Software

Anti-virus software

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Review summary

Full review

We’ve looked closely at F-Secure to give you all the detail about its performance, impact and style. The question is, does F-Secure match up to similarly priced antivirus packages in the field?

Setup

The software automatically gets rid of any previously-installed antivirus software that could interfere with the smooth running of the F-Secure system. We tested and found the set-up process for F-Secure AntiVirus to be simple and pretty quick, although some users have had problems with installations that don’t finish. Using the F-Secure Easy Clean System seems to help if you have problems with persistent malware.

Once running, F-Secure is reasonably system-light, and it doesn’t take up too many resources meaning your computer won’t run slow. We don’t think F-Secure is the fastest, and if near-zero performance impact is your aim you are best with another product.

Protection

How does F-Secure protect your computer? With DeepGuard cloud computing to identify and remove viruses, malware, worms and spyware. The network monitors how programs work in order to identify new threats from within the cloud and it updates the user community with information. The software protects your computer from attack and also helps make it run quicker and more smoothly.

Internet – When you’re shopping online or passing your payment details to a website you need to be sure you’re secure. F-Secure takes on this task by removing software from your PC that hijacks the browser or sends your data to an illegal third party.

Email – F-Secure AntiVirus helps protect by scanning incoming and outgoing email messages for malicious codes and files.

Effectiveness

AV-TEST gives F-Secure AntiVirus a consistently good rating for performance, while AV-Comparatives ranks F-Secure with an Advanced A+ rating.

Scans & updates

We appreciate the simplicity in the scanning features. Schedule specific scans if you need to or check a particular file, or just leave the antivirus running in the background. Because the system scans automatically you probably won’t need to have the software open most of the time.

If the system does throw up a problem, the icon in the taskbar tells you what you should do but you can override the decision if you choose to. You can set up the F-Secure system to clean the suspect files if it can, or automatically place them in quarantine. The automatic cleaning option may not be entirely useful as it often doesn’t take any action on the threat.

In testing the scan speeds weren’t lightning fast, but slightly better than average.

Features

There's not a lot to report in terms of extra features attached to F-Secure AntiVirus. This is a basic package and while it offers solid antivirus protection it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of features.

Ease of use

We liked the clean, clear and visually interesting interface – the layout helps you navigate easily but the design isn’t boring. The main interface is split into three separate areas; tasks, status and statistics, which makes it easy to see at a glance how the system is working. You can also access more advanced and detailed settings from the main interface.

The statistics area is good for fast access to which programs have been blocked and how many items the software has dealt with. Some aspects of the software could use a little extra explanation, but in general the system was easy to understand.

Help & support

F‑Secure Anti‑Virus comes with support options for users including a 24-7 phone line and a live email chat system. You can also browse the help articles online and look for the answers to your questions in the knowledgebase. Download the user manual for the F-Secure product if you need further detail.

Overall

F-Secure is a solid option, with good protection and good marks from independent testers. F-Secure is among the best, but not the best, out of the easy-to-use antivirus suites. We like the simple yet striking interface and the whole package gives good value.

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Looking for more anti-virus software reviews?
See our side-by-side comparisons and in-depth reviews

1. Avira Antivirus Pro
2. Bitdefender AntiVirus Plus
3. ESET NOD32 Antivirus
4. F-Secure Anti-Virus
5. G Data Antivirus
6. Kaspersky Anti-Virus
7. Norton AntiVirus Plus
8. Panda Dome Essential
9. Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus
10. Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security
11. VIPRE Antivirus Plus
12. Webroot Secure Anywhere AntiVirus Review
13. ZoneAlarm PRO Antivirus & Firewall