Which is Best Free Antivirus 2012 version: Performance and Comparison

Which is the best free antivirus? Which is faster and which detects more malware without falling into the false positives ? Here we have the latest version (2012 products) shortlisted and analysed- avast, AVG, Avira, Panda Cloud and MSE – to find the clear winner.

5 Best Free Antivirus candidates (version 2012)

In the last decade, free antivirus solutions have gone from mediocre to become security programs better than many equivalent paid ones, offering a high quality protection at zero cost. The five chosen ones account for 40% of the overall market share:

Data Courtesy: OPSWAT (Software market analysis report 2011 )

Avast! Antivirus 6

It’a a long time since when Avast 4.8 was called as Music Player interfaced Antivirus. Since version 5, revolution began with constant improvements which resulted out to be a great product.

avast! 6 has a whopping eight modules of real-time protection, all of which enable and disable them pleasure as well as two interesting modules: WebRep, which checks the safety and reputation of the web pages you visit, and Sandbox, a memory space safe in which to open suspicious files. You can read complete Avast! Antivirus 6 Review.

AVG 2012 Free edition

AVG is one of the biggest name in the freemium security. It’s appearance has changed little in recent years, and AVG has chosen to focus on improving the performance of your scanner, strongly criticized in the past, and to optimize the installation process.

In one of the nicest interfaces in its class, AVG Free antivirus shield together in real time, an anti-rootkit, a coat of mail and a computer scanner, a rare performance function in products of this type. To this we must add strong LinkScanner, one of the best links scanner.

Avira Antivirus 2012 Free

Avira AntiVir, the only German product which has been very conservative with appearance and interface. As said by Avira officials, its flagship product maintains a delicate balance between ease of use and advanced features.

Under the gray heart, however, Avira hides one of the best antivirus engines into circulation. Avira AntiVir is fast, efficient and, above all, hardly interferes with their daily work. Unfortunately, no free protection modules for mail and other accessories.

Microsoft Security Essentials

When Microsoft was moving ahead with it’s own Security solution, others trembled. Since its appearance, Microsoft raised blisters between computer security companies, who feared not being able to compete against a free product distributed through Windows Update.

But the truth is that MSE has deservedly earned his place among the best free antivirus. Its effectiveness and low resource consumption (practically the same as Windows Defender, which replaces MSE) make it the antivirus of choice for slower computers.

Panda Cloud 1.5.1

And speaking of lightness, we could not avoid Panda Cloud, a virus that broke schemes as one of the first to rely entirely on the cloud, that is, to put aside regular updates to focus on the exchange of information between thousands of PC. And results? Exceptional.

It is one of the most lightweight and easy to use, ideal for inexperienced or who prefer not to complicate your life by setting all the security parameters. In later versions, Panda Cloud also filters malicious web pages. Did you wrong? Without an Internet connection that its effectiveness is reduced.

How did we test Antivirus

Antivirus programs are special because they make specific promises about computer security, and the degree of fulfillment of these promises can be measured empirically. That is why we use Softonic quantitative and qualitative data to give the final result.

Step 1: Analysis of Features, Usability and Quality

The first thing we do for each virus is to evaluate their functions with the help of a small guide that summarizes the most common characteristics of free and commercial antivirus.

Then, we value the antivirus following our three-dimensional model, like all other programs, which are measured from 0 to 10 and have a different weight. They are:

• Functionality (45%): Is it useful? What features does it have?
• Quality (20%): Is it stable and fast? Do you have errors?
• Usability (15%): Is it easy to use? Is it pleasing to the eye?

Step 2: Process Efficiency and Performance Data

For efficiency we mean the ability of the virus to detect and remove malware proactively and reactively. An efficiency of 100% means that the antivirus detects all threats, but this is virtually impossible to achieve, a percentage higher than 90% is more than enough.

In terms of performance, it is efficiency and speed when antivirus scan files and examine. Its calculation, also with data from Virus Bulletin, is more complex, since we consider the following factors:

These data are obtained mainly from Virus-Bulletin , the independent analysis of the products most prestigious computer security. We also consult other sources ( AV-Test , AV-Comparatives ) for a more complete picture.

Avira AntiVir yields the best results in terms of effectiveness in detecting malware, but Panda Cloud shows the best performance. For features and usability, however, is avast! who takes the cake.

avast, thanks to exceptional efficiency, good performance and, above all, plenty of features and ease of use. Once again, great balance and generosity make it worthy of victory.

Silver for Avira AntiVir.It has the best protection and great performance, but it looks dated and the lack of options makes them settle for second place. If you offer more functions, it would be no problems with gold.

Third, Panda and AVG tie, but Panda won the bronze for its speed. Last post for MSE, which, although a valid security solution can not overcome the heavy consumptions.

How are your personal experiences with them? Satisfied with the results?