What is the best Antivirus software?

 

This is a super important question that we are rarely asked. Maybe due to the various free antivirus software packages that exist such as AVG, Avira, and Avast. While these software packages provide mediocre protection, you should ask yourself...."How much is it worth to prevent a minimum of 3 hours system downtime in the event my PC is infected with malware or a virus?"

First off, if you've researched antivirus protection options at all, you know that there are numerous options available. It can be extremely pricey and time consuming to try each package, so we want to help you identify the best option for you right out of the gate because the ultimate goal is to save time.

While the most popular antivirus package we see installed on systems is AVG Free, it has proven to be somewhat tolerant of some bothersome infections lately. We have always been a proponant of AVG FREE, but we are now only advising its use with caution. While the price is definitely right, AVG FREE should only be used as a precursor to a dependable solution. And while we are not here to bash the efforts or products of Grisoft (Company that produces AVG FREE), we would like to point out that this solution does provide a feature that integrates into your search provider indicating whether a website returned by the search engine is clean or infected. For this reason, we still recommend its usage only for highly restrictive budgets.

We have not used Avira or Avast as much due to the built in nag to "Purchase the Pay version" of the software. For this reason, these solutions do not tend to stay installed on our systems for any length of time.

For other popular malware or antivirus packages such as Norton, McAfee, or Panda, we recommend avoiding these packages due to historically bad performance. These solutions may be effective in preventing or blocking an infection, but our experience has rendered them useless due to the system degradation that accompanies their usage. In addition, we tend to avoid any software solution that lacks a clean and functional uninstallation process. However, with all that said, we have had reasonable experiences with both the Norton and McAfee "corporate" software solutions.

For the typical home user, student, or small business, we recommend a software solution produced by ESET called NOD32. Up until two years ago we had not even heard of this company, much less their product. But after two years of using NOD32, we are hooked. We comfortably state, that this is the most effective solution on the market. And once the software has been installed, you can hardly tell its even there. It utilizes very little system resources which help keep your system fast, and has a simple to understand interface which makes it suitable for even the most novice of computer users. The bottom line is NOD32 just does what it is supposed to do! And there's more...it won't break the bank! Typically one license will cost in the neighborhood of $40.00. For this product, this is a fair price.

Our second favorite malware/antivirus solution is produced by Kaspersky Labs. The only reason this solution slides to a friendly second, is that it is a little more complicated in regards to the interface and configuration. For the super geeks out there and the system administrators seeking granular control over everything relating to infection security, this may very well prove to be your perfect solution. Kaspersky is a highly robust software solution, but we prefer the simplicity of NOD32 for the average user.