This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Please note that by continuing to use this site you consent to the terms of our Privacy and Data Protection Policy .
Some of our partner services are located in the United States. According to the case law of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate data protection in the USA. There is a risk that your data will be controlled and monitored by US authorities. You cannot bring any effective legal remedies against this.
Accept

AV-Comparatives Security Survey 2019 published

21. February 2019

Every year AV-Comparatives conducts a security survey asking users their opinion and preference on security products. In our global survey we ask users on various security related topics. The opinions and preferences from the end user community provide us with valuable feedback. The results help us increase the relevance and value of anti-virus software testing. We want to thank all who join the surveys and spend their time to complete them.

The security survey can be seen here. Download PDF here.

Reliable end user feedback from all continents
In our annual security survey we received responses from 88 countries coming from all continents around the globe. The survey was conducted from December 14th, 2018 to December 24th, 2018. Some highlights are:

  • A majority of users (86%) were well protected in the last 6 months, having not suffered a malware infection in this period. A little over a third (35%) stated that their security product had blocked malware within the last week, indicating how easy it is to encounter a threat.
  • The number of users who rely on free desktop security software has risen again this year, standing at 44% of users. There has been a drop in the number of users without antivirus software, which is now down to 0.5%.
  • Over three quarters of this year’s respondents have moved to Windows 10, leaving Windows 7 with under a fifth of users.
  • A little under a half of respondents (45%) use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In Iran, UAE, Iraq and China, at least three quarters of users deploy a VPN.
  • Google Chrome is the most popular browser, with getting on for half of respondents (45.6%) using it.  Mozilla Firefox accounts for a lot of the remaining users, with a share approaching a third (29.2%). Despite being built into the increasingly popular Windows 10, and being Microsoft’s recommended browser on this OS, Microsoft Edge is only used by one in 20 of users overall.
    You will find many interesting security related facts and visuals.

Finally, we want to thank Avast, Avira, ESET, F-Secure, K7 Computing, Kaspersky Lab, Panda and Trend Micro for providing licenses for our price-draw. About 1 in 3 survey participants were randomly selected for a free one-year license of a premium security product. The lucky winners will be informed in the next days by email.

Anti-virus test map