Best Light Weight AV?

russ8585 · Apr 14, 2025

I switched over to Windows 11 a few months back and Bitdefender is causing high slowdown. Explorer becomes almost unusable in some cases. Tried playing about with the settings but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

What are the best options available for a low resource AV?

Currently using MS defender which is good, but I would like a bit more protection.

oldschool · Apr 14, 2025

russ8585 said:
using MS defender which is good, but I would like a bit more protection.

Run this portable app to easily configure Defender's advanced settings, e.g. increasing blocking level, adding Attack Surface Reduction rules, etc.

GitHub - AndyFul/ConfigureDefender: Utility for configuring Windows 10 built-in Defender antivirus settings.

Utility for configuring Windows 10 built-in Defender antivirus settings. - AndyFul/ConfigureDefender

github.com

And if you ever clean install Windows, enable Smart App Control.

Smart App Control Frequently Asked Questions - Microsoft Support

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Smart App Control, a Windows feature designed to block malicious, untrusted, or potentially unwanted apps from running on your device.

support.microsoft.com

echo2446 · Apr 14, 2025

I ran both Avast Free and Bitdefender Free on my 16GB RAM Windows 11 system before, but I didn't like how they used up memory and was concerned about Bitdefender's large updates. I didn't experience intolerable performance degradation with either (except with the memory, which I had to reboot). I switched to Windows Defender and used the recommended configuration from ConfigureDefender, along with some one-time scanners daily.

If I had to try other AVs that are reputedly good and low-resourced, I'd consider ESET (expensive) and Kaspersky (if I weren't worried about government warnings).

idgat · Apr 14, 2025

The lighter the "weight", the lesser the protection. Pointless. If you're going to go for 3rd party anti-malware, then get the best

Your device specs look like you device should take a good 3rd party anti-malware. If your current option is causing problems, switch to another "full" brand.

Beware the freebies. In the case of anti-malware, the old adage is even more so true ... you get the value you pay for.

Method · Apr 14, 2025

idgat said:
The lighter the "weight", the lesser the protection. Pointless. If you're going to go for 3rd party anti-malware, then get the best

What is the best? in your opinion, out of curiosity? Im using Malwarebytes but its not on anyones list above!

idgat · Apr 14, 2025

Method said:
What is the best? in your opinion, out of curiosity?

Your geographic location might prohibit my preference, but .... Kaspersky Premium

(And please, to anyone else who is tempted to chime in, take your reds-under-the-bed paranoia elsewhere, it's been done to death here already)

neemobeer · Apr 15, 2025

There are a couple exceptions to EPP products having to be heavier on resource usage, but typically speaking these types of programs will be a bit heavy on resources. The main reason is they have to scan not only file actions (read, write) but can also, in some cases examine memory, network traffic other. It's hard to say what is "the best", but many products out there have a high true positive and low false positive detection rates. This site does a good job of running independent testing of many popular products Home

antspants · Apr 15, 2025

Method said:
What is the best? in your opinion, out of curiosity? Im using Malwarebytes but its not on anyones list above!

Many experienced members here only use Defender with Malwarebytes free or paid version.

I also use Kaspersky Premium, but as idgat said, not a choice for you.

thecaretaker · Apr 15, 2025

I'm currently happy with Eset Nod 32, just the basic without all the add-ons.

garioch7 · Apr 15, 2025

Another vote for ESET products. I switched from Bitdefender Total Security after 10 years. It was very heavy on resources and buggy. I went to Kaspersky and was happy with their product, but abandoned them after what they did to their US customers last year, by uninstalling their product and installing a totally unknown "replacement" without the explicit consent of their US users. I left 16 months of a two-year subscription behind.

I have been using ESET Home Smart Security Premium since October 2024. It is light on resources and very unobtrusive. IMO, it is far better than Bitdefender, and just a notch ahead of Kaspersky when it comes to resource usage. It does not have as many "bells and whistles" as Kaspersky, but I am quite satisfied with it.

Just my two cents. This is a question with no definitive answer. It comes down to user preference.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

russ8585 · Apr 15, 2025

Just looking on ESET website, I can only see Home Security. Is this the one you mean?

KevTech · Apr 15, 2025

Used Kaspersky until the USA banned it.

I use Nod32 now.

You can get big discounts for Nod32 by purchasing on Newegg.
I renew by just inputting a new code from Newegg for about 25 a year.

cereberus · Apr 15, 2025

Defender and nothing else.
Not had a single virus infection in a decade.

In fact, when people think other tools protect them better, they are really kidding themselves and users can get lulled into a false sense of security and fail to use their noggin properly.

The risks of a virus attack is far lower than malware based attacks - the days of viruses being the main attacking mechanism is long gone.
Click bait is the most common attack vector. The oxymoronically named common sense is still an important attribute.

garioch7 · Wednesday at 11:41 AM

@russ8585 ,

Yes, the product in the screenshot is the one I use. You can see from my "About" screen, that ESET uses two different names for the product.

I am not sure why they do that . . . ? As I said, I really like the product. I have used a lot of antivirus programs since I started with computers back in1988!

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

kelper · Wednesday at 12:12 PM

Most of the forum members will tell you that MS Defender, aka Windows Security, is the bees' knees. It is certainly an excellent defense against most malware. BUT, it rarely comes out top in independent tests. Bitdefender seems to win the most accolades. Personally, I still like Webroot as it has a tiny footprint and only pops up when you are on a dodgy website.
It does not do welll on most comparison sites because it does not use definition files and the testers do not know how to fairly assess it. It only intervenes when a malicious app actually does something malicious. If Webroot is not sure if a running process is malicious, all its actions will be recorded and Webroot can reverse them later. Webroot has a tiny footprint and installs in seconds. It has no affect on the computer's speed.

neemobeer · Wednesday at 12:20 PM

Yeah Webroot is one of those exceptions. Blocks malicious activity that can't be rolled back like cookie/token theft and keyloggers, but most everything else is sent to the cloud for analysis and it can rollback just about anything including ransomware.

kelper · Wednesday at 12:22 PM

I'm just concerned that Webroot does not seem to be very active. They were bought out by OpenText. Webroots's News page has nothing recent. And they don't reply to my emails pointing this out.

neemobeer · Wednesday at 12:25 PM

Yeah I used to use it but company buyout's tend to have negative outcomes for support and the future of a product. Too often a company is bought, the technology integrated into the buyers product and the original isn't fully supported or out right shutdown.

kelper · Wednesday at 12:28 PM

Since I made many reports with feedback, Webroot have given me two-years access to their beta. I still communicate with them and they reply prompty to support requests.

russ8585 · Wednesday at 1:50 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Using the Eset free trial and seems ok so far.

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