Poll Paid vs Free Antivirus in 2026: What are you using, and is it worth paying for?

[Divergent]

I respect Andy; his threads of CD and WHHL are pieces of art.

Andy's threads are great, but your sycophancy isn't a technical argument.

Real experts stand on their own merit and their own data. If your only response to a supply chain attack scenario is to tag a developer and talk about 'art,' you aren't a power user, you're a groupie.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

You aren’t getting my point. All I’m saying is that you’ll eventually need an anti malware scanner to catch the virus be it real-time or an on-demand scanner. To advocate that you’ll stay safe without an AV in today’s world is misleading the common people and the users who are reading through this forums. 1 out of 1000 user are power users and the average Joe shouldn’t follow their footsteps.

AV in real-time, I specified that in my post.

I used an unsupported PC without real-time AV for seven years without any problems.

Most people thought that was impossible.

Some claimed that PCs running XP would all be infected and would also infect other PCs running supported operating systems.

The apocalypse never happened...

 

[Parkinsond]

Andy's threads are great, but your sycophancy isn't a technical argument.

Real experts stand on their own merit and their own data. If your only response to a supply chain attack scenario is to tag a developer and talk about 'art,' you aren't a power user, you're a groupie.

Find something useful to do.

 

[Divergent]

Find something useful to do.

I am doing something useful. Right now, I’m debunking a fake 'power user' before his ego-driven advice influences and compromises other users' machines.

 

[Parkinsond]

I am doing something useful. Right now, I’m debunking a fake 'power user' before his ego-driven advice influences and compromises other users' machines.

 

[Divergent]

Behold, he’s officially entered the 'unearned confidence' phase, thinking this little stunt will actually get a master's attention.

 

[Parkinsond]

Behold, he’s officially entered the 'unearned confidence' phase, thinking this little stunt will actually get a master's attention.

 

[rashmi]

Suppose an advanced user has no AV but plugged in one of his friend’s flash drive which contains a legitimate software installer but infected with sality. The advanced user will have to disable any anti exe or allow the notifications from HIPS to install that application from the flash drive. What happens then? Without an AV, the worm infects your PC. Sure a worm is not as advanced as the stealth malware of today but an infection is an infection. IMHO, an AV should always be there as the last line of defence. This question is for everyone and not only directed to Roboman.

Average or less knowledgeable users should use an antivirus; I also recommend it.

Advanced users can do without an antivirus; I'm not an advanced user, but I used an antivirus-free setup (or used Comodo Firewall only) for nearly 20 years with no infections. What I mean is, advanced or knowledgeable users employ their custom layered setup, and they evaluate or take informed action on files. The user is always the last line of defense; it all depends on how you use or follow your setup, your luck, and your karma!

 

[Parkinsond]

I used an antivirus-free setup (or used Comodo Firewall only) for nearly 20 years with no infections

Did not get a compromised installer from the official website!

 

[devjitdutta2025]

That is a massive misconception. You are assuming that because a file is 'trusted' or digitally signed, an AV is blind to it. That couldn't be further from the truth.

While a static signature scan might miss a compromised MS update because the file looks 'legitimate,' modern AVs and EDRs use Behavioral Analysis. If that 'trusted' update suddenly starts injecting code into lsass.exe, spawning an unauthorized remote shell, or initiating mass file encryption, the AV doesn't care who signed the certificate, it kills the process based on its actions.

This is exactly why we use Defense in Depth. The 'official' source gets it past your first layer, but the behavioral engine is the safety net that catches the actual malice in real-time. Saying 'no AV can protect' against supply chain attacks ignores the last decade of EDR evolution.

Totally agree and this is why I say that an AV should be the last line of defense. Even if the AV BB catches the malicious actions, you can never be sure that all the malicious actions were rolled back by the AV.

 

[rashmi]

Did not get a compromised installer from the official website!

it all depends on how you use or follow your setup, your luck, and your karma!

 

[Divergent]

Stand back everyone, the 'experts' are all in one room.

 

[Divergent]

Average or less knowledgeable users should use an antivirus; I also recommend it.

Advanced users can do without an antivirus; I'm not an advanced user, but I used an antivirus-free setup (or used Comodo Firewall only) for nearly 20 years with no infections. What I mean is, advanced or knowledgeable users employ their custom layered setup, and they evaluate or take informed action on files. The user is always the last line of defense; it all depends on how you use or follow your setup, your luck, and your karma!

According to NIST SP 800-53 and the SANS/CIS Critical Security Controls (Control 10), automated malware defenses are a baseline requirement precisely because human judgment is not a technical control. You have the architecture backward, The user is always the first line of defense, not the last. Your "informed action" is a policy-level control at the perimeter. Technical controls like AV/EDR are the last line of defense designed to catch what the first line misses, like a supply chain attack or a zero-day exploit that doesn't require user permission to execute.

Your 20-year streak isn't a strategy, it’s the textbook definition of survivor bias. Industry standards like NIST SP 800-137 emphasize continuous monitoring because, in the modern threat landscape, the reality is that you’ve had no infections that you know of.