A hands-on, independent antivirus testing lab where vendors can't buy a ranking; the only catch is that the same labs sell logo licensing and paid commissioned single-product tests on the side.
What it's really for An independent Austrian security lab; standardized hands-on testing is the whole job.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its lab security-product certifications, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Funding comes from public bodies (the EU and Tyrol's regional government), University of Innsbruck cooperative projects, and vendor fees for post-test logo licensing and commissioned tests; participation in public tests is free and, by the lab's own disclosure, vendors cannot pay for inclusion, placement, or a better ranking.
Source →- Operating since
- 1999 (27 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- An independent Austrian lab that runs antivirus and security software through standardized hands-on lab tests and publishes scored, certified results for free.
- What they do
- It tests consumer and business security products in controlled lab conditions (real-world protection, malware, false-alarm, and performance tests) and awards tiered certifications based on measured results.
- What to watch for
- Public test rankings are earned in the lab and can't be bought, but vendors do pay separately for optional logo-licensing rights and for commissioned single-product tests, so a flattering AV-Comparatives badge in an ad isn't always from a free public comparison.
- Composite score
- 4.70 / 5.00 → grade A+
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Participation in the public test series is free of charge, but vendors can subscribe to post-test consultancy and obtain licensing rights to logos for a fee; the lab states it does not take money for advertisements and its website is free of ads or paid referrer links, and that no product is advantaged or disadvantaged by its test methodology. Source: AV-Comparatives - Funding →
- Co-founded in 1999 by Andreas Clementi and Peter Stelzhammer as a student research project at the University of Innsbruck; the Innsbruck-based organization holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and is recognized as an EICAR trusted testing lab. Source: AV-Comparatives - About us →
- Commissioned tests are clearly shown as such along with the name of the commissioning body, a practice audited annually as part of the lab's ISO 9001:2015 certification; the organization reserves inclusion decisions based on capacity and demand, not payment. Source: AV-Comparatives - How are we funded? (FAQ) →