Protecting your computer from viruses is important. Just one nasty virus could expose your financial information or stop your computer from working at all. What you need is the best antivirus software possible on your computer. Luckily, some of the best antivirus software is completely free!
So why are some of these very best antivirus softwares free? These popular antivirus companies offer free versions of their programs for home users while offering versions with more advanced features as an upgrade option for professional and business users. So here are the top best free antivirus softwares out in the web-
AVG tops the list and is considered the best free antivirus software available. AVG is a full-fledged antivirus and antispyware tool, includes an email scanner, link scanner, scheduled scanning options, automatic updates, and more. There is no need to pay for an antivirus program when the best free antivirus software in the world is just a download away.
AVG works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000.
The huge number of premium features, frequency of updating, and "install-and-forget" aspect of AVG really makes it the best of the best free antivirus programs available today.
Avast! Free Antivirus
AVAST
Software's "avast! Free Antivirus" most certainly deserves to be on any
list of the best free antivirus programs. Avast has
a fully functioning antivirus and antispyware engines protecting your PC
from threats from the Internet, your files, emails, and even instant
messages.
"avast! Free Antivirus" supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000.
One big reason I included avast! Free Antivirus as a best free antivirus program is because of its "heuristics engine" which can detect previously unknown viruses and other malware. I also like the fact that AVAST has been making this antivirus product since 1988 and is often cited as the most installed antivirus product.
Tip: During the avast! installation, you're asked to install the free Google Chrome browser. It's not required so if you're not interested just uncheck the box. Also, you are required to register avast! to use it more than 30 days but registration is free and pretty simple. You'll also have to re-register once per year - again, for free.
Security Essentials from Microsoft is definitely one of the best free
antivirus programs available right now. Microsoft is relatively new to
the antivirus game but don't let that scare you - Security Essentials is
a fantastic antivirus program that protects you from all sorts of
malware, updates automatically, and is incredibly easy to use.
Microsoft Security Essentials supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Two of the biggest reasons I added Microsoft Security Essentials to this list is because it's directly from Microsoft and also because it's very easy to see if you're computer is secure from threats: if the icon next to your clock is green, you're in good; if it's red, something is wrong.
Comodo Antivirus from Comodo Security Solutions is another excellent
program, easily one of the best free antivirus options out there. As of
this writing, Comodo Antivirus bills itself as the "Best Antivirus on
the Market. Guaranteed." due to its proprietary Defense+
technology. Comodo also protects you from several threat
sources, just as most of the other best free antivirus programs on this
list do.
Comodo Antivirus works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Avira AntiVir Personal protects you from viruses, Trojans, worms,
spyware, adware, and various other kinds of malware, making it a fully
functional antimalware tool and certainly one of the best free antivirus
programs.
Avira AntiVir Personal works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000. Avira also makes a version of AntiVir Personal for UNIX.
The scope of malware that Avira AntiVir Personal can keep you safe from is alone enough to make it one of the best free antivirus software programs but the heuristics and ease of use add to its value too. The only things I didn't like about Avira was the configuration you have to complete after installation which might be difficult if you're a computer novice.
Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you from several kinds of malware
threats - viruses, worms, Trojans, adware, and more - just like all the
other free antivirus programs in this list.
What makes Panda Cloud Antivirus one of the best free antivirus programs is that it does its job from "the cloud" meaning the hard antivirus work that typically slows down a computer is done on computers elsewhere on the Internet, freeing up your computer to work like it should and protecting you from malware even better.
Panda Cloud Antivirus supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Immunet Protect FREE is a unique, cloud-based antivirus program, much
like Panda Cloud Antivirus. Immunet protects your computer
from bots, worms, viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware.
Immunet works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. You must also be connected to the Internet at all times.
I think Protect FREE from Immunet is one of the best free antivirus programs for several reasons: you never have to update it, it has completely free phone based support, and it can be run alongside some of the other best free antivirus tools like AVG Anti-Virus Free, Microsoft Security Essentials, and avast! Free Antivirus, increasing your overall protection!
digital-defender Antivirus isn't a popular antivirus program but it
should be. It's certainly one of the best free antivirus software
programs you'll find. It's a full antivirus and antispyware program and updates on a daily basis.
digital-defender Antivirus supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The relatively small installation size, daily virus definition updates, and full antispyware features make digital-defender Antivirus one of the better tools in my collection of the best free antivirus programs.
PC Tools AntiVirus Free offers basic protection against viruses and
other malware. While not my favorite, AntiVirus Free is still one of the
best free antivirus programs you'll find.
PC Tools AntiVirus Free works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The biggest problems I have with PC Tools AntiVirus Free are the reminders throughout the program that there's a not-so-free version that you should upgrade to. To be fair, you probably won't notice it since the program runs silently in the background to protect you from viruses. I probably find it annoying because most of the features available in the upgrade are included for free in some of the higher rated best free antivirus programs above.