Just like car manufacturers, antivirus makers release their latest versions during fall. However, in the past couple of years, more and more manufacturers are deviating from the norm, and release their new models during summer, or even in spring. Today, more antivirus makers are updating and de-emphasizing their model year. In Symantec and Kapersky for example, you will not see “2013” in their upcoming releases. But as a regular user and as parents letting kids use the internet and PC, are the yearly updates enough? Of course not, as there are tons of things a good antivirus should do to keep our computer, personally information, and kids from opportunistic online predators.
The world of antivirus is vast, and in a vast and competitive world, there are tens of products for anyone’s disposal, and there will always be multiple winners, depending on the needs and preferences of a user. PC Mag released the best-performing antivirus for 2012, here’s the list of their editor’s choice:
- Norton AntiVirus 2012 – $18.42
- Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus – $19.99
- Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 $39.95
For blocking malwares, both Norton Antivirus 2012 and Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus scored the highest points, 7.1 and 6.9 points respectively. Bitdefender on the other hand, scored 6.5 point for current sample collection.
Against the previous sample for malware blocking, Webroot scored a perfect 10 points, while Norton performed for 8.9 points. Bitdefender also earned 8.9 points when tested with current sample. Both Bitdefender and Norton on the other hand, receive higher marks on independent lab tests, while Webroot didn’t fare as the two with on its traditional detection and remediation system.
If you don’t think you can afford these paid antivirus services, there are tons of free solutions out there that offer decent guard for your computer. You can try as much as you want and choose your favorite from there. PC Mag suggests AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 for free antivirus choice though.