Fair
• Ease of Use: Fair
• Features: Fair
• Price when ranked: Free

Free program has subpar heuristics and one of the clunkier interfaces among the products we tested.

*** From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/124475-1/article.html