Researchers at AV-TEST have concluded that Windows Defender is the top antivirus product on the market.

Tests showed that Windows Defender is performing at the same level as popular services such as Kaspersky and Symantec.

Windows Defender scored 18 points in these tests, positioning it in a tie for the top spot alongside Kaspersky and F-Secure.

This score is a culmination of three elements – Protection, Performance, and Usability – for each of which Microsoft Defender scored the maximum of 6 points.

Webroot and Malwarebytes were the lowest scoring virus protection programs, with both only scoring 2 out of 6 for their Protection scores.

Windows Defender is included as the default antivirus for Windows 10 users, meaning that based on these results, Windows users should in theory not need to download a separate antivirus system.

The scores of the tested antivirus solutions can be viewed below or on their website