For anyone of us using a Windows PC, anti-virus is a necessity. Not only does it keep us safe from malware, adware and spyware, but it also keeps us safe from other viruses and helps protect our computers and our personal data. Online fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and the people practicing it are generally much more IT savvy than those they prey on. It’s unrealistic to expect the rest of us to learn the skills in order to completely insulate ourselves against their efforts, but there are steps we can take to stay protected.
The problem is anti-virus can cost a lot of money. The biggest companies expect either an annual or monthly fee for their protection. This is not a criticism; after all they are providing a trusted service. Not only will they protect us from fraud but also they will help keep our computers in working order. It’s difficult to put a price on security and piece of mind but the practicalities of life do need to be considered. Money is one of these. We are not all in a position to buy the top of the range anti-virus protection and sometimes, we need an alternative to remain safe online.
Fortunately there are options available, here are the top 5 free antivirus providers on the web today:
ClamWin Portable – ClamWin and ClamWin Portable are rising stars in the anti-virus community. The portable nature of ClamWin Portable means it can be used casually without commitment. Used in Windows computers. ClamWin Portable is something you can download and use as a digital plug-in. Your PC will register ClamWin Portable as it would a digital USB device. You can then use the software to remove spyware and malware and remove it as you see fit. This novel method is growing in popularity and will likely soon be adopted by ClamWin competitors. The service offers various other features too and has scored very high reviews from tech websites that objectively assess anti-virus software.
Avast – Avast has been around for a while now but their software is easy to use and install. It’s also completely free! Now they will always encourage you to upgrade and offer more services to their premium subscribers, but you can download their free service as many times as you like. The downside is every few months you will need to start again once the trial period comes to an end. This is irritating but to some it’s preferable to spending money.
AVG – Standing for Anti-Virus Guard’, AVG is one of the oldest and most well known free antivirus providers. Like Avast, premium options exist but unlike Avast; AVG won’t hassle you continuously until you sign up for premium. Once you have it you’re all set. The only downside perhaps is AVG is a heavy user base. This may not slow it down or necessarily have a detrimental effect but some critics claim it does. It all depends on user experience; some claim there is no downside at all, where others find the platform unusable.
Total AV – This anti-virus software is another that is getting positive write-ups from technology pundits. A more recent addition to the market than Avast and AVG, Total AV also offers phishing protection and ransomware protection. Two things that are new weapons of online fraudsters and spammers. As with the above anti-virus protection, Total AV has a free trial period. This can be used multiple times but the downside is some people report only being able to do this once from their email address. If you are particularly concerned about phishing or ransomware then it may be worth looking into.
PC Protect – Originally conceived as more of a web optimizer than an anti-virus, PC Protect is now a jack-of-all-trades, but not necessarily a master of none. Like their competitors they also offer a free trial and will always encourage you to upgrade to their premium service. Of course this is optional but it depends if you are happy to receive their pop-ups and email offers. You can use it multiple times and the cost to upgrade is fair, it just really depends on if you need the myriad of services they have to offer. If not then one of the above choices may be better suited to your needs.
