Best Free PC Antivirus Software
Windows PC users need a good antivirus program to ward off malware attacks, to keep their computers running efficiently and to safeguard their online identities and personal information. Paid antivirus suites have many features to protect children online, manage security on mobile devices, and monitor a computer's firewall, software updates and other features. But some users just don't want to — or can't — pay a yearly subscription fee for those extra features.
If that describes you, you've come to the right place. We've evaluated the most widely used free antivirus programs based on malware protection, system impact, ease of use and useful extra features.
So which free PC antivirus product is right for you? After reviewing six free antivirus programs, Avira Free Antivirus came out on top. It offers excellent malware prevention and the ability to fine-tune the product to your exact specifications. And, with free add-on software, it has features that rival mid-priced paid antivirus suites. If you'd rather not fuss with settings, then try Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition, which has equally good malware protection but doesn't let you adjust much.
How We Tested
To evaluate installation, ease of use, interface and performance impact, we installed each AV program on the same Asus X555LA laptop, which had been upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 and featured an Intel Core i3-4005U processor, 6GB of RAM and 36GB of data on a 500GB hard drive.
We conducted our own tests on how much each antivirus product affected our laptop's performance, using our custom OpenOffice benchmark. We timed how long it took to run a quick scan and a full scan while the laptop crunched numbers in the background.
We also assessed how easy each program is to use, the number of useful extra features it offers (including with free add-on software), and, finally, how insistently each program nags you to upgrade to paid software from the same company.
Our malware-detection data comes from two independent evaluation labs, AV-TEST in Germany and AV-Comparatives in Austria. Each regularly tests major antivirus products for their abilities to detect zero-day malware and other threats.
AVIRA FREE ANTIVIRUS
AVIRA FREE ANTIVIRUS
Best Free Overall PC Antivirus
Avira offers very strong protection against both widespread and zero-day malware. Its austere but option-packed interface can be intimidating at first, and slower computers might see a performance hit during active scans. However, Avira Free Antivirus' sheer effectiveness, high degree of customization and wide range of free add-on features — including a VPN client and a privacy-minded Web browser — make it our Editor's Choice.
BITDEFENDER ANTIVIRUS FREE EDITION
Avira offers very strong protection against both widespread and zero-day malware. Its austere but option-packed interface can be intimidating at first, and slower computers might see a performance hit during active scans. However, Avira Free Antivirus' sheer effectiveness, high degree of customization and wide range of free add-on features — including a VPN client and a privacy-minded Web browser — make it our Editor's Choice.
BITDEFENDER ANTIVIRUS FREE EDITION
Close Runner-Up
Bitdefender's malware-detection rate is second to none. The company's free antivirus product covers all the basics, offers a very low system-performance impact and, with free add-on software, provides such useful extras as a secure browser and a limited password manager. But Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition's bare-bones interface is hard to figure out and offers no customization options — you can't even schedule a scan. It is software that's best for users who want a set-it-and-forget-it security solution.
PANDA FREE ANTIVIRUS
Bitdefender's malware-detection rate is second to none. The company's free antivirus product covers all the basics, offers a very low system-performance impact and, with free add-on software, provides such useful extras as a secure browser and a limited password manager. But Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition's bare-bones interface is hard to figure out and offers no customization options — you can't even schedule a scan. It is software that's best for users who want a set-it-and-forget-it security solution.
PANDA FREE ANTIVIRUS
Best User Interface
Panda's very good malware-detection scores are marred by its high rates of false positives, or benign files mistakenly flagged as malware. But it has a fresh, customizable user interface that's easy and even fun to use, a small system-performance impact, and enough configuration options to satisfy most users. On the downside, it offers few extra features, shows a lot of ads and tries to hijack your Web browser's settings.
AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE
In the past year, AVG has improved its malware-detection rate so that it now rivals industry leaders Avira and Bitdefender. AVG Antivirus Free only moderately slows down a user's PCs, and offers a wide range of customization options, if few extra features. But we were turned off by its pushy, incessant recommendations to upgrade to paid AVG software.
AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS
Panda's very good malware-detection scores are marred by its high rates of false positives, or benign files mistakenly flagged as malware. But it has a fresh, customizable user interface that's easy and even fun to use, a small system-performance impact, and enough configuration options to satisfy most users. On the downside, it offers few extra features, shows a lot of ads and tries to hijack your Web browser's settings.
AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE
In the past year, AVG has improved its malware-detection rate so that it now rivals industry leaders Avira and Bitdefender. AVG Antivirus Free only moderately slows down a user's PCs, and offers a wide range of customization options, if few extra features. But we were turned off by its pushy, incessant recommendations to upgrade to paid AVG software.
AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS
Best Built-In Feature Set
We liked Avast Free Antivirus for its friendly interface, nearly imperceptible system impact, sophisticated configuration options and useful extra features, which include a password manager and a network scanner. But nearly every other product we evaluated offers better antivirus protection. You may still want to consider Avast Free Antivirus if you already use other Avast products, such as Avast Free Mobile Security for Android (our top choice in that category).
MICROSOFT WINDOWS DEFENDER
Windows Defender comes with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, but that doesn't mean you should use it. While its once-subpar malware-detection rate has been getting better, Windows Defender still came in last among the six products we reviewed, and its high rate of false positives confirmed that ranking. It has a surprisingly high system impact during full scans, and does nothing to protect non-Microsoft browsers from online malware. In addition, it has nearly no extra features. Even if you don't want to pay for antivirus protection, you can do better than Windows Defender.
We liked Avast Free Antivirus for its friendly interface, nearly imperceptible system impact, sophisticated configuration options and useful extra features, which include a password manager and a network scanner. But nearly every other product we evaluated offers better antivirus protection. You may still want to consider Avast Free Antivirus if you already use other Avast products, such as Avast Free Mobile Security for Android (our top choice in that category).
MICROSOFT WINDOWS DEFENDER
Windows Defender comes with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, but that doesn't mean you should use it. While its once-subpar malware-detection rate has been getting better, Windows Defender still came in last among the six products we reviewed, and its high rate of false positives confirmed that ranking. It has a surprisingly high system impact during full scans, and does nothing to protect non-Microsoft browsers from online malware. In addition, it has nearly no extra features. Even if you don't want to pay for antivirus protection, you can do better than Windows Defender.
Honorable Mention
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE FREE
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE FREE
Best Antivirus Software and Apps 2017
![Best Antivirus Software and Apps 2017]()
Reviewed by Prateek Vishwakarma
on
July 01, 2017
Rating:
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