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Definitive Best *Paid* Antivirus 2012

Asked by goretsky,

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Favorite Paid AV 2012  

231 members have voted

  1. 1. Your Choice? (also see Continued, below)

    • Agnitum Anti Virus/Outpost
      3
    • Alwil Avast! Pro/Internet Security
      10
    • AVG Antivirus PRO/Internet Security
      0
    • Avira Antivirus Premium/Pro/Endpoint
      15
    • Beijing Rising Anti Virus/Internet Security
      1
    • Bullguard Anti Virus/Internet Security
      0
    • CheckPoint Anti Virus/Internet Security
      0
    • Commtouch Command Anti Virus`
      0
    • Comodo Endpoint Security/Internet Security Pro
      2
    • Dr. Web (Dialogue Science) Anti Virus/Security Space
      0
    • Emsisoft Anti-Malware/Internet Security
      2
    • ESET NOD32/Smart Security
      89
    • F-Secure Anti Virus/Internet Security
      1
    • Frisk F-PROT
      0
    • G Data Anti Virus/Interet Security/Total Security
      2
    • GFI (formerly Sunbelt Software) VIPRE Anti Virus
      0
    • ** Not on this list, see below **
      106

  2. 2. Your Choice? [Continued]

    • Hauri ViRobot/Internet Security
      0
    • IKARUS virus.utilities
      0
    • Kaspersky Anti Virus/Internet Security/Pure
      52
    • MalwareBytes Anti Malware PRO
      13
    • McAfee Anti Virus/Internet Security/Total Protection
      4
    • Microsoft Forefront
      8
    • MWTI eScan Anti Virus/Internet Security
      1
    • Norman Anti Virus/Security Suite
      2
    • Panda Anti Virus/Internet Security
      1
    • Softwin BitDefender Anti Virus/Internet Security/Total Security
      7
    • Sophos Endpoint
      3
    • SUPERAntiSpyware
      6
    • Symantec/PC Tools/Norton
      36
    • Total Defense (formerly CA) Anti Virus/Internet Security
      0
    • Trend Micro Anti Virus/Internet Security
      2
    • VirusBlokAda VBA32
      0
    • Other (please specify)
      5
    • ** Not on this list, see above **
      91

Question

Grand Master

goretsky Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

Hello,

In the preceding Definitive Best Antivirus 2011 message thread, there were requests to seperate the commercial and free antivirus products. For 2012, I have created two separate polls. This is the poll for the commercial (paid-for) antivirus programs. For free antivirus, please see the Definitive Best Free Antivirus 2012 message thread.

Questions or comments? Post them here in the message thread.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

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99 answers to this question

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Collaborator

Jombi

Posted
Posted

After spending the past few months learning about crypters, viri, etc...I can definitely say Sophos is one of the better paid AVs. Norton is just terrible. When I check Stubs for detections, usually after crypting I'll get 2/46...one of those two is usually always Sophos. I've seen one detection scan show 44/46 detections with Norton and ENOD32 as the only 2 companies without a current scan.

To each his own I guess. I've found that AVG + 1 other usually catches everything.

  • 0
Proficient

epk

Posted
Posted

I use Norton, but F-Secure has got nice results in most tests.

By the way, even using Norton, I still keep Malwarebytes' AntiMalware Free installed, and I'd probably keep it no matter what I use. It's a great last resort program.

  • 0
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

I use Norton, but F-Secure has got nice results in most tests.

By the way, even using Norton, I still keep Malwarebytes' AntiMalware Free installed, and I'd probably keep it no matter what I use. It's a great last resort program.

If you are using it as a last resort program wouldn't you want to pay for it and use it's on demand scanner?

  • 0
Grand Master

goretsky Supervisor

Posted
  • Author
  • Supervisor
Posted

Hello,

One thing to keep in mind if you are using a web-based program or one without a memory resident component is that it is probably going to miss detection of some things. For example, viruses, worms or rootkits which use stealth mechanisms to avoid detection on disk or in memory. Even then, there's no such thing as an anti-malware which detects everything. New threats appear daily, and anti-malware programs are updated daily (or more often) to deal with those.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

  • 0
Proficient

epk

Posted
Posted

If you are using it as a last resort program wouldn't you want to pay for it and use it's on demand scanner?

Well, honestly I don't know how good it is as a full time AV (since you should only have one of those running). I know it's great to catch and clean things the others can't, but... and for some reason they don't include it on any comparatives I've seen : /
  • 0
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

Well, honestly I don't know how good it is as a full time AV (since you should only have one of those running). I know it's great to catch and clean things the others can't, but... and for some reason they don't include it on any comparatives I've seen : /

Well malwarebytes is perfectly fine as a second opinion scanner to be run next to your primary AV

  • 0
Contributor

TTGSteve

Posted
Posted

Well malwarebytes is perfectly fine as a second opinion scanner to be run next to your primary AV

That's what I use malwarebytes for now and it's working out great for me. There's no use in running it full-time if you also have a full-time AV program running.

  • 0
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

That's what I use malwarebytes for now and it's working out great for me. There's no use in running it full-time if you also have a full-time AV program running.

Actually i disagree. the whole point of a second opinion scanner is just that. A second opinion, meaning what ever the AV might miss malwarebyes might catch.

  • 0
Grand Master

goretsky Supervisor

Posted
  • Author
  • Supervisor
Posted

Hello,

While it may be possible to simultaneously run multiple antimalware programs together, at some point, an update of one or the other may introduce conflicts between the two.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Actually i disagree. the whole point of a second opinion scanner is just that. A second opinion, meaning what ever the AV might miss malwarebyes might catch.

  • 0
Grand Master

Yorak

Posted
Posted

After using ESET NOD32 for over four years, I finally found another product that I like a bit more. Avira Antivirus Premium 2013. In the past three or four days during my spare time, I have tested the newest versions of the most popular antivirus products including NOD32, Kaspersky, BitDefender, Avast!, AVG, Comodo, Avira, MSE, Norton, Avira, and Webroot SecureAnywhere. I did not plan on posting very specific test results, but I can probably separate them into a few categories for you. Among the worst are AVG, MSE, and Webroot. They had a combination of false positives and missed some hardcore malware. Honorable products include NOD32, Norton (holy hell, never thought I would say that...but they have improved dramatically), and BitDefender. The best results were from Avira, Kaspersky, and Comodo.

Funny, Avira doesn't mention that it has zero-day prevention, yet it blocked more than any other product. That is what impressed me the most. Comodo and Kaspersky were very close in quality to Avira, but I could not get over the ugly interface of both. Also, they included many features that I just will not use, so that is more RAM usage for no reason. Avira idles around 45-50 MB which is not the best, but I figured all around it was the most solid product and best fit for me. People will disagree with me, I'm sure. I recommend anyone in the market to renew their antivirus or perhaps get a new one should do the product testing themselves. It is kind of fun, not sure why! My girlfriend wondered how I could spend so much time doing something so "boring".

  • 0
Grand Master

Dane

Posted
Posted

So between KAV Internet Security and Norton Internet Security, which is better? Norton has come a long way, and I kind of want to try it. I will be buying whichever one I want after the trial.

Norton haters, step aside. It's got some good reviews.

  • 0
Grand Master

Yorak

Posted
Posted

So between KAV Internet Security and Norton Internet Security, which is better? Norton has come a long way, and I kind of want to try it. I will be buying whichever one I want after the trial.

Norton haters, step aside. It's got some good reviews.

From my tests, Kaspersky was a bit better than Norton. In part because Kaspersky detection was near perfect. Norton is surely not a slouch though by any means. It did a very good job as well.

  • 0
Grand Master

Ambroos

Posted
Posted

  1. NOD32
  2. F-Secure
  3. Kaspersky

Why? Because those three are the most secure of all of them and have very little performance impact. I use all three of them. I trialhop. One month of NOD32, one month of F-Secure and one month of Kaspersky. Then I format my PC, re-install Windows and do the same again :p

I don't really have experience with how well they work since I just don't download things with viruses. Common sense still beats any antivirus in detection rate.

  • 0
Grand Master

Dane

Posted
Posted

From my tests, Kaspersky was a bit better than Norton. In part because Kaspersky detection was near perfect. Norton is surely not a slouch though by any means. It did a very good job as well.

Thanks!!

Norton isn't too far behind KAV if I remember correctly, right? I would go to KAV but $69 kind of puts me off. I mostly only go to trusted, normal sites and want some added protection. NIS is $33 on amazon compared to KAV's $69

  • 0
Mentor

Nerd Rage

Posted
Posted

Thanks!!

Norton isn't too far behind KAV if I remember correctly, right? I would go to KAV but $69 kind of puts me off. I mostly only go to trusted, normal sites and want some added protection. NIS is $33 on amazon compared to KAV's $69

I've been using Norton 360 for the last 2 years. Norton has made their product very good, much better than the slow bloatware days of old.

  • 0
Rookie

salim8

Posted
Posted

Really In fact I never see Antivirus similar to ESET NOD32 I got it from friend and was really superior

fast response kill virus in fly

Heuristics Technology really works not like other software use it like fake thing

specially I have experience with unkown virus (not destruction virus) download it accidentally fake software increas internet speed . NOD32 detect it immediatly Heuristics Technology and told me thier is high potential the file are new virus . but I ignore that message specially after scan it from all antivirus on Virus Total report me the file are clean

The surprise is the file was really virus and they explorer it after few months later !

this teach me lessons 1st not run files from unkown sources 2d trust on everything my AV told me Specially NOD32.

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