AVG is also working with phone carriers to bring its security technologies to more people via a monthly subscription. AVG Zen lets you monitor all of your family’s devices and computers, alerting you to which computers have updates. There will be parts of the program that are locked until you download another app or purchase a subscription.Īlthough you may only be looking for an antivirus program for your PC, AVG does have products across platforms and offers one of the best security ecosystems out there.
One thing that I didn’t like about AVG is how hard it tries to sell you on its premium apps and services. AVG Free even comes bundled with a file shredder that makes sure your deleted files are unrecoverable. It will also provide secure search, which scans web results for malicious sites.
#Best free antivirus programs install#
If you choose to install AVG’s toolbar, you’ll be protected against targeted advertising. You can tell your computer to shut down after performing a scan, and you can adjust how much system resources you want to dedicate to AVG. The default interface is deceptively simple, but power users can dig into the settings for more advanced options. The app protects your computer from viruses, malicious websites, and infected email attachments. The Czech company has been around since 1991 and has a well established reputation for its great free antivirus app.ĪVG AntiVirus Free 2015 features a simple interface with large, easy to understand icons. If you ask most people what free antivirus they use, AVG will almost always come up, and for good reason. Still, some protection is better than nothing. Independent test lab AV-TEST consistently ranks Windows Defender as poor, so don’t expect top-notch security. While Windows Defender’s antivirus engine is good, it’s not cutting edge. The app is very basic and doesn’t have many features found in third-party antiviruses, but the good thing about being basic is the app uses very few system resources.
#Best free antivirus programs windows 7#
Microsoft’s Windows Defender (previously called Microsoft Security Essentials) comes bundled with Windows 8, but you can download it for Windows 7 as well. One of the best free antivirus apps out there already comes with your computer. That’s why I’m going to break down the best options for all types of users. In fact, there are so many good free options, it’s hard to decide which one’s best for you. What I’ve found by testing these antivirus apps is that free doesn’t mean bad. If you want more info about which antiviruses are the most effective at stopping viruses, check out our in-depth comparison. Most antivirus apps feature comparable engines for detecting malware, so I’ll be focusing on the user experience and features.