14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re still on Windows 7 and looking for an antivirus solution to keep you protected until you complete the upgrade to Windows 10, here’s something you’re going to like.
Antivirus testing organization AV-TEST has conducted a new research to determine the best antivirus products for Windows 7 home users in January and February 2018. And while some of the top names are the same as before, there are a few surprises that are really worth taking a look at.
First and foremost, the products that got the best scores are the following: AhnLab V3 Internet Security, Kaspersky Internet Security, and Trend Micro Internet Security. This means there are only three security solutions that earned 18 months, 6 points for each of the three tests analyzing protection, performance, and usability offered to Windows 7 users.
There are several, however, who got very close to flawless performance, including here Comodo Internet Security, McAfee Internet Security, (surprise!) Microsoft Security Essentials, and Symantec Norton Security. These products scored 5.5 points in one of the three tests, so with a small exception, they performed really well.
Windows 7 to reach EOL in January 2020
The lowest score was earned by F-Secure’s Safe, with a total rating of 14.5 points after getting 6 points for protection, 5.5 for performance, and only 3 for usability.
Windows 7 is already in extended support mode and is projected to reach the end of support in January 2020, so installing a security solution would help block malware in the remaining months. As compared to Windows 10, Windows 7 does not come with bundled antivirus protection, though there are several freeware solutions that performed surprisingly well in the latest tests.
One such example is Microsoft’s very own Security Essentials, which evolved into Windows Defender in newer versions of Windows, while also getting advanced functionality to replace a fully featured antivirus solution.
