A number of top antivirus programs provide free versions that are as effective in stopping malware as their paid counterparts. Most antivirus programs have a basic, low-end version with few features, a mid-range program that offers more security tools and a high-end product with all of the bells and whistles.
AVG Antivirus Free version provides excellent security against malware, with a low impact on the system. AVG Antivirus is free and includes numerous other useful tools, such as junk files cleanup, RAM optimization and Wi-Fi network scanners. It’s also completely ad-free, and doesn’t nag to upgrade to premium features.
Microsoft Defender is the default anti-malware software that comes with Windows systems. It’s not the best at protecting against malware files being downloaded to your system, but its free version has several tools like health and performance analysis and parental controls that aren’t present in paid versions of other anti-virus programs.
Bitdefender’s antivirus suites are among the most well-known on the market and its free version of the program is as powerful as its paid offerings. It’s ad-free and does not have a limit on how many devices it can check and comes with a powerful collection of anti-theft features, that allow you to locate and lock or wipe the contents of a stolen Android device.
Sophos Home free is ideal for people who wish to manage antivirus protection of the computer of family members who do not reside in their home. It has high malware detection scores, but it has a lower score for protection against phishing.