Zorin OS Antivirus: 4 Best to Enjoy Linux Machines

Released back in 2009, Zorin OS is no longer the new kid on the block. While steadily improving with each version launched, Zorin has remained faithful to its goal which is to simplify the transition process toward Linux.

To put it bluntly, it aims to provide a friendly alternative to Windows and Mac, without the hassle usually associated with switching operating systems. How come, you may ask.

It all boils down to the graphical interface. It’s similar enough to the Windows GUI so that it does not overwhelm or intimidate newcomers.

While fingers have been pointed (implying the OS is little more than a Windows wannabe), we believe Zorin has stumbled upon the magic formula, perfectly balanced to allow anyone to enjoy Linux features even if they never used it before.

Purists and Linux veterans alike can rejoice. With every iteration, Zorin is more and more an authentic Ubuntu-based Linux distribution without sacrificing the ease of use that appeals to the majority familiar with Windows.

Can Zorin OS run Windows programs?

Compatibility is a big deal. Just as Microsoft supports native Linux apps in Windows 10 or even dual-booting Windows 11 and Linux, Zorin allows you to run both Linux and Windows GUI.

The Wine compatibility layer together with PlayOnLinux allow you to run Windows apps and compatible Windows software seamlessly.

This is possible thanks to the Zorin Software Center that allows installing .exe files and even NVIDIA drivers in order for users to enjoy familiar functionalities and layouts.

In fact, the Windows GUI is preserved as the default layout upon deploying Zorin OS, which makes the transition smoother while the intuitive graphical installer makes sure everything falls in place. Pretty cunning, right?

Nevertheless, if preserving the Windows format unspoiled is such a big deal, we cannot help wondering what makes users switch to other platforms in the first place.

Is Zorin better than Windows 10?

Since it’s really not a popularity contest, we will refrain from making assumptions and affirmations that are hard to take back. Is Zorin better than Windows?

There is no universally miraculous formula that caters equally to all needs since users are (thankfully) different and thus, what suits one like a glove will not necessarily present much interest for the other. It ultimately depends on your personal taste, preferences, and expectations.

Is Zorin OS any good? That’s what it all comes down to. As far as ongoing product support, processing speed, and stability are concerned, it delivers and there’s no denying it.

Is Zorin OS stable? Is Zorin OS fast? If you find yourself wondering about any of these topics, then you’ll be pleased to know it provides uncompromised functionality and is overall snappy to retrieve information.

Generally speaking, Linux caters to more advanced users. While it does not necessarily imply technical prowess, it tends to house more niched users. However, the one thing that consistently stands out when it comes to picking one OS over another is security.

Is Zorin OS secure? Linux implemented a privileges-based access control multi-user environment on all its iterations and Zorin makes no exception. The big idea behind this infrastructure is to prevent malware from infiltrating into the system without root access.

Therefore, infection is contained at the binary level and the extent to which it can harm the system depends on the type of privileges associated with the user that runs a particular binary.

The open-source code on which Zorin is based is another security plus. This basically means that any qualified third party can snoop around, audit, review, and pinpoint vulnerabilities, which leads to a quicker resolution.

Security patches are regularly delivered and Zorin OS relies on both long-term Ubuntu releases as well as its own software repositories.

All these advanced security-focused features strengthen Zorin OS’s resistance to malware. But is it malware-proof from end to end?

Does Zorin OS need antivirus?

Linux has the reputation of being more secure and more reliable than other operating systems such as Windows or Mac. Some believe that it’s the root access-based infrastructure that keeps malware at bay, while others tend to give more credit to the boosted security Linux patches.

Then, there are those who believe that the minimal risk can be solely attributed to the fact that Linux claims a smaller market share compared to its main rivals, which makes it an uninteresting target for exploits, with less profit to gain.

While it’s true that some devices need protection more than others and that Linux is less prone to widespread virus attacks, you probably still need a good antivirus.

In fact, no operating system is entirely secure against viruses and malware. However well-protected, Zorin is not immune to viruses. Hence, you will benefit from deploying the best antivirus for Zorin.

Can you get viruses on Linux? Rare as they are, the Linux viruses still exist and Linux servers are just as appealing a prey as any other.

The best way to maximize your defense is to add an additional layer of protection. As always, it is tricky to find the right tool for the right job.

Here’s where our team of expert testers comes in to dissect features and come up with real and reliable information that will help you pick the best antivirus for Zorin.

Tip

Editor’s tip:

In order to ensure that you choose the best antivirus for Zorin, these are some elements you need to take into consideration:

➡ GUI versus CLI interface
➡ Malware-removal capabilities and real-time protection
➡ On-access and on-demand scans
➡ Virus signature updates
➡ Easy deployment and straightforward configuration
➡ Lightweight infrastructure with low CPU consumption
➡ Affordable prices and best value ratio

How to pick the best antivirus for Zorin?

Since Linux and Windows are utterly different, our Quality Assurance team developed an entirely different methodology for the sole purpose of ranking the best antivirus for Zorin.

Needless to say, Linux is not our standard cup of tea, thus we privileged a particular set of qualities that antivirus software must possess in order to stand out. Given the context, we attributed particularly high importance to the usability and to those antiviruses that excel in this department.

If you’re anything like us and just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to the mysteries of Linux, you will probably appreciate most the ease of use. So here goes!

Ease of use

Having established that Linux caters mostly to advanced users, it is fair to assume that the installation and configuration of a Zorin antivirus is not a breeze.

As it turns out, most Linux antiviruses run on command lines via a terminal. However, there are options that come equipped with graphical user interfaces to make things easier.

While both CLI and GUI are acceptable, we suggest you pick the latter if you’re a beginner. ESET is one strong contender for the title of the best antivirus for Zorin as it provides an installation wizard that is similar enough to the good old Windows interface that we all know and love.

NOTE

Support for ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop will be terminated by August 2022. Instead, you will be able to download and enjoy ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux as a standalone product or as part of ESET Protect Entry.

If you would rather not tackle long lines of commands and prefer a more straightforward approach that does not require typing, a GUI-based Zorin antivirus is probably a better choice for you.

On the other hand, CLI antiviruses offer a plethora of advantages as well. If you’re brave enough to take on uncharted territories, make sure you pick software that provides a streamlined installation process as well as Linux repositories that allow downloading software packages directly from the Linux Terminal.

Since you will be required to type your commands in the Terminal in order to execute scans or updates, make sure your CLI-based antivirus is easy enough to deploy, friendly enough to properly use, and that it does not demand huge amounts of navigation.

Affordability

The budget is somewhat relative, nevertheless, we can all align behind some general numbers. The environment and range also influence the price and the type of plan.

As expected, enterprise software will often cost more than products designed for home usage. Nevertheless, business antiviruses often come with bonus features and cover multiple devices.

Speaking about bonus features, it may be healthy to look for an antivirus with integrated additional security options to avoid further investments.

As it turns out, you are more likely to get more bang for your buck by spending a bit more on a singular, comprehensive security suite rather than making more individual purchases as you go.

Security Features

Cross-platform viruses and social engineering-based malware are a Linux user’s worst nightmare. And both are on the rise and determined to trick the most knowledgeable of users into opening the gate to infection through advanced and sophisticated threats, cleverly disguised as harmless services.

The cross-platform trend is also not something you would want to ignore security-wise since it can enable uncontrolled virus propagation through mailboxes and vulnerable file formats.

Your best bet is to choose an antivirus with scan capabilities that apply to all known viruses for all computer platforms.

The best antivirus for Zorin should be able to run both on-access and on-demand scans and provide real-time protection to prevent viruses from penetrating your system in the first place.

If despite all odds, your Linux machine still gets infected, you will benefit from an antivirus that not only boasts high detection rates but scores nicely in the malware-removal section as well.

In other words, the best antivirus for Zorin should be able to promptly neutralize any threats. In addition to strong anti-malware capabilities, your antivirus must deliver the highest possible value.

Bonus features boost the price/quality ratio, therefore you should keep an eye on options such as automatic virus signature and malware database updates, adaptive AI-based detection, firewalls, email scanners, and so on.

Resource consumption rates

Owning a state-of-the-art security product does not mean much if you have to sacrifice performance. The best antivirus for Zorin should not interfere with other processes, nor cause CPU spikes, which will, in turn, cause freezes and unbearable slowness.

We recommend you look for alternatives that are both efficient as well lightweight. Bear in mind that some popular Linux antiviruses are quite resource-hogging and they might hinder your productivity in the long run.

Our tests show that Sophos provides one of the most interesting options on the market when it comes to low consumption rates, so make sure you find out more about this product.

What is the best antivirus for Zorin?

If you mean business, you will definitely need a security solution to not only talk the talk but deliver impenetrable protection for all your assets.

Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security is as good an antivirus as they get. What’s more, you don’t have to take our word for granted!

You can see for yourself and not spend a single dime while doing so thanks to the free trial version graciously provided by the developer.

Sector-leading and award-winning Gravity Zone will take care of your entire infrastructure, covering workstations running on Windows, Mac, and Linux alike.

Unlike ESET, it does not focus on desktop alone but also covers Linux servers, both virtual and physical. In fact, it can protect up to 100 devices, which makes it the perfect choice for small to medium-sized businesses.

If your needs exceed the 100 licenses included, you can always go for a more tailored formula, by unlocking the Enterprise Security version.

Perfectly adapted to house the most popular Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Suse, and more, Gravity Zone is also the best antivirus for Zorin.

Propelled by a unique blend of heuristics, virus signatures, and machine learning, Gravity Zone takes protection one step further.

It incorporates a Process Inspector, Vulnerabilities scanner, advanced network monitoring tools, and sophisticated detection algorithms to identify and promptly neutralize any suspicious activity. Comprehensive reports and prompt notifications are implicit.

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F-Secure Linux Security promises solid malware defense across numerous Linux distributions from 32-bit to 64-bit iterations such as Debian, Ubuntu, Suse, and more.

Needless to say, it manages to climb to the success ladder, qualifying as the best antivirus for Zorin.

F-Secure made sure every single aspect of your defense is tackled appropriately, client and server-wise. In fact, you can configure this antivirus as Client or Server Edition and even pick the type of interface that best suits your need, GUI or CLI.

Let’s take a closer look at what each edition has to offer. If you prefer using a graphical interface, then the Full Edition is probably best for you.

Besides the straightforward configuration, you will also enjoy robust real-time protection against malware and unified management over the entire lot of terminals having the F-Secure security agent deployed.

Furthermore, this best antivirus for Zorin incorporates cutting-edge intrusion-detection technology to identify any file or kernel modifications. As a result, it will send alerts and also provide full reports on all system activities.

The Integrity Checking function is paired with an intelligent firewall that will keep your entire network safe from intruders and prevent hackers from gaining access to sensitive information on your corporate servers.

On the other hand, the CLI Edition runs on command lines only, which makes it a less appealing choice for Linux newcomers, not to mention that there is no real-time protection.

If this best antivirus for Zorin runs discreetly in the background with the Full Edition, you will not enjoy the same uninterrupted protection in the CLI version. The latter only provides on-demand scans.

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When it comes to popular choices for Linux antiviruses, Sophos is a strong contender. And we dare say, it’s for the right reasons.

To begin with, it provides unrivaled protection against Linux-specific malware as well as threats commonly associated with other OSs such as Windows, Mac, or Android.

Its cross-platform functionality is only matched by its comprehensive defensive mechanisms, which will successfully eradicate any nuisance (trojans, viruses, all types of malware, worms, etc.) from both Linux desktop and servers.

This best antivirus for Zorin relies heavily on heuristics to prevent malware from infiltrating your Linux machine. Thus, it executes potentially dangerous programs in an isolated environment, which brings Sophos a bit closer to sandbox software rather than to traditional antiviruses.

Sophos Anti-Virus for Linux boats both on-access and on-demand scans. This means that you basically have real-time protection and can only access a repository as long as it is safe.

Looking to step up your game? On-demand scans – the ones that you initiate – are also available and the configuration choices here are endless.

Highly customizable, Sophos allows you to choose the file types you want to scan, exclude specific items from the scanning process, scan the entire machine, a boot sector, remote computers, archives, and more.

One particular aspect that we enjoyed is its lightweight infrastructure that has little to no impact on your resources. Execution-wise, the process is also very discrete and the software updates claim no more than 50 KB.

With this kind of stealth going on, Sophos is not only the best antivirus for Zorin, but also an excellent protection choice to deploy on lower specs machines since it will run quietly in the background without slowing you down.

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The last but certainly not the least software to make it at our top is Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced.

If you’re looking for a hybrid solution that can easily adapt to all major platforms, this best antivirus for Zorin will not fail to deliver.

It provides centralized, yet flexible management in the most heterogenous of environments that house Linux, Windows, and macOS running workstations alike.

Its high efficiency against ransomware attacks will allow you to manage cybersecurity at a wide scale and the best part is that it covers all your assets: applications, Web and device, terminal servers, mobile, and cloud, on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.

Kaspersky boasts multi-layered protection propelled by a unique combination of behavior detection, remediation engine, and machine learning.

This impressive suite is completed by exploit prevention and deep vulnerability assessment, making it the best antivirus for Zorin money can buy.

Additional features such as defense for servers and cloud-enabled controls will protect your data on every endpoint without straining performance.

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Bottom runners

Besides the products that made the list after our rigorous testing process, there have been other antiviruses that proved their capabilities.

Even though they will most likely not with an award for the best antivirus for Zorin anytime soon, they could still make good options to consider.

➡ McAfee

Designed for Linux systems, this solution provides the much-needed on-access and real-time scans to keep your enterprise assets secure at all times.

It runs quietly but effectively in the background and makes use of behavioral detection to swiftly pick up on both Linux-specific threats as well as Mac or Windows viruses.

➡ ClamAV

Highly praised throughout the Linux community, ClamAV identifies as free and open-source software, just like Zorin itself.

Since cross-platform compatibility is going strong, this antivirus supports Linux as well as Windows and macOS infrastructures, and its versatility appeals to an increasing number of enthusiasts.

Finally, you will not operate a graphical interface in ClamAV anytime soon, which is a major plus for those who prefer running directly on the terminal. However, if you’re not a CLI aficionado, this may not be the best option out there.

➡ Comodo Antivirus for Linux

A fairly decent option to consider in order to strengthen your defense, Comodo will work just as well on numerous other Linux distributions from Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, Debian, or Suse in both 32-bit and 64-bit infrastructures, clients, and servers.

Its scanning offer is particularly appealing and it includes a real-time on-access scanner tool, convenient scan scheduler options, and customizable scans of files, folders, drivers, and even removable devices.

Still not convinced? There is no pressure whatsoever. The best part of this best AV is that it is available for free and up for grabs as long as you own a compatible Linux distribution. 

With its practical Windows and Mac preset layouts and overall strong security, Linux is steadily attracting more and more newcomers.

If its rather tiny market share used to act as a protective shield in itself, the popularity boost now makes Linux distributions increasingly attractive targets for cyberattacks. And Zorin OS makes no exception.

It’s still up to individual users like you or us to protect our assets as best as we can. What better way to immunize your machine against malware or Linux-specific viruses than by using the best antivirus for Zorin?

Do check our options above to make sure you choose wisely.