Antivirus software is essential on both mobile devices and computers, laptops or PCs. Many of us disregard the necessity of an antivirus when we setup our new devices because let’s be honest, a good antivirus software is usually expensive and it actually isn’t that good, and it usually takes forever to install. Free antivirus software can be tricky, though, because many sites we go onto advertise the “best antivirus” software out there, and once we install it, we notice that in order for it to actually work, we need to get a subscription. While that is annoying, there are good free antivirus software out there. Here’s our brief list of the best antivirus software you can get your hands on this year.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus and Firewall
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus is a great free antivirus you can install on your PC, keeping its database up to date on a daily basis. Hourly updates for this software only occur in the commercial version, which is not a pro, but if you’re not prone to viruses (as in surf dubious websites), you shouldn’t be worried about this too much. ZoneAlarm has an AV-Test-certified antivirus engine, browsing protection and a firewall, too. It’s also one of the more simple versions of an antivirus out there, so you won’t have to struggle with finding the right functions at the right time.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0
This antivirus software is the most popular choice among tech support professionals, and for good reason. It is an effective cleanup tool which can be installed and used in Safe Mode, too. It runs on Chameleon technology, which prevents malware attacks and effectively scans your system for malware, removing it instantly. It’s not as easy to use as ZoneAlarm, but it’s not as complicated to throw you off. Real-time protection, yet again, is reserved for paying customers, though, but you’re probably used to that feature with antivirus software by now.
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free
Panda Cloud is probably the smallest of our best antivirus software, and the simplest too. This one is also good because it’s among the few that provides real-time protection for free. It still has a commercial version out there, so you do have certain features unavailable in the free variant. With the commercial version, you get added protection when on public Wi-Fi networks and a USB vaccine function. The latest version of this antivirus is 2.0, which includes new features with a new interface, scheduled scans and automatic USB vaccines.
Avira Free Antivirus
This one has a strong engine, highly rated by testing labs and can constantly monitor the activity on your PC, quarantining or eliminating threats the moment they end up on your computer. With the added Avira toolbar, you get browsing protection, an ad blocker, antiphising tool and social networking protection, but its downside is that it replaces your default search engine with its own page, which is annoying. It’s the most complicated antivirus on our list, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get used to it after a few days of poking around.