Antivirus testing website

[Nick2253]

I was looking at AV-Test and AV-Comparatives the other day and I noticed that the two have wildly disparate scores for different antivirus software. For example, AV-Test gives Bitdefender a perfect 6.0 on performance, with nearly 100% zero-day detection, but AV-Comparatives shows Bitdefender with under 40% zero-day detection. What gives? Their methodologies seem fairly similar, so I don't understand the night and day difference between them.

I've always referenced AV-Comparatives, but this mismatch is worrying me. I want to make sure that I'm actually selecting the best AV for the price, but now the two major sources of information disagree on what that is.

Help?

(And for the record, this is NOT a "what's the best AV" thread. I'm more than capable of making my own choices. I just want to make sure the information I'm using is accurate)

 

[Sp33dFr33k]

I use both sites as a general guideline but I agree it's kind of hard to make sense of some of the testing. I'd be more inclined to think 40% zero day was more accurate than 100%.

 

[Nick2253]

Yeah, I'd agree. It was that statistic that made me step back and say, hmm, wtf? What's interesting (and maybe I'm reading way too much into this), is that all the other places I've seen Bitdefender rated so well are highly commercialized (TopTenReviews, I'm looking at you). It makes me doubt the impartiality of AV-Test.