Best free antivirus programs review

Extremely intuitive interface. Which Is the Best Free Antivirus? The Software Updater scans your computer and immediately reports any out-of-date software it finds that needs to be upgraded. With a one-click option, you can use the Software Updater to click a link to find out what changed in each product or install all the updates at once. Avast also allows you to add any new programs that are run full-screen and offers the option for you to add into the list If you love the Free version of Avast Antivirus, it might be a good choice to upgrade to the Premium version.

Avast Free Antivirus Pros. Avast Free Antivirus Cons. AVG Antivirus Free. Are you concerned about the contents of the email messages that you open in your inbox. Avira Antivirus. Avira Antivirus Pros. Avira Antivirus Cons. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition. Although the paid version has much stronger antivirus protection features and functionality than the free edition, the free version is still an excellent choice when it comes to its security features in helping your computer system detect a virus or malware quickly and swiftly before it infects your entire system.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition Pros. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition Cons. Kapersky Security Cloud Free. Another useful feature of Kapersky's antivirus suite is its vulnerability scan. A list of vulnerable programs is generated after performing the vulnerability scan on your computer system.

Kapersky Security Cloud Free Pros. Kapersky Security Cloud Free Cons. Microsoft Defender. There are customizable advanced scans to help deep-dive into your computer system. You can easily schedule a scan for a specific time or date. You can even configure recurring scans at a set schedule or interval such as once per day, week, or month. You simply open "Task Scheduler" and select "Windows Defender" to manage scheduled scans.

Microsoft Defender Pros. Microsoft Defender Cons. Sophos Home Free. Some of its key free features included in the product include: Predictive artificial intelligence AI threat detection Real-time antivirus Parental website filtering Web protection Remote management.

If you have a young family and care about what Internet websites are visited, Sophos provides a parental controls features that allows you to control the content that your children can view online. Some of the premium features include: Password manager File encryption File shredder Backup software Banking protection Privacy protection Identity protection Access to a virtual private network VPN Advanced web security Ransomware security Advanced real-time threat prevention Advanced malware scan and clean Premium support The Sophos antivirus security suite offers great options in both its Free and Premium versions.

Sophos Home Free Pros. Sophos Home Free Cons. What Makes a Good Antivirus Program? Malware Detection and Removal Many viruses, malware, or other attacks can be either in compressed or uncompressed form. Comprehensive Virus Scan Having a regularly scheduled virus scan at certain time intervals can be an effective way at protecting your computer system from attacks. Identity Protection With more and more cyber attacks targeting identity theft, finding the right anti virus software that protects users from cyber criminals from accessing sensitive personal data becomes more and more important.

Data Backup Sometimes your computer is under attack and there is not much you can do. Email Protection Email is the center of most communications between employees and other business leaders at different companies. Our recommendation: McAfee From phishing scams to malware attacks, security threats grow increasingly by the day.

Conclusion Finding the best free antivirus software can be difficult to sort through different internet security providers that provide antivirus programs both with a free version and paid version. Is paying for antivirus a waste of money? Not at all. You must have an antivirus program installed on your computer.

However, this does not imply that you must pay for it. If you use the Internet which you are, if you are reading this article , you run the risk of contracting malware, a virus, or another type of malicious computer program.

Are paid antivirus better than free? With a paid version of antivirus software, you can shield your PC from malware such as trojans, worms, and ransomware. The latest edition of Avast's free antivirus - now branded Avast One Essential - adds an automatic gaming mode to mute popups and reduce system load when you're firing up a processor-hungry game, which is very handy indeed, and the interface has been given a clean new overhaul.

There's a password manager, too, which is an undeniably good addition to your security portfolio. It scores well on AV-TEST's widespread malware benchmark and continues a clean sweep against 0-day attacks — presumably that expanded detection network is really helping. Less impressive is the slight negative effect Avast has on software launch times, and its slightly popup-heavy attitude. Review and where to download: Avast Free Antivirus. Microsoft Defender formerly Windows Defender was generally seen as a bit of a joke in the not-too-distant past.

It performed terribly by most measures and was a good advert for why you should really pay for antivirus. But as we explain further up this article, Microsoft Defender has come on leaps and bounds and can now legitimately be mentioned in the same company as Bitdefender, Norton and Kaspersky. As well as very solid virus protection, Defender has extra bits and bobs like a ransomware shield, webcam protection, privacy tools and even basic parental controls and cloud backup.

And the best bit No need to download a thing, just find it in your menu and get protected straight away. Read more and see how to use: Microsoft Defender review. The paid-for version of Kaspersky's Windows security software frequently tops charts of best virus prevention solutions and AV-TEST once again gave it full marks across the board in its latest round of testing. As you would expect, Kaspersky Free is a scaled down version of the full program - a tool that we really like more on which below.

The free version ditches additional features such as privacy protection and safe payment sandboxes to concentrate on powerful, no-frills and - most importantly - free protection for your PC. The result is a tremendously easy to use and navigate bit of software that does an effective job of keeping you protected from viruses.

Using the nuts and bolts real-world scanning engine of the paid-for suite, Kaspersky Free is fiendishly hard for viruses and trojan horses to break down. And we love that it doesn't constantly pester you with nudges to upgrade to the full version. But, ironically, we will just for a moment, because Kasperksy Anti-Virus isn't expensive to buy and yet affords much better protection to your PC or PCs. Review and where to download: Kaspersky Free.

Marketing itself as "business-grade security", Sophos Home does a little more than most free antivirus software, and actually seems better suited to families. You get standard virus protection and anti-malware protection, along with browser tools like anti-phishing and, most importantly, content control.

Combined with central management of up to 10 PCs, this means you can effectively lock down your kids' browsing options. Although Sophos Home has always had desktop notifications, there was no premium version of the software for it to encourage an upgrade to.

That changed in February with the launch of Sophos Home Premium. Review and where to download: Sophos Home. Each entry in this list has been carefully chosen for its business features, such as remote installation and central management.

The best business antivirus software will have enterprise-level protection against threats, but that doesn't mean they have to cost a lot of money, either. The price per installation can sometimes be cheaper than even our recommended best antivirus packages.

Avast Business Antivirus Pro An excellent business antivirus suite, giving you various tools such as virus protection, Firewall, email protection, anti-spam and the ability to sandbox applications for complete security. Avast Business Antivirus Pro as opposed to the standard Avast Business Antivirus also includes Sharepoint and Exchange protection, as well as a number of tools for your servers.

Bitdefender products are loved by the independent testing labs, highly rated for malware detection, removal, performance and usability. Most of the features work automatically — anti-malware, firewall, web advisor, URL filtering — but you can also customise the product to control user actions.

Symantec Endpoint Protection Symantec's first benefit is the company's Insight file reputation technology, an effective way to detect and block even the very latest undiscovered threats.

Other layers of protection include virus protection, behaviour monitoring, intrusion protection, a firewall, and the 'Power Eraser' to remove stubborn threats and repair your system. Avira Antivirus for Endpoint This is Avira's main small business product. It takes all the core features you'd expect — antivirus, baseline network protection, web filtering — and extends them with file server protection and optimisation, along with application whitelisting and blacklisting. The desktop side of the package has all the usual quality Kaspersky modules — antivirus, antispam, a firewall, more — but the mobile security technologies are even more impressive.

Mike began his career as a lead software developer in the engineering world, where his creations were used by big-name companies from Rolls Royce to British Nuclear Fuels and British Aerospace. He now covers VPNs, antivirus and all things security for TechRadar, although he still has a secret love of quirky open-source and freeware apps which find brand new ways to solve common problems.

North America. If you're looking for the best possible protection for your online devices in , then you've come to the right place - we've tested all of the best antivirus providers out there to come up with a definitive list of the absolute greatest. View Deal. Bitdefender Antivirus. Maximum devices covered: Stand out features: Safepay banking protection, privacy tools, multi-layered anti-ransomware, VPN. Reasons to avoid - Room for improvement on detection.

Norton AntiVirus. Stand out features: Intelligent firewall, PC maintenance features, bundled backup tool with online storage. Reasons to avoid - Mixed results from the testing labs. Kaspersky Anti-Virus.

Honestly, if you practice safe computing -- you keep your software up to date, you use strong passwords with the help of a password manager , you steer clear of unexpected emails and you don't click suspicious links that may be phishing attempts -- you probably can avoid zero-day attacks and ransomware attacks.

And with the free Microsoft Defender Antivirus software running on Windows 10, you have a malware protection safety net if you do let your guard down.

In fact, it is one of the best antivirus software. Note that Microsoft changed the name of Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender and has expanded the service to other platforms.

This free antivirus program is built into Windows and it's turned on by default, the antivirus engine does its thing, and this antivirus solution will cover the basics of internet security. Microsoft pushes new updates frequently. Defender also lets you tune the level of protection you want, giving you control over blocking potentially unwanted apps and protecting folders and files from a ransomware attack.

Note that Windows 10 will automatically disable its own Windows Defender antivirus when you install third-party antivirus. If you uninstall the third-party protection, Windows 10 will turn back on its own antivirus. Norton antivirus provides industry-leading security software for PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Note, we don't think antivirus protection is terribly useful outside the Windows realm.

In addition to malware and virus protection for your computer and mobile device, this antivirus suite provides GB of backup to the cloud, safe-browsing tools, a secure VPN, password manager, parental controls and LifeLock identity theft protection and fraud alert.

While not all of those services are necessarily best in their respective class, getting them all in one package is a compelling option. If you'd like to take a step up in securing your PC without taxing your wallet, it's hard to beat Bitdefender's free antivirus software for Windows The Windows security software offers real-time monitoring for viruses, malware, spyware and ransomware protection.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is easy to set up and stays out of your way until you need it. And the protection this antivirus product offers is solid. Bitdefender antivirus software consistently earns top marks for its antivirus protection and usability from the respected AV-Test independent testing lab.

The free antivirus version covers one Windows PC. Malwarebytes does protect your PC from a virus or malware attack, scoring reasonably well in recent independent testing for guarding against malware threats.

But that's not really what Malwarebytes is known for. If you find yourself in trouble, the go-to disinfectant for many is Malwarebytes.

To get the antivirus company's free antivirus version, download this trial version , which "downgrades" to a no-fee on-demand cleaner with fewer features that detects and removes viruses and malware when you run an on-demand antivirus scan after 14 days.

In addition to the four antivirus apps we recommend above, a handful of other anti-malware tools are worth considering among the best antivirus protection if you find them at a better price or just prefer to use one over our picks above.

It feels like McAfee Antivirus has been around forever, first on its own in the '80s, then as part of Intel starting in , and then again on its own when Intel spun it off in And McAfee Total Protection has been around forever because quarter after quarter it creates solid, modern antivirus software that protects your PC.

In recent evaluations by AV-Test, it had high scores on both protection and performance. Maybe this antivirus provider is not as well known to consumers because of its focus on enterprise security, Trend Micro antivirus quietly brings its business expertise to the home with its Trend Micro Maximum Security tools. Trend Micro's software earns high marks from AV-Test -- consistently scoring well for detecting zero-day attacks and widespread viruses and malware.

And Trend Micro does a good job of not taxing system resources. Free version? It earns high scores for usability and offers solid virus protection. After 30 days, your installation is downgraded to the free edition and you lose the ran. For most people, the built-in security features in Windows 10 are indeed good enough, That includes Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which is tuned on automatically and updates itself continuously.

It also includes a built-in firewall which is on by defa. Security software makers pay for the privilege of participating in these tests, which use a mix of known malware samples, suspicious website behaviors, and other indicators to measure success. The difference between a In researching the prices of commercial security software for use on home PCs, on thing we learned is that there's no such thing as a fixed price.

If you check out the price of a product and try to navigate away from the page, chances are you'll be off. We looked at currently available security software products for PCs running Windows 10, concentrating on those with a well-established reputation and a well-tested infrastructure for delivering updates.

We did not consider software designed for use on other platforms, including MacOS and mobile devices. We installed each program in a virtual machine to get a feel for its user experience, but we didn't do any further testing ourselves.

We insisted, instead, on a solid record of test results from two leading software test labs: AV-Comparatives and AV-Test. Most importantly, as it says in the title, the software and accompanying services have to be completely free for long-term use, with no expiration date or hidden costs. That filter knocks some well-known, even iconic names in security software off the list, including McAfee, Norton, and Trend Micro. Every security software package involves a trade-off between protection and convenience.

The free packages we describe here add another layer to that equation, with varying degrees of advertising designed to convince you to upgrade your free program to a paid subscription. Each package also offers a mix of added features, which may or may not be of value to you. In terms of effectiveness against online threats, we don't believe there's a profound difference between these packages.

That means the best way to choose is to install a package and try it out for long enough to decide whether the interface and the upsell offers are acceptable. If you find a package too intrusive, uninstall and move on to the next candidate on the list. Best rugged laptops in Work anywhere, in any conditions. Best online doctorate in management Top picks.