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BullGuard Antivirus (2014)

Neil J. Rubenking
 & Neil J. Rubenking Principal Writer, Security

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
BullGuard Antivirus combines a much-improved antivirus with a decent spam filter. If you're looking for those specific features and no frills, it can be a good choice. - BullGuard Antivirus (2014)
3.5 Good

The Bottom Line

BullGuard Antivirus (2014) has a slightly quirky new look. The test labs give it good marks, and it's easy to use. A bonus spam filter is nice, but wow, does it ever slow the downloading of email.
Best Deal£6.75

Buy It Now

£6.75

Pros & Cons

    • Good ratings from independent labs.
    • Improved phishing protection.
    • Bonus spam filtering built in.
    • Many ways to handle malware that prevents installation or completing a scan.
    • Poor blocking of latest malicious URLs.
    • Just average score in my hands-on malware blocking test.
    • Spam filter significantly slowed downloading of email.

In this modern world of drive-by downloads and malware hidden in advertising, antivirus protection is an absolute must. Whether you upgrade to an integrated security suite with firewall, spam filter, and so on, is up to you. But if you specifically want antivirus and antispam, BullGuard Antivirus, which costs $29.95 per year for a single license, has you covered. This year's edition showed a lot of improvement since my previous review.

BullGuard's main window contains seven square panels representing security components: Antivirus, Spamfilter, Firewall, Backup, Vulnerabilities, PC Tune-up, and Parental Control. Only the first two are actually functional. Clicking any of the others takes you to a shopping page where you can upgrade to BullGuard's full security suite.

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Final Thoughts

BullGuard Antivirus combines a much-improved antivirus with a decent spam filter. If you're looking for those specific features and no frills, it can be a good choice. - BullGuard Antivirus (2014)

BullGuard Antivirus (2014)

3.5 Good

BullGuard Antivirus (2014) has a slightly quirky new look. The test labs give it good marks, and it's easy to use. A bonus spam filter is nice, but wow, does it ever slow the downloading of email.

Get It Now
Best Deal£6.75

Buy It Now

£6.75

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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