Independent Testing Highlights Top-Performing Consumer Security Solutions
INNSBRUCK, Austria, Jan. 14, 2026 -- AV-Comparatives, the internationally recognised independent authority in cybersecurity testing, has published its Consumer Summary Report 2025, presenting a comprehensive overview of the performance of leading consumer security products for Windows. The report summarises a full year of rigorous, scientifically sound testing designed to help consumers identify effective and reliable cybersecurity solutions.
The Consumer Summary Report consolidates results from AV-Comparatives' 2025 Consumer Main-Test Series, in which 19 widely used security products were evaluated. Testing covered real-world protection against live internet threats, malware detection capabilities, resistance to advanced attacks, system performance impact, and the frequency of false alarms. All tests were conducted using transparent methodologies under real-life conditions, ensuring unbiased and reproducible results.
Key Findings
Top-Rated Products 2025
Products that demonstrated consistently high performance across all test categories received AV-Comparatives' prestigious Top-Rated Product Award. For 2025, these were: Avast Free Antivirus, AVG AntiVirus Free, Bitdefender Total Security, ESET HOME Security Essential, G DATA Total Security, Kaspersky Premium, and Norton Antivirus Plus.
Category Awards
To recognise excellence in specific areas, AV-Comparatives awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze distinctions across individual test categories:
- Real-World Protection: Gold – Norton; Silver – Bitdefender; Bronze – Avira, Kaspersky, McAfee
- Malware Protection: Gold – Kaspersky; Silver – G DATA; Bronze – Bitdefender
- Performance (Low System Impact): Gold – Avast & AVG; Silver – Norton; Bronze – McAfee
- Advanced Threat Protection: Gold – Bitdefender & ESET
- False Positives: Gold – Kaspersky; Silver – Total Defense; Bronze – Bitdefender
These awards reflect not only strong protection capabilities, but also a balanced approach to usability and system efficiency — essential factors for everyday users.
User Experience Review
In addition to technical testing, the report includes a structured user-interface review for each product, evaluating installation, configuration options, alerts, and overall ease of use. This ensures the assessments reflect both security effectiveness and real-world practicality.
Independent Guidance for Consumers
"The 2025 Consumer Summary Report demonstrates that many vendors continue to deliver a very high level of protection," said Andreas Clementi, CEO and Founder of AV-Comparatives. "Our goal remains to provide independent, transparent testing that enables consumers to make well-informed security decisions based on reliable data."
The Consumer Summary Report 2025 is available for free download at
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/summary-report-2025/
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