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Government and its worker's computers to gather information for the Russian government. In the past, Kaspersky has gotten a black eye for allegedly using its programs to tap into the U.S. Since the likelihood of most people purposely visiting these sites as I did, the probability of you become infected while working online is pretty slim while using Kaspersky.
It did have problems recognizing a couple of dangerous websites that either are known to harbor malicious downloads or are a phishing scheme.
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In my tests, Kaspersky stopped every one of the malicious files trying to download during the process and placed these threats into the quarantine folder. Even during deep virus scans, I can easily keep working without worrying about buffering or lag. It runs quickly and doesn't create any slowdown while installing or in use. Kaspersky is another excellent antivirus program that I have no problem recommending for home use.
Kaspersky Security Cloud: Best with No Drag One of my test computers that only had default programs installed still took close to 45 minutes to complete. Depending on what you have saved to your local drives, this can be well over an hour. The biggest frustration I discovered of all Bitdefender programs is virus scans take a long, long time, nearly three times longer than other programs. However, compared to other free software, I didn't find it overly intrusive or annoying. The only way I knew it created any slowdown is because I timed it, and the lag was less than a tenth of a second.Īs with all free antivirus programs, Bitdefender does have popup ads that encourage you to purchase its paid security program. Plus, there is hardly any effect on my computer. It's like Bitdefender knows a threat when it sees it and doesn't bother me to double-check. I'm always amazed at how well Bitdefender stops malware files before they start the download process, and most threats get automatically scrubbed from my computer without ever needing to hit the quarantine folder.
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If you're not worried about using a VPN or password manager or an automatic gamer mode, then I highly recommend Bitdefender as the best, basic antivirus program. However, Bitdefender is very reliable and doesn't use a lot of your system's resources, so you won't notice slowdown or drag while it is running. The only reason Bitdefender doesn't take the top spot is that this basic program doesn't have the extra tools that make Avast the better pick.
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Unless you're in gamer mode, these ads do become bothersome as they pop up and do create a bit of slowdown.īitdefender Antivirus Free: Best basic antivirus software
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However, Avast will keep monitoring for any malware trying to sneak in and stop it.īecause it is a free program, Avast does have a lot of ads that try and entice you to upgrade to one of its paid programs. This includes popup messages or other notices that tend to interrupt gameplay. When you visit a known gaming site, Avast places it on its gamer list and automatically suspends all non-essential processes, so you have all the resources you need while playing. My favorite feature of all Avast computer protection programs is the automatic gamer mode. That way, they can't be swiped by keyloggers as you sign into online accounts. It also has a password manager that keeps all your usernames and passwords secure. That makes it difficult for adware and internet trackers to target you with ads or sell your browser history.
This includes a VPN that blocks your computer's IP address and location while you're online. It is chock-full of features that even basic paid antivirus software doesn't include.