February 23, 2023, 6:25 am | Read time: 2 minutes
An antivirus program should be on every computer. The question of whether such a program needs to cost money is almost as old as the computer itself. Experts have a clear answer.
Many malware programs spread rapidly and are also masters of disguise and concealment. At the same time, criminals attempt to steal sensitive data like passwords or credit card information through phishing attacks. Therefore, it makes sense to use a protection program on both Windows and Mac computers. But how do the various antivirus programs perform in tests?
Very Good Protection for Free
Good for the wallet: Whether you choose a paid or free program makes little difference for security. The basic protection against malware and phishing is the same for both free and paid virus scanners, according to Stiftung Warentest’s comparison of 14 such programs for Windows and 9 for MacOS (“test” issue 3/23).
Therefore, the experts’ price tip is to opt for one of the four overall good free programs with very good protection for Windows computers or one of the two overall good and free Mac programs.
Specifically, for Windows, these are the virus scanners Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows, Avast One Essential, AVG Antivirus Free, and Avira Free Security. For MacOS, the programs are Avast One Essential (Mac) and AVG Antivirus for Mac.
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Defender Ranks Last in Antivirus Program Test
Microsoft’s built-in virus scanner Defender, integrated into Windows 10 and 11, ranks last in the Windows test field with a “Satisfactory” rating in protection effectiveness and overall score.
Apple, on the other hand, does not equip MacOS with protection software. After all, MacOS users have little to fear from virus attacks, according to the testers. However, they could and should benefit from the phishing protection of the tested programs.
What’s the Difference?
But what is the difference from the paid programs if the free ones perform so well? Additional features like automatic updates of programs and drivers, according to the testers.
Moreover, providers also derive direct benefits from the free versions: The more customers a provider has, the more information it receives about new malware variants, explain the experts about the mixed calculation. All virus scanners immediately forward any findings to their provider’s servers, allowing for a quick response.