Do antiviruses slow you down?
Well, it depends whether you choose a well-optimized antivirus or not.
I've tested a lot of the best antivirus 2024 contenders
to see which providers impact my system the least
while still offering a solid protection.
I'm here to share my results.
Naturally, every single antivirus under the sun
has at least some effect on your Windows device
because sifting through all files does require a lot.
Moreover, real-time protection,
a crucial feature operating in the background,
also consumes some resources.
All of these issues get multiplied by a lot
if your Windows device is older.
Let's take a look at my recommendations.
Starting with one of the best antivirus for PC
that's been in the game for more than seven years now, TotalAV.
It has great protection
and comes with a nice selection of useful system optimization tools.
First, let's check out independent testing results.
In the latest report,
AV-Comparatives gave TotalAV the highest advanced plus rank,
and it even managed to be the only provider
not to detect a single false positive.
Looking at the AV test report,
TotalAV got great, yet not perfect results,
scoring lower in protection and higher in usability.
On to my test, and its setup is pretty simple.
I disabled real-time protection and placed 10 malware files onto my PC.
Now, I do this because any best antivirus for Windows contender
should catch most malware before I can even place them.
All right. Once the files are nice and cozy,
getting ready to do some damage to my PC,
I can start the full scan.
The first good news is that the scan took less than 10 minutes to finish,
and TotalAV antivirus performance was at most about 60% of my CPU.
Meaning I can still browse and use my device.
The second good news
is that it managed to catch all 10 malicious files,
and taking into account how relatively quick the scan was,
it's an impressive result.
Another way to make sure that antivirus doesn't slow down my device
is to get a tool that can improve it.
TotalAV comes with a nice selection of optimization tools,
including Junk Cleaner, Startup Manager, and even Browser Cleanup.
By removing duplicates and junk or just turning off unnecessary apps,
I can boost my performance quite a bit.
And things like managing startup items can be a complex task for beginners.
As for extra features, TotalAV is a full security suite,
including a decent VPN and password manager.
As for the VPN, it's a nice add-on to have,
but can't really compare to VPN industry leaders.
TotalVPN lacks RAM-only servers or faster protocols,
but offers a decent selection of servers.
With the Total Security plan,
I can also use the pro version of Total Adblock
to ensure all my device security gaps are mended.
TotalAV is a pretty affordable provider, considering all that you get.
The most important aspect,
all plans include every optimization tool and the same strong security.
Using my link below, you can start from as low as $20 a year.
More expensive plans differ by device limit
and extra features like my mentioned VPN.
TotalAV comes with a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
Moving on.
Norton Antivirus is probably not the first thing that comes to mind
when hearing the word lightweight.
But even with all those features,
it manages to show some impressive performance.
Looking at the general consensus,
AV-Comparatives gave Norton the second-best rank of advanced,
citing the seemingly long-standing issue with a bit too many false negatives.
However, in the latest AV test report, Norton showed better results.
Jumping to my testing results,
just like TotalAV, Norton caught all 10 malware files,
though the full scan did take slightly longer,
finishing after around 12 minutes.
Even known as a more resource-heavy provider,
Norton Antivirus' performance
only used around 60% of my CPU during its full scan.
Looking at optimization tools,
with Norton, I can easily optimize my disk,
clean junk and unwanted files, or edit my startup setup.
However, if I really wanted to go all out improving my device performance,
Norton also offers a separate Norton Utilities' ultimate app,
designed just for that.
It does cost extra, but includes more ways to optimize my device.
Norton is packed with extra features, like a VPN add-on, password manager,
large capacity cloud backups, and even parental controls.
It basically has all you can want,
so it's no wonder it can be a bit more complicated for a complete beginner.
But on the same note,
I really love how much I can customize the firewall here.
It lets me be in full control.
Norton pricing plans start from around $20 a year.
But unlike TotalAV, which allows usage on up to three devices,
Norton only allows one.
To compensate for that,
even the cheapest plans include cloud backups,
and even more surprisingly, a full password manager.
Oh, and Norton offers an extensive 60-day money-back guarantee for all plans.
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All right, my last recommended antivirus for Windows 10
is none other than your beloved Bitdefender.
This sleek and lightweight antivirus can be perfect for older Windows devices.
Looking at Bitdefender Security,
the later AV test report gave it a perfect six in every category,
and A/V Comparatives also gave the highest available rank.
Impressive results.
But how does Bitdefender fare in my test?
Great.
It managed to catch all 10 malware files.
The full scan took around 10 minutes in length,
and Bitdefender antivirus performance was up to 70% of my CPU.
Bitdefender also offers a more automated device optimization
with tools like Autopilot,
which can scan my system and give security or performance advice
based on it in the future.
Or I can use OneClick Optimizer to do all the work for me.
But what's most impressive to me is the Bitdefender Photon feature.
It adapts to my device resources and uses less of them.
A feature super handy with weaker laptops.
As one of the best antivirus,
Bitdefender can't really compare feature-wise to Norton,
but it does have a few useful tools.
There is a Bitdefender VPN that is included in most plans.
However, there's a daily limit of 200 megabytes,
so it's not as usable on a day-to-day basis.
There's also a file shredder
when I really want to leave no file remains
that could slow my system down.
Now, Bitdefender is a bit more expensive than the previous two,
but I love that most plans also allow me to choose
how many devices I want protected.
There's also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.
The only con for me is that the OneClick Optimizer tool
is only available on the most expensive Total Security package.
But hey, that's what our discount deals are for.
I want to complete this best antivirus for Windows 10 list
with two honorable mentions,
Surfshark Antivirus and NordVPN Threat Protection.
These are a combo of lightweight Windows Antivirus
and top-of-class VPN solutions.
Although they still have a lot to grow
in the device protection and Windows optimization spheres,
I consider them valuable options for older and weaker devices.
Surfshark is a VPN,
but Surfshark provides a full-on antivirus,
and it even has an independent report
where it showed good but not perfect results.
But in my test, it fared much better,
catching eight malware files out of 10 while using around 65% of my CPU
and taking a bit over 10 minutes to finish.
Now, Threat Protection works differently
and only scans active downloads for malware,
so it's more of an additional layer of security.
There are no independent tests for Threat Protection,
but in my personal one,
it managed to catch six dangerous files out of 10.
Naturally, it doesn't tax my system at all.
To answer, "Do antiviruses slow you down?"
Yeah, antivirus software can and will slow things down a bit
while keeping your device safe.
But with the options I've talked about,
you get top protection without those pesky slowdowns.
They're all about keeping you safe without messing with your device's speed.
Stay secure and use the discount links below
to grab the best deals out there.
Thanks for watching my best antivirus for Windows 10 video.
If you have any questions or suggestions for the best antivirus 2024 lists,
leave them below.
Don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe.
Anyhow, I'll see you all later.