While most people know this, it's still worth mentioning that if you want to have a carefree online experience - an antivirus is simply a necessity. Despite all of the efforts by programmers from all around the world to remove harmful web pages from the search engine results, people can still access all of those pages directly, or trough social media networking sites.
This is one of the many reasons why you need a software solution that is able to protect you from threats such as malware, spyware, Trojan Horses, key-loggers, and much more. According to Kaspersky Lab, there are over 300.000 new potential threats every day; and in order to protect your PC, you cannot simply pick any random software and hope that it will do miracles for your system. So here are a few tips on how to choose the best antivirus software.
Search for Online Reviews
Most reviewers are quite honest actually, that is, if you know where the look on the internet. PC Advisor and PC Mag are great for recommendations, because they usually have well-written, informative reviews about the latest software on the market. However, if you really want to compare specifications, prices, add-ons and more, you should definitely find a top 10 antivirus list online in order to narrow the search.
Of course, another option is to seek out some forums like Bleeping Computer and Tom's Hardware so you could ask some members for advice. The best option is to combine the two - read some expert reviews first, and then the users about their opinion on the matter. Doing this, you will be able to know if a particular antivirus is underrated or overhyped.
Paid vs. Free
As you probably already know, there are two types of antiviruses - paid and free. The free software is, naturally, completely free of charge (however, some have premium editions and add-ons which can cost you) whereas paid software comes in an array of different packages and rates. Obviously, if you want the best across-the-board protection for your machine, you should pay for your software. Paid solutions usually have a wide range of protection features, and they won't distract you with upgrade notifications every two minutes.
Nevertheless, if you have a small budget or you don't want to spend a large sum of cash on a piece of software; don't dismiss the free ones, because there are some fantastic solutions on the market that won't cost you a penny. If you opt for a something free of charge, we recommend that you download either Avast Free Antivirus 2016 or BullGuard Internet Security, as both have top notch features comparable to paid software.
Look at the Features Closely
When it comes to choosing the safest software, perhaps the most important factor is how much protection it's going to provide for your device. Even the majority of free antiviruses nowadays offer protection against such threats as fraud tools, backdoor and browser hijackers. Also, keep in mind that a big price doesn't necessarily equate to first-rate protection and cost-free doesn't necessarily mean flawed software either.
VPN security is one the many features offered by most of today's antiviruses; this will come in handy if you regularly use unprotected WI-FI as it will protect your computer or mobile device from identity thieves and hackers. Many people who browse the Web and download content often find unwanted toolbars downloaded in the process; luckily, most software has "Browser Cleanup" tool that will keep everything unwanted from your browser.
