AV-TEST The best Windows antivirus software for home users: Februari 2025

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

During January and February 2025 we continuously evaluated 17 home user security products using their default settings. We always used the most current publicly-available version of all products for the testing. They were allowed to update themselves at any time and query their in-the-cloud services. We focused on realistic test scenarios and challenged the products against real-world threats. Products had to demonstrate their capabilities using all components and protection layers.

Test antivirus software for Windows 11 - December 2025

The current tests of antivirus software for Windows 11 from December 2025 of AV-TEST, the leading international and independent service provider for antivirus software and malware.

www.av-test.org

Excel file: https://www.av-test.org/fileadmin/Tests/Data/2025/avtest_summary_homeuser_windows_2025-02.xlsx

 

[simmerskool]

the list has so many 6_6_6 hard to distinguish one from another so might was well use MS Defender 6_6_6. Also not sure what GData gets 5.5 for usability, I just set it and forget it.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

the list has so many 6_6_6 hard to distinguish one from another so might was well use MS Defender 6_6_6. Also not sure what GData gets 5.5 for usability, I just set it and forget it.

That's how most of their tests are, everybody gets 6.

 

[SeriousHoax]

Also not sure what GData gets 5.5 for usability

0.5 less for false positives.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I only trust @Shadowra tests & my own.

 

[brambedkar59]

What kind of 0-day malware samples (401 samples used) are they using that pretty much every AV solution is getting 100% detection rate? Also consider previously in MT hub testing we have seen AVs fail several times. All AV does at some point.

 

[Jonny Quest]

I only trust @Shadowra tests & my own.

I would also add @cruelsister videos, @Adrian Ścibor and AVLab, even AV-Comparatives as well as their Performance tests, the feed back given by members on this forum, and my own experience on my devices. I take all of them into consideration.

 

[Dave Russo]

I would think most people on this site have either Voodoshield, appguard or other, and do not only trust there Av

 

[Spartan]

the list has so many 6_6_6 hard to distinguish one from another so might was well use MS Defender 6_6_6. Also not sure what GData gets 5.5 for usability, I just set it and forget it.

Dude, who even looks at AV-TEST, it's BS. Every AV is 6-6-6, you just gotta pay the fee and let everyone be happy.

 

[simmerskool]

0.5 less for false positives.

thanks for the feedback. I don't recall ever having a false+ with GData but I don't do anything risky on computer the past few years.

 

[simmerskool]

I would think most people on this site have either Voodoshield, appguard or other, and do not only trust there Av

Yes, I have some win10_VM with Cyberlock (aka Voodooshield) and 2 with AppGuard Solo. Recently learned that AG Solo includes use on 3 devices! I need to find a spot for the third.

 

[simmerskool]

Dude, who even looks at AV-TEST, it's BS. Every AV is 6-6-6, you just gotta pay the fee and let everyone be happy.

@Gandalf_The_Grey -- he made me look...

 

[Digmor Crusher]

I would think most people on this site have either Voodoshield, appguard or other, and do not only trust there Av

Yup, Cyberlock or Appguard or one of Andy's tools with any AV and your golden.

 

[Victor M]

All I will says is do not neglect script kiddies. They wield metasploit and kali nowadays. If you care about security, might as well go the full nine yards.

 

[Viking]

According to this test, choosing an AV is pretty much "take your pick".

(I have amended my post as it may be considered as offensive. I apologize).

​

 

[Zero Knowledge]

All I will says is do not neglect script kiddies. They wield metasploit and kali nowadays. If you care about security, might as well go the full nine yards.

Even I can use Metasploit and Kali. So you right on one hand. But to be honest most of the exploits in Metasploit should be patched by now and if your vulnerable to EtenralBlue you have more problems to worry about. Kali tools should be blocked as well, most of them at least. The only thing that you can't protect against on Windows is probably FakeAP or fake whatever Kali tool and some brueforce tools and mass scanning tools.

 

[Victor M]

They could always find new ones to add to metasploit at places like exploit-db.com. You can't assume that kids are stupid. And I believe kali updates every 3 months.

 

[ForgottenSeer 114717]

That's how most of their tests are, everybody gets 6.

The tests are for marketing. They are not designed nor intended to make, what you would consider, meaningful distinctions in security capabilities and protections between the test participant software/products.

Such a test would be so expensive that nobody in the AV industry would participate. Even if they did hand over the cash, every vendor that did poorly would never participate again. Both of these facts work against AV test labs.

Emsisoft stopped the test lab participation because, on average, the cost for a single test is approximately 65,000 Euros nowadays. F-Secure and G Data stopped (participating in AV Comparatives, for a while) because they were always placing poorly, and their position was that the tests were not truly reflective of the software's protection abilities.

F-Secure, at that time, was correct. G Data was not because its software has some serious problems, which I'm going to bet have not been fixed to this very day.

 

[Behold Eck]

FYI 6-6-6 is the sign of the devil.

Just a spooky observation.

Regards Eck

 

[Jonny Quest]

Emsisoft stopped the test lab participation because, on average, the cost for a single test is approximately 65,000 Euros nowadays. F-Secure and G Data stopped (participating in AV Comparatives, for a while) because they were always placing poorly, and their position was that the tests were not truly reflective of the software's protection abilities.

F-Secure, at that time, was correct. G Data was not because its software has some serious problems, which I'm going to bet have not been fixed to this very day.

I agree, AV-Comparatives with F-Secure so many times in the past the real time protection was there, it was their FP's that dropped them down in the ranking. Real World Protection Test July-Oct 2024.