How we review the best antivirus programs
Choosing the right antivirus software for your needs is crucial.
To help you make an informed decision, we are committed to being 100% transparent about how we test and review antivirus programs and the methods we use to select the top options for 2024.
Our evaluations are based on 5 distinct factors, each contributing to an overall score. While all these factors are important, their influence on the final score varies.
The weight of each factor is carefully balanced to reflect its importance in the testing process.
Below are the 5 key factors and their respective weights in our evaluation:
1. Virus protection: This is the most critical aspect, accounting for 40% of the overall score. Ensuring robust virus protection is our top priority.
2. Performance: The impact of antivirus software on your computer’s resources is another essential consideration. This factor contributes 20% to the overall score.
3. Additional features and device compatibility: Features like VPNs, password managers, PC cleanup tools, and family safety options are included here. This category also accounts for 20% of the total score.
4. Value for money: Generally, you get what you pay for. Since antivirus software pricing tends to be similar across providers, we assigned a weight of 10% to this factor.
5. User reviews: While user feedback is valuable, it can be subjective and vary widely due to different levels of tech familiarity. This factor has a 10% weight in our overall evaluation.
Our data on virus protection and performance comes from trusted sources, including AV-Test and AV-Comparatives—two leading international antivirus testing labs.
To assess additional features, device compatibility, and value for money, we analyzed the offerings of all antivirus software providers included in our tests, ensuring information accuracy by sourcing it directly from providers.
User review insights were gathered from platforms such as TrustPilot, the Google Play Store, and feedback from our own users.