Bitdefender
Core Engine
- HyperDetect AI behavioral engine
- Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) sandbox
- Zero-day exploit prevention (HIPS)
- Phishing & fraud detection (URL filtering)
Scanning Workflow
Quick Scan → heuristic analysis → suspicious files → ATD sandbox (x86/x64 emulation) → verdict.
Multi-layer: signature → ML → behavior → cloud-assisted AI.
Pros & Cons
✅ Strengths
- 99.9% detection (AV-Test 2025)
- Low system impact
- Autopilot mode
❌ Weaknesses
- Aggressive marketing upsells
- Cloud dependency
- VPN limited to 200MB/day (free)
Pricing (2025)
| Free | Antivirus only |
| Premium | $29.99/yr — + Firewall, VPN, Password Manager |
Kaspersky
Core Engine
- System Watcher (rollback on ransomware)
- Behavioral Detection (BD) heuristics
- Cloud-assisted KSN network
- Exploit Prevention (DEP, ASLR enforcement)
Scanning Workflow
Signature scan → heuristic analysis → System Watcher monitors process behaviors → auto-rollback on encryption events.
Optional: secure browser for banking (isolated sandbox).
Pros & Cons
✅ Strengths
- Best ransomware protection
- Low false positives
- Lightweight core
❌ Weaknesses
- Geopolitical scrutiny
- No macOS sandboxing
- Privacy concerns (opt-out KSN)
Pricing
| Standard | $29.99/yr — Win/macOS/iOS/Android |
| Premium | $49.99/yr — + password manager, 300GB cloud backup |
ESET
Core Engine
- ThreatSense® heuristic engine
- UEFI Scanner (firmware-level)
- Exploit Blocker (DLL/JS injection prevention)
- PUA detection (optional)
Scanning Workflow
Smart scan → layered detection: static → dynamic → cloud-reputation → optional sandbox (ESET Dynamic Threat Defense add-on).
Configurable: paranoid mode (all heuristics on) to silent mode.
Pros & Cons
✅ Strengths
- Minimal resource usage
- High configurability
- UEFI protection
❌ Weaknesses
- Sandbox requires paid add-on
- UI feels dated
- Limited parental controls
Pricing
| Essential | $39.99/yr — Win/macOS/Android |
| Ultimate | $59.99/yr — + ESET Inspect (EDR) |
Malwarebytes
Core Engine
- Signature-less AI/ML detection
- Anti-Rootkit (TDSSKiller integration)
- Web Protection (blocks exploit kits)
- Ransomware Rollback (Premium)
Scanning Workflow
Threat Scan → heuristic + AI analysis → remediation → optional rollback (Premium).
Designed as second-opinion scanner — runs alongside primary AV.
Pros & Cons
✅ Strengths
- Excellent PUP/PUA detection
- Lightweight scanner
- Great remediation tools
❌ Weaknesses
- Not real-time (Free)
- Limited firewall (Windows only)
- No macOS exploit prevention
Pricing
| Free | On-demand scanning |
| Premium | $39.99/yr — real-time + ransomware rollback |