German AV-Test Institute Compares Windows 10 Antivirus Scanners

The German AV-Test Institute has compared sixteen antivirus scanners for end-users on Windows 10, and an impressive thirteen packages have been designated as ‘Top Products,’ including the built-in Windows 10 antivirus scanner and the free solution from Avast. In the latest testing conducted in May and June, antivirus packages were evaluated based on malware detection, performance, and usability.

A total of 18 points were available across the three evaluation criteria. For malware detection, the scanners were tested against 277 “zero-day” malware samples and over 16,000 malware samples discovered in the four weeks preceding the test. For zero-day malware detection, defined by AV-Test as previously unknown and new malware, an average score of 99.6 percent was achieved. The test involving the 16,000 malware samples resulted in an average detection score of 100 percent.

AhnLab, Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, F-Secure, McAfee, Norton, PC Matic, and Trend Micro achieved a perfect 100 percent score for both detection tests. To score six points in this category, detecting every single piece of malware wasn’t necessary. K7 Computer scored the lowest with 5 points.

In the second criterion, performance, aspects such as website visits, file downloads, software installation and execution, and file copying were considered, along with the impact of the packages on these processes. AhnLab and Microworld scored 5.5 points in this category, while the remaining packages achieved a maximum of 6 points. According to AV-Test, modern antivirus scanners have minimal impact on system performance.

The final aspect of the test focused on usability and addressed “false positives.” This occurs when the antivirus scanner incorrectly identifies clean software as malware or clean websites as infected, which could have negative consequences, especially when dealing with system files. The test employed 1.3 million clean websites and files. PC Matic and Microworld scored the lowest in this category, with 4.5 and 5 points, respectively. The remaining packages scored either 5.5 or 6 points.

Thirteen of the sixteen antivirus scanners are labeled as “Top Products.” These packages scored either 17.5 or the maximum of 18 points. This includes the free antivirus packages Avast Free Antivirus and Microsoft Defender Antivirus. The latter comes as a default part of Windows 10. Microworld and PC Matic scored the lowest, each with 16.5 points.