Frequently asked questions on AV-TEST

Will I get support from AV-TEST when using an IT security product? arrow

As a test institute, AV-TEST analyzes the performance of IT security products and makes test results available to private users free of charge, to assist them in choosing the product that is best for them. We do not provide technical support for individual products, however. For this, please contact the relevant manufacturer's support service. In our product overview, you'll find the direct links to the websites of the manufacturers. Simply click on each product logo on the left-hand side of the table.

AV-TEST advises government institutions and companies in the testing, selection and implementation of the best IT security structures. Should you wish to receive advice from our experts, we look forward to your inquiry.

How can we have our product tested by AV-TEST? arrow

If you would like to have your product analyzed by the AV-TEST Institute, we look forward to hearing from you via our contact form. We will gladly get in touch with you shortly. You can find information here on our tests of various product categories.

How do I regularly obtain the latest information from AV-TEST? arrow

We will gladly inform you about our latest tests and research results. To receive information, please register for our monthly newsletter. We also encourage you to follow the AV-Test Institute's social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Am I allowed to use and distribute statistics, charts, test results and other content from AV-TEST? arrow

We are happy to provide journalistic and research publications with detailed information and comprehensive material, and we look forward to your inquiry in this respect. We also invite members of the press to obtain accreditation for our press distribution list.

You are also allowed to use data, charts and statistics from the AV-Test Institute for journalistic coverage, for preparing overviews and statistics for research purposes, and also as the basis for your own tests. The prerequisite for such use is that the "AV-Test Institute" be mentioned as the source in print publications. For online publications, we also expect that an active link to the website <https://www.av-test.org> be provided. We kindly ask that you inform us about the use of our material, and we look forward to receiving your email with a pdf or a link to your publication sent to presse@av-test.de.

How can I get in touch with AV-TEST? arrow

The easiest way to get in touch with us is to use our contact form for this purpose. You can also receive information on the latest tests and research results of the Institute on a monthly basis through our newsletter. We encourage you to follow our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Which AV product do you recommend? arrow

As an independent institute, AV-TEST does not issue any product recommendations. All test results can be reviewed free of charge on our website and interpreted according to your own judgment.

In addition, the sort function of our interactive test tables offers the option of listing products according to your criteria. If you place special value on the test criterion of "performance", for example, the sort function lists especially high-performing products when selecting the drop-down function at the top of the table.

The AV-Test Institute offers government institutions and companies a comprehensive range of testing and advisory services. We look forward to your inquiry.

Where do I find the test results of a particular product? arrow

You can find products tested by AV-TEST on our test website sorted according to operating systems. Simply click on the icon of the operating system for which you are seeking a security program, which takes you to the alphabetical list of the test products. You can also find a precise overview of all evaluated products of various manufacturers in our product overview.

I'm seeking the test results of a particular product, but I cannot find it in any test. Has it not been tested? arrow

You can find all IT security products tested by the AV-Test Institute in our comprehensive product overview. In the comparative tests, AV-TEST covers the largest possible number of market-relevant products at the time of the test. As the tests involve considerable time and expense, we ask for your understanding that we focus on the most well-known and widely-deployed antivirus solutions.

Why does AV-TEST evaluate free and paid products together? arrow

For our analyses, it does not matter whether a security solution is offered for free or as paid software. As our standardized comparative tests do not consider the special features offered in premium versions, these also have no influence on the test processes and test results. The AV-TEST Institute yields results that are representative and reproducible at any time, by examining the evaluated products according to standardized test criteria, on identical test systems, and in a standardized test environment. You can find detailed information here about our test procedures.

How about the validity of certificates? arrow

The AV-TEST certificate is issued for a period of 12 months from the end of the test and can be used by the manufacturer within this period for PR and marketing activities within the scope of the AV-TEST trademark guidelines.

The star labels awarded in the short tests are valid for a period of six months upon completion of the tests and are also allowed to be used for product communication.

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