Antivirus: Free Versus Shareware
April 13, 2012
Most people have heard of free antivirus software but maybe you are worried it is too good to be true? Do they really work? Can they be as good as paid antivirus programs? In short, yes you can get excellent free protection. These companies hope you will like their products and offer great deals on upgrades to their larger suites, typically complete internet security packages.
Free antivirus programs offer basic protection, scanning and removal. That said some of the best programs in detection and removal are shareware products. The free products tend to offer basic protection and not have all the features of a full featured internet security suite. Majorgeeks prides itself on freeware. The majority of software listed here is free but we do list shareware and for a good reason. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
There are a ton of variables here to consider when you compare shareware versus freeware. This is why people love to argue which antivirus is the best and this argument will go on forever. Who is right? Who is wrong? Well, just about everybody depending on what month this is. It simply depends on what test they are referring to when claiming “their” antivirus is the best.
Let’s take a quick look at last year’s winners and losers from AV Comparatives to understand how all this works. Their yearend report is a whopping 129 pages long but we can break it down for you.
Their overall Product of the Year was Kaspersky. Kaspersky has been one of the best for as long as I can remember. There is no free version available. The best rarely comes cheaply. Kaspersky is sold for $59.95 for up to 3 computers. So it is actually 20 dollars per computer, for one year. The anonymous people on Majorgeeks have rated it a 2.84 out of 5 so that just goes to show how little people know about the best program out there. Many people tend to down rate shareware products simply because they are shareware.
AV Comparatives also have what I consider the most important award, The Top Rated Products. In this category are Avira, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure and Kaspersky. All of these companies are shareware products with only Avira offering a free edition in this bunch. All of these products stand out from the pack where it counts.
One test AV Comparatives also ran was for false positives. This is when your antivirus tells you that a problem has been found, but it is not really a problem. The worst offenders in this situation are McAfee, F-Secure and Microsoft. This is a factor if you want antivirus protection you can just set and forget.
Bottom line: Yes, freeware antivirus solutions do work however we feel they are best used by more advanced users. There are many situations where using a full-fledged internet security suite is something you should consider. Are you a geek? Do you know the ins and outs of being safe on the internet? Be honest. If so then roll with free antivirus protection. The majority of infected computers I have had to repair over the years were people using basic, free antivirus when they needed better protection. If you get infected even once then it is time to consider an upgrade. Reformatting or repairing your computer could easily cost over $100. $30 doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?
So, what antivirus would I choose? A couple of excellent choices are Kaspersky and ESET but it has been my experience that their interfaces are not the most user friendly to the person looking to just set it and forget it. My personal choice in this case would be Avira AntiVirus Premium 2012 which costs $29.95 or Avira Internet Security which costs $59.95. Some of the additional features you get with the shareware version include web protection to steer you away from malicious websites and free live support. While other choices are decent, none consistently rank as high as Avira AntiVirus Premium. Some might disagree, as all geeks do, but the numbers don’t lie here.
Most people have heard of free antivirus software but maybe you are worried it is too good to be true? Do they really work? Can they be as good as paid antivirus programs? In short, yes you can get excellent free protection. These companies hope you will like their products and offer great deals on upgrades to their larger suites, typically complete internet security packages.
Free antivirus programs offer basic protection, scanning and removal. That said some of the best programs in detection and removal are shareware products. The free products tend to offer basic protection and not have all the features of a full featured internet security suite. Majorgeeks prides itself on freeware. The majority of software listed here is free but we do list shareware and for a good reason. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
There are a ton of variables here to consider when you compare shareware versus freeware. This is why people love to argue which antivirus is the best and this argument will go on forever. Who is right? Who is wrong? Well, just about everybody depending on what month this is. It simply depends on what test they are referring to when claiming “their” antivirus is the best.
Let’s take a quick look at last year’s winners and losers from AV Comparatives to understand how all this works. Their yearend report is a whopping 129 pages long but we can break it down for you.
Their overall Product of the Year was Kaspersky. Kaspersky has been one of the best for as long as I can remember. There is no free version available. The best rarely comes cheaply. Kaspersky is sold for $59.95 for up to 3 computers. So it is actually 20 dollars per computer, for one year. The anonymous people on Majorgeeks have rated it a 2.84 out of 5 so that just goes to show how little people know about the best program out there. Many people tend to down rate shareware products simply because they are shareware.
AV Comparatives also have what I consider the most important award, The Top Rated Products. In this category are Avira, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure and Kaspersky. All of these companies are shareware products with only Avira offering a free edition in this bunch. All of these products stand out from the pack where it counts.
One test AV Comparatives also ran was for false positives. This is when your antivirus tells you that a problem has been found, but it is not really a problem. The worst offenders in this situation are McAfee, F-Secure and Microsoft. This is a factor if you want antivirus protection you can just set and forget.
Bottom line: Yes, freeware antivirus solutions do work however we feel they are best used by more advanced users. There are many situations where using a full-fledged internet security suite is something you should consider. Are you a geek? Do you know the ins and outs of being safe on the internet? Be honest. If so then roll with free antivirus protection. The majority of infected computers I have had to repair over the years were people using basic, free antivirus when they needed better protection. If you get infected even once then it is time to consider an upgrade. Reformatting or repairing your computer could easily cost over $100. $30 doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?
So, what antivirus would I choose? A couple of excellent choices are Kaspersky and ESET but it has been my experience that their interfaces are not the most user friendly to the person looking to just set it and forget it. My personal choice in this case would be Avira AntiVirus Premium 2012 which costs $29.95 or Avira Internet Security which costs $59.95. Some of the additional features you get with the shareware version include web protection to steer you away from malicious websites and free live support. While other choices are decent, none consistently rank as high as Avira AntiVirus Premium. Some might disagree, as all geeks do, but the numbers don’t lie here.
