Advice Request Paid VPN or Anti Virus?

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

Would you rather spend your money on a VPN service or Anti Virus?


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Windows Defender Shill

Level 7
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Apr 28, 2017
326
I personally see the value of a VPN to be considerably more desirable given the advance in default security of Windows (fully up to date and patched), MAC, Linux, IOS and even Android who has good free options.

However, I'm currently a paid AV subscriber and a VPN subscriber because I don't trust Windows Defender on some partners computers. (NORMIES)
 

Elpibe

Level 3
Verified
Sep 26, 2015
126
Security vs Privacy... I choose vpn cause there are good free antivirus to use, but free vpns? i dont think so.

Security without privacy is like having a house made of bullet-proof glass. Sure, no one is getting inside, but your personal life is still on display
house-made-of-glass.png
 
D

Deleted member 65228

This question cannot really be answered properly in my opinion... Anti-Virus and VPN are two very different things!

Anti-Virus/Internet Security is real protection against malicious software, malicious websites, and in the case of Internet Security (Firewall component support), preventing unwanted in-bound and out-bound connections (known as a "two-way" firewall). Whereas, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is to help mask your online identity through IP Address (e.g. you live in US and therefore have a US IP address from your ISP -> now it is redirected through a server in Germany, leaving a trail of a German IP belonging to the VPN server used at that moment).

Anti-Virus helps you stay safe generally speaking. VPN helps you stay more anonymous against both genuine people (e.g. website owners) and attackers. The difference is your IP can be used by an attacker for DDOS attacks, scanning for open ports and what-not (which can lead to further attacks) but with Anti-Virus it is trying to prevent an attacker from infecting your system, successfully attacking you with a phishing attack (e.g. malicious URL), and so on.

You need to assess your needs before you can decide which one you'd prefer.

Some people will pick VPN because they may think they are invincible to malicious attacks (trust me, no one is) or because they use free alternates/already have a paid solution which is active. Others will pick Anti-Virus because they would rather a real-time backup buddy before trying to mask their online identity for privacy reasons or whichever.

Both Anti-Virus and VPN are good. Both services there are free alternates than paid. You could use a free AV and a free VPN (although free is usually limited, and there is nothing completely "free" in this world IMO).

Personally I'd go with a paid AV solution like Emsisoft Anti-Malware, Kaspersky (only if the Internet Security) or ESET NOD32 and use a free VPN. Unless I was happy with a free AV like Avast (which collects a lot of data and sells for money) or Windows Defender. Windows Firewall is sufficient though and most AVs rely on WFP (Windows Filtering Platform) made by MS on modern versions of Windows for their firewall anyway.

At the end of the day, VPN or no VPN, there is no such thing as 100% privacy. This is why criminals on the dark web still get caught eventually by slipping up in other ways than IP exposure, and if you were to get infected while using VPN then a kill-switch can occur to leak your IP (or at boot before VPN starts, etc) assuming it is software-based.

I think you should decide which one you think you will need more to determine which path you will go... :)
 

HarborFront

Level 71
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Oct 9, 2016
6,014
Both serve different purpose

In short, an AV is to protect the system against malicious infections whilst a VPN is to encrypt your data and hide your IP from others. Neither one nor both alone can protect you.

However, you need both to form as layers to harden the security and privacy of your system
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Both. I do not use free products/services because your consumer protection is generally stripped from free products/services and you lose the right to litigate if necessary. Also you become the commodity in the case of free - in general. That's something I am not willing to compromise. I pay for things I use, period. For security? You pay if you want security and privacy.

Windows Defender still blows. Still spies on you and it's the first thing I disable on new Windows Installs. Free solutions suck. You can get a nice AV for pennies on the dollar, especially with Black Friday coming up here soon.. ALL free VPN's suck. You can get them for pennies on the dollar black friday as well.
 

Daljeet

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Jun 14, 2017
264
Both things required in my opinion Av + VPN and if both paid is excellent nothing better then this. You can get a free subscription of paid services for free for a limited time like I got a promo code of a Vpn for one year but a time comes when you're subscription is expired then you have to purchase it. There are many possibilities to get an av license for free, but you should have to buy a subscription for a Vpn (when there is no possibility to get for free)
Vpn and reliable Vpn have some difference you can get a Vpn without spending any money(if there is any giveaway) but some reliable one very hard to get for free. I recently purchased bit total security for three years at 12usd I save some cash for reliable Vpn which is express or nord.
 

Daljeet

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Jun 14, 2017
264
You mean you cannot trust Free Windscribe VPN and free ProtonVPN?
When windscribe add another source of income which reflects windscribe need money this a trigger for me. If financial state of windscribe is not good they can sell user data aswell. I don't want any risk so i stop using windscribe.
 
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Weebarra

Level 17
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Apr 5, 2017
836
If you mean you had a certain budget and you could only afford to buy one or the other then i would rather pay for an AV as security is more important to me than anonymity. I have never used a free AV as i didn't even know they existed until i joined MT but would still choose to pay for an AV or IS solution over a VPN service. :)
 
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