3 products achieve a maximum point score

The test is divided up into three key areas: protection function, performance and usability. Protection is naturally the most important category, as the products here are required to detect thousands of current malware programs. These also included malware specimens that during the test had only just been in circulation for a few days. Equally important is performance in terms of system load, as users don't want a protection program that slows down their PCs. In the last test category, usability, the lab evaluates whether the system watchdogs happen to block innocuous programs or trigger false positives. For each of the three test categories, the testers award a top score of 6 points. Thus, 18 is the maximum achievable point score.

This stellar performance, however, was reached only by the packages from Bitdefender, Kaspersky Lab and Trend Micro. This is followed by the solutions from Avira and Symantec, with excellent results of 17 points. The best freeware solution came from Avast, attaining what was still a decent result of 15 points. While the freeware Qihoo 360 performed better, the tested version was only available in Chinese.

Over 15,000 malware programs

For the protection test, the products are required to scan and detect 116 new, still unknown malware specimens in a real-world test. In the second segment, the test with the reference set, the objective is to detect 15,000 already known threats. Only the applications from Bitdefender and Kaspersky Lab were able to filter out all the malware threats 100% in both test segments and both test months. The packages from Symantec, Trend Micro and F-Secure only just missed the top score of 100% detection. All of these five products received a maximum point score of 6 from the testers. An additional 11 programs still reached an excellent point score of 5.5 for their detection performance. The freeware product from Avast is also found in this group.

Coming in last in terms of detection are Comodo and Microsoft. They achieved only 3 and 3.5 points respectively for their performance.

Freeware products slow down the system somewhat

In the lab, elaborate tests are conducted as to whether an installed security package slows down the PC. For an even more precise test result, the testers use a high-performance PC and a standard PC. Using these systems, they each load hundreds of websites, install and launch programs, and copy large data packets. The whole procedure is naturally performed once with and without a security package for comparison. Overall, this involves over 7,500 individual measured operations per product.

While the first 9 products in this category receive 5.5 to 6 points, most of the freeware products here only achieve 3.5 to 5 points. This does not mean that many freeware applications generally slow down the PC – it is only somewhat conspicuous for this test.

The three fastest programs, achieving six points each, come from Bitdefender, Kaspersky Lab and Trend Micro.

There are repeatedly cases of false positives

A false positive can be hell for a user. That is why the laboratory checks whether the products can also distinguish between "friend and friend". In plain terms, this means that the products are required to inspect exclusively clean websites, innocuous program files and known software. In numbers: 500 websites, 1.3 million files and 40 popular applications.

Whereas on the websites, there was not a single slip-up, the results for the 1.3 million program files were somewhat less favorable. The number of falsely detected files here was between 1 and 20. That is not outlandish, but it is irritating to users. Also, when installing and launching popular programs, 8 products had minor difficulties: they needlessly blocked the applications.

Completely error-free performance in this test segment was achieved only by the products from Avira, Bitdefender, Check Point, Intel Security (formerly McAfee), Kaspersky Lab, Trend Micro and Symantec. The best freeware products, each with 5.5 points and minor false positives, come from Avast and Microsoft.

3 products earned TOP product recognition

Throughout the entire test, the three products from Bitdefender, Kaspersky Lab and Trend Micro earned the maximum point score of 18. In doing so, they receive not only the lab's security certificate but also its recognition as a "TOP Product". This accolade is earned only by programs achieving 17.5 to 18 points in the test.

Avira and Symantec just slightly missed this additional recognition, earning 17 points each. This is followed by a group of seven products with 16 to 16.5 points. The first freeware application from Avast follows with 15 points. In this test, the additional free products from Microsoft, Panda Security and Comodo show up quite towards the end of the table with only 12.5 to 14 points.