best free anti virus

The Best Free Antivirus To Use on Your PC

by

How to know which is the Best Free Antivirus

Malware, Adware, and Spyware can easily be the order of the day for you if you do not protect your system. Every time you go online, there is always a big probability that you might click or download a malicious link that can compromise your system and even result in data loss. The statistics on hacking have always been a huge concern because even the newest system with new malware defenders are still not secure enough. This is one of the reasons that we always recommend to our readers that even though the Windows 10 defender is much stronger than all the previous versions, it still has a few loopholes that can result in detrimental loss.

How does the Best Free Antivirus compare to Paid Antivirus?

I really wish I could tell you that with a free antivirus you’ll never have to worry about malware, but that would be a lie. The free Antivirus available today are much better than the ones we had a couple of years ago, but they still leave a lot to be desired. Most of the companies offering free antivirus software also have paid packages. Therefore, these guys will offer you some of the most basic features in their free versions and retain several key features for their premium packages. In essence, free antivirus software offers partial protection. Most of them will not give you keyword managers, kids protection, and a host of other useful features that are paramount for any system. Some reports even suggest that certain antivirus software is designed to slow down systems deliberately just so the user can upgrade to their more secure and less resource-intensive commercial packages.

Since we understand that paying for Antivirus is not everyone’s highest priorities and that security and privacy is still key, we went out in search for an antivirus that could offer the best malware protection for free. Take note that in this review, we are going to discuss the best free antivirus software overall. This basically refers to the antivirus software that performs well across the board. Therefore, if you are just coming from splashing some of your cash on the best laptop out there, then these are the best options for you. However, if your needs are more specific, your best picks might be slightly different. For instance, if your system is already infected and you are looking for the best free Antivirus to clean up your system, then a malware removal software such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free may be a slightly better option than some of the software we will discuss below. In the same way, if you are more concerned about identity theft, then the best software for you might be the ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus. Here is the drawback though; while these particular antiviruses may be excellent in one particular aspect, they are usually average or below average on all other fronts. It’s for that reason that our description for the best free Antivirus is a software that offers the best of everything.

So, what’s the best free Antivirus available today?

The best Antivirus at the moment is the Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition. Bitdefender has arguably the best Antivirus overall, and their expertise is fully felt with this free version. Yes, it is not as feature-packed as the paid packages, but it effectively offers everything you would expect in free antivirus software. Here is a more detailed review on this and other free antivirus software:

Bitdefender Free Antivirus

Bitdefender Free Antivirus offers best-in-class protection against malware. What makes this Antivirus so special is not just its ability to block Antivirus or remove them from your system but also on how it makes your day-to-day life a breeze. How so? Well, Bitdefender Free Antivirus is super lightweight. The software does not pull so many resources taking just a tiny fraction of your RAM. As a result, you can fully rely on this software to keep you protected from the background without interfering with your other tasks.

Installing this Antivirus is also super easy, and it shouldn’t take anything more than a few seconds. The entire process is very well organized, making sure that even the non-tech savvy consumer can get it done. Once it is fully installed, you can run a system check to detect any pre-existing malware. Bitdefender Free Antivirus can run on full speed in the background either on a specific incoming file or on the entire system, and you still won’t feel like it is slowing down your PC.

The test results from independent labs show that Bitdefender Free Antivirus offers excellent protection against different types of malware. This software performs very well with both the old and new malware. It’s also really great in monitoring all incoming files, browsing and phishing websites. This doesn’t come as a surprise at all because this free AV version features the same technology as the commercial one. The only difference is that the Bitdefender Free Antivirus offers core protection but none of the extras that are found in their paid packages.

Bitdefender Free Antivirus is available in Windows 7, 8 and 10. You can also get the software for Mac and Android.

Other Features

  • Automatic protection
  • Advanced threat defense
  • Web attack prevention
  • Anti-Phishing and Anti-Fraud
  • Automatic Updates

System Requirements

  • 1.5Gb Ram
  • Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
  • At least 800MB space but Bitdefender recommend 2Gb
  • At least 2GHz Intel Core Duo or equivalent

Verdict: Even though Bitdefender Free Antivirus is not feature-packed, it offers reliable core protection that is vital for any system. Therefore, if what you are after is the basic protection and nothing else, then you will love this Antivirus.

Kaspersky Free Antivirus

Coming at a close second is the Kaspersky Free Antivirus. This AV offers excellent malware protection capable of detecting and removing malware from different points of entry. Whether the malware is in an email, incoming or existing file, webpage or even network attacks, the Kaspersky Free Antivirus will be more than ready to shield you.

Installing the software is reasonably easy, and the interface is also user-friendly enough for anyone to use with ease. After installing the software, you can choose the recommended settings, which will make sure malicious tools, auto-dialers, adware, and other suspicious packages are deleted automatically. You can change these settings at any time should they affect the performance of a useful application. While testing the Antivirus, we found the scans to be pretty fast. Also, we noticed that it slightly affects system performance but not too much to slow your device significantly.

Kaspersky Free Antivirus also comes with a system watcher. This is a very useful feature, especially to guys with minimal tech skills. Through the Watcher, Kaspersky can reverse your system and remove all the changes that may have been made by a malicious application.

Other Features

  • Instant messaging
  • Mail scanners
  • Browser plugin
  • On-screen keyboard
  • Network attack blocker
  • File antivirus

System Requirements

  • 1GB RAM
  • Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10
  • 1150 MB of hard disk space
  • At least Internet Explorer 10
  • Processor compatible with SSE2

Verdict: The Kaspersky Free Antivirus is a brilliant piece of software worthy of your consideration. It will wipe your system clean of existing malware and protect you from suspicious links and other malware, ensuring that nothing compromises your security and privacy.

Avast Free Antivirus

Avast Free Antivirus is not as secured as the other two options above but the one place that it beats them all is in the department of features. With so many AV protection features at your disposal, you will get more from this Antivirus than you would from both Kaspersky and Bitdefender’s free versions.

The installation and use of the Avast Free Antivirus are as simple as it can get. The interface is user-friendly with everything arranged logically enough for an effortless experience.

Even though it is not as secure as the other two, it still does a remarkable job in detecting and blocking suspicious files, links, and malware. It also features anti-phishing tools that will constantly protect you from malware coming for your data. This should offer you the extra protection necessary in today’s vibrant e-commerce and online banking environment.

Avast has also outdone a big majority of other antiviruses with dozens of features. One of the best ones here is the famous game mode which was renamed to Do Not Disturb Mode. This will block all the unnecessary notifications allowing you to concentrate on your games with minimal distractions. The change in name also extended the mode to other functions allowing users to do other stuff such as watching movies and making presentations while barring you from notifications.

Other Features

  • Behavior Shield that monitors the behavior of your system for any inconsistencies
  • Lightweight
  • Easy to install
  • Real-time protection
  • CyberCapture
  • Wi-Fi Inspector
  • Smart Scan
  • Multi-layer security

System Requirements

  • 1GB RAM
  • Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10
  • 2GB hard disk space

Verdict: The Avast Free Antivirus is a great choice for anyone who’s looking for more than just the basic protection. All the extra features found here will definitely enhance your experience in a way that other antiviruses can’t match.