AV-Comparatives Performance Test - October 2022

K7 for me and my testing was not acceptable because of the large number of pop-ups (like many AVs now) which for the most part are largely uncontrollable. I have had a handful of pop-ups since I started using Windows Defender and its protection is equal (and in some cases better) than the others. Very few quiet AVs on the market.

 

In this relation I have very good experience with ESET apps. I dare to say that I don't even know that ESET is installed, it's very quiet.

 

Does K7 register in Windows Security as a legitimate AV? I would like to try it out, $6 per a year is a bargain, Panda is light, but it doubles the number of threads.

 

Yes it registers just fine. I can't remember the last time an AV wouldn't register properly. The last time was years ago and it was Malwarebytes who had issues registering with the Windows Security Service.

 

I tried Sophos yesterday and it did not.

EDIT: I have tried K7 and it is not that light. Besides it insists on buying the licence first and I mean it really does, it will not even update without it, so much for trial.

 

Agreed. It's very easy to forget it is there, which is good.

 

What do you mean it's not that light if you weren't able to use it? It is like having no AV installed but my only gripe with it that even the AV only has a Firewall and I want nothing touching my connections.

 

PC had 1300 threads (with Panda it is ~1000) and it took about 200MB RAM. I wanted to disable some features, but it instantly said that PC is insecure with no way to dismiss it. That constant licence nagging reminded me of fake AVs.

 

so which is lightest in your testing? NOD32?

 

I never had a problem with a free trial for K7 they may wanted an email address (for activation) but that was it.

 

Uhhhhhhhhhhh.......... okay (I guess).
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@stapp & @roger_m -- Many thanks for the additional info re K7 & MAT. I like K7's new GUI -- clean, clear, easy to use, easy on the eyes.

As @moredhelfinland commented above, I look forward to seeing how well top-tier AVs (including K7) perform versus malware where signature detection is spotty or ineffective. Sadly, however, that sort of testing is very difficult to do. Hence, such tests are few & far between. OR......... so I have read.

 

If you go to register it you will be given the option to start a trial.

I have found K7 to very light. I never take notice of RAM usage of any antivirus as it has no bearing on performance.

 

Not unless you are running it on PC with 2GB. Immunet sure would not fit, with it's 1.3GB.

 

I go with the idea that more RAM usage would contribute to higher performance as some products page out the memory to give the impression of using less. Obviously there are exceptions.

 

The cheapest 400 USD computer now comes with a minimum of 8 GB of RAM I don't know how many users in the world are using a computer with 2GB of RAM, (Heck, even my 12 year old Dell VOSTRO laptop had 8 GB of RAM by default) it's like you're stuck in the lat 2 decades. We have said this 3000 times already on this forum. an AV's lightness depends on how it scans files not how much RAM it uses.

 

You are assumming that everyone is using PC, there are new devices with Windows where you can not even upgrade RAM. Decent laptops with 4GB, M2 and 15" screen start at $150, like Umax VisionBook N15G Plus, again assumming that people would buy a new one, but there is no need to, refurbished laptops are more affordable and they will outlive the user. Buying RAM just so you can run AV or Windows, that the most insane idea that got accepted over the years.

 

That is one case where memory usage of antivirus matters a lot.

 

Yes, but many people do not want to use a cheap laptop/Chromebook, my next computer will have 16gb minimum, just so that I will have something that I can do anything I want to. 4gb is woefully underpowered.

 

Memory is cheap right now. Just upgraded my oldest laptop from 8GB to 32GB ($2.40 / GB). Overkill? Sure. It does feel good though

 

Sorry -- I don't remember how much memory my computer has.

 

Its something like this how it goes in a simple way:
You use a basic windows firewall
You use an AV that uses basic windows firewall as a frontend, some AVs does calls it "Autopilot" mode, where all windows components, games etc are allowed to make an outbound connection.
Yes, and you download "zero day" malware(s) something like that is not detected by your favorite AV. So THE malware is there makin outbound connections by using windows components, that are "whitelisted".

To mitigate this, even a little bit is to install third party anti-keylogger. Somethin like Spyhelter kernel mode one, or KeyScrambler or G Data own keylogger protection. In G Data you need to add manually .exe files, like steam.exe to get protected by infostealers.
Yes and G Data keylogger passed Spyshelter keylogger test.