Free Antivirus - no trial

Command Center

Estimable
Apr 29, 2015
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4,560
Hi,

I'm looking for an free anti-virus aka one that I will never have to re download or pay to continue using. People keep telling me that there are tons of free antivirus services but so far all i have found is trial version anti-virus which people for some reason label as free?
 

10tacle

Distinguished
Dec 6, 2008
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19,010
I'm using the free version of Avast and been happy with it for an old laptop for nearly a year. I have Kaspersky payware on my other PCs and laptops and ran out of licenses, so the fact I'm happy with Avast compared to a payware version is telling.

AVG also has a decent free alternative version.
 

eatmypie

Honorable
Sep 12, 2013
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10,710
http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html Doesn't take up very much system resources a lot of the other ones you will find that are decent for protection take up a ton of resources.

You can use that then https://www.malwarebytes.org/ as a scanner that you can run every week or so.

Then https://www.foolishit.com/cryptoprevent-malware-prevention/ will prevent any of the newer crypto malware and viruses from being able to execute the encryption part of the malware to keep you safe from that in the future. It won't prevent you from being infected but it will allow you to keep your data since it will block the encryption.
 

zer0c00l587

Estimable
Jan 14, 2016
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Let me mention Avira, when i had my first computer and looking for free antivirus, i tried avg, avast and avira, a that time avira was in league of its own in my opinion, it deserves to be tested for at least one week by everyone.
 

10tacle

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Dec 6, 2008
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What nonsense. I've had three of those four in various computers since the 1990s and Windows 95. Not one time, in any of my PC builds or OEM buys like a laptop through seven different Window OS's, have I ever had a crash due to an AV/Internet Security program.

 

Command Center

Estimable
Apr 29, 2015
14
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4,560


Do you pay for malwarebytes or is there a free version. I had it for a while but then after a few weeks it asked me to pay.
 

Command Center

Estimable
Apr 29, 2015
14
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4,560


I heard people say it's not as good as the third party software available? Then again I don't know a lot about how anti-virus work.
 

zer0c00l587

Estimable
Jan 14, 2016
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You may have activated the trial part of malwarebytes antimalware, the trial offers online protection while surfing, the free part functions as a on demand scanner to find and remove infections that got past the firewall.




 

Command Center

Estimable
Apr 29, 2015
14
0
4,560


Yeah that's right I had the online protection, from what I remember malwarebytes online protection was very good. Any way thanks for getting back to me!
 

zer0c00l587

Estimable
Jan 14, 2016
258
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5,210
Avast or better yet, Avira coupled with comodo firewall, and if possible spywareterminator should provide good online protection, since spywarterminator has free online protection.

Alternative would be 360 total security which has both avira and bitdefender engines, however these engines are disabled by default and must be activated, after which the signature database is downloaded and added to standard 360 antivirus engine giving you triple layer protection. It uses glasswire firewall which is not as good as comodo though.