In recent years, more and more people are storing important files on their PC, making online payments, sharing personal photos and videos, exchanging hundreds of messages with friends and family. To carry out all these procedures in total safety, it is necessary to rely on a good antivirus and antimalware. On the web, you have several choices. Undoubtedly the most reliable software are the paid ones. By informing yourself well, you can find excellent free alternatives. To help you with this, we have compiled a list of the best free antivirus currently available.
It is not easy to find good free malware protection. In fact, it is often possible to run into fake antivirus designed mainly to steal the victim’s personal information. In other cases, you download and install badly optimized software that dramatically slows down the system without neglecting free antivirus, which are never updated.
Unfortunately, Norton, one of the leading antivirus, has recently removed the free version, so it will not be on this list. You can still try Norton 360 Standard free for 30 days and then decide whether to buy it or not.
Now enough with the chatter. Let’s see which are the best free antivirus.
The best free antivirus 2020
To choose the best free malware protection, I based my findings on my personal experiences, those of my collaborators and reading and studying the tests carried out by important IT companies that deal with security, among these we find AV-Test.
A good antivirus needs to be lightweight, have robust protection, and have additional features. Furthermore, the software must be able to detect a large percentage of threats, minimizing false positives, and finally, the antivirus database must be updated often.
Windows Defender
This is Microsoft’s antivirus present by default on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. It is very well integrated with the operating system. Windows Defender is light and minimally invasive. In general, it is a good free antivirus. However, I can’t entrust my cybersecurity and privacy to this tool, as I believe it is still a bit too immature and rarely updated software.
Panda Free Antivirus
Panda Free Antivirus is the first software I recommend to you. It is a truly excellent free antivirus capable of obtaining excellent scores in all the tests carried out.
Its main feature is lightness. Its impact on system performance is practically negligible since the most thoughtful analysis procedures are carried out in the cloud, and system resources are used only for basic operations.
The interface is very clean, and using all its features is really simple. Plus, it includes a great VPN system, so if you often use public Wi-Fi networks, this might be the antivirus that best suits your needs.
Download: Panda Free Antivirus
Bitdefender Free Edition
If you are looking for a lightweight antivirus that does not use too many system resources and detects a good number of threats, Bitdefender Free Editon could be the free antivirus for your needs.
Its use is really simple. It is not invasive at all. In fact, it can work mainly in the background and show you only the essential notifications in case of suspicious activity. Scans and removal of malicious files are done automatically, so you never have to worry about complicated operations unless you decide to change certain settings.
It is a no-nonsense antivirus that can work smoothly and block all types of threats. However, it does not come with extra features, such as parental control, password manager, or VPN.
Download: Bitdefender Free Edition
Avira Free Antivirus
When it comes to free malware protection, we must necessarily mention Avira Free Antivirus.
As with Panda Free Anti-Malware, Avira also does most of the work through the Cloud, thanks to the extensions available for Firefox and Chrome, so the impact on system resources will be shallow.
The software can quickly detect and eliminate most threats, offering good protection from malware and other computer viruses. Very suitable if you are not interested in extra features, and you have a slightly older PC or one with little RAM.
Download: Avira Free Antivirus
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free
Among the best free antivirus on this list, Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is certainly the most complete. It’s probably not the lightest of all, but it offers an impressive degree of protection.
In addition, it has an excellent VPN that allows you to use public Wi-Fi networks in complete safety. You can also access websites and services blocked in your country. Also, it has a good password manager that allows you to save up to 15 credentials.
If you want to have all-round protection with great extra features, I recommend you try this free antivirus.
Download: Kaspersky Security Cloud Free
