Free Antivirus Products

Infrastructure management company OPSWAT has security agents installed on over 100 million endpoints. The company's free Security Score tool checks your PC's security status, and the GEARS network security manager is free for up to 25 devices. In addition to performing their essential function, these two tools also send a variety of non-personal information back to OPSWAT. The latest OPSWAT quarterly report details findings derived from this telemetry. OPSWAT doesn't pretend to be a research institution. The report notes that the 6,000 users selected for this analysis "are more likely to have high-functioning security on their computers than would be seen in the market as a whole" and that "users sampled may not be representative of the general population." Disclaimers aside, the results provide an interesting look into the market. Free Antivirus Rules Once your antivirus wipes out any malicious programs that were present before its installation, your day-to-day security is handled by the product's real-time protection. Looking specifically at users whose antivirus has real-time protection enabled, the researchers found that 23.0 percent use a Microsoft product, 15.9 percent rely on avast!, and 8.9 percent run AVG. It's true that avast! and AVG offer both free and paid products, but I'd wager the vast majority of these installations are free. So, well over 40 percent of the systems surveyed rely on free protection, possibly over 45 percent. Slicing the data differently, eliminating the requirement for active real-time protection, Microsoft still leads, with over 25 percent of installations. Present on nearly 15 percent of surveyed systems, Malwarebytes is a surprise winner of second place. Note that the basic Malwarebytes Anti-Malware doesn't include real-time protection. That feature is reserved for the commercial Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro. Looking at individual products rather than companies, the top five were: Microsoft Security Essentials, avast! Free Antivirus 2014, Windows Defender (a component of Windows 7 and Windows 8), Avira Free AntiVirus (2014), and AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014. Yet again, free products rule. Malwarebytes Under the Microscope Malwarebytes, included for the first time in this quarter's report, came in for some special scrutiny. Many users turn to Malwarebytes when resistant malware prevents installation of a full-scale antivirus. Even tech support agents from other vendors sometimes rely on Malwarebytes. But once it's done the job, users typically install something else. In fact, OPSWAT's researchers determined that 93.3 percent of Malwarebytes installations share the PC with another antivirus product. Just 6.7 percent rely on Malwarebytes alone. Looking at all antivirus products except Malwarebytes, the results are quite different. Only 23.7 percent have more than one antivirus product installed. That makes sense; I always advise against installing more than one product that provides real-time antivirus protection. The full report, available on OPSWAT's website, naturally goes into much more detail. It also includes stats on detection of peer-to-peer file sharing, antivirus products that recently detected threats, and more. It makes for interesting reading!

3. ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall

We have one or two concerns about ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, notably that its antivirus database is only updated daily (hourly updates are reserved for the commercial version), which leaves you more exposed to the very latest threats, The program does provide plenty of functionality, though, with a capable, AV-Test-certified antivirus engine, an easy-to-use firewall and some browsing protection. ZoneAlarm It does its best to keep things simple. Open the Preferences dialog, say, and you'll find only 10 buttons and settings (and most of those you'll never need to use). The database update means it wouldn't be our first choice, but if you're a fan of ZoneAlarm, or just want a firewall and antivirus tool from the same company, this could be a good choice.

2. Panda Cloud Antivirus Free

Small and simple, Panda Cloud Antivirus is a lightweight tool which provides free real-time antivirus protection, and can be used alongside many other security tools without problems. It's the free version of a commercial product, and so has a few missing features. The Pro edition helps to protect you at public wifi networks, for instance, while its "USB Vaccine" function reduces the risk of malware infecting a USB drive. Panda Cloud Antivirus Free The core antivirus protection remains the same, though. And while that doesn't deliver the top detection rates, independent testing shows it's very capable, with the program winning certification in AV-Test's latest report.

Best free antivirus software 2014

Our best free antivirus round-up has been fully updated for August 2013. Viruses, spyware, hackers, phishing sites - the web is a dangerous place, and every PC owner needs effective, reliable antivirus software to keep them safe. But this can be expensive, especially as you'll pay again to update the package, each and every year. Fortunately there is plenty of free antivirus software, many of which are just as capable as their commercial cousins. So if you're tired of annual subscriptions, read on - we've picked out nine of the best free internet security tools to deliver great security at no cost at all. 1. Avast Free Antivirus Download Avast Free Antivirus You don't have to spend long with Avast Free Antivirus to realise why it's one of the most popular security tools around. The program is simple to install; a straightforward interface makes it easy to use; a quick first scan should identify any potential threats on your PC, and this all has minimal impact on your system performance. Avast These aren't just subjective opinions, either. Independent testing by AV-Test has found the program to be a good all-rounder, and it was one of AV-Comparative's "Products of 2012". Avast Free has some useful extras, too. A Software Updater alerts you to program updates you've missed, for instance, while its Browser Cleanup tool provides a simple way to remove unwanted add-ons from your browsers.