Other antivirus programs may occasionally do a bit better in monthly tests, but they also come with a lot of bloat, like browser extensions that actually make you less safe, registry cleaners that are terrible and unnecesary, loads of unsafe junkware, and even the ability to track your browsing habits so they can make money. RELATED: Beware: Free Antivirus Isn't Really Free Anymoreįurthermore, security is about more than raw protection scores. It’s up there with the best third-party antivirus options. Its performance in the preceding months was comparably excellent - it has had perfect protection scores for almost two years. AV-TEST found that it caught 100% of the “widespread and prevalent malware” in January and February of 2022, along with 100% percent of the zero-day attacks in the same time frame. What if you want to use something else?įirst, let’s look at those scores. If you look at that antivirus comparison we linked to above, you’ll notice that Microsoft Defender - while excellent - has some stiff competition.

Be sure to consider our list of the best antivirus programs for other excellent tools we recommend.īut Is Microsoft Defender the Best Antivirus? What About Other Programs? Or, you may be looking for an alternative to Malwarebytes. However, we know that a lot of people prefer to use a more full-featured security suite instead of Defender. There’s no bloatware and it won’t slow you down. Use Malwarebytes for Anti-Malware and Anti-Exploit – Many of the huge malware outbreaks these days are using zero-day flaws in your browser to install ransomware to take over your PC, and only Malwarebytes provides really excellent protection against this with its unique anti-exploit system.Microsoft Defender is built right in, blazing fast, doesn’t annoy you, and does its job cleaning old-school viruses. Use the Built-in Microsoft Defender for traditional antivirus – The criminals have moved on from regular viruses to focus on Ransomware, zero-day attacks, and even worse malware that traditional antivirus just can’t handle.

Historically, we’ve recommended a combination of Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes. Since we know that tons of people will just scroll down and skim, here is our TL DR recommendation for how to keep your system secure: So What’s the Best Antivirus? Please Don’t Make Me Read All This

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