Consumer Summary Report 2023
Austrian antivirus testing lab AV-Comparatives has released its annual Summary Report for consumer security products (PDF available here). This includes results of all the individual Windows tests carried out during 2023, a user-interface review for all 16 tested products, and awards given to individual programs in various categories.
In 2023, AV-Comparatives subjected 16 consumer security products for Windows to rigorous investigation. All the programs were tested for their ability to protect against real-world Internet threats, identify thousands of recent malicious programs, defend against advanced targeted attacks, and provide protection without slowing down the PC or raising too many false alarms.
The tested products in AV-Comparatives Consumer Main-Test Series 2023 were Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, G Data, K7, Kaspersky, McAfee, Microsoft, Norton, Panda, TotalAV, Total Defense, and Trend Micro.
The vast majority of products from the 16 vendors tested have earned the prestigious AV-Comparatives 2023 Approved Windows Security Products certification, underscoring their commitment to excellence in security solutions.
AV-Comparatives awards Kaspersky with the Product of the Year Award 2023. Bitdefender receives the Outstanding Product Award 2023 and Avast, AVG, Avira, ESET and G Data win Top-Rated Awards 2023.
Product of the Year
AV-Comparatives’ Product of the Year Award is presented to the program achieving the highest scores across all test categories, symbolizing exceptional quality in every aspect. In the 2023 assessment, this honor is granted to Kaspersky.
Outstanding Product
The Outstanding Product Award goes to any other product that reaches the same high award levels as the Product of the Year in the Main-Test Series. This is proof of excellence across the board. The Outstanding Product Award for 2023 goes to Bitdefender.
Top-Rated Products
Products that achieve high scores across all the test types are rewarded with Top-Rated Product Awards. These demonstrate that a program has achieved a high standard across all the test types. For 2023, Top-Rated Product Awards go to Avast, AVG, Avira, ESET and G Data.
Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards for Individual Categories
For each individual test type, Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards go to the products that achieved the highest scores. Awards for the individual test types are as follows:
Real-World Protection Test – checks protection against Internet-borne threats
- Gold: Avast, AVG
- Silver: Bitdefender, Kaspersky
- Bronze: G Data
Malware Protection Test – verifies a program’s ability to detect malicious files
- Gold: Avast, AVG, McAfee
- Silver: Avira, Kaspersky
- Bronze: Bitdefender, G Data, TotalAV
Performance Test – checks on how much a security product slows down the PC
- Gold: K7
- Silver: Avira
- Bronze: ESET, Kaspersky
Advanced Threat Protection Test –optional test looks at protection against targeted attacks
- Gold: Bitdefender
- Silver: ESET, Kaspersky
- Bronze: G Data
False-Positives Test – assesses whether each program is prone to false alarms
- Gold: ESET
- Silver: TotalAV
- Bronze: Kaspersky
As usual, the Summary Report includes a user-interface review of all the tested products. This provides a description of what each program is like to use in everyday scenarios. Topics covered include installation, security alerts, scan options, quarantine, logs, access control, and (where applicable) firewall.
“Most of the security products exhibited a high standard in the conducted test. The comprehensive report not only highlights the protection levels achieved in individual tests, but also encompasses their speed impact and integrates user-interface reviews”, said Andreas Clementi, CEO and founder of AV-Comparatives.
“Most security products demonstrated a high standard in our 2023 testing. As an independent testing lab, we rigorously examine and certify various antivirus software products, ensuring they meet the highest security standards. Our process is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding digital environments through comprehensive, meaningful evaluations” , said Andreas Clementi, CEO and founder of AV-Comparatives. “This award validates our ongoing conviction that rigorous, independent testing and reporting of cybersecurity solutions is vital to empower consumers to make informed decisions.”
Like all AV-Comparatives’ public test reports, the 2023 Summary Report is available for free: https://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/avc_sum_2023.pdf
