Best Antivirus Software Android Central 2020
Here are seven of the best antivirus software solutions currently available. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus gets my top vote this year, but I've thoroughly tested and have no problems recommending each of these programs. The first time I tested the software five years ago, I was very impressed with how fast Bitdefender recognized malware and stopped it before it even had the chance to start downloading. Plus, rather than automatically placing them in quarantine, Bitdefender completely removes most threats from your system the moment they are recognized.
Bitdefender consistently earns high, or perfect, scores for malware protection from several third-party test labs and in my own tests. It earns our top spot for best antivirus software. It stops Trojans, rootkits, ransomware, and worms, and with the safe browser extension enabled, it'll stop these threats from entering your computer through the internet. Bitdefender also recognizes phishing schemes and will warn you of them. With safe browsing enabled, it'll also tag search results as safe to click through or not. When I tested Bitdefender, it recognized websites known to harbor malicious files and links and would block the entire website from being accessed.
Even though Antivirus Plus is Bitdefender's basic solution, it still comes with a password manager, secure file shredder, and social network protections that keep an eye on activity on social media pages, letting you know if there is a malicious link that's been shared. Antivirus Plus also has a vulnerability scanner that looks for weak points in your entire system and helps you secure these against hackers and ransomware. Some of these vulnerabilities include corrupted drives and outdated software programs. Bitdefender gives you safe links where you can download patches and new versions of software, so you don't need to guess if links found online are legitimate or not.
The biggest tool not included with Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is a personal firewall. While your operating system likely comes with one, I've seen during testing that having a second layer of protection is vital. There are too many threats that make their way through standard firewalls and those included with antivirus software just do an overall better job. Bitdefender's higher-tiered program, Bitdefender Total Security, does include a firewall, along with parental controls and a device optimizer.
The other setback of Bitdefender is how long it takes to complete scans, both vulnerability and virus scans. Where other programs take a few minutes, it's not uncommon for Bitdefender to take up to 40 minutes for some scans, 50-80% longer than most other antivirus software.
McAfee has worked hard over the last several years to overcome some big setbacks. For many years it wasn't known as a great program. It used a ton of resources that created frustrating lag. Now McAfee is so good it often finds itself in the top spot as one of the best, most efficient antivirus solutions. The last couple of years testing McAfee I've seen McAfee earn perfect, or near-perfect, scores for malware protection every time. While it does create some slowdown, it isn't enough to interfere with most functions. There is noticeably more slowdown when installed on mobile devices compared to PC or Mac computers.
Everything you need to secure you and your family's devices is included with this program, including encrypted online storage and protections for cryptocurrency accounts. This antivirus program has a secured VPN that blocks your online identity, so it's more difficult for your online activities to be traced or for your digital identity stolen. It also includes a firewall and a system scanner that looks for vulnerabilities and ways to optimize your system so it works faster.
McAfee Total Protection has a lot of tools that are helpful for families. The webcam monitoring ensures no person or program taps into your computer without permission. It also has great parental controls with content filters to make it easy to block inappropriate content. You can also set time controls that will boot your child off the internet after their screen time is up, or during important times of the day like dinner time or when kids should be asleep
Trend Micro feels like a heavy program from the get-go and is the one program I found difficult to figure out how to use. However, once it was installed and the tools were located, Trend Micro proved to be a very good antivirus solution. This is the one program, through all my years of testing antivirus software, that has scored 100% each time in my tests. While it does create slowdown, it isn't enough for me to not add to my list of the best antivirus software.
This antivirus software has web reputation technology, so it picks up immediately if you are on a legitimate or fake website. If you click a link that is meant to redirect you to a site made to look like a legitimate one, Trend Micro will block it and warn you of its malicious intent. Trend Micro is also very good at recognizing phishing schemes and dangerous websites.
One of the best tools here is its Pay Guard. This is specifically designed to protect your personal, financial and account information while you bank and shop online. Pay Guard stores your credit card and bank account numbers in a secured vault so you don't have to pull out and enter this information during check out. But Pay Guard puts extra protections around your browser so this information can't be captured or stolen.
Overall Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the best antivirus software program because of how quickly and thoroughly it blocks malware. It stops malicious files from even starting the download process, marks dangerous websites, blocks phishing schemes, and comes with several extra security tools like a VPN and social media protections that warn of malware links and downloads posted to social media pages.
Bitdefender is also a good value, giving you several user licenses for around the same cost of one from other antivirus programs. It also works on several different devices so you can use a single program to secure computers and cell phones. Bitdefender's basic antivirus program doesn't come with a firewall, and all its virus scans take a long time to complete. However, because this program doesn't guzzle resources, you can still work on your device during scans without experiencing a slowdown.
Avast recently admitted to capturing and sharing, or even selling, user information with its partners and other consumer companies. While this doesn't sit well with most people, especially coming from a company that is supposed to secure your information, Avast isn't the only company doing this. In fact, every antivirus program, whether it's on PC, Mac, or a mobile device, asks as part of its initial installation and setup process for permission to collect your data and participate in some sort of data sharing program.
The biggest reason for data collection through antivirus programs is to collect information on new and emerging viruses. This information is used to stop new threats that haven't been identified and cataloged in malware databases so they can be stopped quickly before they can infect more computers. This is a vital part of keeping malicious threats, especially ransomware, from getting out of hand. It also helps antivirus programs "learn" common behaviors so they can stop new threats, also known as zero-day threats before they can infect a computer. If everyone opted out of data sharing, it wouldn't take long for malware to run rampant.
Another reason for data collecting is for research purposes. The antivirus industry is pretty competitive with several, very good solutions. As antivirus software collects information about its users, it can create better versions that better fit and serve consumers. Unfortunately, there will always be companies that sell this information for profit. The good thing with antivirus programs, is you do have the option to not participate.
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