Best Anti Virus

The summer of 2010 isn't even over yet, but the 2011 antivirus utilities are pouring in already. Significant players are still waiting in the wings, it's true. Norton's 2011 product releases are imminent, as are Trend Micro's. Spyware Doctor and others won't be far behind. But quite a few of 2011's antivirus apps, both commercial and free, have already sprung up. Among others, Bit Defender Antivirus Pro 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011, and Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 and Webroot AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper 2011 are all available and have already been through my testing. If you're looking to buy antivirus, today, the results show that there are already some solid choices available.
Note that, as always, when I say "antivirus" I mean a utility that protects against all kinds of malicious software, not just viruses. Trojans, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, adware, scareware—a proper antivirus must handle all of these.
Standalone or Suite?
Many of this year's products blur the line between standalone antivirus and security suite. Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 includes a fully-functional personal firewall and can monitor other Panda installations on your network. BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 offers full remote management across the network as well as a top-notch antiphishing module. BitDefender and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 both scan for security vulnerabilities, though BitDefender takes the concept a bit farther. Outpost Antivirus Pro 7.0 and BitDefender can block transmission of user-defined private data, a feature usually found only in suites. Ad-Aware Pro Internet Security 8.3 and Kaspersky will tune system performance and wipe out traces of computer and Internet use. Sometimes it's hard to remember that the product is "only" an antivirus, not a full suite.
Adjustable Interfaces, Built-in Support
Some users want to hear about every little security event, but most prefer a product that just does the job, without making a fuss. Ad-Aware appeals to both with a choice of simple or advanced mode. BitDefender goes even further. Not only can its users choose basic, intermediate or expert view, they can build a personal collection of their most-used tools.
Webroot AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper 2011 totally focuses on keeping everything as simple as possible. It updates automatically, scans while the system is idle, and interacts with the user through a completely redesigned interface. All the detail a tech-savvy user might want is available, but it's hidden when not needed.
Built-in and automated support features grace many of these tools. BitDefender includes a search box for help topics right on its main screen; a built-in tool will gather system information and contact an agent for chat-based support. Kaspersky's built-in support tool can send diagnostic reports to the company and process purpose-built scripts to fix specific problems. Panda's PSCAN lets remote analysts request samples and push fixes without requiring full chat-type interaction.
The Best Protection
I torture-tested all of these products, challenging them to clean up 13 malware-infested systems and to block malware from attacking a clean system. Interestingly, the most effective antivirus products in my tests were not those that bulked up with added features. Webroot offered the best protection overall, especially against rootkits and scareware. Ad-Aware also scored very well in my tests, but Webroot edged it out to become our Editors' Choice for standalone antivirus. For full details on how I test antivirus products see How We Test Anti-malware.
Recent Free Antivirus Releases
Commercial security vendors seem to have standardized on a "fall model year" plan, like car manufacturers. The numerous free antivirus products tend to come out with an update whenever it's convenient. I've reviewed several newly-released free products this summer, some very good, some not so good.
Panda Cloud Anti-Virus 1.1 remains our Editors' Choice for free antivirus protection. In some of my tests it has actually matched the top commercial products. For example, Panda Cloud Antivirus and Ad-Aware share the highest detection rate in my malware blocking test. With its extremely minimal user interface and cloud-based detection system it's a good choice for those whose budget doesn't stretch to a paid solution.
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.46 is a perpetual favorite among security experts. It's not uncommon to find another company's tech support agents calling on Malwarebytes to clean up a stubborn infestation. It's a tiny download, it installs quickly, and it gets right to business. What it won't do is protect your system from attack – it's strictly a cleanup tool.
I evaluated two free products for the first time this season, digital defender free 2.0 and Immunet Protect Free 2.0. Digital defender didn't detect much malware and left many threats running after allegedly removing them. Its for-pay Pro edition spent a much longer time scanning without appreciably improving the results.
Immunet focuses on protecting you by protecting the community of friends and contacts around you. You can easily hook friends up with a free copy of the program and view the security status of your entire community. Eventually this community- and cloud-based system may offer effective antivirus protection, but my testing showed that it doesn't at present.
Of course this isn't the final word on antivirus protection for 2011. I'll be reviewing many more apps in the weeks to come. Many of the heavy hitters haven't yet released their 2011 editions. For now, though, Webroot leads the pack