By Neil G. Rubinkin – December 09, 2023
Overview
It is true that the Windows operating system comes with a built-in antivirus tool. If nothing else stands between you and the hordes of malware ready to attack, it fights to defend you. But if you install a third-party antivirus program, it enters sleep mode. Why? Because the best third-party antivirus tools are simply better. And some of these excellent options cost the same as Microsoft’s built-in antivirus – nothing. We have compiled a selection of free and powerful antivirus tools to consider.
Free Antivirus vs. Paid Antivirus
If free antivirus tools are so good at online security protection, why should anyone pay? One reason is that many of these tools are free only for non-commercial use. If you want to protect your business, you need to pay for the paid version. You may also want to consider upgrading to a full security suite in this case. After all, it’s your business security at stake.
Even for personal use, most paid antivirus tools offer more features than their free counterparts – sometimes by large margins. For example, the paid version of ZoneAlarm adds protection against malicious and phishing sites, which the free version lacks. Panda retains a substantial number of features for paid customers: firewall protection, application monitoring, multi-platform support, and detection of insecure wireless communications.
Furthermore, many companies do not provide comprehensive technical support for users of their free versions. The first time you need additional help removing a stubborn piece of malware from your system, you may regret the lack of support.
Results from Independent Antivirus Lab Tests
Around the world, researchers at independent antivirus testing labs spend their days testing antivirus tools. Some of these labs regularly publish public reports on their findings. We closely follow four of these labs: AV-Comparatives, MRG-Effitas, SE Labs, and AV-Test Institute.
Security companies typically pay these labs for the privilege of being tested. In return, the labs provide detailed reports that can help improve antivirus software. The number of labs that include a particular vendor is an indicator of the program’s significance. In each case, the lab considers the program important enough to test, and the vendor considers the price worth it. The labs do not necessarily test the vendor’s free version, but most vendors provide full protection in the free version, with premium versions enhanced with additional features.
Best Free Antivirus Software
In addition to carefully studying the results from independent labs, we also conduct our own testing for malware protection. We expose each antivirus program to a range of malware samples, including a variety of different types of malware, and observe its response. Typically, antivirus software will eliminate most samples upon sight and detect some remaining samples when we attempt to run them. We derive a malware-blocking score from 0 to 10 points based on how well the antivirus software protects the test system from these samples.
Since we use the same samples month after month, the malware-blocking test does not fully measure an antivirus tool’s ability to detect new threats. In a separate test, we attempt to download malware from 100 highly malicious URLs provided by the London-based testing lab MRG-Effitas, which are usually less than a few days old. We note whether the antivirus software blocked access to the URL entirely, eliminated the malicious payload during the download, or did nothing at all.
Features
The Useful
All antivirus programs scan files upon access to ensure that malware cannot execute, and they also scan the entire system on demand or according to a schedule you set. Once cleaning and scheduling are complete, blocking all access to URLs hosting malware is another good way to avoid problems. Many extend this protection to steer users away from phishing websites and scam sites that try to steal login credentials for financial sites and other sensitive locations. Some evaluate links in search results and inform users of any dangerous or suspicious links.
Behavior detection, a feature available in some antivirus programs, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can detect previously unseen malware. On the other hand, if not implemented properly, it may confuse users with messages about completely legitimate software.
Any antivirus program should eliminate spyware in addition to other types of malware, but some include features specifically designed to protect against spyware. Features such as encryption to protect your sensitive data and webcam control to prevent remote spying appear in commercial versions, not in free versions. However, some free editions include features like a simple on-screen keyboard to prevent keylogging.
An easy way to keep your computer protected is to install all security updates, both for the operating system and for popular browsers and other applications. Windows 11 makes it simple to stay up to date, but there are many security vulnerabilities in older Windows versions and in common applications and extensions. Vulnerability scanning in the form of missing updates is a feature found in most paid antivirus tools, but it appears in some free editions. In the list below, you can see the programs that include these useful features.
What’s Not Here?
Many free tools dedicated entirely to ransomware protection have emerged in recent years. Unfortunately, many of these tools have fallen by the wayside, including Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware, Cybereason RansomFree, CyberSight RansomStopper, and Heilig Defense RansomOff. In any case, these are useful companion tools, but they do not serve the function of a full-sized antivirus program.
There are also many free antivirus tools that only work to clean up existing malware. These tools are used to clean the system when you have a serious malware issue. Once the malware is eliminated, they have no further use as they do not provide ongoing protection. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is our favorite in this category, and you should try it if you have a malware problem. But since it’s free, you can try many other tools if the first one doesn’t work. When the fear ends, you will need a full antivirus program for ongoing protection.
Best Free Antivirus Programs
Avast One Essential takes the place of Avast Free Antivirus as the editors’ choice free antivirus tool. It appears in reports from the four labs we track with nearly perfect scores, and it includes many features at the suite level. AVG Antivirus Free uses the same antivirus engine as Avast and offers its own set of useful features – it is also an editor’s choice. If you have some cash in your security budget, the best paid antivirus programs offer more and better protection. If not, try some of these free tools and choose the best for you.
Do
Are you worried that you might already be infected? Check out our article on the signs of malware.
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/antivirus/14434/the-best-free-antivirus-software-for-2023
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