Alternatives to ClamAV
An open source antivirus engine, used mostly for scanning mail servers and file shares rather than desktops. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
ClamAV
An open source antivirus engine, used mostly for scanning mail servers and file shares rather than desktops.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as ClamAV.
VirusTotal
Online service that checks a URL or file against many antivirus engines and URL scanners.
VirusTotal is a web service that checks uploaded files against many antivirus engines, so nothing runs locally but samples are processed by a third party.
Hybrid Analysis
Free online sandbox that runs submitted files and URLs and reports on their behaviour.
Hybrid Analysis runs submitted files in an online sandbox and reports behaviour instead of matching signatures, with samples handled by a third-party service.
F-Secure Total
Consumer security suite bundling antivirus, VPN and a password manager.
F-Secure Total is a paid, closed-source consumer suite with real-time desktop and mobile protection plus VPN and password manager, rather than a server scanning engine.
Acronis True Image
Personal backup application from Acronis that combines image-based backup with anti-malware protection.
Acronis True Image is paid, closed-source Windows and macOS software that pairs anti-malware protection with image-based system backup rather than server-side file scanning.
ESET HOME Security
A commercial antivirus and internet security suite for home computers and phones.
ESET HOME Security is a paid closed-source suite with real-time protection and anti-phishing for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, aimed at households rather than server pipelines.
Malwarebytes
An anti-malware scanner with real-time protection, VPN and scam detection for computers and phones.
Malwarebytes is a closed-source freemium scanner for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS with real-time protection mostly behind a paid plan, and no Linux or server embedding.
Avast Free Antivirus
A free antivirus for Windows, Mac and Android from Avast, alongside optional paid products.
Avast Free Antivirus provides free desktop protection for Windows, macOS and Android, but it is closed source, promotes paid products and is not designed for mail servers.
AVG AntiVirus Free
A free antivirus that scans files and downloads and blocks scam websites on computers and phones.
AVG AntiVirus Free adds scam website blocking on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, but it is closed source and limits advanced protection to paid tiers.
Also worth comparing
These listings name ClamAV as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
HitmanPro
A Windows malware scanner and removal tool meant as a second opinion alongside existing antivirus.
ClamAV is a free GPL-2.0 open source engine with open signatures, suited to servers and on-demand scans, though its detection rates trail commercial engines.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Sandboxie-Plus
Runs a Windows program inside an isolated box, so whatever it writes to disk or the registry disappears afterwards.
simplewall
Puts a plain list of programs in front of the Windows Filtering Platform, so you decide what is allowed online.
Portmaster
Shows every connection each application makes and lets you block any of them, with sensible defaults already set.
YARA
Pattern-matching engine for identifying and classifying malware samples.
YARA-X
Match files against rules describing suspicious binary patterns.
capa
Identify likely capabilities inside executable files.
