Avast free anti virus

[Dizeee]

I have just bought a new PC and am in the process of selecting a free anti virus for it - Avast seems to look ok - are there any better options? I tend not to like AVG as it continually prompts for changes to your computer and search engine etc

Thanks

[sunbeam alpine]

Why not just use the built-in Microsoft Defender? (Assuming that it's W10). Seems to work fine to me.

[Dizeee]

What / where is that?

[Dizeee]

Oh ok... PC says I already have it. Is that all I need? ( That and malware bytes )

[wiggy001]

Windows Defender, Malwarebytes and CCleaner are the only things I've used for years.

[anonymous-user]

I have AVG Free on all but one of our computers, and hate the continual attempts to trick you into switching to the paid-for version.

So I loaded Avast Free onto one machine. And guess what. It is *exactly* the same.

[otherman]

Yeah, Avast is a decent product, but it's gone the way of all the other free ones and now pesters you to upgrade all the time. If anyone knows of an anti-virus that doesn't do this, please share.

[br d]

otherman said:

Yeah, Avast is a decent product, but it's gone the way of all the other free ones and now pesters you to upgrade all the time. If anyone knows of an anti-virus that doesn't do this, please share.

I'm not sure any of them will, unless included in an already paid package like Defender.

Give away a product for free and then never asking for the customer to pay for anything is not a sound business model.

[Hanslow]

I used Avast for many years but after all the nagging and extra "helpful" guidance it gives you I got very fed up with it. The last straw was when Win10 kept telling me it needed an update, which Avast recognised itself, but refused to update. I wasn't alone in this judging from the support forums, but I never did get the update working properly again.

I switched to BitDefender and it's been nowhere near as intrusive. That's assuming it's working and doing its job of course. The problem with a number of these is that they seem to want to grow and become more than what they're good at, and then people tend to look elsewhere as they just want a good, quiet, antivirus tool.

[Australiam]

I am a big fan of Sophos. Free for home use, no ad's, and uses much of the same technology as Thier paid product. Definitely worth considering.

[Hanslow]

ash73 said:

Defender is less intrusive for a reason; it doesn't detect much!

Windows Defender or BitDefender? The latter seemed to do quite well in the reviews and comparisons I looked at before switching.

[P4ulB]

Australiam said:

I am a big fan of Sophos. Free for home use, no ad's, and uses much of the same technology as Thier paid product. Definitely worth considering.

^ This

No ad's - small banner in the console occasionally to say a paid for version is available, but never in your face.

Did use Avast for years, but now it's just annoying to use.

[cdrick4]

I used Avira and it was ok. Now, I use the paid version of eSet and I'm very satisfied with its performance so far.

[smashie]

P4ulB said:

Australiam said:

I am a big fan of Sophos. Free for home use, no ad's, and uses much of the same technology as Thier paid product. Definitely worth considering.

^ This

No ad's - small banner in the console occasionally to say a paid for version is available, but never in your face.

Did use Avast for years, but now it's just annoying to use.

I use them as well on all my home PCs. Just put it on the other half's after Avast was asking to re-register.

[The Mad Monk]

cdrick4 said:

I used Avira and it was ok. Now, I use the paid version of eSet and I'm very satisfied with its performance so far.

Why bother to give them money?

Those nice people at Microsoft look after my kit for no extra charge.

[Jinx]

wiggy001 said:

Windows Defender, Malwarebytes and CCleaner are the only things I've used for years.

Since Vista I have used the above plus spywareblaster (more to protect from browser hijacks) . As long as you are careful what you download online and what links you click the above will keep you relatively safe. Of course nothing is truly safe online so if you are not too savvy or someone else also uses your machine make sure you sign in on a limited account and not an admin one for general computing.

Ccleaner famously had malware injected nefariously in the 32-bit Windows version 5.33.6162 build but piriform quickly admitted the issue and provided updates (though I nuked my machine from orbit) so note - nothing will keep you safe only safer than otherwise.

If you want to stay as safe as possible online than install https://tails.boum.org/ onto a DVD, boot from the DVD each time and leave no trace on the PC at all. The Hazmat suit of being online.

[wiggy001]

cdrick4 said:

I used Avira and it was ok. Now, I use the paid version of eSet and I'm very satisfied with its performance so far.

Out of interest, are you satisfied because it has found and removed lots of nasties, or it hasn't found anything and you've stayed safe? If it's the latter then you may as well use a free alternative, and if it's the former then it would be interesting to know whether a) how you got the nasties in the first place and b) whether Windows Defender would have found them anyway.

I do sometimes wonder if paid-for anti-virus is like Hippo Repellent for your bins...

[Who me ?]

I use Avast, and it seems ( apart from the constant nagging to upgrade), bloat free. However, depending on the OP's ISP, he may find that a security package is part of the deal. e.g. Plusnet offers a MacAfee variety on the lower BB deal. It seemed to be chargeable on the higher BB deals, but I reverted to Avast as it seemed to cause a big slow down at startup, which Avast does not.

[wiggy001]

[quote=Who me ?]I use Avast, and it seems ( apart from the constant nagging to upgrade), bloat free. However, depending on the OP's ISP, he may find that a security package is part of the deal. e.g. Plusnet offers a MacAfee variety on the lower BB deal. It seemed to be chargeable on the higher BB deals, but I reverted to Avast as it seemed to cause a big slow down at startup, which Avast does not.
[/quote]
I think I would rather have a virus than McAffee to be honest.

[Andy-SP2]

I scan my PC with Malwarebytes on a regular basis just to be on the safe side

So whilst there is likely to be spyware/malware out there, is an actual virus likely