Antivirus is software which detects, protects against, and removes malware on a computer or mobile device. In today's world, cyber attacks have increased very much. India was the third most cyber-attacked country in the Asia Pacific, according to IBM Security’s Threat Intelligence Index, 2022. The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology stated that there were more than 1.6 million cyber security incidents reported in India as of February 2022, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Why is Antivirus important?
At first even I did not care much about antivirus software. I used to think that if I only use the trusted sites, my PC will never get infected. And I was completely wrong about this conclusion. There are many categories of threats in the online world like adware, malwares, virus, spyware and many more. Their mode of action might be different but hey all do damage to our computers in the end. These threats can delete or steal your data, leak your password saved in your browser, slow down your computer, read or send emails from your account, might even be responsible for financial fraud.
Is Free Antivirus good?
The short and straight answer is NO. Free antivirus software is of no use. They will only slow down a PC. If you can't afford a good antivirus, then better not use any. There are many antivirus software in the market like McAfee, Avast, etc. The protection which they provide is no better than Windows Defender, which you get for free from Microsoft. Even Google Chrome provide that much protection by notifying that the download might be unsafe.
If you don't want to use a good antivirus, then stay alert about any suspicious links. Do not use any pirated websites or use any Torrent sites. Don't respond to spam emails. Nowadays email spamming has been nuisance for many people. Always keep your passwords protected and never save any passwords of important websites like bank. Follow all cyber-security guidelines.
Top 5 Best Antivirus for Windows 10
In our search for the best 5 antivirus we did some research. We asked people which antivirus they prefer more. We even went to many antivirus websites, checked their reviews on Amazon. Accordingly we have ranked these antivirus as per below:
1. Quick Heal Total Security
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use solution that offers excellent protection against malware, viruses, spyware, adware, and other online threats, then Quick Heal Total Security 2022 is the right choice for you.
Quick Heal is one of the most preferred antivirus in India. It was founded in 1993, as "CAT Computer Services (P) Ltd" and renamed as Quick Heal in 2007 as Quick Heal. Quick Heal is an Indian multinational cybersecurity software company. The company develops its own security suite and leverages a combination of signature-based and signatureless detection technologies to detect and block known and unknown threats in real-time.
Quick Heal releases it's product in majorly 3 variants which are Quick Heal Total Security, Internet Security and Antivirus Pro. All the three products offer different protection and features. A list with the details of the varios types of protection offered by different pakages us given below.
Awards:
Quick Heal Total Security provides complete protection to your computer. It is loaded with rich features and the virus database in updated daily to ensure latest information of threats. In all these years Quick Heal has received many awards. It received the award for the "Best Antivirus of 2020" at the 13th NCN Most innovative product awards 2021 From time to time it also releases new schemes and gifts for both it's customers and sellers.
Online Ratings:
All Quick Heal products on Amazon are rated at an average of 4.5 stars out of 5. An amazon user in his review wrote that Quick Heal is reliable and value for money.
Price:
The price of Quick Heal on it's official website is:
QH Total Security: ₹1909
QH Internet Security: ₹1,409
QH Antivirus Pro: ₹979
2. BitDefender Total Security
BitDefender Total Security 2022 is one of the best antivirus software for windows 10. It has an easy to use interface with a clean design. It also offers real-time protection against viruses, spyware, adware, malware, phishing attacks and other online threats.
Bitdefender is a Romanian cybersecurity technology company headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, with offices in the United States, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. The company was founded in 2001 by the current CEO and main shareholder, Florin Talpeș.
According to Forbes, Bitdefender consistently ranks at the top of antivirus services at independent testing institutions. In addition to signature-based threat detection, Bitdefender is able to identify new forms of malware with machine learning and behavior protection, protecting you from even the most recent threats.
Bitdefender Total Security delivers multiple layers of protection against ransomware. It uses threat detection through behaviour to prevent infections, and protects your all important documents from ransomware encryption. Unbeatable multi-layered protection keeps your devices safe from all new and existing e-threats. With Total Security For Windows, you get a Secure VPN for complete online privacy, 200 MB/day/device. Total Security For Windows uses Innovative technologies to protect against zero-day attacks. Bitdefender Total Security For Windows beats all other security software in both Best Protection and Lowest Impact on Performance. Protects your devices against malware without compromising on speed.
Awards:
Bitdefender won the AV-Comparatives' Product of the Year award four times in total – more than any other antivirus program. It won the Outstanding product ward at the AV- Comparatives in January 2021
Online Ratings:
Bitdefender on Amazon is rated at an average of 4.3 stars out of 5. An amazon user in his review wrote that "Bitdefender is good and detects malware and harmful websites instantly".
Price:
The price of Bitdefender on it's official website is:
Bitdefender Total Security: ₹995
Bitdefender Internet Security: ₹575
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus: ₹475
3. Kaspersky Total Security
Kaspersky Internet Security is an internet security suite developed by Kaspersky Lab compatible with Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Kaspersky Internet Security offers protection from malware, as well as email spam, phishing and hacking attempts, and data leaks.
It wins praise from reviewers and security professionals for its robust malware detection. For the last 20 years, Kaspersky has been consistently ranked as a strong antivirus product.Kaspersky's antivirus engine is really good — it has a 100% perfect detection rate, with several types of scans to choose from, excellent real-time protection. Kaspersky has been recognized to slow down the performance of your computer. It's very recognizable, and you may even be able to tell when you are using a Kaspersky-protected computer system
Kaspersky also releases it's product in majorly 3 variants which are Kaspersky Total Security, Internet Security and Antivirus Pro. All the three products offer different protection and features. A list with the details of the various types of protection offered by different packages us given below.
Awards:
Kaspersky Total Security provides rich protection to your computer. It is loaded with more features like password manager and the virus database in updated daily to ensure latest information of threats. Kaspersky has received many awards for Best Password Manager, Best Protection 2021, Best Performance 2021.
Online Ratings:
All Kaspersky products on Amazon are rated at an average of 4.4 stars out of 5. An amazon user in his review wrote that Kaspersky is superb.
Price:
The price of Kaspersky on it's official website is:
Kaspersky Total Security: ₹859
Kaspersky Internet Security: ₹399
Kaspersky Antivirus Pro: ₹239
4. Norton 360
Norton, formerly known as Norton by Symantec, is a brand of Gen Digital based in Tempe, Arizona. Since being acquired by the Symantec Corporation in 1990, Norton offers a variety of products and services related to digital security, identity protection, and online privacy.
Norton was founded in 1990 by Peter Norton. It is head quartered at Tempe, Arizona, United States. Like McAfee Norton comes in at a similar price point with better protection scores and slightly more useful security features such as a VPN, webcam protection, and ransomware protection.
Symantec has been criticized by some consumers for perceived ethical violations, including allegations that support technicians would tell customers that their systems were infected and needed a technician to resolve it remotely for an extra fee, then refuse to refund when the customers alleged their systems had not actually been infected.
Awards:
In 2011, in a test of PCWorld, Norton Internet Security was the winner. Dennis Technology Labs (in tests sponsored by Symantec) confirms the performance and effectiveness of Norton 2011 and 2012 lines.
NortonLifeLock has announced that its device protection solutions have won four AV-TEST Institute awards. Norton 360 has been awarded for Windows Home User Best Performance and Best Protection awards, as well as the Best MacOS Security award. This is the seventh consecutive year AV-TEST has recognised NortonLifeLock products.
Price:
The price of Norton Antivirus Plus on it's official website is:
Norton Antivirus Plus: ₹799
Norton 360 Standard: ₹899
Norton 360 Deluxe(3 PC): ₹1199
Norton 360 Premium(Upto 10Pcs): ₹5199
5. AVG AntiVirus Plus
AVG AntiVirus is a line of antivirus software developed by AVG Technologies, a subsidiary of Avast, a part of Gen Digital ( Norton). It is available for Windows, macOS and Android.
AVG features most of the common functions available in modern antivirus and Internet security programs, including periodic scans, scans of sent and received emails (including adding footers to the emails indicating this), the ability to repair some virus-infected files, and a quarantine area (virus vault) in which infected files are held.
In September 2015, AVG announced that it would start tracking users for profit, analyzing their data for sale to the advertising industry. This measure received criticism from consumers, the press and security industry, as many users intended to use the software in order to protect themselves from spyware and would not expect the functions of spyware to be "hidden" in security software.
Awards:
AVG Antivirus Free 2012 was selected as PC Magazine Editors' Choice in the free antivirus category. AVG AntiVirus Free 2015 received the Editor Choice badge of SoftChamp.
AVG received Virus Bulletin 100 Award August 2022
Price:
The price of AVG on it's official website is:
AVG Ultimate: ₹2,999
AVG Internet Security: ₹1,023
AVG Antivirus Free: ₹0
Conclusion
There are many antivirus software in the market but choosing the best one is important for the complete protection of your PC from any cyber attacks. Each Antivirus company claims that they are the best but we have ranked them after using each one and reviews from our customers.
Before choosing any antivirus you must know it's features and if possible read the Threat Report. The threat report contains all details of number of threats detected by the antivirus program.