Survey Period:
8th December 2022 – 20th December 2022
Valid responses of real users:
2,668
The survey ran for about two weeks. It contained various control questions and checks, which helped us to identify and remove invalid responses.
The survey results are invaluable to us. This report contains the results of the survey questions.
Overview
Internet usage has gone down slightly compared to recent years, where people spend more time online in their free time and working from home due measures against the spread of COVID-19. However, working from home has become the norm for millions of people. Internet usage from mobile devices is also becoming more and more widespread. This combined with a massive increase in cybercrime makes security software for both desktop and mobile operating systems more important than ever.
This annual survey of computer users worldwide also focuses on which security products (free and paid), operating systems and browsers are most widely used.
Report results are based on the Internet survey run by AV-Comparatives between 8th December 2022 and 20th December 2022. A total of 2,668 users from around the world answered questions on the subject of IT security.
Key Results
Please note that all the points made below refer only to our survey participants, not the general public.
- Windows 10 is still the most used OS with over 50% using it as their primary desktop operating system. However usage has decreased compared to last year due to the increase of Windows 11 users, with 38% of survey respondents now using this version of Windows.
- With mobile operating systems, there no significant change. Android remains the most popular mobile OS by far, with just shy of three quarters of respondents using it. iOS accounts for almost a quarter of users.
- Compared to previous years there little has changed in browser usage. Google Chrome remains the most widely used browser at about 33%. Mozilla Firefox once again is the second most popular browser among survey participants, with roughly 28% of respondents using it as their browser. Compared to previous years, where its usage was steadily increasing, the percentage of Microsoft Edge users has levelled of. With 18% of respondents using, it as their primary browser, like last year.
- Bitdefender is the most popular mobile security solution overall, with Kaspersky a close second. Bitdefender is the most popular program in both North America and South/Central America. Bitdefender, Kaspersky, ESET and Avast are found in the top four on every continent.
- Kaspersky, Microsoft, Bitdefender and ESET (in this order) are the four most used desktop security products worldwide, and feature in the top five products on every continent.
- Most survey respondents were happy with their current security solution, with 83% stating that they were satisfied or very satisfied.
- Free security programs are more popular with younger respondents, whilst older users are more likely to pay for a security solution.
- Nearly 85% of those surveyed said they will probably or definitely not switch to Windows 11 in the next six months. The two most common reasons given for this is preferring Windows 10 (55%) and missing hardware support and/or software incompatibility (44%).
- Some security testing labs were much better known than others. AV-Comparatives was both the most recognised and the most trusted test lab amongst survey participants. We would like to thank respondents for their confidence in AV-Comparatives.
We are grateful to everyone who completed the survey. The feedback we have gained will be used to ensure that our tests continue to grow in effectiveness and relevance. This enables manufacturers to further improve their products, benefitting both themselves and their users. We are very pleased to see our test results being quoted by other publications in their reviews of security products! All AV-Comparatives’ public test results are available to everyone free of charge at
www.av-comparatives.org