Free Antivirus Software to secure your devices

Antivirus programs are generally expensive. However, they are priceless in times of a cybersecurity attack. While common sense may be enough for most of us, it doesn’t hurt to add an extra layer of security. Most users have chosen Avast as their partner in cybersecurity since it’s reliable and has been a long time player in the space. Although, in light of the recent exposé on their questionable data collecting practice, you may want to switch your cybersecurity provider. For that, we’ve come up with a list of free antiviruses that you may want to look in to!

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Author’s note: While we do not have the necessary tools to test the efficacy of each cybersecurity software, they have been vetted and recommended by several top cybersecurity experts and publications.

Windows Security

First on the list is Microsoft’s in house cyber protection software, Windows Security. It comes free with every Windows 10 installation and protects your system from malware across email, apps, the cloud, and the web. It scans against threats in realtime, and updates automatically from the cloud. Windows users also enjoy Firewall and network protection, browser control, and controls folder access from unauthorized applications.

Malwarebytes

Next on the list is a popular anti-malware software, Malwarebytes. It uses anomaly detection, behavior matching, and application hardening to seek out and disinfect your system from malware. They have a free service that allows users to clean their devices and a premium service that also protects one device in realtime. Here are the prices of their personal premium plans:

• Malwarebytes Personal Premium 12-month subscription – PHP 2,249.28USD 38INR 3,249EUR 37CNY 279
• Malwarebytes Personal Premium 24-month subscription – PHP 3,936.1USD 67INR 5,686EUR 64CNY 488

They’re also offering business plans for teams and endpoint protection. Malwarebytes for Teams not only cleans infected devices but also stops ransomware attacks. Malwarebytes endpoint protection, on the other hand, includes additional remediation, multi-vector protection, asset & installation management, and additional support. If you’re interested in checking out their business plans, you can check out this link.

Malwarebytes is available on Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.

TotalAV

TotalAV boasts itself as being lightning-fast, allowing users to keep gaming, photo and video editing, and other resource-intensive activities while it runs in the background. The software offers anti-malware, realtime protection, spyware removal, adware cleaner, anti-ransomware tools, remote Firewall, and safe site protection. TotalAV also comes with optimization features that reduce startup time, removes junk files and duplicate files, increases battery life, and cleans your browser data.

TotalAV is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Avira

From the start, Avira mentions that they will never sell your data to third parties. Instead, they use cookies that track your use of their web pages and the geolocation of your device. Avira is a light antivirus that offers realtime protection from malware and ransomware. It stays up to date with their stronger together platform. Every secured device acts as a sensor to new attacks and updates other devices against the new virus via the cloud.

They also have a premium service that users can pay for with a yearly subscription. For USD 31.99PHP 1,877INR 2,711EUR 30CNY 233, users get access to additional features such as scans for downloads, torrents, emails, USB devices, and cloud storage scanning. Premium users also get access to premium customer support and no ads. It’s available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Kaspersky

Kaspersky has been a long time player in cybersecurity. Their free software, Kaspersky Security Cloud, protects devices from common malware, websites, and automatically switches your connection from public WiFis to a VPN to protect your data. It features a password manager that saves and generates strong passwords for users and automatically fills out forms. Kaspersky also monitors your online accounts for data leaks and advises you should their system find any issues.

Kaspersky also has premium personal and family plans that block webcam spies and online trackers, adds an extra layer of protection to online banking and shopping, and alerts you of new devices connecting to your home WiFi. The premium plans cost a yearly fee, with a free 30-day trial. Prices are as follows:

• Kaspersky Personal (up to 3 devices) – PHP 2,899USD 49INR 4,188EUR 47CNY 360/year
• Kaspersky Personal  (up to 5 devices) – PHP 3,699USD 63INR 5,344EUR 60CNY 459/year
• Kaspersky Family (up to 20 devices) – PHP 5,599USD 95INR 8,088EUR 91CNY 695/year

Kaspersky is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Bitdefender

Lastly, we have Bitdefender. Unfortunately for Mac users, Bitdefender’s free software is only available for Windows devices. It features realtime data protection, web browsing protection, and prevention from phishing and fraud.

Upgrading to the Bitdefender Antivirus Plus plan grants Windows users with additional security features such as multi-layer ransomware protection, prevents online trackers from collecting your data, a dedicated browser for online banking, a VPN connection of up to 200MB daily, a password manager, a file shredder, and vulnerability assessment. Their most expensive plan, the Bitdefender Total Security, is compatible with macOS, Android, and iOS. It protects the user’s microphone and webcam, blocks network traffic with a privacy firewall, allows file encryption, and anti-theft tools that users can access remotely. Here are the prices of each plan:

• Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (up to 3 devices) – PHP 1,999USD 34INR 2,888EUR 32CNY 248 (PHP 1,199.4USD 20INR 1,733EUR 19CNY 149 for the first year)
• Bitdefender Total Security (up to 5 devices) – PHP 4,199USD 72INR 6,066EUR 68CNY 521 (PHP 2,519.4USD 43INR 3,640EUR 41CNY 313 for the first year)

Among the ones we listed, Malwarebytes is our top choice, but you could also look at Avira for realtime protection. However, if you’re looking for something with better protection, you may want to bite the bullet and pay for the premium plans. As usual, remember to stop visiting and downloading from suspicious sites, be careful of who you give your personal information to, and there are no single hot ladies in your area that want to meet up if you click the link.