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Guides - Privacy & Security Tips
Choosing between Antivirus, Internet Security, and Total Security Products
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<blockquote data-quote="Chromatinfish 123" data-source="post: 447743" data-attributes="member: 23007"><p>Nowadays, every popular antivirus vendor has three to four tiers of antivirus software. Usually called Antivirus (and sometimes Antivirus Pro too), Internet Security, and Total Security, these tiers allow more decision making on how many features somebody wants, many regular internet users ask the question, "Which tier of security should I choose?"</p><p></p><p> First of all, let's review what the usual tiers of security products are:</p><p></p><p>(Please see exceptions on the bottom of the lists)</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Free Antivirus (Sometimes)</strong></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 15px"> Free Antivirus differs from other antivirus products because they are usually free. </span>This usually depends heavily on the vendor, but free antiviruses usually contain basic modules:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Real-Time Protection</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Manual Scans</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Malicious Email Protection</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Web Protection</li> </ul><p> Some vendors like Comodo are generous enough to throw a free firewall into the offering, but mostly that doesn't happen too often. Most free antiviruses are enough to cater to anybody's security need, and in the case of Avast and Avira, are usually more popular than their paid counterparts.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Antivirus Pro/Plus</strong></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 15px">Sometimes called Antivirus Pro, Pro Antivirus, Antivirus Plus, or just Antivirus, this tier of antivirus is usually the </span>lowest cost of the three paid tiers (not counting free antivirus). Usually it contains the free antivirus features with:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sandbox (If a product includes one)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Browser Cleanup</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Password Protection</li> </ul><p>If you plan to buy a pro version of a free antivirus, I would ask you to reconsider as frankly this is not worth it (I'm talking about Avast, AVG, Avira, Comodo, etc.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Fun Fact: McAfee actually includes a firewall in its baseline security solution.</strong></p><p></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Internet Security</span></strong></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 15px"> By far, this is the second-most popular solution after free antivirus. Internet Security solutions typically boast a suite of features, including the basic antivirus module with a firewall, along with some nice little security features, like:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ad-Block</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Anti-Theft</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Banking Protection</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Anti-spam (not to be confused with email protection).</li> </ul><p>The biggest selling feature in most internet security solutions is the firewall, which usually is advertised as being stronger than windows firewall (and sometimes it is the case).</p><p></p><p>*Please Note that Qihoo 360 does not follow these as its Internet Security (or Total Security Essentials now) by definition is different. Please see the exceptions at the bottom*</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Total Security/Total Protection</strong></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 15px"> Like </span>spice<span style="font-size: 15px"> on a plate of food, Total Security is Internet Security with some extra perks, namely:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cloud Backup (usually 10 to 50 GB)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">File Safe/File Guard</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Parental Control</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Optimization/Performance</li> </ul><p>Total Security is the most expensive of the options and usually most heavily marketed by the antivirus vendor as "Best Choice" or "Top Rated".</p><p></p><p>*Again, Qihoo 360 Total Security does not follow this rule*</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Exceptions</span></strong></li> </ul><p> Like always, there are exceptions. Sometimes they are minor, sometimes they are major. Here are some:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Norton, unlike others markets its products as Standard, Deluxe, and Premium. Standard is Internet Security, Deluxe is just Standard with 5 PCs instead of 1, and Premium is Total Security.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ESET, Unlike others, is marketed as NOD32 AV and Smart Security. NOD32 is the Antivirus Plus, and Smart Security is Internet Security.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Qihoo 360 products are named as 360 Total Security Essential and 360 Total Security. 360 Total Security Essential is Free Antivirus, with Sandbox. 360 Total Security is Free Antivirus, with Sandbox, Optimization, and other applets like Wi-Fi Safety. All 360 products are free for home use.</li> </ul><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Which One To Choose?</strong></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 15px"> It's your choice totally. After exploring all the options, it's still up to you whether you think you need a better firewall or anti-theft for an extra 20 bucks. However, I would like to give my </span>two cents that Pro Antiviruses that have a free counterpart are not worth it! Frankly, I would not pay 30 extra bucks just for a sandbox that I can get for free from Sandboxie.com! Usually Internet Security and Free Antivirus are the most frequently chosen because of their features (free protection and firewall, respectively). However, it's still your computer and I can't download things onto your computer! </p><p> Remember that even Windows Defender (or MSE for those diehard Win 7 and Vista fans) might work for you, so you can rule out the choosing factor completely. Remember this- not even the best protection will stop somebody who make tons of mistakes on the internet. Sharpen up your skills by asking questions, searching on google, or reading other how-tos on MT.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Chromatinfish 123, post: 447743, member: 23007"] Nowadays, every popular antivirus vendor has three to four tiers of antivirus software. Usually called Antivirus (and sometimes Antivirus Pro too), Internet Security, and Total Security, these tiers allow more decision making on how many features somebody wants, many regular internet users ask the question, "Which tier of security should I choose?" First of all, let's review what the usual tiers of security products are: (Please see exceptions on the bottom of the lists) [LIST] [*][SIZE=6][B]Free Antivirus (Sometimes)[/B][/SIZE] [/LIST] [SIZE=4] Free Antivirus differs from other antivirus products because they are usually free. [/SIZE]This usually depends heavily on the vendor, but free antiviruses usually contain basic modules: [LIST] [*]Real-Time Protection [*]Manual Scans [*]Malicious Email Protection [*]Web Protection [/LIST] Some vendors like Comodo are generous enough to throw a free firewall into the offering, but mostly that doesn't happen too often. Most free antiviruses are enough to cater to anybody's security need, and in the case of Avast and Avira, are usually more popular than their paid counterparts. [LIST] [*][SIZE=6][B]Antivirus Pro/Plus[/B][/SIZE] [/LIST] [SIZE=4]Sometimes called Antivirus Pro, Pro Antivirus, Antivirus Plus, or just Antivirus, this tier of antivirus is usually the [/SIZE]lowest cost of the three paid tiers (not counting free antivirus). Usually it contains the free antivirus features with: [LIST] [*]Sandbox (If a product includes one) [*]Browser Cleanup [*]Password Protection [/LIST] If you plan to buy a pro version of a free antivirus, I would ask you to reconsider as frankly this is not worth it (I'm talking about Avast, AVG, Avira, Comodo, etc.) [B]Fun Fact: McAfee actually includes a firewall in its baseline security solution.[/B] [LIST] [*][B][SIZE=6]Internet Security[/SIZE][/B] [/LIST] [SIZE=4] By far, this is the second-most popular solution after free antivirus. Internet Security solutions typically boast a suite of features, including the basic antivirus module with a firewall, along with some nice little security features, like: [/SIZE] [LIST] [*]Ad-Block [*]Anti-Theft [*]Banking Protection [*]Anti-spam (not to be confused with email protection). [/LIST] The biggest selling feature in most internet security solutions is the firewall, which usually is advertised as being stronger than windows firewall (and sometimes it is the case). *Please Note that Qihoo 360 does not follow these as its Internet Security (or Total Security Essentials now) by definition is different. Please see the exceptions at the bottom* [LIST] [*][SIZE=6][B]Total Security/Total Protection[/B][/SIZE] [/LIST] [SIZE=4] Like [/SIZE]spice[SIZE=4] on a plate of food, Total Security is Internet Security with some extra perks, namely: [/SIZE] [LIST] [*]Cloud Backup (usually 10 to 50 GB) [*]File Safe/File Guard [*]Parental Control [*]Optimization/Performance [/LIST] Total Security is the most expensive of the options and usually most heavily marketed by the antivirus vendor as "Best Choice" or "Top Rated". *Again, Qihoo 360 Total Security does not follow this rule* [LIST] [*][B][SIZE=6]Exceptions[/SIZE][/B] [/LIST] Like always, there are exceptions. Sometimes they are minor, sometimes they are major. Here are some: [LIST] [*]Norton, unlike others markets its products as Standard, Deluxe, and Premium. Standard is Internet Security, Deluxe is just Standard with 5 PCs instead of 1, and Premium is Total Security. [*]ESET, Unlike others, is marketed as NOD32 AV and Smart Security. NOD32 is the Antivirus Plus, and Smart Security is Internet Security. [*]Qihoo 360 products are named as 360 Total Security Essential and 360 Total Security. 360 Total Security Essential is Free Antivirus, with Sandbox. 360 Total Security is Free Antivirus, with Sandbox, Optimization, and other applets like Wi-Fi Safety. All 360 products are free for home use. [/LIST] [LIST] [*][SIZE=6][B]Which One To Choose?[/B][/SIZE] [/LIST] [SIZE=4] It's your choice totally. After exploring all the options, it's still up to you whether you think you need a better firewall or anti-theft for an extra 20 bucks. However, I would like to give my [/SIZE]two cents that Pro Antiviruses that have a free counterpart are not worth it! Frankly, I would not pay 30 extra bucks just for a sandbox that I can get for free from Sandboxie.com! Usually Internet Security and Free Antivirus are the most frequently chosen because of their features (free protection and firewall, respectively). However, it's still your computer and I can't download things onto your computer! Remember that even Windows Defender (or MSE for those diehard Win 7 and Vista fans) might work for you, so you can rule out the choosing factor completely. Remember this- not even the best protection will stop somebody who make tons of mistakes on the internet. Sharpen up your skills by asking questions, searching on google, or reading other how-tos on MT. [/QUOTE]
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