Best Free AntiMalware in 2023

[SeriousHoax]

Kaspersky has a weird effect on browsers with Adguard for Desktop, such that in some cases forum pages that I revisit aren't loaded fully.

Bitdefender has similar problems as Kaspersky in terms of browser page loading,

I'm guessing you have HTTPS scanning enabled in both Kaspersky/Bitdefender and Adguard? It's not uncommon to have issues when two programs are doing HTTPS scanning. It's also not good for performance.

but it's very difficult to install: sometimes, downloading the installer is slow unless you use a VPN.

This used to be an issue for me also but got fixed for me since last year. Maybe a CDN issue? It's still slow for me for ESET and Kaspersky. ESET's slow downloading issue is worldwide phenomenon, lol.

In addition, with or without upgrades the system tray icon might show up only a minute or so after startup

Yeah, this is a known thing and it's not considered as an issue by Bitdefender because the core BD services are started as usual. Also, it only happens if fast startup is enabled. Fast startup is only useful for users with HDD system drive and also for maybe laptop users who may need the hibernation feature.

For me what I feel on day to day usage is more important than benchmarks. Avast/AVG for example, runs everything with a second or more delay the first day which is logical of course, everything is fast on the second and usually even on the third day but then on the fourth all apps run with a second delay once again. Even 7zip and Photos app runs with a delay. I find this very annoying.
By default, Kaspersky is CPU heavy and slower on browsing due to HTTPS scanning.
Bitdefender is fast but less suitable for systems with low ram and a big no for older PCs with HDD. It's updating process too heavy for older PCs to handle while currently have the least upselling or other annoyances among free products.
There's no perfect one best free AV. Protection is good for all the recommend products in this thread. A user should try all to decide what's best for him/her.

 

[Trident]

Actually, there is one in particular that does think that opinion polls prove his product is "superior in every way" as he has said publicly numerous times.

Since it is done here on this forum with the intent of promoting their product, it is legally considered advertising and subject to consumer protection and advertising regulations.

Such claims should not be trusted if they have been indeed made. “In every way” is the key as poll votes are not all available ways to prove superiority. All claims related to superiority are usually mildly and carefully used even by Fortune 100 companies. Some have learned their lesson the hard way. But let’s not hijack the thread with that.

 

[Ink]

McAfee is not free.

Removed McAfee from the Poll. @markstitovits

McAfee's clever marketing:

---

These are the Best Free Anti-Malware. All opinions are my own / Not in any order.

• Microsoft Defender Antivirus
• Bitdefender Free Antivirus
• Kaspersky Security
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (On-Demand)
• Emsisoft Emergency Kit (On-Demand)
• ESET Online Scanner (On-Demand)

 

[markstitovits]

McAfee is not free.

Yep, you're right. It's been removed. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[markstitovits]

Removed McAfee from the Poll. @markstitovits

McAfee's clever marketing:
View attachment 273458 View attachment 273459

My mistake, thanks for that

 

[CyberDevil]

Okay, I have to diversify this topic!
My list:
- Ahnlab V3 Lite
- 360 Total Security
- Adaware Antivirus Free
- Sophos Home (discontinued, thx Trident)
- Huorong Internet Security

 

[Trident]

Sophos Home

Unfortunately that was discontinued. Sophos Home now comes only as a premium package.

 

[monkeylove]

I'm guessing you have HTTPS scanning enabled in both Kaspersky/Bitdefender and Adguard? It's not uncommon to have issues when two programs are doing HTTPS scanning. It's also not good for performance.

This used to be an issue for me also but got fixed for me since last year. Maybe a CDN issue? It's still slow for me for ESET and Kaspersky. ESET's slow downloading issue is worldwide phenomenon, lol.

Yeah, this is a known thing and it's not considered as an issue by Bitdefender because the core BD services are started as usual. Also, it only happens if fast startup is enabled. Fast startup is only useful for users with HDD system drive and also for maybe laptop users who may need the hibernation feature.

For me what I feel on day to day usage is more important than benchmarks. Avast/AVG for example, runs everything with a second or more delay the first day which is logical of course, everything is fast on the second and usually even on the third day but then on the fourth all apps run with a second delay once again. Even 7zip and Photos app runs with a delay. I find this very annoying.
By default, Kaspersky is CPU heavy and slower on browsing due to HTTPS scanning.
Bitdefender is fast but less suitable for systems with low ram and a big no for older PCs with HDD. It's updating process too heavy for older PCs to handle while currently have the least upselling or other annoyances among free products.
There's no perfect one best free AV. Protection is good for all the recommend products in this thread. A user should try all to decide what's best for him/her.

About HTTPs, I think you're right; I use Firefox. It doesn't happen often when I use Avast or AVG, and happens more for Bitdefender and Kasperksy. The browsing's faster with Windows Security, but it turns out it's because I didn't use the MS Application Guard extension.

I read that if I disable HTTPs scanning in Adguard, some ads might show up, and if I disable it for the AV, then I don't get web protection. I also use apps like Ferdium where no adblockers can be added, so I have to use Adguard for Desktop for it.

I once set Adguard for Desktop to block only ads in Ferdium and then installed uBlock Origin in Firefox, and browsing was fine. I'll probably do that if I decide to use an AV other than Avast or AVG; it's just that it's annoying that I still have to load Adguard for desktop to block ads in Ferdium and I have to use a separate adblocker for the browser.

About slowdowns, I notice that this happens at startup and for the first few minutes for AVs like Avast, e.g., when I load the browser, the speed dial doesn't show up right away. At first, I thought it was probably because Google Drive was syncing, but I noticed the same thing in another PC that doesn't use that app.

 

[SeriousHoax]

About HTTPs, I think you're right; I use Firefox. It doesn't happen often when I use Avast or AVG, and happens more for Bitdefender and Kasperksy.

AFAIK everyone except Avast uses the MITM proxy method for HTTPS scanning where browsers have to trust a self-signed certificate made by the AV vendors. Avast changed their method a few years ago and they use SSLKeyLogFile method where the browsers leak the secret key that is used to secure the HTTPS connection made between the browser and the website server. So, Avast can use this key to decrypt the traffic without breaking the connection. This method is generally less problematic and has less security issues than the MITM proxy method used by other vendors. So, looks like this worked in your favor in your experience with Avast + Adguard combo. Also, Avast with HTTPS scanning is faster than BD, Kaspersky and ESET in my experience.

if I disable it for the AV, then I don't get web protection.

Your AV in this case Avast, B̶i̶t̶d̶e̶f̶e̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ and Kaspersky's web protection will still work system wide. It's just that the HTTPS traffic won't be decrypted. But if you visit a known malicious HTTPS host, it'll still be blocked.
Edit: @monkeylove Really sorry my info was wrong about this for Bitdefender. Disabling HTTS scanning aka "Encrypted web scan" as it's called in Bitdefender, completely disables scanning of HTTPS traffic. I just tested.
So, my previous statement is true for Avast (tested again just now) and Kaspersky but not for Bitdefender.

I once set Adguard for Desktop to block only ads in Ferdium and then installed uBlock Origin in Firefox, and browsing was fine. I'll probably do that if I decide to use an AV other than Avast or AVG; it's just that it's annoying that I still have to load Adguard for desktop to block ads in Ferdium and I have to use a separate adblocker for the browser.

I see. But if you're a Firefox user all the time then I'll say IMO your current method of using uBO in Firefox is better than using ADG Desktop. Firefox + uBO combo is faster and lighter. ADG desktop could be useful for Chromium browsers in the future if Google don't improve the adblocking limitations of MV3.

 

[mlnevese]

Kaspersky has a weird effect on browsers with Adguard for Desktop, such that in some cases forum pages that I revisit aren't loaded fully. This happens even if I clear the cache and disable Adguard. Also, popups for upgrades show up even if I disable any notification settings I can think of that are connected to that.

I had a similar problem with Kaspersky. If you are using Adguard desktop, turn off Kaspersky's browser plugin and in Kaspersky settings turn off private navigation and antibanner. Let Adguard deal with those.

 

[SeriousHoax]

@monkeylove One of my provided info in my previous comment was wrong. Sorry for that. I edited my comment to explain.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

In BD Free, there isn't even an option to disable "Encrypted web scan" so.....

Yes its possible to disable encrypted scan in BD free ! I personally leave it enabled ,Look very carefully in settings

Also see this answer

Advanced Plus Security - silversurfer Laptop Config 2022/2023

Updated my config, according to latest changes: By Staff - Get started with Your Computer Security Configuration (2022) Note: Windows 11 - Smart App Control: Off by default (Decision by Microsoft: "we determined that you weren't a good candidate for Smart App Control.")...

malwaretips.com

 

[SeriousHoax]

Yes its possible to disable encrypted scan in BD free ! I personally leave it enabled ,Look very carefully in settings

Also see this answer

Advanced Plus Security - silversurfer Laptop Config 2022/2023

Updated my config, according to latest changes: By Staff - Get started with Your Computer Security Configuration (2022) Note: Windows 11 - Smart App Control: Off by default (Decision by Microsoft: "we determined that you weren't a good candidate for Smart App Control.")...

malwaretips.com

You're right. My bad. I was thinking of another setting. It's pointless to disable this setting for BD as I realized it completely disables HTTPS traffic scanning. So even known blacklisted sites are not blocked. But the words BD used to describe the feature in the UI is completely wrong and misleading. They should change and explain properly the downside of disabling the feature.

 

[monkeylove]

Thanks for the help!

This is getting weird: I'm currently trying Kaspersky Free Antivirus, and the browser seems faster than in Avast, and even with ADG running.

The numbers for both in NovaBench is similar, and I decided to give KFA a try (when I last tried KSC, it upgraded automatically to that) given this:

Which Antivirus Software Has the Least System Impact?

If you want antivirus software not to slow you down, these are the programs to buy (and avoid).

www.tomsguide.com

Also, I decided to turn off ADG for FF and use uBO, and then just used ADG for Ferdium and other apps that have no adblockers.

I'll let you know if any popup ads for upgrades show up.

 

[Sorrento]

Some AV's as I remember such as Kaspersky & Avast/AVG can dramatically slow some VPN's down, I appreciate some don't mind this but I do, it's taken my near on 30 years to get a good speed & I'm not having it drained away by an AV

 

[Shadowra]

1. Kaspersky
2. Eset & Bitdefender
3. Avast!
4. Microsoft Defender
5. Avira

 

[monkeylove]

More weird stuff. Kaspersky eventually caused the same problems I mentioned earlier, so I switched back to Avast. Then when I did an sfc /scannow, I found out that there were errors involving, "Cannot verify component files for AVG...CRT." I used avgclear.exe to uninstall it, and the problem remained even though I installed and uninstalled the app or tried DISM commands, so I was forced to do a in-place upgrade repair. The problem disappeared, and when I ran NovaBench with Windows Security its benchmark went up. LOL.

Finally, I also found out that Windows Security protects Firefox:

Win 10 windows defender | Firefox Support Forum | Mozilla Support

support.mozilla.org

That is, go to about:support and check Security software to see if it's mentioned in the antivirus field.

 

[mlnevese]

All security programs will cause some problems. Bitdefender used to block my wife's company VPN so she couldn't remotely work from home because she couldn't connect to the company servers. I opened a hole in the firewall with rules that worked until a software update made connection impossible again. It came to a point where I had to switch to another solution because I got tired of working around it every time. I have no idea if this problem persists, it's been almost 2 years since I last used it.

ESET used to block all my network printers, but eventually they solved that.

Kaspersky would stop some pages from opening and I discovered it was a conflict with desktop Adguard. I disabled the Kaspersky plugin, and in Kaspersky's preferences , I turned off navigation privacy and banner protection and the problem was gone.

Avast was the one that gave me the least problems these last years except for false positives in some legitimate sites that took them a long time to fix. It also slowed down the computer a little more than the other solutions I tested.

In short, all solutions cause some networking problems, often there is a work around.

 

[blackice]

Windows Security is the heaviest of the lot, both in terms of benchmarking scores and loading pages, browsing files, etc.

I actually found in running game benchmarks that Microsoft Defender had the lowest or equal to the lowest impact. Comparable to Bitdefender. AVG reproducibly lowered frame rates at high frame rates in every game I tested and Time Spy benchmarks by about 8%. They won’t even acknowledge that it happens when I sent a bug report.

 

[simmerskool]

I actually found in running game benchmarks that Microsoft Defender had the lowest or equal to the lowest impact. Comparable to Bitdefender. AVG reproducibly lowered frame rates at high frame rates in every game I tested and Time Spy benchmarks by about 8%. They won’t even acknowledge that it happens when I sent a bug report.

fwiw I'm running MS Defender in VMware win10 22H2 Guest with H_C and my subjective "feeling" at the keyboard is this combo is light.