Are you wondering which antivirus software offers the best protection and performance
these days? In this video, we'll show you five top-ranking
antivirus brands whose free antivirus programs offer exceptional anti-malware security -- without
impacting your system performance. After hours of research and examination, we
have picked out five free antivirus software that you can consider this year if you want
to be safe online. Plus, we will also show you the best premium antivirus products that
are worthwhile and offer exceptional value for money, so stay tuned!
Do you know how frequently malicious hackers attack our data and privacy?
Every 39 seconds! According to reliable estimates, cybercrimes
are expected to cost the world around 6 trillion dollars annually by 2021.
Shocking, right? During last year, over 10 billion malware
attacks were recorded worldwide, and over 8 million devices were infected with malware
in the U.S. alone. And these numbers are projected to grow even bigger in the future.
So, it’s clear that if you want to protect data and privacy of yourself and those you
love, you need an excellent antivirus software. And by “excellent,” we mean a premium
software that offers flawless anti-malware protection without putting a burden on systems,
not a flimsy freeware that doesn't stand a chance against modern, ever-evolving malware
threats. Also, all cybersecurity companies reserve
their best security features and utilities for their premium products.
So, we highly recommend a premium antivirus software if you can afford it.
Premium products come fully packed with state-of-the-art features and cutting-edge malware detection
technologies to protect against all sorts of existing and emerging malware threats.
Also, additional features -- like file shredder, password manager, parental controls, encryption
tool, VPN -- further improve your security and add more value.
For just a few bucks a month, you can protect all the internet-capable devices in your household
and get complete peace of mind. Check out the links in the video description
for our number one premium antivirus recommendation for this year.
Now, talk about the best free antivirus software out there.
We have ranked these free antivirus products on four different criteria:
Number 1 is Features – where we review the features offered by each free software.
Number 2 is Malware Protection – this is an assessment of how well these programs will
protect you against different types of malware threats.
Number 3 is System Performance - here we measure how much impact a security program puts on
system performance. We will review the latest independent lab
tests conducted by the AV-Test Institute to see how these software stack up in terms of
malware protection and system performance. AV-Test is an independent and prestigious
testing organization, trusted for its reviews of cybersecurity products. The organization
evaluates and rates antivirus software in three different categories: protection, performance
and usability. The final thing we consider is User Interface
– here, we see the user-friendliness of a software's interface.
Before we get to our list of the best free antivirus software, we ask for a small favour.
We have spent a lot of time creating this video. If you enjoy our work and would like
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Also, which free antivirus software have you used and what are your thoughts about it?
Do leave a comment down below. Now, let's get on with our list.
At number 5, we have Avira Free Antivirus. Avira is a German Multinational Computer Security
Software company. Avira was founded in 2006. As of today, the company has over 30 years
of IT security experience under its belt. Avira actively sells itself as being 'Private
by Design'. Which means all of your information is secure and isn't sold out to third parties,
not even governments. Avira is a pioneer in the freemium business
model and offers cloud-based malware detection and analysis. That means the actual action
doesn't take place on your computer. Moreover, the detection methods are well hidden
from hackers as all the activity occurs on the company's servers. That gives Avira an
edge over the hackers. The company's freeware, Avira Free Antivirus,
offers spyware, adware and basic ransomware protection as well. The free software is compatible
with Windows, macOS, Android and iOS platforms. Another advantage to cloud approach is in
Avira being able to acquire minimal resources on your system. In fact, Avira supports one
of the lightest engines of all the major antivirus products.
This makes it an excellent choice, even for older, sluggish machines. Having said that
the freeware does annoy you to upgrade to a premium version.
In the AV-Test evaluations, Avira secured a perfect 6 out of 6 points for malware protection
and a near-perfect 5.5 out of 6 points for system performance.
The freeware’s interface consists of a pretty simple and straight-forward design. A left-hand
side panel contains access tabs for Scan, Modules, Quarantine, and Activity. You'll
also find the cog icon for Settings and the Feedback tab at the bottom of this panel.
The other side of the screen displays your system's security status, a quick scan button
and a few big icons like real-time protection and ransomware protection. You'll also find
a couple of locked icons to let you know what more you can have if you upgrade to the paid
product. In our opinion, Avira Free Antivirus does
provide solid protection against malware. It's also extremely lightweight in terms of
digital footprint. Avira is a good choice as long as you're not
mad about advanced features, which you can only get with the premium tiers.
If you’re interested in the premium tiers offers by the company, check out the links
in the video description. The fourth position goes to AVG Antivirus
Free. AVG Technologies is a subsidiary of Avast.
It was founded in 1990. The company develops a wide range of protection, performance and
privacy solutions for consumers and businesses. AVG typically offers freeware as its main
product and earns most of its revenue through users that upgrade to premium tiers. It covers
Windows, macOS and Android devices. The free software offers robust malware detection
and removal capabilities, including spyware and other malware types. But it is particularly
effective against malicious websites and downloads as well as phishing scams.
As soon as the software detects suspicious activity, it feeds this data back to AVG database.
At the database, this intelligence is shared with millions of other feeds and checked for
similar suspicious patterns. AVG Antivirus Free comes with a Secure Browser
that helps block ads, tracking attempts from hackers, and dangerous URLs or email attachments.
Additionally, the Secure Browser also redirects you from unsecured sites to secure connections.
It also offers scans for PC performance issues. The software is reasonably light on your system
and occupies very little space on your system. The AV-Test Institute gave AVG an excellent
6 out of 6 score for malware protection. The program received a slightly less but still
commendable rating in system performance with 5.5 out of 6 points.
Moving on to AVG's interface, we can see that it's a straightforward layout with different
feature icons occupying the better part of the screen.
AVG makes sure you know what you're missing out on with basic-level protection as it also
displays a few locked icons on the main dashboard. To us, that might seem like a waste of space,
but the company has its reasons. You can view both overall and web & email
security status on the main dashboard. You can run a quick scan by clicking on the "Scan
Computer" button at the bottom of the screen. The big positive about AVG Free software is
that it combines both trusted antivirus and anti-phishing features into its freeware.
Although, if you require protection against ransomware, webcam frauds, or mobile protection,
you'll have to upgrade to paid tiers. You can find out about AVG's premium offers by
clicking the links in the video description. Number 3 is Kaspersky Security Cloud Free.
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company with a comprehensive security portfolio. The
company began its operations in 1997 and leads in endpoint protection and deep threat intelligence.
Kaspersky has continually contributed innovative and specialized security solutions to the
digital landscape. The company offers Kaspersky Security Cloud
Free that includes its top-rated antivirus technology, auto-analysis, real-time data
and the fastest scanning engines around. The program receives regular automatic updates.
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is compatible with Windows, Android and iOS devices.
You also get protection against corrupt files and applications as well as suspicious sites.
The software also secures and stores your passwords and private documents while you're
on the internet. Kaspersky automatically installs a toolbar
to mark dangerous links in the search results. This toolbar works with Chrome, Firefox and
Internet Explorer. The cloud technology means that the program
uses minimal resources on your device and doesn't affect the system speed.
In the recent AV-Test evaluations, Kaspersky scored an excellent 6 out of 6 score on both
protection and performance tests. As for its user interface, Kaspersky has a
simple and intuitive layout. All the available features show on the home screen, even some
locked ones. The security status shows on the top of the
screen. At the bottom, you'll find a button labelled "More Tools" to access more features.
It's a pretty neat offering for basic level protection. However, for features like password
management, privacy protection, Safe Money, and home Wi-Fi monitoring, you'll have to
get paid subscription. If you want to know what's included in Kaspersky's
premium offerings, check out the links in the description section of this video.
Number 2 is Avast Free Antivirus. The company opened its doors in 1988 and is
now one of the largest security companies in the world. Avast is known for its scalable
cloud-based security infrastructure. Avast specializes in next-generation technologies
including: Malware detection and blocking
AI and Machine learning Internet of things and
Location technologies Even the free software, Avast Free Antivirus,
is more feature-rich than most other freeware out there. For starters, you get comprehensive
protection against a wide variety of malware threats.
Secondly, you get Avast Wi-Fi Inspector which provides ample protection against home network
threats. This feature provides the first line of defense against hacking attacks and makes
sure no rogue element can enter your home network.
In addition, you get a Password Protector. This feature is really handy and makes your
accounts and financial information secure online. It locks all your passwords and credit
card information behind a Master password. When you need to retrieve that information,
the feature auto-fills the details for you. This makes it easier to protect your private
information on the internet. Avast is also fairly efficient and doesn't
occupy many resources on your system, allowing you to go about your routine tasks unhindered.
The software secured an excellent 6 out of 6 score in AV-Test's protection assessment.
For the performance test, the company received a slightly lower 5.5 score, which is not perfect
but not bad either. The software supports a fresh and clean looking
interface. The middle of the screen shows the security status information followed by
a "Run Smart Scan" button. You can access the settings and details about
other features from the left-hand side panel. Here you can see access tabs labelled Protection,
Privacy, Performance, and Settings. Avast offers a pretty generous package for
a free program. However, the company has been known to sell user data to third parties such
as corporate clients. So, if you're big on data privacy, maybe go for another solution.
The links in the video description contain more information about Avast's premium offers.
Finally, the number one position goes to Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition.
Bitdefender was founded in 2001. The company quickly became a world leader in cybersecurity
through its robust global security infrastructure. Bitdefender has consistently delivered innovative
and award-winning threat intelligence products to the cybersecurity landscape. The company
specializes in developing, deploying and managing transformative security solutions, including
antivirus security, internet security, endpoint security and other cybersecurity software.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition -- which works on Windows, Macs, Android -- is arguably
the best free antivirus software out there. The software is extremely lean and lightweight.
It doesn't interfere much with your routine tasks, allowing you to focus on tasks that
matter. It is quick to install and automatically downloads the latest version. The program
scans your system for active malware as soon as the download is complete.
It's a good idea to run a thorough scan soon as you install the antivirus software but
expect it to take some time. You'll notice the subsequent scans will take much less time.
The freeware offers excellent malware protection without putting a burden on system performance.
The recent AV-Test evaluations gave Bitdefender a perfect 6 out of 6 score on both protection
and performance tests, which is incredible. The interface of the freeware is lean, simple
and to the point. The interface displays system status at the top of the screen. Right beneath
it is a button to run a system scan. This is followed by a drag and drop area to
scan specific files or documents. And then the rest of the screen is taken up by recent
activity. You can access the software settings from the top bar. That's about it — no flashy
or unnecessary details. All in all, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
is a pretty solid choice. However, if you can afford Bitdefender’s premium tiers,
we highly recommend them as they provide exceptional value.
Features like multi-layer ransomware protection, VPN, parental controls, the hardened browser,
the system optimizer are only part of the premium suites.
We have reviewed and ranked the best premium antivirus products and we think that Bitdefender
Total Security is the best antivirus product available in the market.
Apart from providing top-drawer anti-malware protection, it offers all the advanced premium
features and utilities that must be there in a high-end package -- and best of all,
it offers good value for money. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones)
with just one license of this product.
If you have more than 5 devices in your household, we highly recommend Bitdefender Family Pack
2020. You can cover up to 15 devices with this suite.
Check out our video description for the links to all these products. You can get a special
50% off on Bitdefender while the sale is on. But the discount is only valid if you use
the links in the video description. Bitdefender offers a 30-day money-back guarantee,
which means you can get all your money back if you request a refund within 30 days of
the purchase. So, it's completely risk-free. I hope this video helped you in finding the
best antivirus product for your digital protection. Which antivirus software is your favourite?
Leave us a comment below. Don’t forget to like our channel and subscribe
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