There’s a tendency in any market, in any industry, in any shop, to assume that you always get what you pay for, not a penny more… though sometimes a penny less.
So it stands to reason that we hear the question applied to antivirus software all the time. “Is the free stuff any good, or do you ‘get what you paid for?’”
Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on any number of factors. Some free virus scanners just plain aren’t any good, some are so good that you wonder why they’re free in the first place. Some people will get by fine with a free antivirus program, others have a higher level of exposure and will need something a little more powerful.
What we can do is recommend a few free programs for killing viruses, and if they don’t work, you can move on to the paid program recommended below.
Free programs…
Avast! Home Edition
Avast.com really likes to push their upgraded, fancier, shinier professional edition, but you know, home edition might be all you need. For one, it offers a lot of options without being hard to use. It works like a charm, thanks to an ever expanding, constantly updated database of known viruses. It’s basically a full antivirus package for the price of nothing at all.
Avira AntiVir
We like this one better, but you’re free to choose for yourself. It updates every single day, sometimes twice a day, and the user interface is streamlined and smartly designed, as well as easy to use.
And if neither of those do it for you, it may be time for…
McAfee Security Center
A full on, one hundred percent security center for your computer, McAfee covers your every move, from spam to worms to viruses to adware. It simply works on every possible front. At fifty dollars, some people find it a little pricey, but consider this: You will never have to buy another antivirus, antispam, antipopup, antispyware, or antitrojan program ever again. Keeping that in mind, it actually saves you money in the long run.
Whatever you do, don’t just forget about it. You absolutely positively need good virus protection, and you owe it to yourself to get the best you can find available to you. If all you can afford is a free one, fine, get a free one, like we said, some of them are pretty great.
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