The best antivirus that money can't buy

Whether you use your computer for work or at home, it is important to keep your digital lives safe. Cyberspace is like the Wild West, where shady characters are out to get your personal details and infect your computers with viruses, or at the least, spam your browsing session. It is important that you keep your personal defenses strong, to keep your computer safe. What is better than keeping your computer safe, is keeping your computer safe for free.

Antivirus for Windows:

Some of the best free anti-virus softwares for Windows that give you better protection than paid products are:

Microsoft Security Essentials

The first good security product from Microsoft, this is the best free anti-malware solution for Windows. Microsoft keeps an eye on the latest threats to its Windows and keeps sending automatic up-dates to the Security Essentials to prevent it from viruses. The best thing about is that you won’t even notice it is installed. It runs quietly in the background and sends alerts only when some action is needed. The catch is your Windows should be genuine for this to work.

Avast Antivirus

Avast stays in your system tray, and offers excellent protection from all kinds of malwares and viruses. It is constantly updated to cope with any new threats. It is available as a freeware for home users and as a shareware for professionals. The drawback is a heavier footprint on the system resources, but its fans argue that its excellent protection more than makes up for its size.

AVG Anti-virus

One of the most popular freeware anti virus softwares out there, AVG is renowned for its light weight, which does not strain system resources. If you want to keep your Windows free from all latest threats, this free, easily downloadable software is a must.

Avira AntiVir

Avira has its share of fans who vouch that it detects threats better than other softwares. Available as a freeware for personal computers, Avira offers the best protection there is. One annoying feature could be the pop-up ads (it is freeware remember?), though the ads can be turned off if you know how to.

Antivirus for Macs:

Mention viruses for Mac and Apple fan-boys feign surprise. “Viruses on a Mac?”, they say. Yes, even Macs can get viruses sometimes. The recent MacDefender fiasco is a point in case. As the Mac marketshare increases, it will become the target of more and more virus attacks. Apart from the excellent protection offered by Apple in its security updates, some of the best free anti-virus softwares for Mac OSX are:

Sophos Free Antivirus

The favorite anti virus app for many Mac users, Sophos, on download, installs itself on the menu bar. It is one of the most trusted softwares in identifying any malware and viruses on a Mac. It is very user-friendly, comes with its own un-installer and can even scan networked drives. As long as the Sophos shield in your menu is black, it means you’re protected. If it is not, do a quick 30-second update to keep your defences

intact.

ClamXav

If you are a control-freak, who wants to know everything that your anti-virus software does, this is for you. Inspite of its small footprint, this does a powerful job of scanning for viruses, and allows for custom scans. It shows logs of every action it does, which gives you, the user, great control in scanning your Mac.