The 12 Best Free Antivirus Software in 2022 – Installing a powerful antivirus for your PC is the best way to protect your device from malware, spyware, and viruses. Despite your computer coming with a pre-installed security app, having a third-party program offers ultimate protection to your PC.
Most renowned antivirus costs pretty pennies, making it less suitable for students or personal use. If you are looking for a trusty program with no-cost services, you are so lucky to be here. We have compiled a list of the best free antivirus software that works well on your PC.
Free antivirus is suitable for non-commercial use. Most programs are packed with great features like quick scan, full scan, and firewall protection. Some products also include bonus features like spyware protection and data encryption. Scroll through and find the best antivirus.
Top 12 Best Free Antivirus Software for Your PC
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1. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free – Scan for Malware
When there is a list of the best free antivirus software, Kaspersky should be on it. This is a top-rated product packed with tons of extra features to protect your devices, such as PC cleaner, database update, privacy protection, and password manager, in addition to a basic scan feature.
Kaspersky is able to scan for malware in various locations, including in your files, instant messages, mail, as well as on the web. Featuring zero-day malware, this antivirus ensures no threat can infect your PC, not even the brand-new threat.
As with most antivirus counterparts, this product provides a Kaspersky Protection extension that works for Firefox and Chrome. Once the extension is installed, it marks up malicious links in your search results. However, the free version doesn’t support Anti-Banner and Private Browsing.
One of the best features brought to you by Kaspersky is excellent phishing protection that helps protect you from fraudsters. Plus, it has impressive protection against ransomware and malicious software.
2. Avast Free Antivirus – Dependable Antivirus
Avast is one of the best picks when it comes to dependable antivirus. This product has been around for a while and it has been trusted by millions of users from all over the world. As a leading antivirus, it ensures the safety of your device from threats, even the newest ones.
Tons of features make Avast one of the best free antivirus software Avast ever created. It provides you with web threat detection and a network security scanner with a Wi-Fi inspector, allowing you to browse with some peace of mind. And, the developer constantly updates the software for the best protection.
Additionally, this antivirus offers decent malware protection for secure browsing activity. It is designed to block access to malware URLs even up to 80 percent. As a bonus, Avast offers a password manager that helps handle basic functions. It can be activated as an extension in your browser.
3. AVG Antivirus Free
AVG is one of the best free antivirus software that has a million active users all around the world. Initially designed as a free antivirus product, it has expanded into a versatile product that offers privacy and security.
AVG antivirus delivers scan features that help detect and remove viruses, malware, spyware, and even ransomware from your PC. As with the other two products mentioned earlier, AVG supports zero-day threats which detect and remove zero-day threats.
Aside from its capable core protection, you can also take benefits of protection against malicious files in your emails, links, and websites. With a home network scanner, this program allows you to know whether or not your network is vulnerable.
Things get better as AVG antivirus offers scan customization options which can be found in Schedule Scan. This feature lets you customize scanning options on various devices. Overall, this is a great app to protect your Windows PC.
4. Avira Antivirus – Highlights Browser Protection
Avira is not only the best free antivirus software but also the oldest, even older than Avast. With such a long experience, this program knows everything you need to give maximum protection for your computer. With reliable and accurate detection, this is a product you can count on.
Avira is a lightweight app, yet it has tons of extra features brought to your table. Smart Scan quickly scans your computer for junk files, viruses, junk files, and other security issues. It also features web protection and ransomware attack prevention.
As one of the best free antivirus software, Avira highlights browser protection with extensions for Chrome and Firefox. This extension helps block web trackers and online ads with hidden deals even though it does not work to detect phishing sites.
Additionally, Avira features device optimization tools to boost your computer performance. The tool includes a startup optimizer, driver updates, junk cleaner, and battery manager. With fast cleaning, Avira is reliable to clean your hard drive.
5. Bitdefender Antivirus Free – Powerful Antivirus Program
Bitdefender, much like other antivirus counterparts, is available in free and premium versions. The free edition is considered enough to protect your computer from threats, thanks to an extensive range of capabilities like ransomware detection and on-demand virus scanning.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free is a lightweight program that is packed with essential features to protect your Windows computer. Additionally, this product is blazing fast and it can run at maximum speed without making the PC sluggish. Not surprisingly Bitdefender is ideal for video editing or gaming.
Real-time threat detection makes Bitdefender a powerful antivirus program. This technology enables the software to monitor any active apps. Whenever it detects anything suspicious, instant action will be taken immediately. It also supports powerful scan engines to remove malware and viruses.
Plus, Bitdefender as one of the best free antivirus software protects you against internet fraud. It features anti-fraud which helps detect suspicious web pages and anti-phishing which keeps your passwords safe from data theft.
6. Sophos Home Free – Essential Protection Features
Sophos is a top-rated antivirus that works great on Windows and Mac. The brand offers three options with different pricing, one of which is Sophos Home Free which comes with no-cost services. Despite being free, it is dependable to protect your device against threats.
One of the best free antivirus software for Mac has essential protection features, such as real-time antivirus that protect your PC against malware, viruses, and other threats. Predictive AI threat detection that identifies brand new malware, and parental website filtering to control the content for your children.
The free edition also features web protection which helps block dangerous websites. With advanced web security, this product blocks phishing sites for safe shopping. However, this feature expires after a 30-day of free trial.
Remote management is another highlight feature brought to you by Sophos Home Free. This feature secures your PCs in any location. This best free antivirus software can protect up to 3 devices both Mac and Windows.
7. Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Previously known as Windows Defender, this is among the best free antivirus software for Windows 10. Most PCs that run Windows 10 have this program as a pre-installed antivirus and it works well to protect the device against malware and viruses.
Initially, Microsoft Defender was not really good to keep the computer secure but recently it transforms into a decent free antivirus program. It comes with a wide range of features typically found in its rivals, such as real-time threat detection, parental controls, and firewall protection.
Despite the many features it has, Microsoft Defender is not as powerful as Avast, Kaspersky, or AVG in terms of protecting the device. Some malicious files are failed to block and their parental controls are limited. Not to mention the developer does not update their database quite often.
The good news is that Microsoft Defender can be combined with another antivirus. You can optimize protection against malware and viruses with Microsoft Defender and another free antivirus product.
8. Adaware Antivirus Free
Next on the list of the best free antivirus software is Adaware Antivirus. This product may not be as popular as Kaspersky or Avast but it is arguably a top-rated product line for antivirus and internet security. With multi-layered protection and other features, it has many things to bring to your table.
Adaware highlights network protection that comes with a different way to handle firewall protection and port. It also has Total Security that enlists network adapters from your hardware and lets you assign a profile, in addition to the port scanning button.
Parental control is another feature to obtain from Adaware Antivirus. This software has age-based templates that can be chosen for each user so you don’t necessarily need to configure them manually. Plus, it features email protection that integrates with your email applications.
9. Zone Alarm Antivirus
This is another best free antivirus software for Windows. Zone Alarm offers reliable protection at no cost, making it a suitable choice for non-commercial use. Claiming itself as a robust antivirus solution, it gives ultimate protection against threats.
Zone Alarm has essential features that detect and protect your PC against malware, viruses, spyware, and other threat. At the same time, it features a personal firewall to secure your privacy and identity from hackers. It gives you some peace of mind to browse websites and download files.
You can also take benefit from Web Secure Free, a Chrome extension that gives you complete protection for the safest browsing experience. It helps protect you from phishing and alerts you about potential websites.
Additionally, Zone Alarm features multiple layers for advanced security, providing your PC with solid protection. It also has customizable scan modes that allow you to control security settings that suit you best, in addition to real-time security updates.
10. Malwarebytes Free
If you are looking for a complementary antimalware program, Malwarebytes can be a great option. This is among the best free antivirus software that works well to complement existing antivirus, allowing you to double the protection. Despite it is not a real antivirus program, it has a lot of good things to offer.
Malwarebytes is specifically designed to clean out malware that infects your system. Even though it cannot prevent the computer from being infected, it is great to remove adware and malware that antivirus programs may miss. For this reason, it can be a perfect piece to install alongside antivirus.
Malwarebytes Free is considered enough to complement installed antivirus programs, like AVG, Avast, Kasperksy, and others. The good news is that it will not conflict with other antivirus installed on your computer. Instead, it provides you convenience in removing malware.
To get the best out of it, you do not necessarily need to upgrade this program to the premium version. The premium version is known to cause conflict with other antivirus products.
11. Panda Free Antivirus
Panda Free is a perfect choice for beginners who start using antivirus programs on their computers. This software is lightweight, simple, and easy to use, providing you with a slope learning curve. Although it is designed with easiness in mind, it has a bunch of features to protect your system.
The antivirus scanner helps detect ransomware, spyware, and adware. With real-time protection, it blocks malware files you are trying to download from malicious websites. Panda is also a nice app for game enthusiasts, thanks to gaming mode that suspends notifications when you are gaming.
The Windows-only best free antivirus software offers a secure VPN that delivers fast speed and an improved data limit of up to 150MB per day. It also comes with additional features like a password manager, anti-phishing, parental controls, and advanced tools.
12. TotalAV Free Antivirus – The Best Web Protection
TotalAV boasts the best web protection and system tuneup to improve your PC performance. This free antivirus program is cloud-based, which means the engine does not affect your computer performance. With a higher detection rate, it can be a perfect solution for system protection.
For optimized web protection, TotalAV comes with a web shield that blocks malicious and phishing sites. It also features capable system tuneup tools that help remove junk files on your computer. However, it lacks real-time protection for accurate detection.
Conclusion
When it comes to the best free antivirus software, the market has a long list to offer. The top picks above help you choose one that suits you best. Kaspersky is considered the most powerful product with tons of extra features, followed by Avast and AVG which boast ultimate protection to your device.