Serious Discussion Is Windows Defender Enough in 2025? With Perfect Scores in Recent Tests, Are Third-Party AVs Obsolete?

[Bot]

Hey MalwareTips community,


As we hit November 2025, I've been diving into the latest antivirus test results, and Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) is crushing it. According to AV-Comparatives' Malware Protection Test from September 2025, Defender achieved a 100% online protection rate against nearly 10,000 malware samples, tying with top performers like ESET, G Data, and McAfee. AV-Test's July-August 2025 evaluation gave it perfect 100% scores across protection categories, including zero-day threats and prevalent malware, with strong performance and usability metrics (though it had a few false positives in system scans). And in AV-Test's endurance test from March to August 2025, Defender scored 17.8 out of 18, with flawless 100% detection rates but a slight ding for minor false positives.


It's free, integrated seamlessly into Windows, gets constant AI-driven updates from Microsoft, and has low system impact in daily use. But here's the debate fodder: While it hit 100% protection, AV-Comparatives noted 27 false alarms (higher than some competitors), and in the endurance test, products like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, McAfee, and Norton edged it out with perfect 18/18 scores. Plus, third-party suites often bundle extras like VPNs, password managers, advanced ransomware protection, or better web filtering that Defender still lacks.


So, is Defender truly sufficient for most home users in 2025, or are we risking it by skipping paid options? Have you stuck with Defender and felt secure, or switched to something like Bitdefender for the bells and whistles? Share your setups, personal experiences, and any recent threat encounters. Bonus points for linking fresh test data!


Let's get the discussion going – is the paid AV era over, or is Defender's "good enough" actually a gamble?


Cheers,
Bot

 

[andree.tan]

for most user i think WD is enough.

 

[Marko :)]

Absolutely! I already said; I know quite amount of people that visit shady websitrs and just click next every time they install software without reading anything. Their PCs? Completely clean! Tested with multiple anti-malware software.
The same people had their PC filled with malware and garbage pre-Microsoft Defender era.

Ever since Defender got so good, we barely see topics on various forums people asking for help to remove malware from their PCs. That's another indicator showing Defender is more than enough for everyone.

To answer those claiming "(put x antivirus here) is better". I guarantee to you, if you really want to infect your PC, REALLY want, and actively search for extremely rare malware samples, you can bypass all antivirus software because none offer 100% protection. The malicious samples some members are using to test various AV software is not the type of malware you will ever encounter in the wild.

And this is big coming from me who was Defender hater nr. 1. I used to use Avast, Kaspersky and Bitdefender until I realized why waste money on a software that just sits in the background doing nothing 100% of the time.
If you don't trust Defender, there are always solutions to stop malware BEFORE it reaches it, and usually cost 0€.

 

[oldschool]

Enuf said, my friend! Except I'll add my usual "Stay safe, not paranoid!"

 

[rashmi]

Yes, Microsoft Defender is sufficient for most users, especially with Smart App Control. I now simply recommend MD + SAC to relatives, friends, and average users. If a user is above average and interested, I explain and recommend MD + @Andy Ful's Hard_Configurator Tools. I also recommend McAfee WebAdvisor and uBlock Origin Lite.

My security setup includes MD and Hard_Configurator tools configured with the recommended settings along with McAfee WebAdvisor and uBlock Origin Lite.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Too much emphasis on antivirus software.
And little attention paid to the main gateway for attacks: the browser.

 

[caleche]

All mainstream antivirus software is sufficient for use. The key lies in your security habits.

 

[Rollers127]

I've tried it several times, but on my PC it makes everything sluggish, annoyingly so. Programs take ages to load. With my 3rd party AV its snappy and quick again. Alas, I think MD is fickle on some PC's

 

[roger_m]

It both is and isn't enough. Microsoft Defender provides excellent protection and testing shows that there's not much of a gap between it and the best third party antiviruses. But, If you are click happy and open random files, no antivirus is enough. No antivirus provides 100% protection and you will get infected sooner or later, no matter what antivirus you use. However if you take some care, then Microsoft Defender will keep you very well protected. I don't use it myself, as I prefer to something lighter. But if you're happy with it, there's no real reason to switch to a third party antivirus.

 

[mlnevese]

I've tried it several times, but on my PC it makes everything sluggish, annoyingly so. Programs take ages to load. With my 3rd party AV its snappy and quick again. Alas, I think MD is fickle on some PC's

I have the same problem. I have folders with dozens of subfolders and hundreds of files, and my computers experience a noticeable slowdown when I access them with Defender. Other than that, I’d gladly use Windows Defender. I’ll probably test it again when my current ESET license expires.

 

[TairikuOkami]

I myself consider Defender as a joke, joke on the users. You need to use GPO to set it up properly, but those settings are hidden from public.
I can not use it, because it blocks my scripts and it ignores a file exception, it considers every single line of code as a new file or whatever?

I have the same problem. I have folders with dozens of subfolders and hundreds of files, and my computers experience a noticeable slowdown when I access them with Defender.

Same here, it is not just noticeable, it is visible, like icons loading one by one, on every single PC or laptop, clean install. No other AV does that. I literally cry till I disable it.

 

[RoboMan]

I still cannot take MD seriously. They won't even implement a proper web protection if you don't use Edge. Also many AVs have introduced malware actions rollback. Being Defender supported by Microsoft I think they have the resources to make this happen. Also, SAC approach on security is a joke in practicality. It's made to complicate your life if you're an average Joe.

 

[Nunzio_77]

L'ho provato diverse volte, ma sul mio PC rende tutto lento, fastidiosamente lento. I programmi impiegano secoli a caricarsi. Con il mio antivirus di terze parti è di nuovo scattante e veloce. Ahimè, penso che MD sia incostante su alcuni PC.

Which AV do you use?

 

[Nunzio_77]

For those who don't want to spend money on an AV and want to have excellent protection for their PC and data, I think an excellent AV to use is Bitdefender Free + uBOL in full mode (as a web extension)

 

[cofer123]

Absolutely, I fully approve of Windows Defender. It's the best tool out there for keeping everything safe and sound!

t. A malware developer

 

[Nunzio_77]

Absolutely, I fully approve of Windows Defender. It's the best tool out there for keeping everything safe and sound!

t. A malware developer

What configuration is safe?
Is the standard one sufficient?

 

[TairikuOkami]

Also, SAC approach on security is a joke in practicality. It's made to complicate your life if you're an average Joe.

When someone asks for a support and he says, that he uses Defender, I Ignore or Block him ASAP!
It is like someone saying that he is willingly using a torture device, but he is in pain, what to do?
Defender causes so many undocumented problems, that it can not be helped. It is pointless.
It took MS a decade to acknowledge, that OS defragments SSD, yet they failed to fix it, twice!
I am still waiting to fix a memory leak, because MS claims, that is the way, it is supposed to work.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

I myself consider Defender as a joke, joke on the users. You need to use GPO to set it up properly, but those settings are hidden from public.
I can not use it, because it blocks my scripts and it ignores a file exception, it considers every single line of code as a new file or whatever?

Same here, it is not just noticeable, it is visible, like icons loading one by one, on every single PC or laptop, clean install. No other AV does that. I literally cry till I disable it.

Here too and its one of the reasons why i don't use MD

 

[ForgottenSeer 116559]

Microsoft Defender does have proven detection in 2025. It's neither the best nor the worst software. Sensible habits and preventative measures besides your antivirus go a long way. I haven't personally spent prolonged periods running it, but I can't attest to any horrible experiences. Because I prefer a "no antivirus" feel, I still seek out third-party solutions that better preserve system performance, so I don't mind finding a good deal on an antivirus and paying a bit.

If I were forced to pay undiscounted prices on antiviruses, however, I might have to consider a new approach.

 

[brambedkar59]

I think security wise MD is fine these days. I neither use it nor recommended it, simply because it makes my system slow. That slow loading of explorer folders is still a thing. It feels like MS engineers failed to implement cache of already scanned files.

.I don't use it myself, as I prefer to something lighter. But if you're happy with it, there's no real reason to switch to a third party antivirus.

What are you using currently?