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PROS:
CONS:
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is one of the best anti-malware software in the industry. It justified its reputation by receiving the highest scores in all the areas of the AV-Test evaluation. It protects up to three of your PCs and it offers multiple customizable features. With a sensible price, Kaspersky is a great anti-malware solution for any home-based user.
Ever since 1997, Kaspersky has slowly been winning over users - household by household. Today, with more than 400 million installations worldwide, it’s become a true household name in the anti-malware industry. Kaspersky Anti-Virus is efficient against all known variants of malware – Trojans, viruses, spyware and ransomware. One of the many reasons it deserved its high ranking in our review was that it allows you to secure up to three devices under a single license. Kaspersky is also among the few anti-malware programs that got perfect scores in all areas on the tests conducted by the independent testing facility AV-Test.
Features
Unfortunately, only half of the anti-malware software in our review offers protection for more than one device. Aside from the obvious financial side, having all your devices under one license is practical. Instead of juggling renewal dates and login information for three different accounts, Kaspersky Anti-Virus allows you to put all three of your devices under a single subscription. Aside from many great features included in the subscription you choose, the Kaspersky website has many tools and features you can download for free or try out for a period before deciding to buy them.
Kaspersky prides itself in offering a hybrid protection system which means that it uses a security cloud for protecting your online activity, and the installed program on your device for offline, in-home security. The security cloud is a good solution because it allows the malware database to be always up to date providing you with the best protection at that moment. The in-home protection comes in useful when you’re not surfing the web, or when you’re not even connected to the internet. Kaspersky Anti-Virus comes especially handy when you’re inserting a foreign USB into your PC. The program scans the drive before it has a chance to run any possibly malicious content.
The Kaspersky Anti-Virus Essential Protection package comes with many customizable features but it can also run perfectly well on its default settings. This is a great option because it allows the more tech savvy users to schedule scans, add different apps and websites to the whitelist or simply tweak any of the other features to their preference. It also has a gaming mode that allows you to play videos and games without interruptions by blocking unnecessary pop-ups from interfering with your full-screen programs.
Even though it doesn’t offer a safe browser, Kaspersky has a Safe Surf feature that integrates itself into your existing browser allowing you a greater freedom of choice. The online feature alerts you of any possibly malicious websites you might be opening and it stops you from accessing known phishing locations and murky deals. For added security Kaspersky also included a URL advisor that adds colored security tags to each link in your search results depending on the website’s reputation. It utilizes a “smart update” system which optimizes the use of your PCs resources, so no more than one percent is used during any scan.
Price: $39.99
To objectively analyze each anti-malware software in our review we looked at results provided by the highly esteemed AV-Test lab. A few times each year, this independent facility puts around 30 anti-malware software products to the test in three areas: protection, usability and performance. On test conducted in November and December 2016, Kaspersky Anti-Virus received the highest scores in all areas.
AV-Test lab performs its protection test by exposing the selected anti-malware product to between 10,000 and 15,000 malware known to the testing facility up to four weeks before the evaluations. Kaspersky destroyed its competition with an impeccable score in the protection test. By scoring 100% on the test, the anti-malware product found itself 8% better at protecting your PC than the industry average efficiency.
On the usability test Kaspersky Anti-Virus efficiently differentiated between good and possibly threatening websites while making a single false detection of legitimate software for malware during a system scan. Even with that one mistake, Kaspersky did better than most other products in its category since the industry average is two misidentifications.
The performance test measures the strain on the PCs resources an anti-malware product puts while performing deep scans. Testers visited multiple high traffic websites, copied content locally and in a network and downloaded and installed frequently used apps while Kaspersky was running its scan. The anti-malware software received another perfect score by showing it won’t cause any detectable lag on your PC.
You can find many useful free tools and scans on the Kaspersky website. It has a searchable knowledgebase and a FAQ area as well as an active community forum where you can exchange opinions with other users. A section with the latest how-to videos is handy if you want to learn how to deal with the most common issues users face. Kaspersky has a worldwide net of agents available in many local languages for support via phone or a request form.
Phone number: The phone number depends on the country you’re in, but you can file a form and ask for the number for your specific location through this link: support.kaspersky.com
Support Forum: forum.kaspersky.com
Website: www.kaspersky.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kaspersky
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Kelly | Last updated August 27, 2022 
