Visually appealing

Traditionally here at Softonic we have a lot of time for avast!, so we were really excited to get a look at the newest version. For starters, it looks really slick, with a slim-lined installation process (which looked good, but still took a while), and a very user-friendly and clear interface. While the interface is similar to avast! 6, it's got many more options, something you'll see as soon as you open it.

Good installation options

Another nice addition that you'll notice when setting up avast! 7 Pro is the option to install as the second line of defense on your computer. There are also plenty of installation options, which allow you to get the most from your anti-virus before it's even installed. Of course, there's also a default installation if the nitty-gritty's not for you.

Security improvements

What else does version 7 add to avast!? Well, in the first place the developer assures us that there have been considerable updates on a security front, which is obviously what you want from an anti-virus. It also offers a nice Statistics module, as well as a comprehensive Support function that allows you to general a support package to send to the avast! personnel who are trying to troubleshoot your problem.

New features

Two especially useful new functions are the AutoSandbox feature and the Remote Assistance. AutoSandbox allows avast! 7 Pro to automatically place any program it deems suspicious inside a sandbox, so it cannot do damage to your computer. You can edit the programs that are excluded from this behavior in the general settings.

Remote assistance

Remote Assistance is much as it sounds, but it's a great feature to have. This allows you to either connect to or be connected to by another user, so that you can help them with computer problems or so that they can help you (especially when tech support personnel are involved). Obviously, both of you will have to have avast! 7 Pro installed, but it's a feature we can see coming in really useful.

avast! has always been one of Softonic's favorite anti-virus suites, and version 7 of avast! 7 Pro is no exception. It's awesome!

Download avast! Pro Antivirus 7.0.1426 in Softonic

Among other potential dangers, eScan Anti-virus covers viruses, spyware, adware, malware, keyloggers, hackers, spammers and phishing. It features real-time virus scanning of your computer including email protection to avoid spam and a firewall to block any unauthorized access to your computer.

The good thing about eScan Anti-virus is that it's very easy to use. Almost everything is automated, so it's perfect for tech newbies and for those of you who who don't want to be constantly tweaking options. Plus, the integration with TeamViewer allows you to get remote assistance very easily.

On the downside, eScan Anti-virus is quite heavy on resources and can get a bit sluggish. It's definitely not an antivirus for old, slower computers. Also, advanced users will surely miss having more configuration options.

eScan Anti-virus is a comprehensive and powerful antivirus tool that can be sluggish but does at least cover every possible angle.

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McAfee Total Protection's menu is sleek and uncluttered. Real-Time Scanning, which is one of the main tools of this program, searches all drives on your computer looking for viruses and malware (malicious programs often pass on information to third parties). When the computer has been scanned, McAfee Total Protection removes all threats or puts them in quarantine.

McAfee Total Protection also has a firewall to protect your system from intruders from the web that attempt to steal your personal information. The Email and IM Checker prevents spam emails and potential dangers on IM clients. SiteAdvisor Plus gives you advice on the security of websites you visit, and the File protection tool checks everything you download.

There is even a cleaner in McAfee Total Protection to get rid of unnecessary files in the recycle bin, desktop shortcuts, temporary files and browser histories. While the interface looks nice, all these tools do make it pretty dense, and you'll need a while to work your way through everything.

The major downfall of McAfee Total Protection is that it's a bit too resource heavy, and is likely to slow your computer down. It would probably be better if it had fewer tools and concentrated just on basic security.

McAfee Total Protection is just what it says it is, but it's weighed down by having too many tools

Download McAfee Total Protection 2012 in Softonic

Installing BitDefender Antivirus is a long, somewhat arduous process that requires the removal of other security apps. Once you get over this, BitDefender Antivirus updates the database and performs an immediate check of your system for viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware. The program also features anti-phishing protection to stop you getting sucked in by malicious sites.

Two strong points in BitDefender Antivirus are its special Game and Laptop modes. The first one opens the firewall to prevent connection issues and disables any resource-intensive processes, while maintaining a safe, fun gaming experience. The latter temporarily tweaks security settings to prevent the antivirus from draining the computer’s battery.

Besides the app’s functionality, BitDefender Antivirus features a nicely-designed interface with three different views (Basic, Intermediate and Expert) so that you can make the most of it no matter what your level of expertise is.

BitDefender Antivirus is a complete antivirus system that's constantly updated and features handy modes for gamers and laptop users.

Download BitDefender Antivirus 2012 in Softonic

Rising Antivirus provides disk scans, real-time monitors and protects the Windows registry database. It can also be set to check incoming and outgoing mails, and can update itself automatically.

There's a fair amount of flexibility in Rising Antivirus - the settings are quite comprehensive, so you can run your antivirus checks and scans as automatically as you wish. It is a nice and quiet application most of the time, with out the needless warnings and pop ups of some of its competitors. Rising Antivirus' umbrella icon sits in your system tray, but otherwise you would hardly notice it was there. It also uses little resources while inactive, and doesn't noticeably slow Windows startup times.

You can schedule specific scans of drives or folders, to occur whenever you want, and they are really easy to set up. Overall Rising Antivirus seems like a good security application, and is definitely worth trying out. Any new program of this type takes time to build a reputation of trustworthiness, but so far Rising Antivirus looks good.

New antivirus programs are always a little risky, but Rising Antivirus seems reliable. As with anything of this type, it's worth testing out before you buy.

Download Rising Antivirus 2010 in Softonic

The Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security interface is relatively attractive - it's clean and easy to see the different options. Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security's main window shows you the current system status, highlighting any problem areas, while individual areas are clearly marked into Security Summary, Parental Controls and Subscription. These are all contained in a small interface, which many users will appreciate.

Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security comes with a good help file and has a number of settings that make using it more comfortable: auto-update, password protection and the facility to view history logs are a few examples. Apart from that, however, it doesn't have many options, and compares pretty poorly to other similar products, lacking a lot of the minor features that give you more bang for your buck.

Uncomfortable installation/uninstallation, weak features and lacking configuration options make it hard to get excited about Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security.

Download Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2012 in Softonic

Norman Antivirus & Antispyware protects your computer against viruses, trojans, worms, rootkits, spyware, and other dangerous code. The software is armed with "proactive technology", comprising of Norman Sandbox, DNA matching and Exploit Detection. The program includes a background guard and gives you the ability to scan manually and schedule scans.

Norman Antivirus & Antispyware is very easy to set up, thanks to a wizard, based configuration process that lets you tinker with the settings to the extent that best suits your level of expertize. If you desire, you can tell the program to give you live stats on the files scanned and infections found.

One interesting feature in Norman Antivirus & Antispyware is its protective screensaver. This is an interesting idea, whereby the application is able to perform scans while your computer is idle, as long as you have the screensaver active.

The downside of Norman Antivirus & Antispyware is that it consumes a lot of system resources. Given that it has fewer features than many rival solutions, it's surprising that it sucks a lot more RAM. Even the installation and registration process is slow!

While it offers solid protection and an innovative screensaver feature, Norman Antivirus & Antispyware is ultimately flawed due to its system-hogging ways.

Download Norman Antivirus & Antispyware 7.10 in Softonic

The main part of the suite is Norman Antivirus & Antispyware, which is designed to recognize, block and remove viruses, trojans, worms and other nasties. It's not difficult to set this up, but its performance while running isn't particularly impressive. It runs lots of processes, consumes a lot of system resources, and the scanning engine isn't the best either. That's not to say it doesn't work though, and Norman Antivirus & Antispyware is able to pick up the vast majority of threats out there.

Besides this rather average antivirus solution, Norman Security Suite also features a personal firewall and a parental controls tool. The firewall is very easy to configure, thanks to its intelligent wizard-driven set-up tool, which can be tailored for experts or non-experts. The software is very flexible and gives you a lot of control over rules, so you dictate access permissions in a very precise manner.

The Parental Controls app also works around rules. You can customize filters that will prevent people of a certain age from accessing pornography, violent content and other dubious material online. Again, this is really easy to hook up, thanks to the wizard system.

Norman Security Suite offers an easy way to protect your computer from some of the hazards of having an internet connection. It will put a bit of a strain on your system though.

Download Norman Security Suite 7.10 in Softonic

Though designed especially for netbooks, you can also use Trend Micro Titanium Security for Netbooks on low-spec computers and old systems – or simply because you like easy anti-virus solutions. Just bear in mind that Trend Micro Titanium Security for Netbooks is not as fully featured as other security solutions.

Trend Micro Titanium Security Security for Netbooks protects the computer from viruses and spyware, and includes a web filter to block any potential danger while you’re browsing the web. The program features three types of scan (Quick, Full and Custom) and a simple stats area with the history of threats found.

Compared to other anti-virus software, Trend Micro Titanium Security for Netbooks looks neat and easy to use. The rather limited information displayed on screen, together with simple configuration options, make it a perfect solution for those who prefer simplicity over anything else.

Trend Micro Titanium Security for Netbooks is a nicely designed, easy-to-use anti-virus tool, especially created for netbooks.

Download Trend Micro Titanium Security for Netbooks 2011 3.0.1303 in Softonic

The program can be set to scan either often used locations in the computer, such as My Documents, My Computer or the Internet temporary files, or user-selected folders. It also features different scanning modes and speeds, depending on how deep and thorough you want the analysis to be.

Besides system scanning, Jiangmin Antivirus can also monitor your system in real time, controlling different areas: files, email, web, IM clients and scripts. However, one thing that really surprised me is that you can't minimize it to the system tray, so if you want to keep it running – which you probably do if you want to be protected – it'll take some space in your taskbar.

Jiangmin Antivirus features a nicely designed interface. The options menu however is a bit confusing: I guess it tries to display too much information in a too small window.

Jiangmin Antivirus is a complete security tool that protects your system from various threats, though it may take a while to configure.

Download Jiangmin Antivirus KV2009 in Softonic