Best Free Antivirus 2017 For Your Computer

Best Free Antivirus 2017 For Your Computer

We all rely on our computers nowadays, both at work and at home. While at the office we need these devices to complete our tasks on and stay connected to our colleagues, at home we use them for communicating with family and friends. Also, in some cases, we use the home computer too for completing the work we didn’t get to finish at work. No matter what we use our computers for, as long as we have an internet connection we also need a good antivirus software to protect us from all the viruses and malware that lurk around, waiting to steal our personal information. Here are three of the best free antivirus software you can use in 2017.

1. BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition

Bitdefender is one of the most popular antivirus software available in the world right now. It has been around for a long time and it still is one of the best free antivirus programs in 2017. It is easy to set up and to use. Besides this, it won’t slow down your computer as it uses very little system resources. Even though it does have some pop-ups, it isn’t as annoying as some of the other free antivirus programs that will constantly remind you to upgrade to their premium versions. The software runs on autopilot, so users don’t really need to do anything after installing it unless they want to perform on- demand checks of their computer’s status. 

The BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition definitely has some strong points. It performs scans extremely fast and is really effective in detecting viruses. It also offers phishing protection, on- access malware scan, and malicious URL blocking. It keeps your computer safe without slowing it down, which is just great.

➤Platform: Windows XP or up; Android 2.3 or up

2. Panda Cloud Antivirus Free

The Panda Cloud Antivirus takes Free Antivirus to a whole new level with its cloud-based scanner. The software is also lightweight and runs on a local cache when the network is unavailable. It offers effective phishing protection and impressive detection rates combined with top-notch rootkit blocking. With features like On-Demand malware scan, On-Access Malware scan, Phishing protection and malicious URL blocking, it does not only provide protection against different kinds of malware on a PC but also provides the best protection against the online transaction. Only not-so-positive side of this antivirus is that it will auto-quarantine files which it believes to be dangerous.

Get Panda Antivirus

➤Platform: Windows XP or above; Android 2.3 or up

3. Avast Free Antivirus

Avast is another one of the best free antivirus software that is still available in 2017. Actually, it’s better than ever. Avast just joined forces with AVG, so its user base and threat detection network just got a whole lot bigger than it used to be. Naturally, this makes it even more efficient than it was before. The latest version of one of the best free antivirus programs now offers a password manager and an automatic gaming mode. While there is not much to say about the former feature, the latter aims gamers. When the program detects that the computer is used for games that require a lot of processing power, it will mute popups and reduce system load. Just like the aforementioned software, Avast Free Antivirus is excellent at virus detection and it offers malware scanning too. 

Just like the aforementioned software, Avast Free Antivirus is excellent at virus detection and it offers malware scanning too. The antivirus software is also great at handling zero- day threats also. 

➤Platform: Windows XP or above; Almost all Mac OSX versions

4. Avira Free Antivirus

Last but not least, Avira makes it to our top 3 best free antivirus software list. This antivirus is able to detect and quash 99.7% of tested threats. Just like any other one of the best free antivirus programs, it has a clean interface which makes it really easy to use. It is a great virus detector and it offers phishing protection and system optimization tools as well. Even more, it features a built-in VPN. While this feature could easily send it to the first place in this top list, the Avira Free Antivirus also has its shortcomings. They don’t affect its efficiency but do spoil the user experience a little bit. I am referring to the popups that keep turning on on your computer.

Of course, it’s natural to have a downside to a product that comes for free but other antivirus software developers managed to handle this problem a lot more elegantly. Even so, you can rely on the Avira Free Antivirus without any problems. It is a clean and efficient program that will keep you safe.

Platform: Windows XP or above; Mac OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher; Android 2.2 or up;

5. MalwareBytes

Malwarebytes is one of the most acclaims and highly appreciated malware detection solution. It is pretty small, lightweight and doesn’t require signatures as well. It also shields Java and perhaps is one of the most effective software against zero-day attacks that have never been seen before. One of the best features of MalwareBytes is the behaviour-based detection of the virus on a PC.

The biggest drawback with it is the requirement for proactive antivirus software that can work alongside it. It just acts as a complement to your regular antivirus program. There is also a major lack of features in the free version as compared to the Premium version. But that being said, Malwarebytes still is one of the premier and most reliable products when it comes to catching the newest, most cutting-edge threats that other antivirus companies may not have caught yet.

Platform: Windows XP or higher

6. Comodo Antivirus

If you are one of the antivirus users who are intimidated of using technical computer inputs or afraid of the complexities of an antivirus which works more manually than automatically then, this Comodo antivirus is not for you. If we had to rate this antivirus upon the usage by the advanced computer users then surely this antivirus has galloped better positions. But, on the range of the overall scenarios, Comodo still need to automate more of its security features.

The Comodo Antivirus includes a full range of detection engines for viruses, rootkits, spyware and other malware. It uses Comodo’s proprietary Defense+ technology thereby guarding your system of all unknown files by treating them as a threat. It also provides On-Access/Resident protection, cloud-based protection, and an automatic sandboxing function. Since the program occasionally asks for User input it may not be suitable for amateur users. The Host Intrusion Prevention System and phishing protection still have a long way to go.

Platform: Windows XP or higher (Windows 10); Mac OS X 10.4 or above; Android 2.2 and Up

MY RECOMMENDATION: I would prefer Avast over another free antivirus

Do you feel some other free antivirus should have made it to the list of best free antivirus software of 2017? Give us your suggestions below and help others to get the best computer virus protection.