Plus, Windows Defender consistently ranks below the top antivirus scanners in our independent lab testing. The free downloads on this list are from top-notch cybersecurity companies that are offering their premium antivirus protection for free.
And some of the free programs on my list also include additional cybersecurity protections. Free antiviruses like Avira and TotalAV are pretty good, but their paid versions are way better — to begin with, they come with all of the internet security protections you need to stay as safe as possible online. Together with a malware scanner, these tools are crucial to building a good online defense against hackers, scammers, and predators.
Here are a few of them:. Avira Free Security for Windows is my favorite free Windows antivirus in — it has one of the best anti-malware engines on the market, includes more free features than any other competitor, and is really easy to use. Paid programs like McAfee and Norton are equally effective at detecting malware, but their full disk scans will slow down your system much more than Avira will.
The Safe Shopping browser extension for Firefox and Chrome is really good — it blocks suspicious phishing sites, web trackers, and unwanted advertisements. The extension also automatically recommends links to better deals when shopping online.
Download Avira Free Now. Another thing that makes Panda a good choice for Windows users is the Rescue Kit feature, which allows you to download a bootable version of Panda to a USB drive and then use the USB drive to clean an infected PC and get it up and running again. With lightweight malware scanning, an automatic gaming mode, a Rescue Kit, and a VPN, Panda is an excellent free internet security product. Download Panda Free Now. It uses a huge blacklist to identify known phishing sites as well as an AI-powered phishing detection system to detect new threats.
TotalAV is also the most intuitive free Windows antivirus on this list, with easy-to-use and easy-to-understand features and functions inside a minimalistic, well-designed dashboard. Kaspersky Security Cloud — Free is good at detecting and removing malware, and it also comes with plenty of extras — including:.
All Kaspersky purchases include a day money-back guarantee. What follows is the description of its plan, and will be updated once we have tested the updates. Its core antivirus capabilities are very strong, with Kaspersky ranking at or near the top in all the most recent reports from the big independent test labs. Kaspersky also benefits from some nifty self-protection routines. The good news is that when it comes to extras, the bigger suites bundle more interesting functionality.
Kaspersky Internet Security introduces an intelligent firewall which hardly ever bothers you with any queries , plus a secure browser, and it offers coverage for Macs, along with Android and iOS mobile devices. Kaspersky Total Security brings in more on top of all that, including smart parental controls, a fully-fledged password manager, and automated local or Dropbox backups. Another strong suit is the fact that this antivirus is currently top dog when it comes to blocking phishing sites according to AV-Comparatives , and it provides great web browsing protection including Pay Guard as a secure environment for the likes of online banking.
Weak points? However, you do of course get more functionality with the higher-level security suites from Trend Micro. The next tier product, Trend Micro Internet Security, throws in some interesting extras including parental controls and social media protection tools.
Whereas most updates on this list are fairly superficial, Avast ripped everything up and started again for its latest release - introducing Avast One. Avast One takes the firm's trusted free antivirus now known as Avast One Essential and builds on it with extra features.
Whether you choose to go free or upgrade, the software is really in favor with the independent testing labs at the moment, ranking towards the top of the pile in real-world malware tests and anti-phishing tasks. You also benefit from a simple firewall, data breach scanning to warn you if your online accounts are breached, and apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.
So why bother paying for Avast One? You'd have to really want one of those specific add-ons to want to part with your cash, otherwise we'd suggest going for a more fully featured internet security suite or just sticking with the free Essential download.
We saw a lot more thought pieces coming out in suggesting that the time was at an end to pay for your antivirus software. And while we generally disagree with that notion, Microsoft Defender is probably the best argument in its favor. That's because if you're a Windows user, there's a perfectly capable virus protection already sitting within your operating system. Microsoft Defender is a solid product that gives capable mid-range protection - mostly without users ever even knowing it's there.
Defender has a dashboard, its own scan options and so on, but you'll never even see them unless you go looking. In the testing from independent lab AV-Comparatives, Defender ranked pretty much slap bang in the middle of the 17 tested providers. That means it's better at protecting your PC than even some of paid-for software out there. Outside of pure virus protection, it features lots of bonus features such as multi-layered anti-ransomware, firewall, webcam and privacy protection, web filtering, parental controls and backup.
So what's stopping you from forgetting the rest and simply getting Defender up and running? Well, those features mentioned above are all pretty basic and aren't up the standard of those offered by most of the security suites above. And it probably goes without saying that Defender is only available on Windows PCs - forget protecting your Mac or smartphone - and some features only play nice if you use Edge as your browser.
In truth, Avira is probably best known for its Avira Free antivirus option which is among the best out there - see further down this page , but its premium packages should not be sniffed at — especially when you consider the incredible price you can now pay for its Antivirus Pro package. The interface is smart and the various features — including the free but limited to 1GB monthly VPN — are now better integrated within the UI overall. The caveat here is that the ratings of the antivirus engine from independent test labs are only middling at best — but the app does provide a decent enough level of protection.
Upgrading to the Internet Security or Prime plan adds further features like a full password manager, and the Pro version of Software Updater which provides automatic updates for your apps , plus Prime gives you the unlimited usage version of the VPN and mobile app support. A real bargain. McAfee takes an interesting approach with its security range, as all the offerings are variants of its core Total Protection product, with the main difference being more devices are supported at higher tiers.
McAfee Total Protection Single Device is the entry-level antivirus product, and as the name suggests, it covers one device. There are also a ton of features on offer, particularly for a baseline product, and even if not all of them are of the highest quality, you get a lot for your money. That includes an intelligent firewall, an integrated TunnelBear -powered VPN with unlimited data, a quality spam filter, secure file vault, and some PC speed-up options.
The main stumbling block here is that the antivirus engine itself is not the best out there — although some results from independent test labs come out better than others — but this has to be something of a concern.
Further up the Webroot range, SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus expands coverage from Windows and Mac PCs to mobile devices, also providing a password manager courtesy of LastPass and covering up to five devices rather than three. And at the top of the tree is Internet Security Complete which introduces an automatic backup tool with 25GB of secure cloud storage and additional online privacy features.
SecureAnywhere AntiVirus gives you everything you need, really, although Internet Security Plus is our top pick for the most rounded package. Sophos Home Premium covers up to an impressive 10 devices Windows and Mac computers.
Sophos provides capable virus protection, and worked well in passing our own anti-ransomware tests. For the antivirus software on offer — and given the 10 device ceiling — Sophos Home Premium could work out as a great value proposition for those who want to protect multiple computers. Just note that Sophos no longer offers a long-term free version to new users. You'll see on the website you can download it for free, but that's just a trial version rather than an all-singing all-dancing free antivirus package.
We've tested all of the biggest names in internet security, we've found that the very best antivirus software in is Bitdefender. It's a superb bit of software - from its entry-level Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and its cast-iron malware defenses, excellent threat detection and genuinely value-adding extra features, right up to its all-singing, all-dancing Total Security that adds an array of maintenance tools and can be used to protect your family's computers, tablets and phones.
An antivirus app sits on your device like a guard dog, watching over the entire system and sniffing out any intruders malware , or indeed anything suspicious.
In short, it offers real-time defenses against viruses or other threats, which if detected are immediately dealt with, preventing them from carrying out their destructive payload. As well as this automated protection, you can run manual virus scans whenever you wish. Think of these as the fingerprints of malware, and if something is spotted coming onto your system that has a matching fingerprint, the antivirus leaps into action, quarantining the offender.
For more details on this topic, see our full breakdown of exactly how antivirus software works. Thus this antivirus constitutes a full-blown firewall, hosted online backup, and spam filtering feature. So, the current edition adds online banking security, script control, Wi-Fi security , and many more.
Moreover, Norton AntiVirus Plus offers some customization options to manage the settings. Therefore we really like the URL blocker that can defend from even obtaining the malware by defending users by blocking visits to known websites. Hence, this antivirus program or tool is ever observant and runs continuously, with scanning, additionally available on demand.
Next, we will discuss the McAfee Internet security, basically, this application has a good number of valuable features in its standalone antivirus product. Not every user needs parental control or spam filtering. They begin with an uncomplicated antivirus, add features to create it out into a security suite, and store on even more features to build a mega security-suite.
However, apart from all these things, the fact is that Panda has been moving away from that model for some time. Thus SAFE shields you from viruses like trojans and ransomware. Moreover, it also guards your online banking connection and transactions; and not only that even you can also set limits for internet practice, especially for children. Thus the packages typically receive maximum marks for security from AV-Test and generally score highly with AV-Comparatives.
This application has a minimum effect on your system execution, and if you do want to arbitrate, then you can solve any issues in a couple of clicks. ESET Antivirus appears with real-time malware protection, some of the best detection around, as it offers anti-ransomware layer, general protection, URL filtering to obstruct ill-disposed websites, and modules to block strikes using PowerShell and ill-disposed scripts.
Hence, a device control module narrows the risk of harm from other devices by regulating access to USB sticks and its external hard drives, optical storage media, also devices joining by Bluetooth and FireWire. Moreover, one of the current features in the latest update is the UEFI Scanner, which shields you from different threats that attack your PC before Windows has also started.
Next, we will discuss the Comodo windows antivirus , this antivirus is a more complex setup that makes this solution better fitted for a specialist user, rather than a beginner. Th e main thing is that once this application is installed, it is very useful and efficient at virus exposure , and then holds them wholly detached with a feature called Auto Sandbox Technology.
Not only this, there is an additional feature that is the cloud-based antivirus scanning that can expose the latest viruses from all over the internet. Thus it does not rely on local virus names being up to date.
Lastly, we will discuss the Avast antivirus, this is one of the well-known and free Antivirus tool which is a pin down from the top. While apart from all these things Avast now has more extra data to work with, and it also has its expanded active userbase as well.
Thus the most modern edition of Avast Free Antivirus adds an automated gaming mode to inarticulate popups and decrease the system load when you are hurling up a processor-hungry game, which is very handy surely. While now if we talk about the UI, then let me clarify that the user interface is really clean and new overall. Unique features: Automatic scans, Drive-by crypto mining infection prevention, Simplified security management, Remote management.
Kaspersky Free Pricing: Free No. This award-winning Security Site, in 18 years of its launch, has already carved itself a place in the world of Cyber Security. With its innovative Cyber Security Solutions, BullGuard has been instrumental in creating a safe digital environment for consumers and small businesses.
Not only is the software fast and efficient, but it is also easy-to-use, and ranks high on user-interface. Avast Antivirus. With a longstanding reputation to back it up, and a seamless family of applications across multiple platforms, Avast is your go-to Antivirus Software.
The program is super light, and therefore, provides maximum protection, without bogging down your computer. However, the paid version, Avast Pro, takes it up a notch with excellent features. Unique Features: Wi-fi inspector, Browser cleanup, Smart analytics, Customer Support via messaging within the software. To avail a better price for Avast Premium Security, you can sign up for a multi-year package.
F-Secure Shielding consumers and enterprises for three decades now, F-Secure has bagged a position for its protection, no less than its performance. The program is light, and has a simple, easy-to-use interface, which can only come from a company with such a long history in the field.
In case the phone cannot be found, the program will enable you to remotely lock it, or delete all the data. Trend Micro. This multinational Cyber Security company has played an instrumental role in making the world a safer place to exchange digital information.
You can avail the product for a day Free Trial to fully clean up your system, and check the compatibility. With an aim to protect businesses and individuals in a connected world, Webroot delivers a range of excellent next-gen security services.
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