If you’re looking for the best protection for your PC, you’ll often struggle between paid antivirus and free antivirus. Of course, it’s common thinking that a paid antivirus is the better choice, but some free antiviruses can do a better job. But is it worth paying for an antivirus? In this article, we’ll discuss both in detail to help you decide which one you want to opt for.
Free Antivirus Vs Paid Antivirus
Most free antivirus software will provide surface-level (basic) protection, performing tasks like removing common viruses, or running a daily scan, blocking risky apps and websites, or warning you not to open one. So, yes, for the most part, free antivirus is enough for the standard user. But different free antiviruses make use of different features and technology, so you’ll need to be aware of the best ones.
With that being said, just about every free antivirus will perform simple tasks like the ones we mentioned above, but the performance may vary across different versions. Paid antivirus, on the other hand, offer more thorough protection for your PC. Benefits across different versions vary, but almost all paid antivirus will provide protection from malicious attacks.
A paid antivirus provides more proactive protection rather than just reactive, and even allows users to control how dangerous apps and malware are handled.
How to decide which ones the best free antivirus
Before you install a free antivirus, there are a few/several things that need to be adhered to. First, find out what benefits and features the free antivirus comes with, and second, look at the interface it uses, and how easy it is to use for you. With that, you can pick out the best free antivirus that fits your needs.
Which one suits your computer type?
PCs feature two main operating systems (OS): macOS, and Windows. Both of these operating systems differ in functionality by a huge margin, so you can’t use the same antivirus on the two. You’ll need to be aware of the antivirus that works best on the OS you’re utilizing. Take the Mac, for example.
It’s designed with more impenetrable features, so it’s already hard for viruses to enter the device, mainly due to its sandbox design, and due to the lack of communication between programs. Windows Computers, or normal PCs, on the other hand, are quite different in this aspect. They’re more susceptible to viruses, and hackers often target Windows devices over Macs.
The bottom line is that you’ll need a more reliable antivirus for Windows, whereas a free antivirus will do the job (for the most part) on a Mac. But there are free antiviruses that’ll work for PCs as well. For that, you’ll have to do some research.
The best way is to look at videos and tutorials to see which one you like and look at the benefits it provides.
What benefits does a paid antivirus provide?
You can find dozens of free antivirus software on the internet, some better than others. Different free antivirus software provides different benefits, and some might even be better than paid antivirus software. That makes you think, should you really pay for an antivirus?
While free antivirus software will do the job, for the most part, you’ll need a more reliable version if you’re going to be doing some risky tasks on your computer. And a paid antivirus provides reassurance, keeping your PC safe at a much better level. One example is Avast Antivirus software.
This antivirus features both free and paid versions. The free version provides basic functions like detecting malware or prohibiting access to dangerous sites. But the paid version provides more functionality and control. The free version only warns you of the virus, removing it is your job, the paid version does that for you. So, in most cases, paid antiviruses are the best option.
Risks of free antivirus
Free antivirus software does come with a few risks. They will provide protection against basic/common viruses, but against unknown threats, they pretty much just give in, leaving your computer exposed to malicious viruses.
You’re also less secure, especially while performing online transactions. And most free antiviruses don’t include direct technical support. That does lead to the conclusion that paid antivirus software is better than the free version most of the time. If you can, you should opt for a paid antivirus software.
That’s it for this article! We hope you learned something valuable from this article. If you have any questions related to this article, please let us know by commenting down below. We’ll try to reach out to as many of you as we can!
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