Best antivirus software windows free

Light on system resources. You don't want antivirus software that taxes your PC's resources. If after you install the program, websites open slowly, apps download or open sluggishly or file copies take longer than expected, you may want to try another service.

The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection.

Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices.

You may also find discounts on an app's Amazon page. To be effective, antivirus software needs to monitor what's going on with your PC, check in with company servers about unusual behavior and should provide sound banking protection.

The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy. But if you want to know more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share. Protection for other platforms. Microsoft is by far the biggest target for viruses and malware.

While the Mac does come under attack via side-loaded apps, it's rare, and if you download apps only from the Mac and iOS app stores and keep your guard up when clicking links and download files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices.

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Best free Windows antivirus Microsoft Defender.

Jump to details. See at Microsoft. See at NortonLifeLock. See at Bitdefender. Best on-demand Windows malware removal Malwarebytes.

See at Malwarebytes. Solid subscription antivirus alternative McAfee Total Protection. See at McAfee. Another good subscription option Trend Micro Maximum Security. See at Trend Micro. See at ESET. Alternative free Windows antivirus Sophos Home. See at Sophos. Our recommendations Looking for free antivirus protection, malware protection or virus detection, willing to pay for an antivirus program that offers broad internet security coverage across all your devices, including from ransomware and phishing, or need to remove a computer virus or malware from your PC right now?

The Safe Shopping browser extension for Firefox and Chrome is really good — it blocks suspicious phishing sites, web trackers, and unwanted advertisements. The extension also automatically recommends links to better deals when shopping online. Download Avira Free Now. Another thing that makes Panda a good choice for Windows users is the Rescue Kit feature, which allows you to download a bootable version of Panda to a USB drive and then use the USB drive to clean an infected PC and get it up and running again.

With lightweight malware scanning, an automatic gaming mode, a Rescue Kit, and a VPN, Panda is an excellent free internet security product. Download Panda Free Now. It uses a huge blacklist to identify known phishing sites as well as an AI-powered phishing detection system to detect new threats. TotalAV is also the most intuitive free Windows antivirus on this list, with easy-to-use and easy-to-understand features and functions inside a minimalistic, well-designed dashboard.

Kaspersky Security Cloud — Free is good at detecting and removing malware, and it also comes with plenty of extras — including:. All Kaspersky purchases include a day money-back guarantee. Download Kaspersky Free Now. Malwarebytes Free is a good choice for users looking for a simple antivirus scanner that they can install and forget about. Apart from the scanner, Malwarebytes Free also comes with a browser extension that protects against a wide range of threats, including malware, ads and trackers, scams, and PUPs.

Malwarebytes Free is a minimalistic antivirus scanner with good virus detection and removal rates. It also comes with a browser extension that blocks malware, phishing sites, ads, and trackers.

Download Malwarebytes For Free Now. Sophos Home Free offers pretty good free anti-malware protection. It also includes some helpful web protections and covers up to 3 PCs all within its free antivirus package. Is Windows Defender enough for protecting computer security? How to block a program with Windows Firewall in Windows 10? It offers 6 layers of security and a powerful virus scanner. It lets you easily check the security of your whole computer from your passwords to your home network security.

How to stop Windows 11 update? This post provides 5 solutions to let you disable automatic updates on Windows Check the step-by-step guide.

It offers real-time threat protection for your computer and uses behavioral detection to monitor your active apps. This program is genuine antivirus program. The antivirus provides instant, real-time system protection from spyware, viruses, and other malicious forms.

It assures to be in silent mode when the user is gaming or while the user watches movies to mitigate the interference on the system resources. Amiti virus is designed specially to protect Windows.

It provides consistent virus protection with heuristic scanning system all equipped for an on-access protection. It ensures scheduled scans and automatic updates on the latest malware definitions. It also provides multiple types of scan options. Panda Protection which was once known as Panda Antivirus is another best antivirus on this list.

It delivers absolute protection to defy the most challenging unknown threats. Works well at par with other antivirus we have identified. Baidu Antivirus is feature-packed to fight against malware through its cloud-based database which is updated with the latest virus definitions.

It delivers prompt protection much instantly utilizing minimal system resources, and operates to perfection just as other antivirus programs in the list. Covid Themed Malware. Best Virus Removal Tool. Best Paid Antivirus. Windows Antivirus. Best Antivirus. Virus Removal. Website Safety Check. Best Website Security. Website Checker. Website Vulnerability Scanner. Website Malware Scanner. Free Website Hosting. Website Backup. Password Hacker. Web Application Protection. Web Security Check.