Pros

• Zone Alarm has the same virus scanning engine as Kaspersky ( the best antivirus software program) making it equally effective at removing threats
• Has a cheap 3-user licence which you can use on all PCs in your home
• Updates are automatically available every hour, making your PC safe at all times

Cons

• Doesn’t provide telephone support
• only number available is for refunds, which makes it lag behind competitors in technical support
• There is a noticeable slowdown if you’re performing a full scan while running other programs

[xrrgroup][xrr label="Effectiveness:" rating="9/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="Ease of Installation:" rating="8.5/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="Ease of Use:" rating="8/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="New Features:" rating="9/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="Updates:" rating="8.5/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="Technical Support:" rating="8.5/10" group="s1"] [xrr label="Overall:" rating="8.5/10" group="s1" ] [/xrrgroup]

Zone Alarm antivirus never disappoints when it comes to providing total online protection, and this new version has passed many tests. It does the job with little intrusion, protecting your PC from viruses, worms and Trojans. It also has a suite of tools designed to protect from other threats like rootkits, keyloggers, spyware, adware and hackers.

Although not a household name like other major brands, Zone Alarm has earned its place among the major manufacturers because of its superior firewall and a scanning engine similar to Kaspersky.

Effectiveness

Extensive testing has been done on Zone Alarm’s protection capabilities and it has proved to be good at testing all file types with little intrusion blocking. It however slows down a bit during full system scans, making the process longer than expected.

It has a new feature that has a unique way of scanning downloads. When a download has been requested, it will check the content against millions of known harmful threats. If it cannot determine if a file is safe by this method, it will scan the contents of the file in a separate protected environment from your PC.

Installation

Installation of Zone Alarm is a straightforward process and the software installer guides you through it all. Whether you are an experienced or less experienced antivirus user, you will find the process undaunting and you’ll be protected within minutes. The first full deep scan will take over an hour, but you can be assured your PC will always be doing its job, protecting your PC.

Ease-of-use

Zone Alarm has a simple interface for the non-techie types, so little configuring will be necessary especially when you install it, and make a few choices and use the slider tool for setting the strength of the security.

The main control panel is easy to navigate and you can easily turn on and off your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware features. You can also set the level of protection from your control panel and how reactive you want Smart Defense advisor to respond.

Updates

Updates from Zone Alarm are supplied every hour of the day providing up-to-the-minute protection. You can also request an update when you require. It provides 0 hour rootkit protection and new definition updates instantly.

Overall, Zone Alarm antivirus is a good antivirus package with very few problems. So if you are looking for an antivirus product that will ensure little intrusion, a good firewall and a simple to use interface, then Zone Alarm should be your first choice.