You do not want to spend money on anti-virus? You do not need! Latest free antivirus fully suitable for household use. In this way, will take care of your own computer and your wallet.

Browsing the Internet on an unsecured computer, sooner or later it ends in capture of the virus. However, not everyone can afford the expense of 100 zł for branded anti-virus application.

If you have two or three computers, we have an even greater problem: not all manufacturers of security software to make basic versions of their packages licensed to more than one position. Nothing can then install the program on several machines, since it is recognized after the key and serial servers automatically blocked by the manufacturer.

Resigned the user goes to the shop for another box with your antivirus program, spitting on the chin, did not immediately buy more expensive, multi license. And that's closer to the amount of expenditure 200 zł.

Fortunately for some time robustly growing market of free antivirus programs. Special editions of their programs are giving away for free so the company recognized as ALWIL Software (producer of avast!), AVG and BitDefender. Other manufacturers use a free version of the software to promote and improve the innovative technologies, as it did Panda Security, introducing running in the cloud antivirus Panda Antivirus Cloud.

The third group are the producers of the company is known primarily from the release version free of charge, the best example is the German Avira and Avira AntiVir Personal Program. All make their products free of charge, but only for household use. If you plan to install antivirus software for corporate computer, you must choose between paying. The exception is ClamWin Free Antivirus programs, which is developed on open source, and ThreatFire developed by PC Tools.

What's included

It is not true that free antivirus programs offer inferior protection against malware. Anyone not want to promote ineffective tool. Free version is designed to encourage you to purchase the commercial edition, so the difference is usually more limited functionality and / or a streamlined interface. Ground to know what offers the antivirus, so after the fact does not surprise that the free version lacks such a mechanism to prevent spam. This will help better manage the security of your computer and choose where necessary, other free tools designed to help with basic antivirus.

If you're used to using a commercial security package (so-called Internet Security), probably expect from a program of protection against viruses, spam, phishing, infected files on P2P networks and network attacks. By installing a free antivirus, give up parts of these functions. You only get a basic tool, which is a virus scanner and antivirus protection, the background. Standard is the ability to scan any of the resources and configure the scanner - determine the frequency of updating database of virus definitions, scan and change the sensitivity settings for the rules for dealing with infected files.

Everything that goes beyond this list, should be treated as an accessory. They are so free, able to detect viruses, spyware (such as AVG Anti-Virus Free), dealing with rootkits (eg Avira AntiVir Personal), and even offer support for P2P and instant messaging (eg avast! Free Antivirus), but rarely find all of these functions in one application.

In practice, you will need to be dedicated to support programs and ad blocking suspicious code in Web pages, protecting the identity and facilitating the creation of an emergency CD - fortunately they are also available for free.

Remember, however, to carefully selected software to install because the manufacturers of free anti-virus can sometimes add to the package silently other unwanted applications. This was the case avast! Free Antivirus, which at one stage suggested the installation to install Google Chrome. ClamWin turn prompts the user to install plug Ask Toolbar, which adds a toolbar with search engine Ask.com to the Web browser. By contrast, COMODO Internet Security cleverly stuck between options section responsible for the fact that after the installation of the default search engine in the browser is also substituted at Ask.com. Of course you can cancel this option, but how many times it happens that a user indicates speedy without hesitation in all fields, if only to complete the installation. Here it is inappropriate.

In the cloud, and not just

It seems that the creators of free antivirus programs leave you more leeway when it comes to implement original ideas. Provoked the greatest interest of the media, released last year, Panda Antivirus Cloud. This is the first antivirus program that all operations associated with data analysis performed in the so-called. cloud. This means that following the discovery of a suspicious file on your program sends information about it (and not the file itself) to PandaLabs servers, where it is compared with reports from other users. Built in this way a system of Collective Intelligence allows rapid identification of the threat, and then quickly - within a maximum of six minutes - ready access to the vaccine.

Relieve the user's computer, which no longer needs to independently analyze the scanned files, also translates to faster program. Disadvantages? To Panda Antivirus Cloud can send data for analysis, requires a permanent Internet connection. It does not prevent the development of technologies based on processing in a cloud of anti-virus applications. Proof of this is the premiere Immunet Protect program, which works in a similar way as antivirus Panda. Interestingly, the creator of Immunet Oliver Friedrichs, a longtime employee of Symantec, known for its Norton product series.

Another interesting idea for free antivirus software is an application ThreatFire. Instead of downloading virus signatures, the program uses a mechanism for behavioral analysis in real time, so it is able to detect yet unidentified threats, analyzing only the way they operate. The manufacturer of the program, the company PC Tools, openly encouraged to install ThreatFire as support for the basic anti-virus.

Compared to other antivirus applications also distinguishes itself with ClamWin Free Antivirus. This program is developed on open source, based on ClamAV engine, originally designed to act as a virus scanner for mail servers. ClamWin is not only available free of charge, but - more important - any developer can download the source code. Currently, threats database consists of over 700 thousand. recognized virus, so ClamWin from year to year climbing to the top rankings of effectiveness. Still, the program has problems with the detection of the latest threats. Also functions as guardian of the missing, who would scan in the background all the run files. As we can see, the product of the open source community can not be matched even with AntiVirus commercial stables, but the gap between them continues to decrease.

When choosing the proper anti-virus is crucial, whether you are looking for advanced configuration options that bet on the ease of use. Producers of free software more and more inclined to solutions that work according to the principle of "fire up and forget". The result is a streamlined interface, which should satisfy most users. Demanding will have to pay extra. Another novelty is becoming bolder implementation of solutions based on processing in the cloud. This is demonstrated by examples of free antivirus Panda Antivirus and Cloud Immunet Protect, which carry the burden associated with analyzing data about threats from desktop to web servers.

In deciding to free antivirus, but you must accept some discomfort. Missing functionality must be complemented by additional tools, there is also almost no market (non COMODO Internet Security) free security packages, which combine in one antivirus program and the possibility of a firewall. But in return you get freedom of choice. If after a month or two, it appears that one antivirus does not correspond your requirements, you can get rid of it and install another. Without incurring the costs and committing to a single product for a year or longer.

How we rated

Each program in the test we rated in three categories: capacity, ease of use and appearance. By the opportunities available to understand the functions available antivirus and extent of their configuration settings - was the result obtained here by 60 percent. final evaluation. Ease of use related to the transparency of the interface was also important whether the program is available in different languages - the weight of this category is 30 percent. final evaluation. Appearance was the least important - hence the weight of 10 percent. comprehensive review.

And the winner is ...

The test won COMODO Antivirus, which offers the most advanced features with high potential configuration. The interesting options include blocking access to the program for a password, usually reserved for commercial security packages.

Second place was taken by avast! Free Antivirus, which is the latest version combines the functionality of a large (eg the current mode of the game) with a friendly interface. It is an excellent anti-virus program and for less experienced users who do not want to explore the advanced configuration settings, while they want to effectively protect your computer.

A well-deserved third place was AVG Anti-Virus Free. It would be a quite exemplary free antivirus - no advanced features and interesting additions, such as assisting the LinkScanner web browser - if not for lack of advanced features Anti-Rootkit, which is reserved for the paid version.