BitDefender Antivirus 2008

Overall, BitDefender is a solid antivirus program. Like Kaspersky, BitDefender offers hourly updates and a great bang for your buck.

BitDefender Antivirus 2008 installs easy, uses minimal PC resources, has an intuitive interface, and protects your computer against all malware tested with a 96% accuracy rate.

Overall, BitDefender does really well this year. Despite a few setbacks, this is a powerful, light-running, easy to use antivirus software.

And with its low price and even lower multi-license options, you really can't go wrong. On top of that, their anti-phishing and anti-spyware features are a welcome bonus to an already robust application.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2008

(Windows XP, Windows Vista)

The name Kaspersky may not be widely recognized to most consumers when it comes to antivirus software, but they've been making really good antivirus software for some time now.

Founded in 1997, the company, Kaspersky Security, has mainly been involved in antivirus solutions for home and business users.

Their antivirus scan engine is clearly better than just "good" and can be found in over 50 software security products from different manufacturers--they're no slouches when it comes to virus protection.

Despite its relatively high cost, this product is one of our top picks for best antivirus software this year with plenty of great features.

$59.95

Norton AntiVirus 2008

(Windows XP, Windows Vista)

The good thing about Norton AntiVirus 2008 is that its still a solid program for removing and preventing viruses, spyware, and other malware from infecting your computer.

Norton has been a leader for many years and rightfully so: they make good antivirus software. Symantec (the makers of Norton) has been and still is one of the best antivirus software programs out there.

So why is it only number three on our list this year? They've fallen short in the usability of their product. It's big clumsy antivirus software and heavy on resource usage.

$39.99

McAfee VirusScan Plus

McAfee once was a top dog in the antivirus arena, and still is to some degree. While McAfee VirusScan Plus does exactly what it says it does, compared to the competition, it falls short in other categories.

For one thing, it doesn't offer hourly antivirus updates like our top picks do: it only updates daily. With the speed that viruses grow, a day is just too long. Another minus is the fact that McAfee is big on selling your upgrades with this VirusScan Plus package.

The interface has open tabs and options for product that you didn't buy with the antivirus software – which they expect you to upgrade to. This is both confusing a bothersome if you don't want to upgrade to their parental controls software, for example.

Panda Antivirus 2008

(Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista)

Panda has been an average software package since its inception. And this year, there are no significant improvements that warrant Panda Antivirus 2008 anything but an average rating.

It's got all of the basics: anti-spyware, anti-phishing, anti-rootkit, etc, but not much else. Panda Antivirus 2008 is also heavy on resources and overall a bit slow.

We found the support lacking, and the interface dated. However, it does what it says on a basic level: scans and removes viruses, malware, etc. However, due to lack of thorough independent studies, we can only give this a marginal rating.

$49.95

Trend Micro AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware 2008

Trend Micro may not be a household name, but they hold their own when it comes to lean and mean antivirus protection.

The program runs fairly light on resources, has a decent user interface, good antivirus capabilities, and good antispyware.

So why is Trend Micro AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware 2008 lower on our list? Aside from our own, there haven't been enough independent tests done on their actual antivirus capabilities, especially against its top competitors.

Could this mean they're trying to hide something? Hard to say. But without independent confirmation of its abilities, we're reluctant to give it greater endorsement.

CA Anti-Virus Plus CA Anti-Spyware 2008

(Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista)

On one hand, CA Anti-Virus Plus CA Anti-Spyware 2008 is better and faster than its 2007 version, but that's about all the praise we can give it. Otherwise, this 2008 antivirus version is mediocre at best. It's got simple antivirus and antispyware functions, but not much else.

The tech support is entirely lacking, and the install is geared towards up-selling and installing third party applications (Yahoo toolbar, etc).

CA Anti-virus is relatively expensive for the minimal features you get. With so many other choices for good antivirus software like our top picks: VIPRE Antivirus, Kaspersky, or BitDefender, we think there are better programs out there.
$39.99