AV-Comparatives Publishes Consumer Antivirus Tests: Which Cybersecurity Software Keeps You Safe Without Slowing You Down

Independent testing reveals which antivirus products offer strong protection, low system impact, and minimal false alarms for everyday PC users.

INNSBRUCK, TIROL, AUSTRIA, October 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With cyberattacks on the rise, it’s more important than ever for consumers to know which antivirus software actually keeps them safe—without slowing down their computers.

AV-Comparatives, one of the world’s leading independent antivirus testing organisations, has released its latest set of test results, covering a wide range of popular Windows antivirus programs used by home users.

What’s Inside the Report?
The Real-World Protection Test, evaluating how well antivirus programs block threats from real malicious websites.
The Malware Protection Test, evaluatin how well antivirus products detect and block malicious files before they can cause harm.
A Performance Test, measuring how fast systems run with antivirus installed.
A False Positive Test, checking whether legitimate apps are mistakenly flagged as threats.

These three combined evaluations help consumers and OEMs choose antivirus programs that are effective, lightweight, and reliable.

Why It Matters
This release gives consumers a complete picture of how antivirus programs perform in the real world—balancing protection, speed, and accuracy.

In the Real-World Protection Test, all products were exposed to 227 real malicious websites and files, simulating the kinds of threats users might face when browsing or downloading online.

While several solutions achieved 100% protection, only a few managed to combine this with low false positives, a critical balance for effective and hassle-free security.

Tests were conducted on up-to-date Windows 11 systems using the latest software versions and threat samples.

Full results and downloadable charts are available here:
AV-Comparatives Consumer Test Results – September 2025

Product-by-Product Overview (July–August 2025)
Avast Free Antivirus, AVG Antivirus Free, Kaspersky Premium, and Norton Antivirus Plus reached ADVANCED+ in both the Malware Protection Test and the Performance Test, demonstrating strong consistency in real-world conditions.
Avira Free Security, F-Secure Internet Security, and TotalAV Antivirus Pro reached STANDARD in the Performance Test and achieved high results in the Malware Protection Test but produced too many false positives.
Bitdefender Total Security and G Data Total Security reached ADVANCED+ in the Malware Protection Test and ADVANCED in the Performance Test, showing high reliability without slowing down the system.
ESET HOME Security Essential scored ADVANCED+ in both the Performance and Malware Protection Tests, reflecting its accuracy-focused approach.
K7 Total Security reached ADVANCED+ for its low system impact in the Performance Test and also gained ADVANCED in the Malware Protection Test.
Malwarebytes Premium achieved ADVANCED in the Performance Test and offered solid threat blocking but showed more false positives than most competitors.
McAfee Total Protection offered strong protection but with many false positives, and reached ADVANCED+ in the Performance Test.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus reached STANDARD in the Malware Protection Test and ADVANCED in the Performance Test.
Panda Free Antivirus scored OK in the Performance Test but caused too many false positives during the Malware Protection Test.
Quick Heal Total Security detected most threats, but its tendency to flag clean files more often could disrupt routine tasks for some users.
Total Defense Essential Antivirus maintained usability with only a few minor alerts, reaching ADVANCED+ in the Malware Protection Test.
Trend Micro Internet Security caused false alarms in the Malware Protection Test and scored ADVANCED+ in the Performance Test.
VIPRE Advanced Security reached ADVANCED in the Malware Protection Test and STANDARD in the Performance Test

Thomas Uhlemann
AV-Comparatives
+43 512 28778813
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