By now even the Mac are prey to viruses and malware, so it is not surprising that even in this end of 2014, we talk about the best free antivirus.
In the end, they are just a couple of things that protect us from the risks of the Internet. The first is a correct behavior when using the PC, maybe paying attention to the dangers of viruses on Facebook, and following a few safety tips for Windows.
The second thing is the antivirus, as long as they are up to date and effective. By now, over the last decade, we have established some antivirus absolutely reliable in which they were joined by another software designed to clean up your PC infected with malware. The ranking of the second half of the year has no particular surprises, so it is not necessary to advise a change of antivirus if you are already using one of those present in the list.
Avira is the best software against new viruses and malware as soon as it is discovered immediately proceeds to update the database. It’s a very good antivirus, effective and fast, with a lot of customizable settings. Too bad for an interface altogether austere and inelegant. And even more to the great demand for RAM: on old computers, or less powerful, there may be delays even garish. Sure, you are protected from viruses, but if it becomes impossible to work, then you should use another antivirus.
Avast is now a landmark in the history of the virus. It has a modern, thanks to continuous updates and improvements. The first time you install it is very intuitive, and it is easy to set up and customize. At the time of installation, you are prompted for an email to register your copy for free: you can give is an email that a true false; In the first case you do not get absolutely spam, while the false email is almost never verified and presents no problems.
Avast is very precise and does not require a very powerful computer to be used. It also integrates with other products Avast, the most interesting of which is definitely Avast Free Mobile Security for Android, probably the best free antivirus for Android.
AVG also has a modern user interface, and integrates very well with Windows 8.1. Among other things, it slows down your PC and very little seems to be able to identify threats faster than other programs in this list. Too bad for the tendency to place advertising products to pay its menu, and in the intrusiveness of notifications, often unnecessary or confusing.
In addition to these four, worth also install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. It is not an antivirus program active at all times, but it only works when you open it. Its purpose is to scan your PC for potential infestations and delete the infected files. Why install it? Because it is more effective in eliminating the threats compared to other antivirus programs, and it is often the only program able to thoroughly clean a computer infected by Trojans and malware particularly malevolent. But we must remember to update it manually, maybe once every month or so.
Among the various options, there is also Windows Defender, the antivirus integrated in Microsoft. The updates are not frequent, and it is a shame because in the face of new threats, there is unprotected. It’s a shame too considering the scarce resources required by this virus, good for older PCs and for those less powerful. There are no extra features, which is not necessarily a bad thing: I personally prefer a virus that is doing its job and does not require complicated configurations.
There is only one case in which I recommend using Windows Defender and not another virus: The computer is old and slow so as not to allow you to install an antivirus add-on. In all other cases, it is advisable to use another antivirus program, maybe one of those with the virus definitions updated daily.