As The Tech Report points out, this puts Windows Defender on the same level as Kaspersky’s Internet Security 19 and F-Secure’s SAFE17:
AV-Test is an independent organization that evaluates and rates security software. The Germany-based company has been around for well over a decade and tests just about every security suite out there. The firm tests each product across three categories: protection, performance, and usability. AV-Test tests each category on a six-point scale, and Microsoft Defender 4.18 received three sixes from the firm. The honor is currently only shared by Kaspersky’s Internet Security 19 and F-Secure’s SAFE17.
It’s worth noting that these tests are updated constantly, with Avast having been atop the heap at the beginning of this year, with Windows Defender’s scores falling just short.