- May 20, 2018
- 9
So i currently have a free antivirus running on my PC. But i always have the option to pay for an Antivirus. but are they any better than the free ones or they perform worse than the free ones?
Are paid Antiviruses better than free ones?
- Thread starter Aznhunt
- Start date
Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.
You usually pay for the support, no ads and some advanced features. If you don't care of any of those, go free.
- Aug 18, 2015
- 81
im from old school you get what you pay for? 
- Feb 17, 2018
- 870
With free you dont need to pay, you pay it with Datamining and No privacy.
- Sep 5, 2017
- 1,168
I think it depends more on your usage and habits:
you are wise enough (paranoid- think before click person) then free solution may be free enough otherwise i think paid solution with autopilot solution (set and forget ) may be useful and your choice for such solution depend mainly on how much you are able to afford and which specs do you want or expect from this solution (from performance ,detection and usability prospects )
from my point of view:
if you find the first solution is enough then kaspersky free combined with some default deny option like vodoo shield free is good
on the other premium solution: Emsisoft Antimalware or KIS or Bitdefender or Norton are solid products
you are wise enough (paranoid- think before click person) then free solution may be free enough otherwise i think paid solution with autopilot solution (set and forget ) may be useful and your choice for such solution depend mainly on how much you are able to afford and which specs do you want or expect from this solution (from performance ,detection and usability prospects )
from my point of view:
if you find the first solution is enough then kaspersky free combined with some default deny option like vodoo shield free is good
on the other premium solution: Emsisoft Antimalware or KIS or Bitdefender or Norton are solid products
Data mining and No privacy exist whether you pay or not for products. There is absolutely no such thing as privacy online. All software including Operating systems collect data.
You already have the best free virus protection on your computer, and this is Windows 10, but you just need to set or configure it better. ConfigureDefender and Hard_Configurator are two free programs that can harden your Windows. No cloud detection can reach Microsoft's (SmartScreen). Basically, you can't say that more expensive is better. Anti-virus software that can be purchased only causes scandals. Last time Avast caused bluescreens during the update. Defender would never do that, because it is perfectly adapted to Windows and is developed by Microsoft itself. That's why I wouldn't pay for an antivirus myself.
- Jan 28, 2018
- 2,463
It may be rough expression, but free security software is like 'sample food'. There is no difference in taste and texture. However, if you become food poisoning you can not consult the dealer.
The answer is no. There are a lot of free AV which are really secure and they protect you from almost all types of threats. For example Bitdefender Free, Avast Free (which is really powerful and reliable with Hardened Mode: Aggressive), Kaspersky Free, etc. My suggestion for a free and light config is a good free AV and two or three good on-demand scanners, like ZAM Free, EEK or NPE.
If we compare the features of a free version of an AV with it's paid version, for example Kaspersky Free vs Kaspersky Total Security, of course paid version of KAS will be much better than the free version (It will have more protection modules, advanced features, more configuration options...) that's why you are paying.
If you question is whether for a particular user (for example you), a free AV is enough to protect your system, as many users said previously, It depends on the type of user you are and your habits.
If you question is whether for a particular user (for example you), a free AV is enough to protect your system, as many users said previously, It depends on the type of user you are and your habits.
- Jul 3, 2015
- 8,153
Some paid suites are no more secure than free solutions. It totally depends what you buy.
If you put your money into Kaspersky Internet Security, for instance, you are gaining:
1 Application Control
2 The newest virus definitions get to you faster
Both of these increase your protection against zero-days.
And if you know how to configure KIS properly, then you are really getting your money's worth.
If you put your money into Kaspersky Internet Security, for instance, you are gaining:
1 Application Control
2 The newest virus definitions get to you faster
Both of these increase your protection against zero-days.
And if you know how to configure KIS properly, then you are really getting your money's worth.
This debate has been around for a while. I think there was a time where you could say paid was 100% the way to go, but many of the free offerings have come along way. Everyone here has made excellent points! I think it will come down to a couple of things; your comfort using free products, as well as your usage. One thing to keep in mind that there is also many great companion security apps that you can run along any AV, such as OSArmor, vodooshield, Comodo firewall, etc... , Many of which are free.
Personally I think now a days you don't necessarily have to buy security software to have a great security setup.
Personally I think now a days you don't necessarily have to buy security software to have a great security setup.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Jul 3, 2015
- 8,153
Good point. The free companion apps you mentioned will add more security than the most expensive AV suites, provided the user knows how to use them.
- Apr 29, 2018
- 15
While paid programs often make things easier and offer more features, you don't need to pay for protection.
- Mar 29, 2018
- 7,100
Agreed!
+1. Add something like VoodooShield, etc plus OD scanners and you're set.
- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
Doesn't VDS require the user to disable User Access Control?
In older versions, yes, but this behavior was corrected a long time ago.
Paying activates stronger consumer protection laws and regulations depending on your location. Free is often an exoneration from accountability. That accountability loss can be anything from your data security/privacy, support, to sponsorship/ads and telemetry gathering.
Therefore I always advocate paying for things with a few exceptions. FortiClient is free, but doesn't harvest telemetry or serve you ads other than a banner for Fortinet products. However expect zero support. Expect nobody to care if you run it or not, or if it fails to work for you. That's the price of free in the case of that. Other products, like Avast, operate under the assumption they are going to rip off everything you do and funnel it to Jumpshot for paid metrics.
Free comes in flavors:
1) Really free, full featured, and private. (rare)
2) Free because it's part of something bigger, and they don't care about their free stuff. (Fortinet, Sophos, etc.)
3) Free because it's a launchpad to their better, paid stuff. Expect to be alerted of this. (Voodooshield, Bit Defender Free, etc)
4) Free because you have something they want. Usually your data and privacy. (Avast/AVG, almost everything Chinese)
Therefore I always advocate paying for things with a few exceptions. FortiClient is free, but doesn't harvest telemetry or serve you ads other than a banner for Fortinet products. However expect zero support. Expect nobody to care if you run it or not, or if it fails to work for you. That's the price of free in the case of that. Other products, like Avast, operate under the assumption they are going to rip off everything you do and funnel it to Jumpshot for paid metrics.
Free comes in flavors:
1) Really free, full featured, and private. (rare)
2) Free because it's part of something bigger, and they don't care about their free stuff. (Fortinet, Sophos, etc.)
3) Free because it's a launchpad to their better, paid stuff. Expect to be alerted of this. (Voodooshield, Bit Defender Free, etc)
4) Free because you have something they want. Usually your data and privacy. (Avast/AVG, almost everything Chinese)
- May 13, 2017
- 2,479
I would pay for free AV and I would not want a paid AV, even for free. Free AV - less bloatware, thus better performance, a cleaner interface, etc, exactly what users want. Paid AV might give a slightly better detection, but it is just not worth it. If I had a paid AV, I would disable everything anyway and I would keep just realtime and cloud protection, nothing else.
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