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Last update : July 2019

Avast Free Antivirus 2019

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista,7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

It is undoubtedly one of the most popular free anti-viruses, providing a solid class protection against any type of threats. Avast also offers many additional features, such as browser protection, password manager, network environment scanning tool, and aggressive mode (it blocks suspicious programs if they are not on the manufacturer’s white list, even if the initial scan does not suggest that they may be harmful) and additional security of the system (the program first runs a questionable file in a safe, virtual environment – the so-called sandbox – analyzing its operation thoroughly and only after successfully passing such a test allows it to run in Windows). Avast, however, also has its drawbacks – the biggest of them is the intrusive urging of users to buy premium version. Sometime the problem was also the relatively high load on the computer components, although it is worth noting that the latest versions are much better in this respect than the previous ones and in most tests they get very good results.

AVG Antivirus Free

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

For some time, AVG has used the same basic technology as Avast, but it has far fewer additional features. It is true that thanks to this, the system is less burdensome, but there are still “lighter” alternatives on the market, providing comparable or better protection. Still, it is an effective, free antivirus program.

Windows Defender

Free for: all windows 8,8.1,10 users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: allowed

The fact that this application has been on this list for some will probably be a big surprise. Until recently, replacing Windows Defender with another anti-virus program was after all one of the first things that should have been done after the “installation” of the operating system. Currently, according to many experts, this is not necessarily the case. The application provides protection comparable to full-fledged anti-viruses (copes with most threats – it has, for example, a ransomware protection module), while offering several additional functions (eg browser protection). The big advantages of Windows Defender are the simplicity of use (it is automatically present on any computer running Windows 8.1 or 10, in the case of Windows 7 requires Microsoft Security Essentials) and a small demand for computer power, especially in passive mode (when it does not scan). It is worth noting that the program did very poorly in the performance tests during the scanning performed by the AV-Comparatives service – however, these results are not confirmed in the tests of other experts. In Microsoft’s anti-virus, you will not find any advertising and will not encourage you to purchase a paid license.

Note: Windows Defender is pre-installed on every system from Windows 8.1 and above, so installation is not necessary.

Kaspersky Free

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

This is a relatively new program, which is a free version of a well-known commercial antivirus. The technology responsible for detecting viruses used in it is one of the best on the market – it regularly wins in various tests carried out by experts (especially good results achieved in the tests of the AV-Test service). The current version of the application also manages well the computer resources. Kaspersky would be almost perfect, if not for the fact that it does not offer any additional functions – even basic ones such as blocking network attacks or monitoring the activity of installed programs.

Bitdefender Free Edition

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

Bitdefender is another program that offers basic functionality, combined with unbelievably high efficiency (in the tests the program achieves probably the best results of all). It provides protection against viruses and other types of malware, and can also boast of a very large user base (500 million) – who send a huge amount of information about various threats. The application is also extremely effective in protecting our browser (we are talking about the extension of Bitdefender Trafficlight, offering protection against, for example, theft of financial data) – and in this case we are probably dealing with the most effective of all these programs. The use of cloud computing allows a relatively small load of computer components. Some additions were also taken care of, such as the possibility of scanning the computer during the so-called boot (system boot).

Comodo Cloud Antivirus

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

What distinguishes the Comodo program is the so-called automatic sandbox – a secured container to which all files are automatically packed. The application uses not really one, but two sandboxes – the other (the so-called Valkyrie module) is located in the cloud. An interesting feature is also the monitoring of running processes, which allows you to restore settings when interference with important system components is detected. Minuses? Not all experts agree on the effectiveness of this program. In some independent tests, the antivirus obtained quite poor results, and in others (eg those conducted by AV-Comparatives) it was not tested at all.

360 Total Security

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

The 360 Total Security Suite is an application that protects the user against malicious software, as well as undesirable activities of third parties created by the Chinese company Qihu. Its biggest advantage is the use of several scanning engines, which provides much greater detection. Additional options allow you to speed up and clean your computer.

It is an anti-virus, as well as a proactive protection module that protects against undesired modifications of the registry, autostart or other applications. By default, the program uses three scanning engines: 360 Cloud Engine, QVMII and an additional specialized in repairs. The user may additionally, without incurring any charges, also use BitDefender and Avira engines. Antivirus provides the option of full, fast and also manual scanning. The user can manage the work mode by selecting what is more important to him: protection, performance, or even a balanced mode. More advanced people can do manual configuration. Importantly, the application also scans the websites viewed and downloads, protects the user when using electronic banking.

Additional advantages of 360 Total Security are options related to cleaning and speeding up the work of the system: the application allows you to quickly turn off unnecessary services and programs from autostart, it can also track the startup time allowing for comparison of results. The cleaning module removes various types of temporary files: left by Moden applications, temporary data of browsers, and the operating system itself, eg after an update. The application is available for free.

Adaware Antivirus Free



Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10

Commercial use: not allowed

Adaware Antivirus Free is a free version of a security program designed to protect your computer in real time against various types of viruses, trojan horses, spyware components, rootkits and keyloggers. Previously, the program was mainly known for removing spyware components.

The free version in comparison to the paid edition has been significantly limited. Adaware Antivirus Free offers a real-time protection module that allows you to constantly protect your computer against infections, the mechanism of scanning files and on-demand disks, whose work and areas of operation can be largely configured, anti-spoofing module and player mode.

The program also includes many other functions useful in everyday work. I am talking here about quarantine, in which infected files are placed, task schedules, allowing to automate the scanning process of the computer and lists of ignored locations that are omitted during scanning. The commercial version of Ad-Aware Pro offers, anti-spam module, extensive firewall, protection against phishing attacks, the function of scanning external memory connected to a computer, etc.

Panda Dome

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10

Commercial use: not allowed

Panda Dome is a free anti-virus program that provides basic protection for your computer against various types of malware and spyware components distributed via the Internet or removable storage media.

The application was created as the successor of Panda Cloud Antivirus, one of the first antivirus solutions that use so-called computing cloud. Like its predecessor, Panda Dome also relies on processes and resources located on Panda’s external servers. In addition to the slightly changed name, the software has the same functionality and appearance of the graphical interface, characterized by lightness and speed of operation and a negligible demand for system resources.

Panda Dome provides computer protection in real time, protecting the system from outside infections. It offers on-demand scanning functions, during which all the contents of the hard disk are checked, the locations most susceptible to virus activity or folders indicated by the user. The program also has options for detecting potentially dangerous components, background scanning after cache synchronization, conservative blocking, behavioral analysis, archives analysis during on-demand scanning, and blocking of virus files until receiving the appropriate results from the cloud.

Rising Antivirus Free Edition

Rising Antivirus Free Edition

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10

Commercial use: not allowed

Rising Antivirus Free Edition is a free antivirus program designed to protect your computer against all Internet threats. The application protects the operating system against dangerous viruses, rootkits, Trojan horses, worms and other harmful applications.

The program has been equipped with modern technology to protect the computer in real time, as well as an advanced scanner for detecting and removing various threats. It offers a simple and clear interface and simplicity to use. It has three different scanning modes – fast, free and full. After completing the scan, it displays a detailed list of detected threats, which we can then quickly remove completely from the hard disk.

Antivirus software also uses a special feature (Rising Cloud Security), which runs suspicious files or applications in an isolated, virtual environment, where it thoroughly analyzes and checks whether they pose a threat to the operating system. The program automatically captures and removes all viruses when they are detected when you open files or archived data downloaded from the Internet. Rising Antivirus checks and protects all incoming messages with attached attachments electronically, as well as ensures security when browsing websites and when connecting data media via a USB output.

Avira Free Antivirus

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10

Commercial use: not allowed

Avira Free Antivirus is an effective, free program that comprehensively protects the system against threats. The program offers a scanner on demand, real-time protection and a firewall. The program is able to protect the user against modern threats such as ransomware, spyware and privacy violators.

The program has a simple, readable interface that allows you to quickly find out what mode the program is in, when the signature database was updated and when the last scan was performed, and in the section on real-time protection you can check what file was last scanned. The next operations can be planned in the schedule. In addition, you can easily view reports and decide what will happen to files that have been quarantined.

The Avira engine protects against malware threats, including viruses, trojans, worms and spyware. Novelty is protection against ransomware and other known data encryption programs. Avira Antivirus Free monitors all opened and saved data. You can exclude some extensions from protection in settings if you need to. After detecting a suspicious file, the signature is sent to the scanner in the cloud, which compares the data with the already known threats and on this basis determines whether the file is really a threat.

Another advantage of Avira Free Antivirus is the small requirements. The program can be used without any major obstacles to protect older computers whose work will not be disturbed by it. The free Avira Free Antivirus does not integrate with the mail client, but after activating the scanning of files during read and write, the information in the mailbox is checked anyway.

Sophos Home

Sophos Home

Free for: individual users

Supports: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10

Commercial use: not allowed

Sophos Home is a tool for users of personal computers that protects them against malware, inappropriate content and viruses.

Using Sophos Home is possible after creating a free account and logging on to the official website of the producer (https://home.sophos.com/reg) using a web browser (Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 or newer, Apple Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox) from which you can freely manage application settings. Importantly, the tool does not support the Opera.

Sophos Home makes use of advanced technology, which is used by IT professionals to protect their business systems. Just a few clicks to block access to websites that may contain not only malicious software, but also inappropriate content or viruses.