BEST FREE Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware Software?

[Precedentbug]

I just want to be safe when using my PC, can anyone recommend me a good anti-virus software please? I've given Bitdefender a go, and same for malware bytes.. i just want to know if there are any better ones for free?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

https/www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/free-antivirus/
Panda Free

 

[Jesse_20]

No anti-virus is always going to find everything. New malware is released daily, and the scanners can only detect it if it knows it exists. It can sometimes take a bit from the time of release to the time scanners can detect. This means there is always going to be an "infectious" period. Most companies respond quickly, so the deciding factor becomes, "How much does it slow my system down?". For this reason I usually recommend Bitdefender, although some people have issues with it. I use Malware bytes and Super anti spyware just to run manual scans and they find most of the stuff. I also use roguekiller and emsisoft emergency kit if issues persist after using the other scanners. These run much slower, but can find a few extras the others might miss.
Long story short, Find a scanner you like for daily monitoring, and use as many as you can when doing manual scanning when you suspect you are infected.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Best Malware Scanners on the market are paid versions of Zemana and Emisoft Anti-Malware.

 

[Precedentbug]

Thank you, i'm going to go ahead and keep MalwareBytes and Bitdefender, and also give Panda a Go :_)

 

[santiano]

No anti-virus is always going to find everything. New malware is released daily, and the scanners can only detect it if it knows it exists. It can sometimes take a bit from the time of release to the time scanners can detect. This means there is always going to be an "infectious" period. Most companies respond quickly, so the deciding factor becomes, "How much does it slow my system down?". For this reason I usually recommend Bitdefender, although some people have issues with it. I use Malware bytes and Super anti spyware just to run manual scans and they find most of the stuff. I also use roguekiller and emsisoft emergency kit if issues persist after using the other scanners. These run much slower, but can find a few extras the others might miss.
Long story short, Find a scanner you like for daily monitoring, and use as many as you can when doing manual scanning when you suspect you are infected.

I do believe that as new malware is released on daily basis and antivirus is not so much effective in that comparison. We need a level up security or multilayered security system. I think any complete security system will work out which possess more features than antivirus.

 

[Avast-Team]

First, I'll say that I can't tell you which is best, that is for you only to decide!

I do want to clarify a bit about how free antivirus can keep you safe and can be a lot more than just "reactive."

For example, Avast Free has several ways to detect even unknown malware or ransomware -- see CyberCapture (zero-day detection which captures suspicious files before they can do damage) and Behavior Shield (real-time monitoring of processes/etc. for rogue behavior).

Another point is that there's a lot of power behind AV that you might not see overtly. In our case, we have our own machine learning/AI that can sniff out malware without even having seen it before, backed by the experts in our threat labs. This, combined with Behavior Shield, allowed use to prevent over 350 WannaCry variants from infecting our users around the world. (Remember, malware is often polymorphic, meaning it "morphs" to evade detection)

Those protections are even in our Free version. We're highly rated for performance too -- see AV-comparatives.

If you're curious about these, here are some links to explain the above further, and good luck in your search.

https/blog.avast.com/cybercapture-protection-against-zero-second-attacks

https/blog.avast.com/behavior-shield-our-newest-behavioral-analysis-technology

https/www.avast.com/nextgen

https/blog.avast.com/avast-blocks-wannacry-ransomware-1-million-times-150-countries

 

[vorn]

I just want to be safe when using my PC, can anyone recommend me a good anti-virus software please? I've given Bitdefender a go, and same for malware bytes.. i just want to know if there are any better ones for free?

Your options are dependent on which OS you use. Antivirus that works on XP may not work on Win7, and vice versa. Without knowing that I cannot advise. I would say that while having good antivirus and firewall is important, I am a big fan of deploying a good hardware-based firewall using SPI & NAT. I think that is the most important first step. I did not let my PC anywhere near the internet until my router firewall was in place.