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2012 Antivirus Software Reviews

  • VIPRE Logo
    VIPRE Internet Security 2012 Box
    Score: 96%
    Orig Price: $49.95
    w/Discount: $39.95
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    VIPRE Internet Security 2012

    Overall Score: 96%
    Users who're new to VIPRE Internet Security and may be comparing it to Norton, BitDefender, AVG, or other top antivirus software may find it lacks the glitzy interface the competitors have.
    2012 pcAntivirusReviews.com Editor's Choice Award

    And it's completely true: it does lack the flashiness of some competitors.

    As we saw with the standard edition of VIPRE Antivirus, installation takes longer than most competitors.

    Good things come from it though: it's fast, it's easy to use, and it does a complete virus scan during installation.

    The biggest differences between this and the less expensive VIPRE Antivirus are two things:
    1. a software firewall (the only 100% firewall score in our tests) and
    2. a malicious website filter
    (In other words, you get everything in VIPRE Antivirus plus additional security features.)

    We saw consistent protection of our test PCs against viruses, trojans, spyware, malware, and phishing attacks. And further independent testing from other top testing labs confirms what we saw: VIPRE is good at detecting, blocking, and removing viruses.

    And we like that everything the software is doing is clear: from installation to updates to virus detection it's easy to understand.

    Then, there's VIPRE's customer service, which we've yet to see any other antivirus software company match.

    For its excellent virus protection, industrial strength firewall, and best-of-class technical support, VIPRE Internet Security 2012 earns our Editor's Choice for best Internet Security Suite of 2012.

    Virus & Spyware Protection: 96%
    Despite a false-positive we saw in testing a very large file this time around, VIPRE has improved with each new version, and this year is no different.

    VIPRE Internet Security 2012 (formerly VIPRE Premium) has the same top-notch virus and spyware protection of VIPRE Antivirus with one of the smartest firewalls out there. (It's the only one to score 100% in that part our tests.)

    As for overall effectiveness against virus and spyware protection was consistently excellent. Aside from our own test data, other third party labs have also verified VIPRE's effectiveness.
    • VB Bulletin
    • WestCoast Labs
    • Malware Research Group
    • AV-Test
    • ICSA
    In our tests, like theirs, VIPRE Internet Security stopped almost 100% of the real-time viruses we challenged it with. In our scanning tests, it detected and removed just over 96% of the viruses we planted on our test systems.

    Against anti-phishing and malicious websites, VIPRE Internet Security's blocking was effective and accurate there, too.
    If you encounter a phishing site, VIPRE ISS blocks the entire page, making it all but impossible for you to ignore and access a site labeled dangerous or get hit by a so-called "drive-by" download. Very effective.
    Resource Usage: 95%
    VIPRE Box
    Score: 96%
    Orig Price: $49.95
    w/Discount: $39.95
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    VIPRE Internet Security was fast with low resource usage in our tests. CPU usage was 1% or less when our systems were idle. Memory climbed a bit but barely made a dent in available RAM.

    During a manual full system scan CPU usage hovered around 30% with about a 10% increase in memory.

    Compared to other Internet security suites, these are very good numbers.

    We measured no significant system drag while using other applications during testing, including heavy web surfing with Internet Explorer and Firefox and email use with Outlook and Thunderbird.
    User Interface: 96%
    On one hand, the user interface (UI) for VIPRE Internet Security 2012 lacks the flash and modern feel of competing products. On the other hand, it's effective, fast, and easy to use.

    There are two primary parts to VIPRE's user interface:
    1. the main window with large, prominent buttons
    2. the advanced tab navigation that opens in a separate window
    In the main window, the necessities are all accessible and easy to use.

    The more complex settings are also well-labelled, though most people will seldom need to venture into these settings.

    Most antivirus software and Internet Security suites have slick (but overly simplified) interfaces. VIPRE's user interface, while still very functional, looks a bit behind the curve, especially to consumers who're used to competitors' flashy interfaces, like those in the Internet Security Suites from Norton, BitDefender, avast, or others.

    Compared back-to-back, the straightforward interface and the complete control you in VIPRE are refreshing.

    You expect these things from the best antivirus software today, but we know some users will still expect it to be more "modern" looking.

    Our take: the interface is very good. And, with it you get speed and a feeling of confidence that things are working like you want them to.
    Technical Support: 100%
    Here's the ugly truth: most antivirus software companies don't want to talk to you over the phone. And they really don't want to give you any more tech support than they need to.

    Then, those companies that do have phone support only help with easy things like installation issues. Need help with something harder like removing a virus? Good luck. With most software, at best, you're charged a hefty fee. At worst, you're on your own.

    Not so with VIPRE. Need help installing? Free. Got a random question? Free. Think you've got a virus that VIPRE missed? Professional virus removal. Also free.

    And (aside from the "free" part), the best part: it's easy to find their phone number. (It's on their homepage.)

    Unlike most other antivirus software companies, GFI doesn't make you jump through 18 hoops just to get help. And, when you do reach them, they're not just "competent" but actually very good.

    And, our survey results of over 50,000 users show this is the norm with GFI.

    We wish every company had tech support this good.
    Antivirus Updates: 97%
    VIPRE Box
    Score: 96%
    Orig Price: $49.95
    w/Discount: $39.95
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    Full updates are downloaded during installation.

    This makes VIPRE Internet Security 2012 one of the few Internet security suites that ensures you're fully updated with the most current virus definitions right out of the gate.

    After that, updates are automatically download and installed hourly. (You can opt for less frequent updates, but why would you?)

    If you want to manually update, it's one button click to check for, download, and install updates anytime you'd like.

    These things may sound obvious, but most software doesn't offer this, which is unfortunate because this clarity and ease of use give real confidence your PC protection is fully updated against new virus and spyware threats.
    Extra Features
    VIPRE Internet Security 2012 has relatively few extra features, but that's fine with us since those that it does have are the ones that matter.

    That said, VIPRE has a couple of notable extra features that are very handy. One is the PC Explorer, the other is the Secure File Eraser: both help to increase the security of your computer.

    Extra Feature:
    Anti-Spam Protection:100.00
    Previously, if you wanted antispam in a GFI product, you had to purchase their separate product, IHateSpam. Now it's included in VIPRE Internet Security.

    How well does it work?

    We found it to be arguably the best spam filter we've ever tested with, quite literally, zero false positives in our tests of many thousands of spam emails.
    Extra Feature:
    PC Explorer: 94
    VIPRE's PC Explorer is a great tool. It's comparable to Windows Task Manager but it provides a much more accurate picture of what's really running on your PC. Everything is categorized and labeled as:
    • Safe
    • Unknown
    • Suspicious
    • Suspicious
    Unlike with the Windows Task Manager, you get a very good picture of what's going on with your computer and whether or not you need to do something about it. No more guessing.

    It's so good, we actually prefer it now to the built in Windows Task Manager.
    Extra Feature:
    Secure File Eraser: 98
    The Secure File Eraser is another layer of security that enables you to permanently delete sensitive files.

    Few people know that deleting a file in Windows doesn't mean it's fully deleted, even if you empty the Recycle Bin.

    Forensic recovery software, spyware, and other viruses can actually read these seemingly deleted files and pull out what's in them, even if you can't see the file anywhere within Windows.

    With VIPRE's Secure File Eraser, right-click on anything you want to permanently remove, and that's it. VIPRE Internet Security 2012 deletes it from existence.
    Conclusion - Overall Score: 96 %
    VIPRE Box
    Score: 96%
    Orig Price: $49.95
    w/Discount: $39.95
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    While it's not perfect, especially for those users who want an interface full of glitz and animation, VIPRE proved to be the best Internet Security Suite for 2012.

    In our tests VIPRE Internet Security successfully detected, blocked, and cleaned: viruses, trojans, rootkits, bootkits, bots, phishing scams, spyware, keyloggers, and other malware in our tests, scoring at the top (or tying for first place) in every category.

    Its anti-phishing and malicious website blocking were equally effective with only one false-positive detected and a crystal clear blocking message when a malicious site is encountered.

    Aside from the excellent protection we saw, VIPRE also has the best customer service, too. No other antivirus software company has the level of free, personal, and US-based customer and technical support that VIPRE does.

    So, thanks to its features, performance, technical support, and overall PC protection, VIPRE Internet Security 2012 is again winner of our Editor's Choice award.
    Technical Details
    Version:
    Supports:
    Min RAM:
    Min Space:
    Processor:
    Guarantee:
    Manufacturer:
    2012
    Windows XP, Vista, 7
    512MB
    300MB
    1GHz
    30 Days
    GFI (Formerly Sunbelt Software)
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