Which Free Anti-Virus to use?

Anti-virus is probably the most common question I get asked! Whether to use free or paid or none. I have hopefully answered some of the questions in this post.

You will of heard of security and free anti-virus, spyware/malware removal tools. You probably have some kind of free or paid software installed on your laptop. As a home user you shouldn’t need to pay out for software, free versions will most likely be enough for you. Sneaky companies get their free trials onto newly purchased laptops and PC’s to make you think you need to buy something for your home security.

What people seem to forget is that if you are running Windows versions 8 or 10, there is already a very good virus monitoring service  installed and running. This has certain pros: you don’t have to install it, it has a small effect on your system speed and it won’t ask you for emails or extra tool bars in return for installing. I decided to compare some of the other free and paid software below:

Free Security Anti-Virus Software

Most free anti-virus software want something for the install, some will want to install tool bars and most will want your email address in return for the download and use of their software. If you decide you want something different then check out the results of these tests. You might change your mind on your current home PC and laptop security set up.

These results are taken from German AV tests on a Windows 10 home machine industry standards are:

AVG Free –                 Average slow down –   5s –     Protection –  100%

Avast Free –               Average slow down –   2s  –    Protection –  96.7

Panda Free –              Average slow down –   5s –     Protection – 100%

Windows Defender – Average Slow down –   3s –    Protection –  95%

Verdict – AVG is very popular but the 5 second slow down is just to much for me! Windows defender is slower than i realised but i will still stick with it as i don’t really want to start paying for a virus software, the protection of 95% is also fine as if you use it with free Malware/Spyware removal software, that will pick up the slack.

Paid Security Anti-Virus Software

These do offer comprehensive cover but do come at a price

Bit Defender –           Average Slow Down –  0s – Protection –     100%

McAfee –                   Average Slow Down –  1s – Protection –     98.2%

Norton                      Average Slow Down –  0s – Protection –     100%

Avira –                     Average Slow Down –   0s – Protection –      100%

Kaspersky –            Average Slow Down – 0s – Protection –        98.2%

Eset –                      Average Slow Down – 6s – Protection –         98.2%

Verdict – The best clearly is Bit Defender, Norton and Avira with 100% protection and no slow down. If you are willing to pay that is!

I will still stick with my current set up for Windows 10 with Windows defender and MalwareBytes for total free protection, the 3 second slow down has surprised me, I may consider changing in the future.

Remember the tests are on a Windows 10 home machine, if you are running an older versions the results will differ.

These test were run on October 2015.

Hopefully this will give you a guide on which to use and may even change your mind on which to buy.