Dennis Technology Labs is an independent group that tests security solutions (both suites and standalone AVs, paid and free).
They recently released results of tests from Oct-Dec, 2015, on 9 popular security products. The test platform was Windows 7/SP1 Home Pemium 64 bit. Each security product was subjected to 100 malicious URLs, chosen by Dennis Labs. These tests were not sponsored. You can read their results in pdf format here: dennistechnologylabs.com/.../DTL_2015_Q4_Home.1.0.pdf
Comments:
- The free standalone AVs from avast! and AVG (98 threats blocked by each) garnered the highest AAA ratings, on a par with several paid products. (Panda Free AV was not tested).
- Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), which blocked 97 of the threats, achieved only an AA rating. Go figure. This was a small sample size.
- My bias against paying for an AV (unless you are guarding Fort Knox) seems confirmed yet again.