After long deliberation, CNET has awarded the top two 2012 security suites Editors' Choice awards.

In the paid suite category, we decided on Bitdefender Total Security 2012 (download) for its top-rated security, its low impact on your computer's performance, and its excellent range of features. Bitdefender started strong out of the gate, and although some came close, notably Norton and F-Secure, Bitdefender posted an impressive set of benchmarks that kept it ahead.

Choosing a top free suite for the 2012 release cycle was even more challenging. After a few years of lackluster updates, popular Avira returned to the fold, not to mention tougher antivirus competition from big names like Microsoft and security stalwarts like AVG and Ad-Aware. In the end though, and admittedly with some hesitation, we have awarded Avast Free Antivirus 2012 (download) with an Editors' Choice.

Security Program	Boot time	Shutdown time	Scan time	MS Office performance	iTunes decoding	Media multitasking	Cinebench
Unprotected system	40	6	n/a	395	120	342	17,711
Average of all tested systems (paid version 2012)	63.0	17.3	1,060.9	414	125	347	17,175
Panda Global Protection 2012	46.8	22.3	1,191	432	126	373	16,912
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2012	66.5	17.4	1,825	423	125	348	17,310
Bitdefender Total Security 2012	61.6	31	920	402	127	346	17,363
Kaspersky Internet Security 2012	61.3	18	1,320	429	125	345	17,122
Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2012	88	11.3	502	437	125	345	17,290
Lavasoft Ad-Aware 9.5 Pro Internet Security	54.4	16.9	2,080	405	125	347	16,884
AVG Internet Security 2012	69.9	11.3	792	416	124	344	17,259
ESET Smart Security 5	57.2	14	658	401	124	343	17,148
Norton Internet Security 2012	51.8	10.3	1,066	410	123	343	17,386
Avira Internet Security 2012	53.1	13.7	959	407	124	346	17,030
Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete	88.6	13.1	676	403	124	346	17,199
F-Secure Internet Security 2012	57.9	39.3	734	411	126	344	17,237
McAfee Total Protection 2012	61.8	11.3	1,299	409	125	348	17,243
Avast Internet Security 2012	63.6	12.2	831	407	125	346	17,060

*All tests measured in seconds, except for Cinebench. On the Cinebench test, the higher number is better. Times in bold are the best in that category. Tested on Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1.

Avast Free's feature set is by far the best out there in a free suite. Tools like using reputation to evaluate downloaded file safety; a lightweight browser add-on that doesn't interfere with your preferred search and provides on-the-fly site reputation; system-level rootkit prevention; and its AutoSandbox help hold its own against many paid suites. It lays a light hand on your computer's performance, and the interface is clean and goes easy on the jargon.

Avast did have one drawback that made us hesitate: Its third-party efficacy benchmarks were not as good in the second half of 2011 as they were in the first half. They weren't terrible, but they could've been better. If the trend continues into this year, that could spell problems for the Czech company, but for now we're comfortable awarding Avast based on prior good performance and its heavy reliance on its enormous user base for anonymously contributing reputation data. You're still more likely than not to be safe with it.

Security Program	Boot time	Shutdown time	Scan time	MS Office performance	iTunes decoding	Media multitasking	Cinebench
Unprotected system	40	6	n/a	395	120	342	17,711
Average of all tested systems (free version 2012)	69.8	11.7	1,122.3	410	125	345	17,060
Ad-Aware 9.5 Free Internet Security	59	12.8	2,076	406	123	342	17,132
AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012	66.3	12	753	411	125	347	17,131
Avira Free Antivirus 2012	98.8	12.4	860	409	125	347	17,000
Avast Free Antivirus 2012	55.2	9.6	800	412	126	347	16,976

*All tests measured in seconds, except for Cinebench. On the Cinebench test, the higher number is better. Times in bold are the best in that category. Tested on Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1.

(Note that Microsoft Security Essentials and Panda Cloud Antivirus did not release major updates in the past year, so they're not included in our chart.)