This is probably the most surprising advice I give friends and family – Don’t pay for antivirus software.
Why?
It’s over priced, bloated, and doesn’t offer better protection than the free options.
The ugly truth is that I’ve seen hundreds of infections on computers with lapsed subscriptions. The user always meant to get around to renewing but the end result is an AV product that is 2-3 months behind on definitions. Their paid product actually increased their risk.
Personally, I think the consumer AV industry is mostly a racket.
Business is different. Paid products offer reporting, policies, and all sort of additional features that businesses should consider.
However most folks just need protection.
Free can’t be beat
The good news is that free Antivirus options are getting better and better.
I’ve long recommended the offerings by AVG and Comodo but 2 new players have really taken the free AV world by storm.
MSE is a great antivirus. Tons of options and easy to use. It shows real initiative by Microsoft to actually help protect their customers and it really works.
Panda Cloud Antivirus is wonderful product from one of the industry’s long time leaders in AV. It was recently selected by both PCWorld & PCMag as the “Best Free Antivirus”. It’s lightweight with plenty of protection. The interface and install is simply and intuitive. I’ve loved it from the beginning.
It’s time to dump Norton, McAfee, and the rest. Free just got a whole lot better.
Don’t forget you can always find my antivirus, antispyware, and firewall recommendations at KnowtheNetwork.com/Protect and everything I recommend is completely free.
