The Best Antivirus Programs For 2011
Update: You may prefer to read my best antivirus 2012 reviews.
There are so many antivirus programs on the market these days that it seems like they are almost equal in number to the number of threats they prevent!
Like the studios that write video games, the security vendors also like to be quick off the blocks with their new products and so it is that, as we come to the end of summer 2010, the new line-up of antivirus products for 2011 are beginning to appear.
Which ones are worth buying though?
What features do they have?
Are the 2011 versions better than their predecessors?
the best 2011 antivirus programs
Well, those are just some of the questions I’ll be asking as I take a look at the new products from the major players in the security software industry.
Some vendors have already released or announced their 2011 lineup, others will do so soon.
Check back soon to find out what I think of 2011′s best antivirus products from companies such as -
- PC Tools
- Kaspersky
- F-Secure
- ZoneAlarm
- Trend Micro
- AVG
- Panda Security
- Webroot
- BitDefender
- ESET
2011 Antivirus Reviews
Check back here as I add in new reviews of 2011 antivirus products -
1. BitDefender Antivirus 2011 – Good value and many useful features.
2. Kaspersky Antivirus 2011 – The gaming mode will appeal to many users.
3. Webroot Antivirus 2011 – A snazzy and intuitive interface along with good support.
4. Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 – Runs on older computers and easy to get to grips with.
5. ESET Nod32 Antivirus 4 – Low system usage and handy system reminders.
6. Coranti 2010 Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware – Is running 4 engines at the same time a good idea?
7. F-Secure Antivirus 2011 – A personal favourite of mine as I run F-Secure security products on my main PC.
8. Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011 – Maybe a good choice for young or novice users.
9. Vipre Enterprise – Not really for home users, this product may appeal to those looking to protect their business network.
10. Vipre Home Antivirus – The unlimited home user license will appeal to those looking to protect more than one computer.
11. Bullguard Antivirus – Outstanding support make this the antivirus program of choice for the beginner.
12. AVG Antivirus 2011 – A solid performer that will likely appeal to those who are familiar with AVG’s free antivirus program.
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
i use AVG free edition now… but i want 2 buy new licence antivirus… can i use bit defender or norton…???
If you want to buy an antivirus program then you can choose any you like – just remember to remove AVG free though as running two such programs together is NOT a good idea.
i have used all major antivirus softwares on my pc and laptop for testing
and bitdefender certainly is not the best. my favourite is eset .with comodo firewall.if your file sharing you need extra antispyware such as trojan hunter v5
You may also want to take a look at Comodo, it’s pretty spiffy for semi-techie people. Includes an application that lets you talk to tech support live called “Geek Buddy” which might be great for those family members that keep infecting themselves.
http://www.comodo.com/
Another one I’m keeping an eye on is Outpost. Really like the user interface that they implemented, however at version 7.1 their scan results were pretty marginal. They’d just pushed out to 7.5 last week so hopefully it’s protection has improved.
http://www.agnitum.com/
Hi Bernie, I have actually looked at Comodo in the recent past. Can’t say that I’ve come across Outpost yet, will have to take a look at that one.
McAfee sucks! My computer got “Win 7 Total security” virus while Mcafee was running. I just talked to customer service, and they are not very helpful. It’s been a week, and they still don’t have update for it. I will never buy McAfee again!
What exactly did their customer services say then?
i use nod 32 which has free update for many years is it good.
it also has a crack to make it stealth
My current favourite is Microsoft Security Essentials, its easy to install, easy to use and doesn’t gobble up resources. I recommend it as long as you don’t visit file sharing or crack sites or download salacious material.
McAfee 2010 security suite supplied by my ISP is truely appalling.
McAfee Enterprise 8.8 corporate edition allows you to prevent applications from changing settings on the computer, In particular the prevention of IE or Firefox settings being changed. However Enterprise 8.8 is heavy on resources and is only available to corporate businesses. McAfee also appear to be slow in releasing updates to block the latest malware.
I agree that MSE is one of the best free antivirus programs available right now.
Unfortunately, the current version of MSE isn’t doing well especially when compared to the other A/V offerings. I’ve been using it but I’m now looking for something with better protection.
Why do you say MSE isn’t doing well Paul? Are you basing that on some test results??
Yes.
I have used Avira free and most recently, the paid version for over three years. It is low on system resource usage, unobtrusive, updates itself automatically and has prevented any virus or malware infection. The only time my PC became infected with a scareware program is when I foolishly clicked a bogus link while installing Winamp.
No antivirus program can protect us from our own mistakes!
Well said!
The human user is the biggest threat to a computer’s security.
Has anyone used Quick Heal AntiVirus? Is it good?
Sorry, never even heard of that one. [Edit: I looked through some old notes and I have heard of it but wasn't taken enough with it at the time to do a full review]
Quick Heal is quite good but I wouldn’t call it my favorite. Perhaps you could give it a try..
I remember looking at that one some time ago and wasn’t overly impressed if I remember correctly. Perhaps I’ll look again in the future and see if anything has changed.
Coranti isn’t the one for me. I got a red flag on my screen to ‘Solve PC Issue’: Coranti is reporting to Windows Security Centre in a format that is no longer supported. Use program auto. updating or contact manufacturer for update. I can’t contact anyone either via Coranti or Avangate who charged $10 for me to get the backup CD. When I put the backupCD in, I get: Setup has detected a newer version of Coranti 2010. Setup will exit now. … Your system has not been modified. $26 for a format no longer supported by Windows 7 and a backup disk that’s actually an older version than the one I downloaded from their site. Well, another fool was born.
I may be able to contact someone at Coranti for you. If I can I’ll try to get them to reply to you here Lise…
Hi Lee. Thank-you very much! I really appreciate your input. It took avout 4 or 5 days but I actually just received an e-mail from them. Their response doesn’t assure me. I know that Coranti is ‘on’ but they did not offer an update or an explanation re: the backup disk; I’ll rely on Windows Security’s message. I’ll check them out in a few years but for now I’ll take a look a purchasing AVG. Bye for now.
I use for many years ClamWin Free on win xp and no virus on my pc… but on my Linux pc no nead of antivirus…
No need to run av on a Linux machine… yet….
A trojan messed up my laptop BIG time so I’m in the market to purchase anti-virus et al protection. I’ve been doing a lot of research and Coranti is ‘VB100′ certified with a VB RAP score exceeding 90%. I wouldn’t have thought that running more than one program would work but after reading your review, I’ve ade up my mind to purchase Japan’s Coranti. Thanks.
Coranti was a surprise to me too Lise – before I looked at it I thought it was going to be a lemon but really was surprised by how well the multiple antivirus engines worked together.
OTHER SUBJECT: Lee, I’m trying to find some of your wisdom re: TV and Movies online – ie) which is the best and what to look for? I found your 101 Tips from 09/09 and a warning re: Harry Potter but nothing else specific. Is there anywhere you can direct me (be kind, hee hee)?
Do you mean where can you safely download them from?
Interesting that a promising new comer, VIPRE, is overlooked. Not just antivirus, VIPRE is antimalware and protects against viruses, spyware and more.
VIPRE is famed for it’s low system resource usage (currently the best on the market) and will not slow down your system (some of their marketing blurb, but been backed up by various independent reviewers.
Perhaps you should look at #9 in the list
I actually quite like Vipre myself.
Trend Micro is the best Antivirus …………….
si i am using
Why do you rate Trend so highly?
hi I have a mac mini, which i use quite a bit for all types of things such as getting music off the internet. and i was wondering which anti-virus software you would recomend?
I thought Mac users couldn’t get viruses?
Seriously though, most security vendors offer Mac protection software these days. I’ve not tried many though as I don’t have a machine to test them on and have to borrow a mate’s Mac book.
so i ma using very low speed laptop which anti virus i sholud use with windows 7 2011 with out internet
What sort of things do you use your laptop for?
Blindly choose ESET Nod32 Antivirus… or need that free Panda Cloud Antivirus… Surely better for slowest PC’s… and they never miss a virus also.
I agree that Nod32 is good but why are you a fan?
If you are not connecting to the internet at all, you do not need an antivirus. Also if your laptop is very “low speed” i suggest you downgrade to a less resource-intensive operating system such as windows xp.
“If you are not connecting to the internet at all, you do not need an antivirus.” << Unless he uses connects removable media that has been attached to another computer at some time.
You missed SOPHOS Anti-Virus. Much better than all these Anti-Virus Systems.
I’ve never had the opportunity to test anything from Sophos but they do have a good reputation.
eset nod 32 is the best antivirus program i have ever used.its work very nicely and easily operatable.many men says its foolish to buy a program like this.but i think they r the fooliest to miss it.
Why would anyone say it is foolish to buy an antivirus program??
av-comparatives / av-test or somewhere else??
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