“Who needs antivirus software these days?” your friend might say.

That same friend may change his mind when a Trojan takes over his email and social media accounts and starts sending out links which disseminate malware to their entire contact list. And if a disk-encrypting ransomware attack takes over your PC and some anonymous hacker asks you in very broken English for 3 bitcoin in ransom or else he will delete all of your most precious files and photos, you really will kick yourself for not spending $40 or less, per year, on antivirus protection.

It’s a necessity in this digital age. And that is why we have tested and reviewed more than 20 different antivirus programs, so you can pick one and continue sharing posts and watching cute puppies in peace.

There are a number of different factors that go into each antivirus review on this site, with those factors combining to judge the overall quality of the software as a whole.

Security features – An antivirus program is only as strong as its list of security features. How a program is able to respond to threats and what it does to proactively seek out and protect against threats is vital to users above anything else. We follow the results of four labs that regularly release detailed reports: SE Labs, AV-Test Institute, MRG-Effitas, and AV-Comparatives.User interface and performance – How easy is an antivirus program to use, and will it slow down my machine from doing the things it needs to do? These key questions are answered for every program we review.

Packages – Does each antivirus program have tiered packages to meet the needs of several people or do they take a one size fits all approach? Is there a free version of the software available? The different packages on offer for each antivirus program are evaluated and this contributes to our overall score for value.Customer service – Not everyone is computer savvy and therefore being able to answer questions quickly through a variety of methods is essential to a quality antivirus program.Company background – How long has a company been in the antivirus industry and can they be trusted? Taking a look at that information is also key to understanding how trustworthy an antivirus program can be.