G Data offers a wide range of features that you would expect from a comprehensive software suite. G Data’s easy-to-use interface doesn’t muddle the experience by hiding security status. caption or a green tick like many other programs do.
The program is also good at detecting and blocking new malware. The ‘virus monitoring’ service that channels your traffic through G Data cloud service not just updates the virus definition files, it also detects malware based on its behavior. G Data blocked all of the unknown malware we tested in our tests. There was only one false positive.
G Data performed even better in AV Comparatives offline detection test than Bitdefender and its close kin. This is probably due to its in-house DeepRay engine, which detects malware that has been disguised by analyzing all the actions that malware is usually trying to execute. In addition, it searches for patterns that be indicative of malicious intent, like changing the settings of other software or observing keystrokes.
However the program does fall short in a few areas we consider crucial for an antivirus software suite. The program doesn’t offer a parental control, VPN or firewall. If you require these features, G Data’s Internet Security package is more expensive. This is a significant drawback, particularly since top-tier rivals like Norton 360 and Bitdefender provide them at a comparable or lower cost.