PCWorld US Magazine has conducted tests, evaluations, and rankings of the top 10 antivirus programs for 2006.
The testing team assessed and ranked these antivirus software based on their ability to detect and eliminate viruses, graphical interface, pricing, and technical support. In the virus scanning tests, there were two testing rounds: a heuristic test, which utilized real virus samples, and a zoo test, which employed virus samples created by the testing team themselves. Below is a list of the top antivirus software ranked in order from highest to lowest.
1. BitDefender 9 Standard
BitDefender 9 Standard is affordable, easy to use, and effectively eliminates viruses, worms, and trojans… It has been rated as the best antivirus software by PC World magazine.
With exceptional performance, BitDefender 9 achieved the best scores during real virus testing (heuristic tests). It detected 43% of worms and 57% of backdoor programs. The software also scored the highest in tests conducted by the testing group (zoo test), detecting 93% of worms, backdoor programs, and trojans.
The interface of Bit Defender is simple and neat. The General Information tab provides basic information about the last system scan and software updates. Real-time information can be found in the Antivirus and Update tabs, accessible on the left side of the screen.
2. McAfee VirusScan 2006
McAfee VirusScan 2006 offers good virus scanning capabilities at an acceptable price. McAfee VirusScan 2006 ranks 2nd out of 10 for its stability and failure-free performance under any circumstances. This software ranks 4th for virus scanning effectiveness, performs well in real virus tests, ranks 3rd in scan speed, and 6th in malware detection in the zoo test.
The software features a simple interface through a single central interface. However, this interface tends to promote additional McAfee products, which may frustrate users who only wish to use VirusScan. Furthermore, McAfee’s phone support is quite expensive at $3 per minute.
McAfee VirusScan has good virus scanning capabilities and strong features, but just 15 minutes of phone support could cost as much as the software’s license!
3. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0
The interface of Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 is not user-friendly and somewhat complicated, but its virus detection and elimination capabilities are excellent.
Kaspersky is the only product among the 10 tested that can detect over 99% of backdoor programs, viruses, and trojans. This software also provides the fastest updates for virus signatures and security vulnerabilities. During testing, Kaspersky Lab released updates only 2 hours after discovering security vulnerabilities. Kaspersky ranked 4th in heuristic testing.
4. F-Secure Anti-Virus 2006
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2006 is a solid product offering detection and removal tools for viruses, worms, and trojans. However, the user interface could use more attention.
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2006 ranks 4th out of 10 products, detecting up to 98% of worms, 99% of bots, and 96% of trojans. In heuristic testing, this product ranked 3rd with 35% worm and 55% backdoor detection.
Despite high performance, the interface is overly simplistic. Clicking the Virus & Spy Protection button on the left side of the main window expands configurations and options. However, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2006‘s interface is not particularly diverse or attractive, but its simplicity makes it user-friendly.
5. Norton Antivirus 2006
Norton Antivirus 2006 offers a good, user-friendly interface, but the product only ranks 5th in performance.
During testing, Norton AntiVirus ranked 6th in virus scanning capability. In the zoo test, it achieved average results.
This software also includes spyware protection features, providing capabilities that most other antivirus products lack, such as the ability to scan messages. If protecting a PC against spyware, adware, and other forms of attacks is a priority, this software is a good choice. At $40, the price is reasonable, although it does not include phone support.
Norton Antivirus starts up and runs easily, operates fairly well, and provides useful pop-up alerts. Symantec offers alerts that identify threats, allowing users to understand the actions they need to take. Users seeking more information can click the links below to view detailed information about alerts on Symantec’s homepage.
6. Panda Titanium 2006
Panda Titanium 2006 combines antivirus and anti-spyware software. The virus scanning results are only average and lacking basic tools such as scheduled scanning. Moreover, the product is relatively expensive at $50, and users can find better antivirus programs for a lower price. This product slightly differs from Panda Platinum 2006 Internet Security in that it does not integrate a firewall.
Panda Titanium 2006 ranks 5th out of 10 antivirus programs and 7th out of 10 in virus detection and elimination. However, the scanning speed of the program is impressive, taking only 1 minute and 46 seconds, the fastest compared to other products.
7. AntiVir Personal Edition Classic 6.32
AntiVir is free antivirus software, but when compared to other antivirus programs, AntiVir ranks only average.
AntiVir offers a clean and user-friendly interface. However, it lacks certain features such as the ability to scan emails and attachments, and the ability to quarantine infected files. AntiVir also lacks phone support, like all other free antivirus software.
Among the 10 products, AntiVir ranks at an average level, but it is still the best free antivirus software available. AntiVir can detect over 90% of viruses in the zoo test. However, in the heuristic test, this software ranked near the bottom, detecting only 25% of worms and backdoor programs. The scanning speed of AntiVir is quite good, ranking 4th out of 10.
Despite lacking some features and phone support, the new version of AntiVir promises to deliver a completely new interface and virus elimination mechanism.
8. Alwil Software’s Avast Home Edition 4.6
Avast Home Edition 4.6 is free antivirus software with an attractive interface resembling a music player, but its virus scanning capabilities are in the bottom tier.
Similar to customizable skins for music player software, Avast allows users to customize skins. New users may find these interfaces confusing, but familiar users will find the interface appealing and easy to navigate.
Unfortunately, the virus scanning capabilities of Avast are not as impressive as its interface. This software performed the worst in virus scanning among the tested software. In tests with real virus samples, the software ranked 3rd from the bottom, taking over 13 minutes and 11 seconds to scan for viruses.
9. Trend Micro’s PC-cillin Internet Security 2006
PC-cillin Internet Security 2006 from Trend Micro was rated as the number one antivirus software in 2004. However, in this test, the product ranked 9th out of 10.
Nevertheless, the interface of PC-cillin Internet Security 2006 is the best among the 10 software products. By clicking the icon on the left side of the interface, users can configure and customize the interface to their liking.
Aside from its attractive and user-friendly interface, the scanning capability of PC-cillin is very poor. For example, in tests with zoo test virus samples, the software failed to eliminate any virus samples. Worse still, this product ranked last in tests with real virus samples. Other antivirus software could detect over 50% of viruses, but Trend Micro could only detect 6% of the virus samples.
10. Grisoft’s AVG Antivirus Free Edition
Although no free antivirus software ranks high, AVG AntiVirus Free Edition from Grisoft comes in last place in terms of interface, features, and virus scanning capabilities.
The main interface only offers three options: Scan Computer, Scan Selected Areas, and Check for Updates. Additionally, useful features like scheduled scanning are only available in the Pro version (not free).
In virus scanning tests, AVG Free Edition ranked 9th out of 10 (Avast came last). While AVG Free Edition can detect nearly 100% of viruses in zoo test samples, it only scanned 65% of trojans. When tested with real virus samples, this software detected only 11% of worms and 8% of trojans.
Minh Phuc
