The battle was tough. There have been unexpected lows, and dramatic casualties. But three have survived. Here you have our comparison of the Top 3 Antiviruses of 2014 ... and the best free antivirus. Kaspersky takes third place on the podium. Kaspersky stands out for its robust antivirus engine and its hybrid protection, constantly updating its database of malware through the cloud. It has the best numbers when it comes to detection, but its performance make it fall a few places. Kaspersky users will already be familiar with its green tones, its simple interface and multiple security tools. One of these tools is Safe Money, a technology that’s made to protect your money online. Whether you’re doing online banking or making purchases, you’ll be safe with its data entry protection, which is indicated by a green box or with details on a virtual keyboard. Kaspersky also includes anti-banner, an ad-blocker for your browser, as well as other extensions to protect you when browsing online. Kaspersky offers protection and first-class tools. ESET antivirus takes second place in our comparison. The strength of ESET is its performance numbers. Our analysis showed a fast antivirus that’s light on your machine, not to mention some very good detection numbers. It also includes a long list of weapons for your safety: antispyware, anti -phishing, malware scanner for your social networks, and game mode. It also includes the well-known ESET Live Grid system, a system based in the cloud which streams information about the latest dangers in a network shared by all users. There’s also the HIPS system that lets you control the behavior of the detection, from setting individual rules that you can customize, to detecting any generally suspicious activity on your computer. ESET offers full security with better performance. Norton antivirus takes the top prize. It has great detection and performance, and although it doesn’t particularly stand out in either category, the balance between the two is what makes it number one. Along with some great tools, it makes Norton a perfect choice for your security, both on your PC and for browsing. System Insight, for example, is a feature that monitors all activity on your computer, use of memory and CPU, as well as the latest downloads, installations, scans and optimizations on your computer. Norton Insight analyzes all of your active processes and adds it to the worldwide Norton database to identify possible hazards. StartUp Manager, a smart Firewall, offers identity protection while browsing, while LiveUpdate keeps your computer safe against the latest online threats. Norton offers total security as the best antivirus. But wait! Before concluding, we have to mention one more contender. The best free antivirus this year is… AVG antivirus. It may not be the prettiest or have all the great tools that are included in the most famous antiviruses, but it comes in as the fourth best antivirus in our comparison and the only free one on our list. It protect your computer, your navigation, your identity and your email, just like the big antiviruses, and data detection and performance have little to envy when compared to our top three. AVG antivirus offers the best protection at no cost.
