Best Antivirus Software and Apps (Archive)

[Guest]

Whether you're running Windows, macOS or Android, you need antivirus software. The question is what you want -- and how much you should pay.

Best Antivirus Software and Apps : Read more

 

[Paul NZ]

No you dont. I've never bothered with using a separate Av or firewall. I'm still here.

They're all a waste of money. NOD32 is probably the only one worth getting. If I did use t

 

[JazzAzz]

Why isn't ClamAv for Macs mentioned???

 

[James_397]

Whether you're running Windows, macOS or Android, you need antivirus software. The question is what you want -- and how much you should pay.

Best Antivirus Software and Apps 2016 : Read more

Yet another silly thread. If you have Windows installed, use Defender... period. Stop listening to all the third-party marketing hype. There is no need for anything other than what comes with the OS.

 

[Audcurr]

I think customer service should be taken into consideration as well. Bitdefender is the worst, I bought it and the activation key wouldn't work, it took for ever to get it straighten out and they are quite rude.

 

[jackj59]

Fwiw, dealing with an issue now, of virus and/or malware, and after running bitdefender and it clearing what it found, I ran malwarebytes and it found over 10 more instances of malware. So though one shouldn't run live more than one at a time, I recommend having malwarebytes and run it periodically, too.

 

[jackj59]

Correction: including PUP's - from something called AnonymizerGadget - malwarebytes now found hundreds of more that bitdefender, avast and TrendMicro all missed when using their free online scan. And they aren't simply "potentially" unwanted programs, that AnonymizerGadget is defintely mal/spy/virus ware.

 

[Alan_K]

I'm curious about why you didn't test Norton Internet Security. Not that I'm advocating it; indeed I look forward very much to spitting on Symantec's grave some day and only found this article while looking for alternatives. (That was after I found that Norton charged me three times for two subscriptions last year because they set up two automatic deductions on one of the subscription accounts. They then refused to refund the double payment because it was out of the "60 day guarantee period". Burn. In. Hell, Symantec.) However given that Norton would have a not-insignificant market share I would have thought that it would have been one of the ones to test. I would have been curious to see how it performed.

 

[Paul NZ]

Yup most of them are a waste of money.

Doesnt matter what you get. And if you're stupid enough to use programs like Utorrent and get dodgy programs.

Whats the point in having one anyway. Any AV program doesnt detect everything. And your system will end up infected anyway

 

[Bill_123]

For people who seem to think anti virus programs are waste of time if they go on the internet and they depend on windows to protect them I would say there is a 99.9 percent chance they are already infected with some form of virus or malware. I have found that the better ones are VERY hard to breach and although it is still possible to get a virus the odds are slim to none. Without them your almost guaranteed you will pick something up in short order is just a fact in the modern age. The biggest issues I have is how much do they impact computer performance and how good is their detection. Some are like dropping a boat anchor dragging your computer down some almost unnoticeable. So instead of spreading viruses to all your friends and family get a good virus program and save yourself and everyone you know a lot of grief.

 

[espressonator]

Why isn't there a comparison chart? I've used Avast for years; it's free, and it's very good. Why did not Mr. Tom mention Avast as either better or worse than these paid products? My guess is that Mr. Tom is really acting as an advertiser. If he were "non-partisan", then I think he would provide a comparison chart or so to explain why it's worthwhile to pay for products like this instead.

 

[Bill_123]

Why isn't there a comparison chart? I've used Avast for years; it's free, and it's very good. Why did not Mr. Tom mention Avast as either better or worse than these paid products? My guess is that Mr. Tom is really acting as an advertiser. If he were "non-partisan", then I think he would provide a comparison chart or so to explain why it's worthwhile to pay for products like this instead.

You can find dozens if not more reviews on AV programs all of them will vary on who and why they think one is better than another. If you want to believe Avast free is the top choice based on your experience you can find a review to tell you that. Tomsguide is just that a guide based on things they feel are important. Pay programs come with many more features! If you feel you don't need or want these features then without a doubt they are not a good choice for you. What I want and need in a AV is very specific and might not be suitable for you. Same for most people there is no ONE SIZE fits all. It does not make them dishonest or biased just makes them have their own opinion no more or less. I come to this site for their opinion for a good reason I respect there opinions whether I agree with them or not.

 

[jraju1954]

Hi, I think that most of the av app for android is always running type taking phone battery resources. Is there a demand type scan antivirus prog for android in free version. Would someone say. i tried avast, it gives protection, but i do not know whether it has a demand type run of program. It does not have a user control install of its acessory software . Anybody knows

 

[tizziocaio]

Fwiw, dealing with an issue now, of virus and/or malware, and after running bitdefender and it clearing what it found, I ran malwarebytes and it found over 10 more instances of malware. So though one shouldn't run live more than one at a time, I recommend having malwarebytes and run it periodically, too.

bitdefender dont like it because forces to make an account and sign in before using it..like "meh rly?"
Also does way to often background scans and updates like 10 times every day...

 

[boma23]

I was running a repair and IT solutions shop a few years back. We regularly installed a free solution on MACs that came in, ahnd a busy week might see 5 - 8 Macs in the shop at once. Sophos free (which is what we used at the time) probably found nasties on around 60% of Macs that came in without protection. Make of that what you will, if you are in the "AV for mac is pointless" camp.

 

[Thomas_223]

Sophos auto-update is the worst. Hangs your computer until it completes. No way to stop it or schedule it. Kills productivity until it hopefully finishes or fails and you have to try again.

 

[Nickynike]

AVG is a very good freebie. It finds viruses and scans emails. Yet, no mention. Then I scan with Malwarebytes, again free.

 

[dusty13]

so microsoft did not pay there way into getting the definitions from the independent security institutes it seems ... because no one heard about av-studios "optimizing" their results in these tests ... ever ...

 

[Sue_21]

I have always used trend micro and I noticed they are not there. and it is really getting pricey $268 for virus. so i am looking for one that is not as expensive but as good
any recommendations please

 

[Chris_361]

I agree that Kaspersky is far and away the best and nowadays uses the least resources . I don't know how they did it but it's amazing.

 

[Sreekanth_3]

Hi, I installed Norton Mobile AV on my Samsung S6 with Android 6.0.1 , but it's not helping with what I really wanted, which is to prevent my Chrome browser from being occasionally directed to random annoying sites. For example, one which says you have a virus, or one which says you won a prize. They don't do any damage, and I just ignore them and reopen the page I want, but it's the principle of the thing. How do I remove whatever malware is doing this? Thanks

 

[Jeff-N-Houston]

Solve all your problems at once, get a BitDefender Box it's one outstanding device that protects all internet devices, computers, televisions, phones, etc. Well worth the money in my mind, and you also get unlimited BitDefender Total Security installations. I have multiple computers, tablets, android devices, etc., for my family this was the best solution for our entire connected home and more!

 

[Ste___free]

anti-virus programs lol use you as a test subject it emits a invitation to viruses attracting them to attack you so that the anti-virus company can learn what's floating around and if there is any new infections that they dident know about already and can then learn how to combat them for there next upgrade :} so dont pay them to be there frontline test subjects :}

 

[DarinCF]

I'm having a hard time understanding how Sophos got a top spot in Mac Antivirus programs. I installed Sophos Home on my Mac and ran a scan. It indeed found a number of viruses, but then told me I had to manually remove them. When I chatted with someone at Sophos, I was informed the Mac version does not remove viruses. What use is an antivirus program if it cannot detect and remove viruses.

 

[George_184]

Up to know I was using AVG....and it is not even there haha. But what about Anti-Malware programs? I was using Malwarebytes at first, but then I switched to MalwareFox because it was slightly cheaper and it seemed to have the same performance with Malwarebytes. So for now I'm gonna stick with MalwareFox. And for all of you who are saying that using security programs is a waste of money, keep in mind that not everyone can tell the difference between a legitimate application and a virus, not everyone can protect themselves on their own.