A Brief History
In 1987, Andreas Lüning and Kai Figge, who founded G Data Software in 1985, released their first antivirus product for the Atari ST platform. Today, when searching for a good antivirus, one can face the problem of choice as there are too many variants on the market; however, some of the antivirus programs offer users a free version so that anyone can come up with the decision. Below, you will find the top five best free antivirus programs. Find out more about the current leaders and get a high-quality and valid instrument to protect their devices.
Digging Deeper
Avast Free Antivirus
Avast Free antivirus combines a set of features that contribute to its superiority on the market. The developers took care of providing you the users with a quality product. Specifically, having a free version of Avast antivirus, you get Network Security Inspector, Cyber capture, Smart Scan, and a Clean-up tool. The users value Avast free anti-malware due to its reliability and safeguarding features. Besides, it is the number one choice among users in 2019.
Pros
- High results in different lab tests
- Durable protection against viruses, malware
- Detects and removes needless duplicates
- Impressive protection features that come as a bonus
- Compatible with major OSs: Windows, Android, macOS, and also iOS
Cons
- To get the full set of features, you need to pay
- Limitations in a Password manager
Total AV Free Antivirus
People appreciate TotalAV free antivirus for its simplicity in use and effectiveness when it comes to protection. The program offers several basic security features making it an excellent choice for those who decide on trying out some antivirus.
Even though Total AV does not offer many features in its free version, it does provide you with the most important ones. Precisely, you can count on getting a clean-up tool, scanning option, anti-malware detection, firewall, and also device booster. On top of that, Total AV is compatible with macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows.
Pros
- Device booster enhances your work on a PC
- Great anti-malware detection
- Useful in the identification and elimination of the duplicates
- Compatible with macOS, iOS, Windows, Android
- Clean up function allows maintaining the excellent speed of the PC
Cons
- For the Mac version, you will need to get some upgrading
- To use Web Shield, you should use it with Chrome and Firefox
Kaspersky Free Edition
The name of the Kaspersky product stands for itself as people tend to associate it with high quality and safety. Luckily, anyone can enjoy testing the program for free before deciding whether it is the antivirus he or she needs. Kaspersky Free Edition gained the attention of the users due to its exceptional quality and the essential security features required to protect your device. As a user, you will estimate Kaspersky Free edition antivirus protection, Web filter, Malware detection, Malware blocking, and Scanner.
Pros
- High-quality protective tool
- An anti-phishing option is available
- Stunning blocker against malware
Cons
- Compatible exclusively with Windows
- Average customer support
McAfee Free Antivirus
McAfee is another market leader among the highly ranked antivirus software that is worthy of mentioning. The multi-dimensional antivirus provides such features as Real-time Antivirus, Personal Firewall, Anti-spam, Email Protection, USB Virus Scan, Parental Control, and Safe Browsers. Even though McAfee offers a one-month free trial package, this time is enough to fall in love with the product. If not, you can try out any other provider from our list of the best free antivirus programs.
Pros
- User-friendly interface, as well as the installation process
- The level of virus detection is on a high level
- Removes unwanted threats easily and fast
- Compatible with Android, Windows, macOS, iOS
Cons
- Available during one month only
- Slightly heavy on the mainframe
Norton
The veteran of the antiviruses, Norton, still has got so much left in the tank and will impress you with its toolkit for sure. Norton Antivirus Plus Free is generally known as a perfect family variant of the antivirus. Perhaps, such a status is concerned with the developers’ commitment to the users. At the same time, however, the free version is available only within one trial month.
At any rate, Norton Antivirus Plus is a tool in terms of anti-malware protection and maintenance of the healthy state of your device. The free version of this antivirus allows you to detect and then disable some of the widespread viruses easily. Keep in mind that Norton in the real-time regime.
Pros
- Powerful protective tool against viruses and malware
- A lightweight program
- Comprehensive dashboard
- Compatible with Windows, Android, iOS, and also macOS
- Offers Password Manager, Personal Firewall, Security Scan, Power Eraser
Cons
- A free version is only for one month trial period
- No safe browser
- Has got a few features compared to other free antiviruses
Each of the free versions of the antiviruses has got its advantages and disadvantages. The truth is that you can try out as many programs as you need. The biggest plus of the free antiviruses is that you get the essential protection without paying anything. Still, remember about the opportunities you get when buying an advanced package.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Gregory, Peter H. Computer Viruses For Dummies. For Dummies, 2004.
The featured image in this article, a screenshot by Dave Mauroni of ClamTk 5.27 antivirus running on Lubuntu 19.04, identifying two suspicious files, either does not contain copyright-eligible parts or visuals of copyrighted software, or the author has released it under a free license (which should be indicated beneath this notice), and as such follows the licensing guidelines for screenshots of Wikimedia Commons. You may use it freely according to its particular license. Free software license: This work is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or any later version. This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See version 2 and version 3 of the GNU General Public License for more details.