Do you really need to pay for antivirus software?

Even though you absolutely should protect your computer with one of the best antivirus programs, one of the first questions you may ask yourself is: Do I really need to pay for an antivirus program? And the answer is, in a word, no.

However, you still need to protect your computer with something, and though reasons should be obvious just in case they’re not here’s why. Not having any antivirus software at all on your computer leaves you utterly defenseless from all sorts of different malware, spyware, ransomware, viruses, trojans and bots that can wreck havoc on your system, steal your sensitive and personal data and if worse comes to worst, even completely upend your life.

Windows Defender: A built-in free option

The good news is there are plenty of free antivirus programs available to protect your computer – starting with Windows Defender which is built-in to Microsoft’s operating system.

Windows Defender actually offers up quite a lot for a free program. It has very good protection against malware, low impact on system performance, and still manages to throw in a silent mode, a hardened browser (for Microsoft Edge), ransomware file reversal and 24/7 support both via email and telephone. You can also schedule scans.

You may have noticed it does lack many of the features of a paid program, like a file shredder, password manager, firewall, parental controls and a VPN. However, not having features like these are one of the trade-offs you make when you opt for a free program, and that’s often going to be the case.

If you’re looking for a security suite that offers all those features, you’re going to want to look at Norton 360 Deluxe which we highlight as the most feature-packed antivirus software.

Other free antivirus programs

Windows Defender isn’t your only free option – Bitdefender, our best overall paid choice, also offers a free tier in Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows.

It includes the same excellent malware protection, easy to use interface and fast scanning as the paid version.

When we reviewed Bitdefender’s free antivirus, we liked how easy it was to set up once and then let it run. However, the scanning engine did take up a good amount of system resources and it does lack features like a file shredder, password manager and customer support.

Likewise, Avast, Avira and AVG all provide free versions of their products which we’ve reviewed in the past.

We liked Avast’s features which include a password manager, Wi-Fi network scanner and a silent gaming mode as well as its ability to adjust its sensitivity, but we felt like it offered rather iffy malware protection and took a long time to scan a system, as well as being resource-heavy.

Likewise, Avira Free Antivirus comes with a firewall and browser extensions that can rate websites based on their reputation and protect against unwanted extensions. Additional features like a password manager and VPN can be downloaded with the Avira Free Security Suite. However, just like with Avast, it had a heavy impact on system performance without the outstanding antivirus performance we like to see.

AVG was easy to use when we tested it and offered some customization options along with a few solid extras like a file shredder. We found it wasn’t resource heavy but it’s malware protection was only rated as “so-so” which might be too much of a trade-off.

Why should you pay for antivirus software?

What do you get when you pay for antivirus software?

Well, paid options will go a step beyond free ones and offer more comprehensive security features, advanced protection against unknown or newer threats, a more thorough feature set which includes a VPN, password manager, a file shredder that will fully remove deleted files and may cover more devices including tablets and smartphones.

Paid antivirus software also generally includes customer support via phone, chat and email whereas free versions will not.

Paid services also adds extra functionality like the ability to customize your antivirus service, a feature to block suspicious sites and a backup service to save data or back up your devices. They might also include features like webcam protection, remote desktop prevention to keep others from controlling your system and the ability to run certain apps or software in a “sandbox” setting.

If just the basics will do, a free antivirus will likely be enough but if you’re looking for something more feature rich then it’s worth looking at some paid options too.

Keep in mind, many paid antivirus suites will also offer a free 30 day trial so you can test out their product for a limited time before making your final decision.

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