Simple and effective protection.
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Kaspersky offers a few different solutions for security depending on your needs (like all the other firms), and I tested its Anti-Virus suite to see how it compares to the competition. As its name implies it's a full package of anti-virus that covers files, email, "web" and even IM. The basic package covers three PCs for one year for $49.99, and there's a 30-day trial (See it at Kaspersky.com).
Design and Features
Aesthetically, Kaspersky doesn't try to do anything too flashy or stylistic. In fact, it looks kind of old-fashioned next to sleeker interface's like those on BitDefender and Avast. Those two look almost as though they're native Windows apps, with clean, minimalist design. The interface for Kaspersky is also uncluttered, but it doesn't quite have that flare of elegance of the other two.
Rather than stylized icons, navigation is hyperlink based, and is in a column on the left of the app. Everything is very simply laid out and easy to access.
The color scheme is a cool mint green and white, staying on-brand, but much of what's inside the app resembles some of the older menus on Windows. Adjusting the protection level has a very Windows-like slider with three positions: high, recommended, and low.
Protection can be toggled on or off for all sorts of common tasks, like using IM or emails. Kaspersky will scan files, outgoing and incoming instant messages, web traffic, and more if you want it to. I didn't notice any performance drop with everything turned on, but the option to shut something down is there if you need it.
If you're worried about keyloggers, Kaspersky includes a nifty onscreen keyboard, a feature not present in comparable software solutions. It lets you punch in your passwords or credit card info without fear of anyone capturing your keystrokes. You can also create a rescue disk, which could be helpful if you find yourself on the receiving end of a piece of malware that blocks you from accessing Windows. Of course Windows provides this too but a lot of people rarely take advantage of it.
Perhaps the greatest strength Kaspersky has over competitors is access to live customer support. If you find yourself in a bind, you can reach a customer service technician by email, chat, or telephone. Compare that to something like Norton, where support is limited to community forums.
Test Results
For real world test results, we partnered with sister site PCMag for their thorough testing, which involves examining and combining industry rankings across a variety of antivirus testing labs, as well as hands-on testing. Kaspersky has an AV-Comparatives rating of Advanced+, the highest possible rating, putting it in the company of the excellent BitDefender. In the AV-Test Institutes testing, Kaspersky got a perfect score of 18, making it one of only two suites to accomplish such a feat.
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A full system scan took a mere 23 minutes.
In malware blocking, Kaspersky got an 8.4 out of 10 which is not bad, but obviously not top of the charts. Blocking malicious URLs brought out Kaspersky's weakest score, as it was only able to defeat 64-percent, but it excelled at anti-phishing tests. It beat out Norton by a full five percentage points, and beat Firefox's built-in anti-phishing protection by a staggering 94-percent.
It also performed well in terms of overall speed. In testing, a full system scan took a mere 23 minutes, almost half as much as the average time for antivirus products. Even more astounding is a repeat scan wrapped things up in just four minutes.
Purchasing Guide
Kaspersky's pricing is middle-of-the-road for premium antivirus offerings. Its "standard" price is $50-60 for one year of protection, but there's loads of offers out there that knock this price in half to $30/year. It offers multi-year plans as well, but they aren't available at a steeper discount:
The Verdict
Kaspersky does a lot of things well and a few things very well. Its interface is a bit too sterile for my tastes, but that didn't detract from its ease of use and superb overall performance. I also I liked having the on-screen keyboard as an option too. It's pricier than many of its contemporaries, but you get a license for 3 devices, so it's a great value given its top-notch protection.
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