The best antiviruses for Windows in 2022

The Internet space is teeming with viruses. Some of them can “kill” the system in just a second, others block access to important data and give the attacker a reason for blackmail and extortion, and some are created for the sake of a cruel joke and scare users with a sharp sound at the most unexpected moment. One thing unites them: no one would want to shelter them on their personal computer.  

There are also relatively harmless viruses. They do not care about the privacy of the victim – these species either simply clog and slow down the system, or secretly use computer resources and mine cryptocurrency for the real owner. These are the so-called “miner viruses”, which have appeared recently with the rise in the price and popularity of bitcoin. Few people are happy with them either, because they accelerate the wear of individual components, degrade performance and take up space on the drive. 

Healthy Food Near Me ranked the best antiviruses for Windows in 2022 and talked about their strengths, weaknesses, and main features. 

Editor’s Choice

ESET NOD32 Internet Security

100 million people have chosen ESET NOD32 for its reliability and nice interface. These characteristics are confirmed by independent domestic and European studies.¹. Antivirus always notifies you of a potential threat in time, gives useful and unobtrusive tips for preventing and eliminating vulnerabilities. 

This version includes parental controls, webcam and private Wi-Fi protection, transaction data encryption, and Anti-Theft functionality. The latter helps to find the stolen device and significantly increases the chance of catching an intruder. 

Antivirus saves battery power when the device is not connected to power. This is true for a laptop if you need to use it often on the road or carry it to school. 

The user is also provided with a guarantee: if a dangerous program passes through antivirus protection and harms the system, the owner of the device will receive a refund in the amount of an annual license. 

Main characteristics

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Top 10 best antiviruses for Windows in 2022 according to KP

1. McAfee LiveSafe

Many people are familiar with the free version of this antivirus, which appeared on the computer when installing other programs and was removed with great difficulty. But the licensed McAfee LiveSafe is unobtrusive, practical, and highly secure. This is a reliable program that helps you surf the Internet, download files without risk, and optimize system resources to speed up applications. 

Antivirus almost never false positives and restricts access only to dangerous sites. If the user needs to completely delete the secret file without the possibility of recovery, he can use the Shredder function. The QuickClean option will clean up all residual, useless and temporary files to free up disk space and improve system performance.

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2. Kaspersky Total Security

Protects a personal computer from external threats and warns of potentially dangerous Wi-Fi networks. The antivirus also hides banner ads and potentially dangerous ads from fraudulent websites. 

The Total version has a password manager for secure access to accounts and secure storage of all logins and passwords. The program also analyzes the complexity of the password and reports a weakness if the user comes up with a variant that is too easy to crack. 

The Safe Kids parental control system restricts children’s access to inappropriate content, allows the parent to set up a list of allowed sites, and track the child’s GPS location for maximum security. 

However, there is a minus: the software will work stably only on powerful computers.

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3. Dr.Web Security Space

Dr.Web anti-virus will protect money, confidential data and the system from all kinds of attacks and threats. The program has a large updated database with data on viruses of all types, which is constantly updated by users and virus analysts.

The owner of the licensed program can check a suspicious link or file in a special cloud at any time. To do this, you do not need to update the program, moreover, such a check does not load the PC. A cloud service is also needed for a quick online check of sites in parental control mode.

One of the features of Dr.Web Security Space is an effective anti-spam system that detects suspicious emails in any language and dangerous mass mailings.

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4. Kaspersky Internet Security

Has all the advantages of the Total version, except for data backup and password manager. This antivirus copes with Trojans, worms and hidden malware, and also prevents keyloggers from recognizing keystrokes, stopping even the most obscure ways of stealing data.

With Kaspersky Internet Security, no suspicious program will gain access to the webcam, so the user can be sure of the confidentiality of his personal life. 

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5. ESET NOD32 Antivirus Platinum Edition

ESET NOD32 Basic Antivirus protects against worms, Trojans and ransomware. Unlike more expensive versions, it does not protect Internet payments, does not stop surveillance through a webcam and keystrokes. Best of all, this service package is suitable for a stationary PC – you won’t have to pay extra for public Wi-Fi protection, power saving mode and other features for laptop owners.

This version is also suitable for gamers: the program does not heavily load the system, and hides all notifications in game mode so that they do not distract the user.

The antivirus comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. The company will refund the customer for the annual license if the virus passes through the protection and damages the system. 

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6. Dr. Web Katana

The program recognizes viruses in a non-standard way, without defining signatures. It blocks and removes threats only when they become active, but does not touch potentially dangerous dormant files. Because of this feature, Dr.Web Katana is best used in conjunction with another antivirus that can thoroughly scan the system and recognize hidden viruses. The software is compatible with any antivirus from other developers.

The main advantages of Dr.Web Katana are low system load and fully automated protection. For correct operation, the user simply needs to install the program.

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7. Bitdefender Internet Security

Over the past three years, the program has received numerous awards from independent research laboratories. According to Roskachestvo², Bitdefender Internet Security is the most reliable antivirus that is more successful than others in detecting and eliminating threats. This program is effective for scanning, repelling hacker attacks and real-time protection. 

Bitdefender Internet Security has a standard set of functions: webcam protection, transactions, network traffic control, spam filtering and data deletion. To protect children from inappropriate content, you can activate parental controls.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not added an optimization and acceleration feature to the Internet Security service package. To get them, the user needs to buy a version of Total Security.

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8. AVAST Premium Security

In recent years, developers have fixed all software bugs, allowed to hide notifications and removed annoying ads: Now the antivirus is easy to use and eliminates all types of digital threats, so paid and free versions of Avast get into the tops of independent research ratings. The efficiency of scanning and checking in real time in this version is close to 100%.

Antivirus protects the most vulnerable parts of the system from dangerous programs and blocks access to fake sites. It also prevents potentially dangerous programs from modifying files on the owner’s computer, so attackers cannot remove or block access to sensitive data.

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9. AVG Internet Security

One of the best antiviruses in terms of security and threat detection. Detects and blocks scam emails and spam that may contain links to fake phishing sites. The program also encrypts all payment data and protects the confidentiality of banking transactions. 

Repeated system scans are faster because the antivirus remembers and skips safe files if they have not changed since the last scan. AVG Internet Security is regularly updated with information about new viruses, bug fixes and improvements to certain features.

The disadvantages of the program are not the most convenient interface and false positives. Sometimes the antivirus does not allow access to safe sites and finds non-existent threats. 

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10. Panda Dome Premium

Antivirus with wide functionality and low load on the computer. Part of the operations takes place in the cloud, which reduces the consumption of system resources. All virus signatures are also stored in the cloud service, so there is no need to manually update the databases. 

The Premium version has access to unlimited VPN. This feature hides the real IP address, encrypts incoming and outgoing data, and enhances the user’s online privacy. A VPN allows you to securely share documents while working remotely and surf the Internet safely using public Wi-Fi.

In terms of protection, Panda lags behind top antiviruses and cannot provide 99,9% elimination of threats. However, additional features and speed can be the main arguments in favor of this product.

Main characteristics

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How to choose an antivirus for Windows

The choice largely depends on the personal preferences of the person, because popular antiviruses have a similar set of functions and level of protection. Therefore, the first thing to pay attention to is convenience. If it is unpleasant to work with the program, the user is unlikely to use all its features and be satisfied with the purchase. To superficially evaluate the program, just install the free version or see screenshots of the interface. Perhaps already at this stage it will become clear whether the antivirus is suitable or not.

Next, pay attention to protection quality. This is an objective parameter that is regularly monitored by dozens of independent research laboratories. They put antiviruses in the conditions of real daily use of a PC for several months and then fix the results. You can find the data of such tests to make a choice. 

It is also important to choose a program with the right feature set. And here it is worth noting that companies usually offer several paid service packages at once. In this case, a comparison table is always added to the site with the capabilities of each version and a brief explanation of why they are needed. Based on this, you can choose the appropriate antivirus.

Another criterion is system load. The owner of a weak PC should focus on unpretentious and light programs, otherwise the antivirus will slow down the entire system. Antiviruses with the cloud depend least of all on computer resources, because some of the processes take place on remote servers.

If there is more than one computer in the family, one license can be purchased for several devices. It also helps to take care of the digital safety of children. Family devices are linked to the same account, and the parent can make a list of acceptable sites for the child.

Popular questions and answers

The most frequently asked questions of our readers are answered by experts: Alexander Schukin, technical director of hosting provider Tendence.ru, и Pavel Shulga, CIO of T1 Group.

Sources of

1. https://www.esetnod32.ru/company/press/center/eset-nod32-dokazal-nadezhnost-i-bystrodeystvie/
2. https://rskrf.ru/ratings/tekhnologii/programmnoe-obespechenie/antivirusy/