Some of our readers asked us to test the most popular free antivirus scanners found online. Since such scanners are useful in providing a good second opinion, without having to install a fully-featured security product, we thought it is worthwhile to evaluate such products. We've tested the 10 most popular online security scanners and, although it took quite a bit of work, we now have some exciting results to share with you. Don't hesitate to read this article and find which are about the best free online antivirus scanners for Windows:
The online antivirus scanners being tested
To choose the products included in this test, we used the finalists of our Digital Citizen Awards 2016 - The best Windows security product of the year!. For all the vendors, we searched to see if they also offer a free online security scanner. Unfortunately, not all of them do, and out of those who do, not all of them are good.
The products we ended up including in this comparison are, alphabetically ordered, the following: Bitdefender QuickScan , Comodo Cloud Antivirus , ESET Online Scanner , F-Secure Online Scanner , Kaspersky Security Scan , McAfee Security Scan Plus , Norton Security Scan , Panda Cloud Cleaner and Trend Micro HouseCall.
We quickly learned that many products are no longer classic online scanners which you can run in your web browser. The majority of security vendors now offer standalone antivirus scanners which you need to download and install on your computer. They can run alongside your other security products, without causing conflicts or performance issues. They can be used whenever you need them to provide you with a quick second opinion about your system's security status.
Important note: This test does not include any full fledged security product. It is about free tools that you can use to scan and evaluate the security of your system. These tools cannot and should not replace proper security solutions such as antivirus, antispyware and firewall solutions. They should be used only to complement a real security product or to help you identify what's wrong with a system which you suspect of having problems with malware.
This is how we tested these online security scanners
First, we recorded how each product is designed: if it is a true online scanner, a standalone application or a hybrid between the two. Before installing and/or running each of the free online security scanners, we ran several malware samples to infect our test system. Then, we browsed several dodgy websites that store cookies which you don't want to have on your computer, or which try to install different forms of dodgy toolbars or malware on your computer.
Once we were sure we had a few malware samples running on our system and several infected files being stored, we started using each antivirus scanner, one by one. We tested how fast they scanned the system, recorded how many malware samples they detected, what information was provided and the solutions they proposed. The scans were made on a 20GB partition with 17GB of occupied space. We used Windows 10, with Windows Defender disabled and there were exactly 17 malware samples running on our test system.
Bitdefender QuickScan
Bitdefender QuickScan is one of the few true online scanners. However, you should know that you can not run it from any web browser, as only Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are supported. The good thing about Bitdefender's QuickScan is that it's very fast: it took less than a minute for it to scan the computer for malware .
Unfortunately though, Bitdefender QuickScan only tells if the system is infected or not and shares the name of the first virus found active. There's no other useful information being displayed and the only option you have is to download and install a 3 months trial of Bitdefender Internet Security , so that you can disinfect your system.
While this tool is quick and painless, it doesn't provide much value to its users. There are better alternatives provided by other security vendors.
Comodo Cloud Antivirus
Comodo Cloud Antivirus is an online scanner which, like many others, comes as a standalone program that you download and install on your Windows computer. The first thing that you will notice is the fact that this scanner looks more like a full antivirus solution than just an online antivirus scanner destined to be used only casually. Its user interface offers plenty of settings and options and it's one of the few online antiviruses that we've tested which lets you run both quick and full system scans, as well as custom scans.
The quick scan we ran with Comodo Cloud Antivirus took less than 2 minutes and ended up with only one malware sample detected. This is not a very good result, but it got better in the full system scan we ran afterwards. This time, even if it took 59 minutes for it to do so, Comodo Cloud Antivirus managed to identify 13 malware samples out of the 17 we placed on the test computer.
Comodo Cloud Antivirus is one of the few antivirus scanners that are also able to clean the malware they find. And this is something worth appreciating.
ESET Online Scanner
ESET Online Scanner is one of the few very good online antivirus scanners available. ESET Online Scanner is available as a standalone Windows app that you download and run on your computer. B efore a scan is performed, ESET automatically downloads the latest signatures to your computer and it lets you customize the antivirus scan it will run. By default, ESET Online Scanner is set to scan everything on your computer: the Operating memory , the Autostart locations and the Local drives. You can also tell ESET Online Scanner whether you want it to automatically clean the threats it finds, if it should scan inside archives or not, or if you want it to scan for potentially unwanted applications.
The full system scan we ran took about 29 minutes and identified all the 17 malware samples we had on our test computer. For each identified threat, ESET Online Scanner displayed the name and the file's location. We appreciated that, after the antivirus scan ends, you can set the scanner to uninstall its own files from your computer.
ESET's security products are promoted in a discreet and non-intrusive way. ESET Online Scanner offers what you would expect from a good online scanner and we are very happy with how it performed.
F-Secure Online Scanner
F-Secure Online Scanner is another standalone program which you must download and run on your computer . Before a scan is made, it automatically downloads the latest signature files.
Then, F-Secure Online Scanner automatically starts scanning your system for malware. You can't customize anything and you can't choose what type of antivirus scan you want to run. All is automatic.
If F-Secure Online Scanner finds infected files, it will ask you to restart your computer in order for it to be able to clean them. If you want, you can also see the details about where malware files were found on your computer, how many files are infected with a certain virus and, if you're really curious, you can also go online and see more information about it.
F-Secure Online Scanner was one of the fastest antivirus scanners we've tested: it took it less than a minute to scan the 20GB partition and it managed to identify 12 malicious files, out of the 17 viruses we had running on the test computer.
Kaspersky Security Scan
Kaspersky Security Scan is another online antivirus scanner that comes as a standalone application, which you need to download and run on your computer. The user interface is simple and easy to use, and it lets you perform a quick or a full system scan and even set a schedule for regular scans. By default, the tool scans your system twice a week. Unfortunately, you cannot change the frequency, although you can change the days of the week in which they are run.
A quick scan finished in about 2 minutes and revealed only 2 malware samples. A full system scan finished in 52 minutes and identified 9 malware samples.
Everything is fine and dandy but, if you want to clean the infected files from your system, or if you want to correct any of the other issues found by Kaspersky Security Scan , you will have to go online to Kaspersky's website and download a trial or purchase one of their security products.
Go to the next page of this article to learn more about other security products, as well as our final verdict about the best online antivirus scanner.
McAfee Security Scan Plus
McAfee Security Scan Plus has a very long and complicated name. However, it's a simple standalone Windows app that checks your computer for malware threats and other security issues. McAfee Security Scan Plus updates its files automatically when you launch it and it scans your computer in less than a minute. Unfortunately, you cannot customize anything about the scan. On our test computer, it managed to find only 1 infected file out of the 17 we had placed on it.
Although we don't know why you'd want McAfee Security Scan Plus to scan your computer regularly, you should know that it lets you schedule scans as you like.
We wanted to see if McAfee Security Scan Plus can clean the one infected file it found, but unfortunately it doesn't offer this feature either. If you click on Protect , you are taken to McAfee's website and you are asked to buy their full security suite McAfee Total Protection , for 3 computers. It's a bit too much for only one infected device, don't you think?
Norton Security Scan
Norton Security Scan is a desktop application that you must download and install on your computer. When you start it, it automatically downloads the latest definitions and detection engine. Norton Security Scan checks whether your computer is infected with malware, and it also lets you know if untrusted software or suspicious cookies are found on your computer.
When you hover the mouse cursor over one of the threats the scanner detected, it gives you brief information about it. After installing it, Norton Security Scan automatically ran a system scan of our test computer and it managed to find 12 malware infected files in less than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, there's nothing to customize about the scan and you can't fix the problems that were detected either.
If you press the Fix now button, Norton Security Scan will take you online and recommend that to download Norton's security products.
Panda Cloud Cleaner
Panda Cloud Cleaner proved to be a good antivirus scanner. It comes as a standalone application which needs to be downloaded and installed on your Windows computer. Then, before the scan is started, it downloads the latest signatures automatically. You can run a quick scan, a full system scan or a custom scan.
When a scan is complete, Panda Cloud Cleaner gives you reports about the Malware & PUPx Found, Unknown Files & Suspicious Policies and about elements that can be cleaned on your system.
If you click on any of these sections, you can see details about each type of threat detected, whether it's about malware files, potentially unwanted programs or other system issues.
The quick scan took about 8 minutes and detected 13 infected files, while a full system scan took 32 minutes and found all the 17 malware samples running on our test system. These are very good detection rates that place Panda Cloud Cleaner at the top of our list.
Trend Micro HouseCall
Trend Micro HouseCall is a standalone product that you need to download and run on your PC. When you run it, it automatically downloads the latest updates. Its interface is simple and easy to use. We appreciated that, using the Settings button, you can set it to run a quick scan, a full system scan or a custom scan.
The quick scan finished in about 7 minutes and detected 3 infected files. The full-system scan took a total of 462 minutes (yes, that's correct!) and detected 11 infected files. The wait times were huge and tested our patience greatly.
For each piece of malware, you are shown its name, the exact file location, its type and risk level. On the good side of things, this is one of the few products that can help you remove the malware it detects. We're sure that many users will appreciate this feature.
Trend Micro HouseCall is a surprisingly innovative product. It has some great features that other free antivirus scanners do not have. Unfortunately, the product is penalized by its very slow scanning speed.
Overview of the results
After we completed all the tests, we ended up with a comparison table which you can see for yourself, below:
If you are looking for a good online antivirus scanner, then Panda Cloud Cleaner is probably the best you can get. Then, ESET Online Scanner comes as a close second and F-Secure Online Scanner occupies the third place. They are all solid security products that managed to identify all or most of the malware infected files on our test system. Also, all three of them provide you with ways to disinfect your system that don't involve the installation of other security tools. When you are having issues with malware this is a huge plus.
The worst online antivirus & security scanners are…
… all the others. Just kidding 🙂 But to be honest most of the other online scanners in our list are either very bad at detecting the malware on your Windows computer, or they are only useful to tell you that your computer is infected, without being able to help you further. They are more or less advertising tools that try to sell you their commercial security products.
Is it just me or was anyone else expecting the likes of Virus Total and Jotti? I appreciate the time that went into this review and comparison but I find the title a bit misleading. As soon as I am downloading and installing things it ceases to be “online” because now it’s on my hard drive and in my registry. I feel like these are some kind of weird middle ground. But really if I’m going to install something why not just pick the best one and go for the whole antivirus? And just use some of the many good portable scanners for second opinion / on demand stuff? These all seem to junk up my hard drive with parts of a program that are useless if I am not online, and also add no real time protection.
teszter ·
“Online” means it’s on the Net and does the job there, not it’s available on the Web. Everything you have is “standalone programs which must be downloaded and installed”.
Jennifer Martin ·
Thanks for sharing such an informative post. I do believe that these seems to be the most popular Protegent antivirus software in the antivirus industry. But I have recently found out an antivirus which comes with data recovery software. I thought it to be a fake one, But I have used the trail version of it as well and it worked tremendously good.
I got its trial version: https://www.protegent360.com/protegent-complete-security.html
Try it and give your view on this.
Phil ·
Agreed to your conclusions of the tests results. However please anti malware bytes to your list. I found it to be very effective & top contender to your list.
softwaremart ·
Nice blog, Thanks for sharing such a good info about Kaspersky Antivirus
Jack ·
Excellent! You answered all the questions I wanted answered by default. You also saved me a lot of time and trouble helping me to narrow my choices to Trend Micro HouseCall, F-Secure Online Scanner and ESET Free Online Scanner. Thank you!
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
I’m happy you found this useful.
Henry Wood ·
I don’t know how much you got paid by Kaspersky for your recommendation but you will be glad to know I got sucked into it. The “5 minute scan” they talked about took nearly 1 hour. The “results” of 20 IMPORTANT faults on my system could not be found anywhere after the scan was finished. It looks like I had to go back to the site for what? Pay money? DON’T advertise FREE scans when THEY are NOT FREE!
HouseCall is still the best, the fastest, and IS FREE!
Rob A ·
Holy crap! I can’t believe the number of people who didn’t read what this article was all about. It has nothing to do with AVG or Avast! Read it people!!!
BillR ·
Just ran across this evaluation and both wanted to express my appreciation for your work and offer a few comments:
1. I think BitDefender QuickScan is a better product now (2013). Please consider giving it a try and annotating your comments.
2. Like Cram, I’m unclear why F-Secure was considered the best. My top criterion is correct identification because I can always find a number of tools to remove the threats once I know it is there. Many vendors offer seperate free removal tools, including most mentioned in this review.
3. Is number of files the same as number of infections? Are products “counting” the same way?
4. Watch out. Some products (namely BitDefender’s free AV) will automatically remove “malware”. This left me with a completely unbootable PC in one case when the AV flagged and then removed part of the monthly Tuesday automatic MS update. Grrr!
Again, thanks for the hard work.
Humble Bro ·
Perfect! This article was dead on, exactly what I was looking for. Very detailed and in depth analysis.
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
I’m glad our work is useful to you. Don’t hesitate to browse more of our website. You will surely find other interesting and useful articles.
Brian ·
Personally, I prefer ESET and F-Secure online scanners. I work for a state gov agency and we’ve got 10,000+ desktops and 2,500 laptops. Used to use Symantec(Norton) corporate…which was slow and bloated, but had the best detection rates. Then switched to Trend Corporate, and now on Mcafee. Trend was pretty worthless, and Mcafee is slightly better. My point is, our techs will often go behind Mcafee now and run ESET and F-secure online and they’ll find stuff the full blown Mcafee corporate misses. They also swear by Malwarebytes, one of my personal favs.
Incidentally, I run an old home built XP machine that’s been up and running strong with no viruses/malware/crashes for 8 years. I use Zone Alarm firewall, ccleaner to keep the registry clean and to get rid of “crap” files, Spybot & Malwarebytes for on-demand scanning, only browse with Opera and Firefox if I can help it, and now I’m using Microsoft Security Essentials for antivirus. It actually works pretty well, seems Microsoft did a good job with it.
Pablo ·
Nice article, I also find that having a copy of the AVG Rescue CD invaluable, it’s Linux based and downloads/updates the virus definitions before running the scan. You do have to set the BIOS to boot off a CD/DVD, but after that, it’s simply a matter of following the prompts.
For what it’s worth, I just completed an online scan running ESET.
It found and quarantined or deleted 7 threats, which I’m happy about but a bit upset as well: I run Avira Antivir, Emsisoft Anti-Malware (purchased version)and use SandboxIE.
I’m surprised seven threats got past that lot, but it dos confirm the strength of the additional line of defense.
Scan took 6.5 hours for a 450GB hard drive.
bob ·
Hi, it’seems that Avira antivir is not as good as it used to be 2 or 3 years agowhen it was number one in virus detection. I used it with Comodo firewall and malbware byte. I got hacked and detetected by looking manually, a rootkit.
I switched to Kaspersky Internet security, hoping that it will do a beter job than Avura + Comodo
Cram ·
Hi, a late comment here. Looking at your summary table for online antivirus scanners, I am wondering at your conclusion. If you look at the number of threats found, Bullguard Online Scanner and Panda Active Scan are clearly miles ahead (both found 15 threats). In your conclusion you rate F-Secure (11 threats found) as number one, and Panda as number two, and Bullguard doesn’t get a mention.
Although Bullguard doesn’t remove detected threats, surely it is a huge bonus to know they are there, including location.
After reading your individual product summaries, while none of the online scanners are ‘perfect’, surely Bullguard deserves more praise than you give it.
Thanks anyway for a very informative article, you have given me just the info I was looking for, regarding choosing an online scanner.
BTW, as a couple of readers have commented on the dubious need of an online scanner, apart from a second opinion, I believe it also has value in determining that your main AV has not been corrupted.
manoj saini ·
sir i am using eset antivirus 4 and having problems in my system
i tried avg and avast also on my system please tell me the solution for this after reading your article m installing now the key-sparky online scanner
can u tell me anything better because i think my system has exposed to risk
window 7 ultimate i am using
thanks
2pipes ·
Bullguard marks the status of files as Infected when Malware and Skipped if the file is password protected.
Paul ·
A few months late, but thanks for the useful article. Once or twice a year, my computer makes me a bit nervous. I run a few online scans on my PC to make sure nothing got past my installed security – especially if I did any recent installs. One of my go-to online scans is Symantec’s. It’s a long download and takes hours to run (on my setup, which is much bigger than your 30GB test environment). I was surprised it’s not mentioned here. BTW, I interrupted Panda’s online scan because I was worried it wasn’t going to reveal the locations of the infections. Panda’s scan got through 18% overnight.
harmony ·
Good article – I have previously used Housecall (like it) and tried Comodo (didn’t like it ), and plan to check out Kaspersky. Re comment about MSSE and your response, while Microsoft Security Essentials is a complete a/v solution, they do offer an online safety scanner that can be accessed through their Safety and Security Centre webpage. Perhaps that is what the previous poster was thinking about – would be interesting to see how the Safety scanner fared against other scanners you tested.
Anyway, thanks for the article – it was helpful
dragonduder ·
Jesus effing Christ people cannot read.
Good article nonetheless!
Terry Darby ·
I was wondering why you didnt include Mircosoft Security Essentails in your testing. Could you temm us why please?
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
Because Microsoft Security Essentials is a complete antivirus solution, not an online antivirus scanner or a basic security scanner. In this article I am testing only solutions that you can use to complement fully-featured security solutions. None of the products tested in this article should ever replace your security solutions.
Gary ·
THANK YOU! It a great study and I appreciate your efforts on our behalf. (why is that only half and not bewhole? At least not an a-hole!- oops, random train of thought- sorry) But, where would you assign in ESET? You stated “ESET Free Online Scanner is one of the very few good online scanners available” but then … what? I’ve used it and MS’s MSERT locally with good results. I’d like to see a structured test w/MSERT. Hopefully, you can give us an update.
Thanks again for the effort!
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
I am not sure I understand your point. ESET is a good online scanner but not the best. I found F-Secure and Panda to be slightly better.
Ralph Dodds ·
I`ve used a lot of AV and Security pgms and prefer Kaspersky Security suite.
I also use their rescue disk and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool pgm.
Use MajorGeeks web site for downloading these and other Kaspersky pgms free and otherwize.
Jbig ·
what do you think of AVG free?
Ezrab ·
1) Avast! is the best. Liked the control and automatic updating.
2) tried others, including
Mcaffee- intrusive removed after a long long struggle
Norton- Did not find some viruses I had- over the years, and interfered with other programs/language I had.
3) The main limiting issue of Freeware anti-virus programs is that it is a no-no for computer illiterates.
Aage Favang ·
I’m fully agreed with you
Ra Creek ·
I agree Avast is the best where is Avast on your test???
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
Can you please read the article carefully, the notes I have shared & marked in bold, plus the comments I shared for people who posted similar questions?
You are confusing the type of tools tested in this test comparison. Avast does not provide free online scanners or simple security scanners such as the ones tested here.
Emil Dusio ·
There have been malware that prevent downloading s/w to clean them. Then I use Housecall as it runs from their servers. I would wait all day to get my computer cleaned if that is what it takes over not being able to determine what is the problem and needing another tool to correct it.
Andrey Oliveira ·
Avira Free is a cool solution. Thin, fast and efficiency
Neil Sheridan ·
Thanks for the link will look into this. 🙂
Neil Sheridan ·
Hi Ciprian,
Is there any chance you could tell me where you got your malware from as I enjoy testing AV’s and AS’s, I have contacted a few AV vendors in the past but got nowhere and deliberately downloading progs from dodgy sites hasn’t given me anything (typical when you want one you can’t have one…).
So if you can help me out I would really appreciate it.
It includes the latest malicious urls and downloads. However, most of those reported malware locations get banned and disbanded pretty quickly. So you need to do a bit of searching until you can download some real malware.
Andrew McRae ·
The link to the Kaspersky scan tool jumps to their Internet Security page, and from there it’s three clicks (Downloads… Free Virus Scan… File Scanner) to find the scanner. It should be pointed out that it won’t install on your computer if you are already running Kaspersky Internet Security.
bala ·
Can you test quickheals online scanner?. Thanks.
Mike ·
What about MSERT (Microsoft Emergency Response Tool)?
It’s a standalone product.
Thank very much for a great article though.
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
It is the first time I hear about it. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve noticed you have not included Avast in your best security suite test or in this test. Any particular reason why?
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
Avast does not provide a free online antivirus scanner or a standalone security scanning application.
My test is not about comparing real security solutions such as antivirus software or internet security suites. It is about testing free tools you can use to quickly scan (and not necessarily disinfect) your system, to get a second opinion. The tools presented in this article cannot and should not be used as a replacement for normal security products. They can only complement your existing security solutions.
Neal Feikema ·
I’ve used both Avast and AVG for over 5 years and never had to pay for either one. Have to renew once per year, but that’s all.
Eric ·
If you have to renew, you are still paying for it
Rob A ·
How do you figure that? Avast is FREE! You have to re-register once a year, but it doesn’t cost a cent.
tylersullins ·
Can you test Superantispyware (portable & installed) and Dr. Web (portable & installed)? I am a computer technician at a university and use both of these scanners and have found them to be the best so far. Thank you!
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
Those products are portable anti-malware products with more advanced capabilities. My aim was to test only light products that you can use to quickly scan your system and get a second opinion. They don’t fit in the same niche with online antivirus scanners you can run in your browser.
Discussion (50)
Is it just me or was anyone else expecting the likes of Virus Total and Jotti? I appreciate the time that went into this review and comparison but I find the title a bit misleading. As soon as I am downloading and installing things it ceases to be “online” because now it’s on my hard drive and in my registry. I feel like these are some kind of weird middle ground. But really if I’m going to install something why not just pick the best one and go for the whole antivirus? And just use some of the many good portable scanners for second opinion / on demand stuff? These all seem to junk up my hard drive with parts of a program that are useless if I am not online, and also add no real time protection.
“Online” means it’s on the Net and does the job there, not it’s available on the Web. Everything you have is “standalone programs which must be downloaded and installed”.
Thanks for sharing such an informative post. I do believe that these seems to be the most popular Protegent antivirus software in the antivirus industry. But I have recently found out an antivirus which comes with data recovery software. I thought it to be a fake one, But I have used the trail version of it as well and it worked tremendously good.
I got its trial version: https://www.protegent360.com/protegent-complete-security.html
Try it and give your view on this.
Agreed to your conclusions of the tests results. However please anti malware bytes to your list. I found it to be very effective & top contender to your list.
Nice blog, Thanks for sharing such a good info about Kaspersky Antivirus
Excellent! You answered all the questions I wanted answered by default. You also saved me a lot of time and trouble helping me to narrow my choices to Trend Micro HouseCall, F-Secure Online Scanner and ESET Free Online Scanner. Thank you!
I’m happy you found this useful.
I don’t know how much you got paid by Kaspersky for your recommendation but you will be glad to know I got sucked into it. The “5 minute scan” they talked about took nearly 1 hour. The “results” of 20 IMPORTANT faults on my system could not be found anywhere after the scan was finished. It looks like I had to go back to the site for what? Pay money? DON’T advertise FREE scans when THEY are NOT FREE!
HouseCall is still the best, the fastest, and IS FREE!
Holy crap! I can’t believe the number of people who didn’t read what this article was all about. It has nothing to do with AVG or Avast! Read it people!!!
Just ran across this evaluation and both wanted to express my appreciation for your work and offer a few comments:
1. I think BitDefender QuickScan is a better product now (2013). Please consider giving it a try and annotating your comments.
2. Like Cram, I’m unclear why F-Secure was considered the best. My top criterion is correct identification because I can always find a number of tools to remove the threats once I know it is there. Many vendors offer seperate free removal tools, including most mentioned in this review.
3. Is number of files the same as number of infections? Are products “counting” the same way?
4. Watch out. Some products (namely BitDefender’s free AV) will automatically remove “malware”. This left me with a completely unbootable PC in one case when the AV flagged and then removed part of the monthly Tuesday automatic MS update. Grrr!
Again, thanks for the hard work.
Perfect! This article was dead on, exactly what I was looking for. Very detailed and in depth analysis.
I’m glad our work is useful to you. Don’t hesitate to browse more of our website. You will surely find other interesting and useful articles.
Personally, I prefer ESET and F-Secure online scanners. I work for a state gov agency and we’ve got 10,000+ desktops and 2,500 laptops. Used to use Symantec(Norton) corporate…which was slow and bloated, but had the best detection rates. Then switched to Trend Corporate, and now on Mcafee. Trend was pretty worthless, and Mcafee is slightly better. My point is, our techs will often go behind Mcafee now and run ESET and F-secure online and they’ll find stuff the full blown Mcafee corporate misses. They also swear by Malwarebytes, one of my personal favs.
Incidentally, I run an old home built XP machine that’s been up and running strong with no viruses/malware/crashes for 8 years. I use Zone Alarm firewall, ccleaner to keep the registry clean and to get rid of “crap” files, Spybot & Malwarebytes for on-demand scanning, only browse with Opera and Firefox if I can help it, and now I’m using Microsoft Security Essentials for antivirus. It actually works pretty well, seems Microsoft did a good job with it.
Nice article, I also find that having a copy of the AVG Rescue CD invaluable, it’s Linux based and downloads/updates the virus definitions before running the scan. You do have to set the BIOS to boot off a CD/DVD, but after that, it’s simply a matter of following the prompts.
https://www.avg.com/ww-en/avg-rescue-cd-download
For what it’s worth, I just completed an online scan running ESET.
It found and quarantined or deleted 7 threats, which I’m happy about but a bit upset as well: I run Avira Antivir, Emsisoft Anti-Malware (purchased version)and use SandboxIE.
I’m surprised seven threats got past that lot, but it dos confirm the strength of the additional line of defense.
Scan took 6.5 hours for a 450GB hard drive.
Hi, it’seems that Avira antivir is not as good as it used to be 2 or 3 years agowhen it was number one in virus detection. I used it with Comodo firewall and malbware byte. I got hacked and detetected by looking manually, a rootkit.
I switched to Kaspersky Internet security, hoping that it will do a beter job than Avura + Comodo
Hi, a late comment here. Looking at your summary table for online antivirus scanners, I am wondering at your conclusion. If you look at the number of threats found, Bullguard Online Scanner and Panda Active Scan are clearly miles ahead (both found 15 threats). In your conclusion you rate F-Secure (11 threats found) as number one, and Panda as number two, and Bullguard doesn’t get a mention.
Although Bullguard doesn’t remove detected threats, surely it is a huge bonus to know they are there, including location.
After reading your individual product summaries, while none of the online scanners are ‘perfect’, surely Bullguard deserves more praise than you give it.
Thanks anyway for a very informative article, you have given me just the info I was looking for, regarding choosing an online scanner.
BTW, as a couple of readers have commented on the dubious need of an online scanner, apart from a second opinion, I believe it also has value in determining that your main AV has not been corrupted.
sir i am using eset antivirus 4 and having problems in my system
i tried avg and avast also on my system please tell me the solution for this after reading your article m installing now the key-sparky online scanner
can u tell me anything better because i think my system has exposed to risk
window 7 ultimate i am using
thanks
Bullguard marks the status of files as Infected when Malware and Skipped if the file is password protected.
A few months late, but thanks for the useful article. Once or twice a year, my computer makes me a bit nervous. I run a few online scans on my PC to make sure nothing got past my installed security – especially if I did any recent installs. One of my go-to online scans is Symantec’s. It’s a long download and takes hours to run (on my setup, which is much bigger than your 30GB test environment). I was surprised it’s not mentioned here. BTW, I interrupted Panda’s online scan because I was worried it wasn’t going to reveal the locations of the infections. Panda’s scan got through 18% overnight.
Good article – I have previously used Housecall (like it) and tried Comodo (didn’t like it ), and plan to check out Kaspersky. Re comment about MSSE and your response, while Microsoft Security Essentials is a complete a/v solution, they do offer an online safety scanner that can be accessed through their Safety and Security Centre webpage. Perhaps that is what the previous poster was thinking about – would be interesting to see how the Safety scanner fared against other scanners you tested.
Anyway, thanks for the article – it was helpful
Jesus effing Christ people cannot read.
Good article nonetheless!
I was wondering why you didnt include Mircosoft Security Essentails in your testing. Could you temm us why please?
Because Microsoft Security Essentials is a complete antivirus solution, not an online antivirus scanner or a basic security scanner. In this article I am testing only solutions that you can use to complement fully-featured security solutions. None of the products tested in this article should ever replace your security solutions.
THANK YOU! It a great study and I appreciate your efforts on our behalf. (why is that only half and not bewhole? At least not an a-hole!- oops, random train of thought- sorry) But, where would you assign in ESET? You stated “ESET Free Online Scanner is one of the very few good online scanners available” but then … what? I’ve used it and MS’s MSERT locally with good results. I’d like to see a structured test w/MSERT. Hopefully, you can give us an update.
Thanks again for the effort!
I am not sure I understand your point. ESET is a good online scanner but not the best. I found F-Secure and Panda to be slightly better.
I`ve used a lot of AV and Security pgms and prefer Kaspersky Security suite.
I also use their rescue disk and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool pgm.
Use MajorGeeks web site for downloading these and other Kaspersky pgms free and otherwize.
what do you think of AVG free?
1) Avast! is the best. Liked the control and automatic updating.
2) tried others, including
Mcaffee- intrusive removed after a long long struggle
Norton- Did not find some viruses I had- over the years, and interfered with other programs/language I had.
3) The main limiting issue of Freeware anti-virus programs is that it is a no-no for computer illiterates.
I’m fully agreed with you
I agree Avast is the best where is Avast on your test???
Can you please read the article carefully, the notes I have shared & marked in bold, plus the comments I shared for people who posted similar questions?
You are confusing the type of tools tested in this test comparison. Avast does not provide free online scanners or simple security scanners such as the ones tested here.
There have been malware that prevent downloading s/w to clean them. Then I use Housecall as it runs from their servers. I would wait all day to get my computer cleaned if that is what it takes over not being able to determine what is the problem and needing another tool to correct it.
Avira Free is a cool solution. Thin, fast and efficiency
Thanks for the link will look into this. 🙂
Hi Ciprian,
Is there any chance you could tell me where you got your malware from as I enjoy testing AV’s and AS’s, I have contacted a few AV vendors in the past but got nowhere and deliberately downloading progs from dodgy sites hasn’t given me anything (typical when you want one you can’t have one…).
So if you can help me out I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.
I use mostly a public malware database such as https://www.malwaredomainlist.com/
It includes the latest malicious urls and downloads. However, most of those reported malware locations get banned and disbanded pretty quickly. So you need to do a bit of searching until you can download some real malware.
The link to the Kaspersky scan tool jumps to their Internet Security page, and from there it’s three clicks (Downloads… Free Virus Scan… File Scanner) to find the scanner. It should be pointed out that it won’t install on your computer if you are already running Kaspersky Internet Security.
Can you test quickheals online scanner?. Thanks.
What about MSERT (Microsoft Emergency Response Tool)?
It’s a standalone product.
Thank very much for a great article though.
It is the first time I hear about it. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome.
Sorry about that typo.
Hi,
Good job. Congratulations .
Best regards !
PS. https://forum.raymond.cc/spyware-viruses/33431-test-comparison-what-is-the-best-free-online-antivirus-scanner.html
I’ve noticed you have not included Avast in your best security suite test or in this test. Any particular reason why?
Avast does not provide a free online antivirus scanner or a standalone security scanning application.
My test is not about comparing real security solutions such as antivirus software or internet security suites. It is about testing free tools you can use to quickly scan (and not necessarily disinfect) your system, to get a second opinion. The tools presented in this article cannot and should not be used as a replacement for normal security products. They can only complement your existing security solutions.
I’ve used both Avast and AVG for over 5 years and never had to pay for either one. Have to renew once per year, but that’s all.
If you have to renew, you are still paying for it
How do you figure that? Avast is FREE! You have to re-register once a year, but it doesn’t cost a cent.
Can you test Superantispyware (portable & installed) and Dr. Web (portable & installed)? I am a computer technician at a university and use both of these scanners and have found them to be the best so far. Thank you!
Those products are portable anti-malware products with more advanced capabilities. My aim was to test only light products that you can use to quickly scan your system and get a second opinion. They don’t fit in the same niche with online antivirus scanners you can run in your browser.