Embedded Files
If you are looking for a good online antivirus scanner, then
Panda Cloud Cleaner is probably the best you can get. Then,
ESET Online Scanner comes as a close second and
F-Secure Online Scanner occupies the third place.
They are all solid security products that managed to identify all or most of the malware infected files on our test system. Also, all three of them provide you with ways to disinfect your system that don’t involve the installation of other security tools. When you are having issues with malware this is a huge plus.
We quickly learned that many products are no longer classic online scanners
(which you can run in your web browser).
The majority of security vendors now offer standalone antivirus scanners
(which you need to download and install on your computer).
They can run alongside your other security products, without causing conflicts
or performance issues.
They can be used whenever you need them to provide you with a quick second opinion
This is how we tested these online security scanners
First, we recorded how each product is designed: if it is a true online scanner, a standalone application or a hybrid between the two. Before installing and/or running each of the free online security scanners, we ran several malware samples to infect our test system. Then, we browsed several dodgy websites that store cookies which you don’t want to have on your computer, or which try to install different forms of dodgy toolbars or malware on your computer.
Once we were sure we had a few malware samples running on our system and several infected files being stored, we started using each antivirus scanner, one by one. We tested how fast they scanned the system, recorded how many malware samples they detected, what information was provided and the solutions they proposed. The scans were made on a 20GB partition with 17GB of occupied space. We used Windows 10, with Windows Defender disabled and there were exactly 17 malware samples running on our test system.
Bitdefender QuickScan is one of the few true online scanners. However, you should know that you can not run it from any web browser, as only Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are supported. The good thing about Bitdefender’s QuickScan is that it’s very fast: it took less than a minute for it to scan the computer for malware.
Unfortunately though, Bitdefender QuickScan only tells if the system is infected or not and shares the name of the first virus found active. There’s no other useful information being displayed and the only option you have is to download and install a 3 months trial of Bitdefender Internet Security, so that you can disinfect your system.
While this tool is quick and painless, it doesn’t provide much value to its users. There are better alternatives provided by other security vendors.
Comodo Cloud Antivirus
Comodo Cloud Antivirus is an online scanner which, like many others, comes as a standalone program that you download and install on your Windows computer. The first thing that you will notice is the fact that this scanner looks more like a full antivirus solution than just an online antivirus scanner destined to be used only casually. Its user interface offers plenty of settings and options and it’s one of the few online antiviruses that we’ve tested which lets you run both quick and full system scans, as well as custom scans.
The quick scan we ran with Comodo Cloud Antivirus took less than 2 minutes and ended up with only one malware sample detected. This is not a very good result, but it got better in the full system scan we ran afterwards. This time, even if it took 59 minutes for it to do so, Comodo Cloud Antivirus managed to identify 13 malware samples out of the 17 we placed on the test computer.
Comodo Cloud Antivirus is one of the few antivirus scanners that are also able to clean the malware they find. And this is something worth appreciating.
ESET Online Scanner is one of the few very good online antivirus scanners available. ESET Online Scanner is available as a standalone Windows app that you download and run on your computer. Before a scan is performed, ESET automatically downloads the latest signatures to your computer and it lets you customize the antivirus scan it will run. By default, ESET Online Scanner is set to scan everything on your computer: the Operating memory, the Autostart locations and the Local drives. You can also tell ESET Online Scanner whether you want it to automatically clean the threats it finds, if it should scan inside archives or not, or if you want it to scan for potentially unwanted applications.
The full system scan we ran took about 29 minutes and identified all the 17 malware samples we had on our test computer. For each identified threat, ESET Online Scanner displayed the name and the file’s location. We appreciated that, after the antivirus scan ends, you can set the scanner to uninstall its own files from your computer.
ESET’s security products are promoted in a discreet and non-intrusive way. ESET Online Scanner offers what you would expect from a good online scanner and we are very happy with how it performed.
F-Secure Online Scanner is another standalone program which you must download and run on your computer. Before a scan is made, it automatically downloads the latest signature files.
Then, F-Secure Online Scanner automatically starts scanning your system for malware. You can’t customize anything and you can’t choose what type of antivirus scan you want to run. All is automatic.
If F-Secure Online Scanner finds infected files, it will ask you to restart your computer in order for it to be able to clean them. If you want, you can also see the details about where malware files were found on your computer, how many files are infected with a certain virus and, if you’re really curious, you can also go online and see more information about it.
F-Secure Online Scanner was one of the fastest antivirus scanners we’ve tested: it took it less than a minute to scan the 20GB partition and it managed to identify 12 malicious files, out of the 17 viruses we had running on the test computer.
Kaspersky Security Scan
Kaspersky Security Scan is another online antivirus scanner that comes as a standalone application, which you need to download and run on your computer. The user interface is simple and easy to use, and it lets you perform a quick or a full system scan and even set a schedule for regular scans. By default, the tool scans your system twice a week. Unfortunately, you cannot change the frequency, although you can change the days of the week in which they are run.
A quick scan finished in about 2 minutes and revealed only 2 malware samples. A full system scan finished in 52 minutes and identified 9 malware samples.
When presented with the results, they are split into several sections:
Malware - shows all the infected files that were discovered during the scan.
System protection - shows whether you have an active antivirus installed on your computer.
Other issues - displays issues with how Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer are configured.
Everything is fine and dandy but, if you want to clean the infected files from your system, or if you want to correct any of the other issues found by Kaspersky Security Scan, you will have to go online to Kaspersky’s website and download a trial or purchase one of their security products.
Go to the next page of this article to learn more about other security products, as well as our final verdict about the best online antivirus scanner.
McAfee Security Scan Plus has a very long and complicated name. However, it’s a simple standalone Windows app that checks your computer for malware threats and other security issues. McAfee Security Scan Plus updates its files automatically when you launch it and it scans your computer in less than a minute. Unfortunately, you cannot customize anything about the scan. On our test computer, it managed to find only 1 infected file out of the 17 we had placed on it.
Although we don’t know why you’d want McAfee Security Scan Plus to scan your computer regularly, you should know that it lets you schedule scans as you like.
We wanted to see if McAfee Security Scan Plus can clean the one infected file it found, but unfortunately it doesn’t offer this feature either. If you click on Protect, you are taken to McAfee’s website and you are asked to buy their full security suite McAfee Total Protection, for 3 computers. It’s a bit too much for only one infected device, don’t you think?
Norton Security Scan is a desktop application that you must download and install on your computer. When you start it, it automatically downloads the latest definitions and detection engine. Norton Security Scan checks whether your computer is infected with malware, and it also lets you know if untrusted software or suspicious cookies are found on your computer.
When you hover the mouse cursor over one of the threats the scanner detected, it gives you brief information about it. After installing it, Norton Security Scan automatically ran a system scan of our test computer and it managed to find 12 malware infected files in less than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to customize about the scan and you can’t fix the problems that were detected either.
If you press the Fix now button, Norton Security Scan will take you online and recommend that to download Norton’s security products.
Panda Cloud Cleaner proved to be a good antivirus scanner. It comes as a standalone application which needs to be downloaded and installed on your Windows computer. Then, before the scan is started, it downloads the latest signatures automatically. You can run a quick scan, a full system scan or a custom scan.
When a scan is complete, Panda Cloud Cleaner gives you reports about the Malware & PUPx Found, Unknown Files & Suspicious Policies and about elements that can be cleaned on your system.
If you click on any of these sections, you can see details about each type of threat detected, whether it’s about malware files, potentially unwanted programs or other system issues.
The quick scan took about 8 minutes and detected 13 infected files, while a full system scan took 32 minutes and found all the 17 malware samples running on our test system. These are very good detection rates that place Panda Cloud Cleaner at the top of our list.
Trend Micro HouseCall is a standalone product that you need to download and run on your PC. When you run it, it automatically downloads the latest updates. Its interface is simple and easy to use. We appreciated that, using the Settings button, you can set it to run a quick scan, a full system scan or a custom scan.
The quick scan finished in about 7 minutes and detected 3 infected files. The full-system scan took a total of 462 minutes (yes, that’s correct!) and detected 11 infected files. The wait times were huge and tested our patience greatly.
For each piece of malware, you are shown its name, the exact file location, its type and risk level. On the good side of things, this is one of the few products that can help you remove the malware it detects. We’re sure that many users will appreciate this feature.
Trend Micro HouseCall is a surprisingly innovative product. It has some great features that other free antivirus scanners do not have. Unfortunately, the product is penalized by its very slow scanning speed.
Overview of the results
After we completed all the tests, we ended up with a comparison table which you can see for yourself, below:
The best online antivirus scanners are…
If you are looking for a good online antivirus scanner, then
Panda Cloud Cleaner is probably the best you can get. Then,
ESET Online Scanner comes as a close second and
F-Secure Online Scanner occupies the third place.
They are all solid security products that managed to identify all or most of the malware infected
files on our test system. Also, all three of them provide you with ways to disinfect your system
that don’t involve the installation of other security tools. When you are having issues with malware
this is a huge plus.
… all the others. Just kidding :) But to be honest most of the other online scanners in our list are either very bad at detecting the malware on your Windows computer, or they are only useful to tell you that your computer is infected, without being able to help you further. They are more or less advertising tools that try to sell you their commercial security products.
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