Like previous releases, COMODO’s free antivirus solution for Windows offers solid full-time antivirus protection and basic features comparable to similar freeware, including a desktop widget, firewall protection, Game Mode, drag-and-drop submission of suspicious apps for analysis, and cloud-based definitions, but it also comes with some unique extras, such as the COMODO Dragon secure Web browser, which is free, and the optional Geek Buddy support service, which requires a paid license.

Installing COMODO Antivirus involves several options, such as enabling cloud-based analysis of suspicious programs, which we accepted, and COMODO’s free Secure DNS Server option, which we declined because it changes your PC’s network settings, though we tried it before and found it reasonably fast. The Geek Buddy and related Anti-Error services provide live technical help, apparently, though they require activation. COMODO Antivirus’ main interface is like other free antivirus tools in general layout and look, and you’ll probably have little trouble setting things up, though a splash screen describes how to get started, and the Online Help options include an extensive manual and searchable forums. COMODO Antivirus automatically updated the latest definitions and started a full system scan, which found a couple of issues (nothing serious, thankfully) and removed them with a reboot for good measure (we could also opt for Geek Buddy help to make sure our PC was clean). COMODO Antivirus seemed to take a bit longer to update than similar tools and often involved a reboot; we didn’t mind since we like thorough updates. Dragon generally lives up to its billing as “a faster, more secure version of Chrome.”

We found that COMODO Antivirus also plays well with similar tools, including Microsoft Security Essentials, though we suggest taking care when mixing antivirus solutions. We’re confident that COMODO Antivirus 6.2 is up to the task of protecting your PC, though.