Most Popular Desktop Antivirus Application: Avast! Free Antivirus

A good antivirus tool doesn't have to cost a ton of money, and it doesn't have to drag your system down either. Last week we asked you for the best, then looked at the five best desktop antivirus applications. Now we're back to crown the crowd favorite.

It seems that the majority of you agreed with us, and chose Avast! Free Antivirus as your pick by a wide margin. Avast picked up over 47% of the overall vote. It's fast, it's free, and while it definitely has its quirks and annoyances, it scores highly in both AV Comparatives' and AV-Test's scores, keeps system utilization down, and doesn't cost a cent for great all-around protection.

Second place went to ESET's NOD32 , a popular lightweight antivirus tool that I still hear championed loudly from all corners, especially system builders and people who want a good tool from a reputable firm that's light on system resources and doesn't miss threats. It picked up 19% of the overall vote. Third place went to Kaspersky Antivirus with over 13% of the votes cast, a premium tool that earned AV Comparatives' Product of the Year award. Fourth place went to BitDefender , with close to 12% of the overall vote. It's a simple, no-nonsense antivirus tool that won't confuse you with options and just does its job quietly. Bringing up the rear was Avira Antivirus , with 8% of the votes cast.

For more on these and the honorable mentions not listed here, make sure to head back to the full Hive Five feature for details.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

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