About ErrorSquad

Our mission

ErrorSquad was founded in 2009 with a simple goal: give everyday internet users access to honest, independent information about the security software they use to protect their devices and data.

The antivirus industry is filled with sponsored content, paid placements, and misleading claims. We set out to cut through that noise by testing products ourselves — using the same methodology trusted by professional security researchers — and publishing our findings in plain language.

We test every product we recommend across real-world scenarios: actual malware samples, live phishing URLs, performance benchmarks, and extended daily use. Our recommendations reflect what we would actually install on our own devices.

How we test

Our testing process covers four core areas:

Malware detection: We use threat samples from independent labs including AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, alongside our own collection of current malware variants. We measure detection rate, false positive rate, and removal accuracy.

Real-world protection: We test against live phishing URLs from PhishTank, ransomware simulations, and zero-day threat scenarios. We also verify how each product handles background privacy violations — apps accessing camera, microphone, and location data without user knowledge.

Performance impact: We benchmark CPU, RAM, and disk usage during scans and background operation to ensure the software doesn't degrade the user experience.

Value assessment: We evaluate pricing, feature sets, ease of use, and customer support quality to determine real-world value for typical users.

We update our testing every quarter and revise our recommendations as products change. Our current recommendations were last updated in March 2026.

Our current top recommendation

After testing 28 antivirus products, Total AV earned our #1 recommendation for 2026. It delivers near-perfect malware detection, a built-in VPN, and powerful device optimization — all at an unbeatable first-year price.