Every computer connected to the internet is vulnerable to viruses and cyber-attack threats online. These can wreak havoc on your system and be the cause for any unwanted problem such as corrupting files and stealing sensitive data.
The best way to protect your devices from these threats is to install antivirus. Many antivirus software come at a cost, meaning you have to pay monthly or yearly for a subscription, but that’s not to say there aren’t some great free options out there.
In this article, we will cover the best types of antivirus software that you can download and install onto your computer and laptop for absolutely free.
Choosing The Best Free Antivirus Software
Most free antiviruses software offer a level of protection against viruses and cyber-attacks, alongside a decent set of free internet security tools. But it goes without being said, since the software is free, it will include some frustrating limitations.
They provide a good level of basic protection against malware, and most of the time you can download the packages for free with no long-term contract or commitment. They are also a good option for people who cannot afford expensive antivirus software packages as some level of protection of a device is always better than nothing.
Some drawbacks to free antivirus include the lack of the extra features that come with paid-for security software. This includes things like a much higher level of protection against harmful viruses, identity protection, parental controls, as well as backup and tune-up tools.
Paid antivirus software also includes handy extras that you possibly didn’t even know you needed, such as a VPN to anonymise your presence online, a password manager to protect all your sensitive and financial information from getting hacked and token, and parental controls to limit what you child can access online.
Another drawback is that free antiviruses don’t offer great customer service if they have any at all. This means that if you have a question or problem, there is no live chat or phone number you can call. You would have to rely on your own knowledge, or post a question on a forum and wait to see if others can help you out.
Also, free antivirus is typically available for one device at a time, so you’ll need to download, install and manage a separate version if you have more than one computer.
With that being said, it is possible to get very good and highly decent antivirus software for free. Below you will find our rundown of the best free antivirus and free internet security software available to download today.
What Is The Best Antivirus Software?
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free
Kaspersky is a very well-known name in the antivirus software world, and it offers a free version for PC. But as you would expect, since their main product (Security Cloud) is paid-for, the free version does not have as many of the features.
When you download and install the free Kaspersky antivirus, you will be getting the main core antivirus protection including that for all your files, email and web-based threats, automatic updates and quarantine.
A unique feature included in the free version is that you have the ability to scan a file by right-clicking on it, then sending it to the Kaspersky Security Network to instantly have it checked out and make sure it’s safe. You also have access to Kaspersky’s cloud-based Application Advisor, which provides a full rundown about the content of the file, the number of users that have tested it, where in the world people are using it, along with various pieces of technical information.
The drawbacks, or shall we say features not found in the free version, include not having pa9rental controls, online payment protection, password manager or VPN as with the paid versions.
The Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is also available to download onto Android devices and mobiles, so you protect your phone from harmful viruses and unwanted cyber threats.
You can get Kaspersky Security Cloud Free by clicking here.
Avira Free Security For Windows
Avira Free Security for Windows is a favourite for many users. This is because it comes with a whole host of features that are not usually available on free plans by other competitors, as well as having one of the best anti-malware engines on the market and being incredibly easy to use.
Avira has many benefits that are listed below, but one of which is that its virus scanner operates in the cloud. This means that the detection and analysis of any threats on your system does not actually take place on your PC, making the software extremely lightweight and fast. Other benefits include:
- A safe shopping browser extension that blocks suspicious phishing sites, web trackers, and unwanted advertisements.
- Privacy and performance optimiser that cleans out any cookies and junk files, and also fixes any hidden privacy settings that could leak your personal information on the web.
- VPN (500 MB monthly limit)
- Password manager
- Game booster
- Firewall
- File shredder
You can get Avria Free Security For Windows by clicking here.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free
If you are looking for an excellent anti-malware scanner within your antivirus software, then Bitdefender Antivirus Free is one of the best options available that doesn’t come with a price tag.
This antivirus software has consistently scored 100% perfect malware detection and removal rates, as raved about by its users. It can scan your device quickly and silently in the background, only giving a notification if it detects any suspicious activity. Plus, since this antivirus is cloud-based, you slow down the performance of your PC so you can still work, watch videos, run other CPU-intensive programs listen to music throughout the scanning process.
Bitdefender antivirus free does come with other benefits including:
- Anti-phishing and fraud protection features
- Uses behavioural detection to closely monitor active apps and takes instant action when anything suspicious is detected.
- Powerful scan engines carry out real-time detection and removal of all malware, from viruses, worms and Trojans, to ransomware, zero-day exploits, and spyware.
- Available for download on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
All in all, Bitdefender’s free plan is a good cloud-based scanner with excellent detection rates, includes real-time protection, and comes with good anti-phishing protection. However, there are many other features that are not included in the free version such as a firewall, performance optimisation tools, a password manager, parental controls, or a VPN.
You can get Bitdefender Antivirus Free by clicking here.
Panda Free Antivirus for Windows
Panda Free Antivirus for Windows is another great antivirus scanner and is one of the best free antivirus software available. It is lightweight, secure, and easy to use and features real-time protection that blocks malware as you are using your PC and accessing different sites.
One of the features that come with Panda Free Antivirus, and is not available on most other free antivirus software plans, is secure VPN. It provides fast connection speeds, but it only lets you connect to 1 server and has a data limit of 150 MB per day. However, this is still better than nothing, or only getting access to a VPN by paying like some other types of antivirus.
Panda Free Antivirus also has a gaming mode. So if you are busy gaming and don’t want anything to disrupt a session, it can suspend notifications until you switch the gaming mode off.
Other benefits of this antivirus software include:
- Scans USB drives and other external devices to prevent unwanted infections.
- You don’t need to worry about updating the software once it has been installed on your device.
- All work is done from the cloud and it won’t need to store any files on your computer.
- The free VPN allows you to browse the internet anonymously from a virtual location.
In conclusion, Panda Free Antivirus is a great option to download and install onto your device if you are not looking for something that comes with a price tag. With lightweight malware scanning, an automatic gaming mode, a Rescue Kit, and a VPN, it really can be considered excellent and valuable software.
However, much like other free software, you will need to upgrade to access other extras such as unlimited VPN access, firewall, anti-phishing, password manager, and parental controls.
You can get Panda Free Antivirus for Windows by clicking here.
TotalAV Free Antivirus
Another popular free antivirus software, TotalAV Free antivirus provides excellent virus and phishing protection. It has a friendly user interface and all the available functions can be accessed on the left side of the application form, making it very easy to navigate between various features.
Speaking of features, TotalAV Free Antivirus is packed with all the essential features that find and remove malware to keep you safe online including:
- Adware Cleaner that removes all software created to aggressively advertise at you.
- Data Breach Search identifies if your email & passwords have been compromised as part of an online data breach.
- Uses an anti-malware engine to protect your drive from infections caused by many types of malware.
- Compatible for use across all your devices including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets.
Just like any other free antivirus software, it is bound to have some drawbacks too. The main disadvantage of TotalAV Free Antivirus is that it doesn’t have real-time protection in the free plan, meaning you won’t get notified in case a malicious file attempts to make changes to your PC in real-time unless you upgrade.
You can get TotalAV Free Antivirus by clicking here.
