Best Antivirus Software: Many Windows-PC users think that they don’t need a paid antivirus protection for their PC and most of the Mac users think that they don’t need antivirus software at all. Despite having built-in Window Defender protection, Windows is considered as the more targeted and easy to breach operating system as compared to Linux, on the other hand, Mac is also vulnerable to malware.
Whether it is a phishing page trying to capture your personal data or a malware or virus infected program slowing down your PC, every PC needs a good antivirus as its savior. No one would like to get their data and important stuff compromised or stolen – this is why we need a really good antivirus program. Even if you use your PC just for Social media and normal stuff you still need to protect it, I am pretty sure that you don’t want any hacker to override your account and starts spoiling your name. In an aid to this we have come up with the list of 10 best antivirus software for Windows and Mac.
Jun 11, 2020 Mac antivirus software isn't often checked by the independent testing labs, but Avast's most recent results were good, with AV Comparative's 2018 test finding the. Oct 10, 2018 The best mac antivirus software packages of 2018 are Kaspersky Lab and Symantec. Both Mac antivirus software gives users 100% protection from malware and put a negligible load on the system. Bitdefender and Intego all recorded perfect scores in malware detection, but their system loads were higher than the programs above. Bitdefender 5%; Intego.
Believe me, it’s totally worth paying for Best Antivirus Software because even the best free antivirus software lacks the features which are essential for the protection of your PC. So you might to thinking which antivirus you should go for? For this, let’s have a quick shootout between Free and Paid Antivirus Protection Software.
Free V/S Paid Best Antivirus Software
If you do a Google search for Best Antivirus Software you might land up into the free antivirus software which claims to provide the protection value as much as the paid software. Most of the free antivirus programs could only provide you ~50% protection as compared to the best antivirus software in the paid category. Although, free antivirus programs and it’s listed features put a primary good impact on your mind and your pocket but they don’t perform as good as the paid antiviruses. It is certain that all of the free best antivirus software are capable of scanning your system for viruses but many of them lack to repair malware and provide real-time protection to malware and your online browsing.
The major drawback which I feel is very annoying is the ads and popups served on the free antivirus software. Although, ads on the dashboard are okay and isn’t that annoying or distracting and it doesn’t affect the performance of the software. But some programs automatically launch your browser directing to their paid product page with the listed offers which lack in the free version of their programs. It might be little distracting, but it is annoying for sure.
Furthermore, the biggest drawback of the free antivirus software is that the users don’t get much support from the developers. Paid software generally gives you full support on email, phone or live chat which is worth the price you pay for. On the other hand, free software leave you with loneliness giving little or no support, you would have to suffer while hunting down the solutions on the internet to get your problems solved.
So, you should definitely try to avoid free antivirus software, because as soon as you install them you’ll be continuously notified that you need to upgrade to paid version to get full security. Those attractive listed features are just advertisement schemes so they may not offer remarkable detecting capabilities, cleaning, and protection.
Best Antivirus Software For Windows And Linux
Here we have come up with 10 Best Antivirus Software for Windows and Mac, that we have shortlisted 10 handpicked best antivirus software with our years of experience. Although the choice of best antivirus for you may vary according to your preferences and your needs :
Some have loads of add-on features like secure internet banking and payment processing, browser protection, etc.
Some of the antivirus withstand on speeds and efficiency of the machine, these types of antiviruses are generally suited for old computers with low configuration.
Some are really very simple to use and manage which is really helpful to new and inexperienced users.
Some provide really great value for money.
I hope you have already figured out that what kind of antivirus you need on your PC. So, let’s start this list of 10 Best Antivirus Software for Windows and Linux.
1). Bit Defender Total Security
Website:http://www.bitdefender.com/
Bit Defender has earned a lot of fame and reputation in the antivirus industry. It is considered as one of the best antivirus software currently. Undoubtedly it’s performance is rated maximum by independent AV tests. The company had been regularly adding up new features which will protect the PC from emerging threats like ransomware.
This Antivirus comes with really reliable Autopilot protection mode which could be left as default. Online activity, file, running application and everything is protected in real time along with firewall being enabled.
What I personally love in this antivirus is, OneClickOptimizer which boosts up the PC speed by automatically clearing browser cookies. However it results in logging out of all active browsing sessions, this feature might be unliked by some people but for me, it is really useful.
Apart from security against different threats bit defenders provides add-on features like vulnerability scanner which scans windows for missing Windows updates, weak password notifier, weak wifi security protection. Moreover, this AV comes with encrypted wallet feature in which you can share with any of your devices. This wallet is the master key to store all of your credit and debit cards credentials at one place. This AV also offers safe pay browser which is offered whenever BitDefender detects that you are on a banking page. The safe pay browser could be very vital when you need to send sensitive data over a secure connection on a much-isolated medium.
Gone are the days when you needed to put secret folders with password protection. Bit defender now comes with secure file vault, storing all of the files and documents which you don’t want anyone else to see.
2). Kaspersky Total Security
Website:https://www.kaspersky.com/
Kaspersky Total Security is yet another antivirus with high-end security and many extra features loaded. If you go and ask 5 security experts about best antivirus software at-least one of them will name Kaspersky Total Security. Despite having real-time protection with high detection rates, this Kaspersky Total Security didn’t slow downs the PC much which makes this AV enter the list of 10 best antivirus software. Apart from having regular protection against security threats, this antivirus has the capability to detect unknown malware and feature to rollback suspicious PC activities.
The two-way firewall ensures the double firewall security module, Kaspersky total security comes with built-in two-way firewall security which ensures to protect your outgoing data. This two-way firewall also comes with port blocking which protects the PC by lowering the chances of getting detected from outside.
In an addition to the features, Kaspersky Antivirus offers bootable Kaspersky rescue disk which is really helpful to recover the PC from malware attacks or system corruption. The AV also provides On-Screen keyboard to dodge keyloggers, even a hardware keylogger.
Safe Money feature has been Kaspersky’s core features since years. Whenever you visit a financial website, Kaspersky offers safe money browser which isolates the transaction from all of the other running processes. Thus, it makes the transaction safer that before.
The latest version of this antivirus has software updater which runs in the background checking for updates. Most of the times the update automatically applies the updates with one click “auto update” button. Software cleaner checks the system for suspicious installation activities, hidden processes, and programs, unwanted software and offers to uninstall them. It also finds the programs which you use very rarely.
3). Norton Antivirus Basic
Website:https://www.norton.com/
Norton Antivirus is a big name in the Antivirus industry and they have made one of the best antivirus software till date. One thing which I like most in this Antivirus is when you run the installation it downloads the latest version of software along with latest virus definitions. All of the other antivirus asks the user to update the definition after the installation completes. Once you install Norton, it’s all set to tackle the threats in your system, no update prompt and no waiting time.
To perform a scan of the system more quickly Norton offers insight scan, which doesn’t scan those files which are trusted and not meant to be scanned. The special thing about insight scan is that it completes the scanning up to 5x times faster than the normal full PC scan. This product also boasts with Norton power eraser, which is capable of cleaning a resistance malware. This tool comes handy when you think that the regular scan may have left some malware, the power eraser will remove that malware easily.
Top 10 Antivirus Software 2018
This entry level priced antivirus is also powered by the leading 24×7 threat monitoring and global security network. This feature will safeguard you even from unknown and new security threats. Now being online you no need to worry about having last to know security. Furthermore, this basic antivirus doesn’t use annoying ads to upgrade the product.
4). Quick Heal Total Security 17.0
Website:http://www.quickheal.com/
Quick Heal Total security is my all time favorite paid antivirus of all time. This is the name which immediately strikes in my mind when I heard or read “best antivirus software”. Most of the antivirus tend to delete the file which is infected with the virus, but on the other hand, Quick Heal Total Security tries to repair the file and is successful most of the times. The dashboard of the antivirus is loaded with tools but is easy to use at the same time.
Quick heal has a lot of protection features such as Anti-Spyware/Adware, Anti-Spam Filter, Email Protection, Firewall, Vulnerability Protection, Web Protection. As far as privacy protection is concerned this AV has got ID theft controls, Safe Banking Payments, Personal Data filter, Parental controls (block specific websites as an add-on feature).
When it comes to support, Quick Heal never leaves its customers on the midway. The antivirus provides 4 channel support system which consists of Email Support, Frequently asked questions, tutorials, and phone support. The customer support executives know their job very well and they are eager to help their customers on a priority basis.
5). Eset NOD32 Antivirus
Website: https://www.eset.com/
Eset Antivirus deserves a position on this list of best antivirus software for its high detecting capabilities, very less impact to system resources such as RAM and CPU usage. Furthermore, this antivirus application tunes the system to boost the PC loading time and lowering the shutting down time. Not only this, the antivirus is known to have anti-phishing attack security, malware and trojans detection and smoother system performance.
Its real-time scanner is so quick that it terminates the threats before it executes. Eset Nod32 Antivirus has performed very well on the independent AV tests. However, the antivirus lacks when while detecting ransomware threats.
The integrated email-protections scans the email attachments you receive for malware and spams. The antivirus also scans the USB drive as soon as it is inserted in the PC.
Eset has 3 channels of technical support which are – Email support, chat support and phone support. Email support is available all the time but you may not expect phone and chat support on weekends.
6). Avast Free Antivirus
Website:https://www.avast.com/
We cannot forget the name Avast if it comes free best antivirus software. This antivirus not only for windows but a great antivirus software for mac too. I have been trusting avast to secure my windows and mac since childhood. This antivirus is free forever, this is what Avast says. Being a free licensed antivirus, Avast offers so much which gives tough competition even to the paid Antivirus software.
The free antivirus protects your PC efficiently with regularly updated virus definitions. Even if you encounter with some malware, you can always upload it to Avast’s server for analysis. With Avast you can scan a single drive, folder or a file just with a right-click. However, Avast won’t scan removal drives automatically after insertion.
Avast also boasts with Network & Router Scan which check your network and connected visible devices with security loopholes. When it is launched, you get the list of devices it sees with all the connected devices and reports the security issues. This Network scanner also gives you the chance to check how many devices are currently authorized.
Most of the PC data exploitation can be prevented if the Operating system and programs are all updated. Security loopholes are fixed in updates which make it harder to breach beyond. This is where Avast comes really useful, it scans the application for latest updates and updates it too. All you need is to perform few clicks!
7). McAfee Antivirus Plus 2018
Website: http://www.mcafee.com/
McAffe Antivirus does not need any introduction, the antivirus is a well-known brand in the Antivirus Industry. With the product line, McAfee vows that if the antivirus can’t remove any virus or any other malware, the support team will do anything they can to remove the malware which includes (but not limited to) remote diagnosis and remediation. However, if they fail to remove the malware, you get your money back.
McAfee is an award-winning antivirus from various organizations. Its seamless virus detecting capabilities are a just nightmare to the hackers. Apart from that, this antivirus is also loaded with the risky website and sneaky downloads blocker. Furthermore, the antivirus protects your device from spreading of malware and spam.
What I loved about this antivirus is, once you purchase a license from McAfee you don’t need another. You can protect all of your devices from threats with a single license of McAfee Antivirus Plus 2018. These awesome features in McAffee Antivirus Plus 2018 is enough for it to be the part of best antivirus software list.
8). Avira Free Antivirus
Website:http://www.avira.com/
This is one of the best antivirus software you might ever come across which is available as freeware. It has got almost every features which you get in a good paid antivirus. Furthermore, Avira Free Antivirus is also capable of tackling ransomware, which is a new security threat in the technology field.
This antivirus even provides you Real time cloud scanning, Avira’s high-end protection cloud is an early warning system which would warn you about the unknown emerging threats in the real time. With this antivirus installed in your system, you don’t need to worry about the new threats or malware coming from the internet.
This free antivirus is light and uses little of your system resources which won’t put much effect on the system performance. Apart from this, Avira Antivirus is easy to use despite having loaded with features.
Avira Antivirus also features Avira Browser Safety which secures your online activity from any negativity. Poisoned and phishing links are already blocked in this browser thus, ensuring that your privacy remains safe even if you click a harmful link. Your online navigation is protected against browser trackers which protect your shopping activity from getting monitored by the ad networks. Browser safety also blocks the download of suspicious files or software consisting harmful applications and warns you about the same. Apart from security measures, this browser also gives you best deals on the product you are a search for which lets you pay less and shop more! This AV is certainly a power packed and one of the best antivirus which you can choose for your system.
9). F-Secure SAFE
Website:https://www.f-secure.com/
F-Secure is the antivirus which is what we call a comprehensive protection of all the devices. With this product’s single license you can install (up to five devices) it on any of your online devices, be it Laptop, Smartphones or Tablets F-Secure SAFE protects them all.
This antivirus has proven to have excellent results in independent antivirus tests with accurate spam filtering. Loaded with features like system tune-up and transaction protection which automatically blocks new connection when it detects that you are browsing a banking website.
F-Secure provides excellent customer support over live chat and email. The F-Secure support is best in between 9 AM to 6 PM in your local time zone. The online support pages contain all needed things like tools to uninstall the software, guide to create a rescue disk to recover from an attack. Furthermore, I found the support team to be very helpful with the reported problems. F-Secure also holds a strong community in which you can participate and learn with other fellow users.
Despite giving high spam filtration rates and good performance in AV tests, some competitor antivirus software offer better value for money but F-Secure Safe is still a good antivirus in its category and made it enter the list of 10 best antivirus software.
10). Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus
Best Antivirus Software Mac 2018 Download
Website: https://www.webroot.com/
Webroot Antivirus is rapidly emerging antivirus in the market and it’s proving to be a tough competitor to the high-end Antiviruses. Being small in size, 15 MB which is 35x smaller than the average size of the competitor products it is zippy fast. The antivirus doesn’t affect the system on a marginal scale and thus it proves itself a dominating antivirus.
Apart from speed and light-weight, Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus do perform excellently in independent AV tests. Furthermore, when the capability of cleaning malware was check, we were surprised to see that Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus performed 100% clean swipe of all the malware. Concerned about ransomware? This antivirus also tackles ransomware easily which ensures that your PC is safe from latest threats.
Webroot has extra add-ons such as theft protection, real-time phishing page blockage, banking protection and what not. This antivirus also loads up with Webcam protect, which ensure that your privacy is kept private. Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus also boasts with system optimization tools which seamlessly makes your system faster.
The antivirus comes with a 70 days money back guarantee, no questions asked. This is really cool, money back guarantee for such a long time is enough to prove the level of the Antivirus. This 70 days money back guarantee feature made us to include this awesome antivirus in the list of Best antivirus software.
11). AVG Internet Security
Website:http://www.avg.com/
The advance and light real-time security which keeps your PC free from harmful ransomware, rootkit, trojans or any other malware. This is the well-known antivirus software which you can always count on to secure your PC against any threats. The antivirus has got advanced artificial intelligence with real-time protection which secures your PC to track suspicious activity and fight against new malware. AVG Internet Security has a lot more things to deserve to be a part of the list of 10 best antivirus software.
AVG Internet Security has got well researched and tested advanced firewall which keeps hackers from accessing your personal data. AVG also boasts real-time outbreak detection which uses cloud-based technology with the help of AVG users to identify even the latest security threats. This cloud-based system converts any new threat report to secure the entire user’s community of the AVG family.
The AVG Internet Security is also packed with WiFi guard to secure your PC on a further more advanced level. It helps you to identify malicious hotspots used by hackers by reporting you a warning when you connect to a suspicious or open WiFi network. PUA Scanner which is a standard part of AVG Internet Security scans for any potential harmful files or application which could lead to your data and security compromisation by giving a warning while you download the same.
Software Analyser in AVG Internet Security monitors all of the currently running applications. If any software which is found performing an unwanted activity, the tool warns you with a message. This helps you to stay away from the security threat which may occur (for example keylogger bound software to record your screen or your banking password strokes).
Wrapping Up
This was the list of best antivirus software for Windows and Mac and this was a result of weeks of research and years of experience. I have tried my best to include all the top antivirus in this list, however, if you find anything missing or want some replacement then kindly let me know in the comments sections. Have some thoughts or questions? Shoot them up in the comments, we will be right back to you.
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Tech
In spite of persistent rumours circulating online about Mac OS’ supposed invincibility as opposed to Windows systems, the truth is a completely different sordid tale. On the contrary, Mac OS is just as vulnerable to malware attacks as Windows 10 or its older versions are. Also, the argument that more malicious malware is coded with Windows users in mind because Windows OS is a more common platform, doesn’t hold much water either. In fact, Apple’s trademark Mac operating system witnesses regular threats online, so it’s pertinent to have a solid Antivirus solution. Of course, there are paid Antivirus on the App Store, but who wants to spend precious money when there are some of the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020 waiting to be downloaded in a jiffy?
The only problem is collating and reviewing these fantastic anti-malware solutions. Fret not, we have compiled a list of seven of the best free antivirus software for Mac users in 2020 that will give your Mac a steady booster against the latest ransomware, adware and virus online. So, are you ready to find out what are the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020 that will eradicate vicious phishing scripts and trojans for once and for all? Let’s get started-:
1) Avast Free Mac Security [Best Antivirus for email scanning and phishing protection]
One of the most renowned antivirus security suites for a while now, Avast is quite effective in quickly performing full-system malware scans, malware removal and seamlessly sifting through various web activities such as javascript, downloads, web pages, etc. So much so, it can even scan specific email threads, and attachments without affecting your workflow.
In fact, Avast also proffers phishing protection and an intrinsic drag-and-drop scanning for individual files. Of course, you can scan attached volumes and external drives for potential infections.
Moreover, you won’t be overwhelmed by this free application’s interface which comes across as quite straightforward and modest thanks to a navigation pane on the left comprising a real-time graph that encapsulates Avast shield’s activity. Avast also consists of five primary buttons that allow users to swiftly check the summary of security stats of their Mac.
2) Bitdefender Internet Security [Best Antivirus for deep scans and auto-updates]
With a gamut of scan options at its disposal, Bitdefender Virus Scanner proffers quick deep scans of your entire system, and can even target specific locations. Adorned with a streamlined and sleek interface, Bitdefender can also be initiated to scan critical locations such as the entirety of your system library as well as your Mac’s launch agents thanks to its triple scanning modes. This is a great relief for those users who want to bypass lengthier scans when facing a shortage of time.
But, the real novelty factor that injects Bitdefender into our lineup of the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020 is its nifty update download mechanism. That is, Bitdefender automatically updates hourly malware definitions, so as to give your system a prior edge should it get infected with malware before a scan even commences.
Not to mention, this helps in providing a quick fix for blacklisting specific locations from system scans. Moreover, Bitdefender is endowed with the ability to swiftly search for malware inside various archives and file types such as ZIP, RAR, PDF, PKG, et al.
The Mac iteration of Malwarebytes initially rolled out as an adware removal tool, but as of today, it’s also doubled up as a prolific application for safeguarding your Mac against malware. Now it is an exclusive malware removal tool. You won’t have to fiddle with any extra controls on the UI which comes off as quite simple and decluttered. Just launch MalwareBytes, hit the Scan button, and MalwareBytes will populate a list of possibly infected files and weed them out.
Further, MalwareBytes is one of the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020 if you want to quarantine pernicious MacOS malware (such as Fruitfly) off your system and perform deep scans in a jiffy.
Besides, this free anti-malware solution doesn’t interfere with other Antivirus programs and can also work as a complementary program for tracking down malware in real-time. In fact, MalwareBytes is not an always-on solution, so it doesn’t really exhaust your Mac’s resources. However, the only downside is that MalwareBytes only tackles Malware, so it can’t give real-time protection against any other forms of security loopholes.
4) Sophos Antivirus [Best Lightweight Antivirus]
Don’t be swayed by Sophos Antivirus’ slow scan speeds, this free Antivirus is a beast when it comes to quarantining unknown files that merely exhibit dubious behavior. Also, Sophos incorporates real-time online protection features that come in handy against all sorts of trojans, virus, phishing scripts, et al. Not to mention, Sophos is pretty lightweight, doesn’t hog system resources and can non-intrusively perform crucial background checkups.
Coming on to the interface, at first glance it comes across as fairly compact considering how easily Sophos managed to cram in robust features in one program. Also, navigating the menu is a cakewalk as users can seamlessly initiate a full-system scan directly from the top of the main menu, and even configure exemptions. All in all, Sophos doesn’t disappoint wee bit in tackling malicious malware.
5) Avira Free Antivirus [Best Antivirus for Spyware and adware protection]
If you are seeking an antivirus that strikes a fine balance between quick access to advanced utilities and ease of use, look no further than Avira. It takes a centre-stage on many fronts, for instance, Avira is equipped with standard spyware and adware protection and can effortlessly block tracking as well as intercept harmful websites online.
Moreover, you don’t have to worry about updating Virus definitions since they are updated in a timely fashion. Plus, Avira comes bundled with 5GB of free online storage and offers one-click deletion of malicious files which make it one of the best free Antivirus for Mac on the market.
This free Antivirus solution has also got you covered if you want to check scan history or initiate automation, that is, smoothly carrying on with your activities while it scans the system in the background without interrupting your workflow. Overall, Avira makes rendering full system scans just as simple to execute as file-specific and scheduled scans.
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6) AVG Antivirus [Best Antivirus with smooth interface]
Beneath AVG’s simplistic design lies a robust security engine that detects and eradicates Mac-specific virus, spyware and malware in real-time. It works like a charm for eliminating threats on your iPhone, too. In fact, considering how pioneering AVG AntiVirus has been over the years, it not only helps protect important system files on your Mac but also prevents you from inadvertently infecting friends on other devices.
Moreover, the Resident Shield of AVG is quite formidable as it runs quietly in the background. How? Well, every file that you run, copy, or save gets automatically scanned quickly by AVG without nagging users with pop-ups.
We were also impressed with the drag & drop functionality proffered by AVG for easily singling out specific suspected files or folders. Of course, you can get automatic online updates as well as run thorough scans of your entire Mac with a single click.
SEE ALSO: Best Free Data Recovery Software for Mac
7) Comodo Antivirus [Best Antivirus for real-time protection against trojans]
Best Antivirus Software Mac 2019
Rounding off our lineup of the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020 is Comodo which personifies comprehensive virus protection. In fact, Comodo is a proactive Antivirus which provides foolproof protection against Trojan horses, virus, and worms in Mac OS X systems. Thanks to its state-of-the-art virus protection, you can avail of an on-demand scanner, frequently updated database of known viruses and always-on real-time protection.
If you were thinking this program is a stripped-down version of a premium product, you would be sorely mistaken. In fact, Comodo Antivirus comes loaded with some goodies such as in-depth reports on viral activity, superior protection against zero-day malware in any drive or file and the ability to even scan compressed .zip files, where virus often take refuge.
On the UI front, at first glance, you would be awestruck with how easy it is to drag and drop objects onto the dock for quick virus analysis. Moreover, you are also entitled to get automatic online updates for up-to-date virus protection. All in all, Comodo boasts a pretty attractive user-friendly interface.
Best Rated Antivirus Software 2018
And…that’s a wrap! So, did you like our roundup of the best free Antivirus for Mac 2020? Did we miss out on any good Antivirus solutions that you know of? Sound off in the comments. Don’t forget to download these software by clicking through the links.