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The Best Free Antivirus Utilities for 2016
The Best Free Antivirus Utilities for 2016
Start the year right by making sure that all of your PCs have up-to-date antivirus protection, all without spending a penny.
The beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock of things. Are your smoke detector batteries fresh? Is your 401K actually earning money? Is your antivirus up to date? Even if you've resolved to spend less of your hard-earned cash this year, you can still deal with the discovery that your antivirus protection expired last October. We've rounded up a collection of totally free antivirus products, so you don't have to break that resolution to get protection.
Quite a few of these products are free only for noncommercial use; if you want to protect your business, you have to pony up for the paid edition. At that point, you should probably consider upgrading to a full security suite. After all, it's your business's security on the line. And if you've grown beyond SMB status, investing in a SaaS endpoint protection system will let you monitor and manage security across your entire organization.
Yes, it's true that Windows 8 and Windows 10 have antivirus built right in, but in our tests and most independent lab tests, Windows Defender hasn't done very well. There have been some signs of improvement in several tests last year, which is encouraging.
Your antivirus should definitely have the ability to root out existing malware, but its ongoing task is to prevent ransomware, botnets, Trojans, and other types of nasty programs from getting a foothold. All of the antivirus programs in this collection offer real-time protection against malware attack. Some take the fight upstream, working hard to ensure you never even browse to a malware-hosting site, or get fooled into turning over your credentials to a phishing site.
Independent Antivirus Lab Test Results
Around the world, researchers at independent antivirus testing labs spend their days putting antivirus tools to the test. Some of these labs regularly release public reports on their findings. I follow six such labs closely: AV-Comparatives, AV-Test Institute, Dennis Technology Labs, ICSA Labs, Virus Bulletin, and West Coast Labs.
Security companies typically pay for the privilege of being included in testing. In return, the labs supply them with detailed reports that can help improve their products. The number of labs that include a particular vendor serves as a measure of significance. In each case, the lab considered the product important enough to test, and the vendor felt the price was worthwhile. The labs don't necessarily test a vendor's free product, but most vendors pack full protection into the free product, enhancing premium versions with additional features. I've worked out a system for aggregating lab results, yielding a lab score from 0 to 5, or N/A if there just isn't enough data.
PCMag Antivirus Test Results
In addition to carefully perusing results from the independent labs, I also run my own hands-on malware blocking test. I expose each antivirus to a collection of malware samples, including a variety of different malware types, and note its reaction. Typically the antivirus will wipe out most of the samples on sight, and detect some of the remaining ones when I try to launch them. I derive a malware blocking score from 0 to 10 points based on how thoroughly the antivirus protects the test system from these samples. Avast Free Antivirus holds the current top score in this test, tied with one of our Editors' Choice paid antivirus utilities.
Since I use the same samples month after month, the malware-blocking test definitely doesn't measure a product's ability to detect brand-new threats. In a separate test, I attempt to download malware from 100 very new malicious URLs supplied by MRG-Effitas, typically less than a day old. I note whether the antivirus blocked all access to the URL, wiped out the malicious payload during download, or did nothing. McAfee and Symantec, both paid products, hold the very best scores in this test, though some free antivirus utilities have done fairly well.
Useful Features
Just about every antivirus product scans files on access to make sure malware can't launch, and also scans the entire system on demand, or on a schedule you set. The one exception in the current collection is a tool aimed very specifically at detecting attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in the operating system or applications. That tool, Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free, is designed for use in conjunction with a regular antivirus.
Blocking all access to malware-hosting URLs is a nice way to avoid trouble. Many products extend that protection to also steer users away from fraudulent websites, phishing sites that try to steal login credentials for financial sites and other sensitive sites. A few rate links in search results, flagging any dangerous or iffy ones.
Behavior-based detection, a feature of some antivirus products, is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it can detect malware that's never been seen before. On the other hand, if it's not done right, it can baffle the user with messages about perfectly legitimate programs.
One easy way to keep your PC protected is to install all security updates, both for Windows and for browsers and other popular applications. Starting with Windows 10, Windows updates aren't optional for consumers, but there are plenty of security holes in popular apps and add-ons. Scanning for vulnerabilities in the form of missing updates is a feature most often found in commercial antivirus products, but it does turn up in some free ones. In the chart above you can see which products include these useful features.
What's Not Here
This article reports only on free antivirus products that received at least a good rating in our reviews—three stars or better. Among those that didn't make the cut is Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender. All of the independent labs I follow do include Microsoft in testing, but most use it as a baseline. If a product can't do better than the baseline, it's got real problems.
There are also numerous free antivirus utilities that work solely to clean up existing malware infestations. You bring out these cleanup-only tools when you have a nasty malware infestation. When the problem's gone, they have no further use, since they offer no ongoing protection. Our Editors' Choice in this category is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0, and it's definitely one you should try if you've got a malware problem. But since they're free, you can keep trying others if the first one doesn't do the job. When the scare is over, you'll need a full-blown antivirus for ongoing protection.
What's Best
Our current Editors' Choice products for free antivirus utility are Avast Free Antivirus, AVG AntiVirus Free, and Panda Free Antivirus. All three get very good scores from the independent labs, and in our own tests as well. All three include some useful bonus features. Avast in particular packs a password manager and a network security scanner in its toolkit. If you do have a little cash in your budget for security, the best paid antivirus products do tend to offer more and better protection. If not, try a few of these free tools and see which one you like best.
FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP
Avast Free Antivirus 2016
$0.00
Free at Avast Avast Free Antivirus 2016 scores high in independent lab tests and in our own tests, especially our antiphishing test. Bonus features like the new password manager and innovative router security scan make it an excellent choice for free antivirus protection. Read the full review ››
AVG AntiVirus Free (2016)
$0.00
Free at AVG Technologies The latest version of AVG AntiVirus Free scores high with independent testing labs, and also fares well in our hands-on tests. Once again, AVG is an Editors' Choice for free antivirus. Read the full review ››
Panda Free Antivirus (2016)
$0.00
While Panda Free Antivirus doesn't outperform the very best commercial antivirus tools, it's way better than the rank and file of for-pay solutions. It remains our Editors' Choice for no-fee antivirus. Read the full review ››
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014)
$0.00
You'll hardly know Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014) is present on your system, unless it quashes a problem. Its tiny main window and unobtrusive style are great if you want a strong, silent, and free antivirus solution. Read the full review ››
Check Point ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2016
$0.00
Free at ZoneAlarm ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2016 combines most of Kaspersky's powerful antivirus protection with a top-notch personal firewall. It's an excellent choice if you don't want to install a full security suite. Read the full review ››
Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+ 11
$0.00
Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+ 11 focuses on the job of rooting out malware and fending off future attacks, without frills. It does a good job, though it doesn't offer all the power of the paid edition. Read the full review ››
Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free
$0.00
Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free shields your browsers against exploit attacks, even never-before-seen zero-day attacks. Give this unusual, free security tool a try. Read the full review ››
Qihoo 360 Total Security Essential
$0.00
Free at Amazon Qihoo 360 Total Security Essential scores very well in our hands-on tests and in tests by independent labs, but only if you change its default configuration to enable all antivirus engines. Read the full review ››
Comodo Antivirus 8
$0.00
Comodo Antivirus 8 offers decent antivirus protection and a whole raft of advanced security features. However, those advanced features are probably too complex for the average user. Read the full review ››
FortiClient 5.0
$0.00
Although it's designed to work with a network appliance, FortiClient 5.0 also functions as a standalone antivirus, with parental control and VPN client thrown in. And it's free! Read the full review ››
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At minimum you should be running one of these to protect yourself online and keep your accounts and money safe.
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Post Thanks / Like - 3 Thanks, 1 Likes, 0 Dislikes
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Thanks for this! Been looking for one lately...
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Thanks for the helpful research
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