1. Avast For Mac Review
2. How Good Is Avast For Mac

• Pros

  Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Network security scanner. Password manager. Website rating. Active Do Not Track. Free.

• Cons

  Poor phishing protection in Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.

• Bottom Line

  Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a look.

For years, Mac users basked in the mystique of virus-free computing. It wasn't true, alas, and as time goes on we see more and more Mac-specific malware attacks. The situation may not be nearly as bad as for Window or Android, but prudence still dictates that you install antivirus protection on your Macs as well. Avast Security offers Macs protection against malware along with advanced features including a password manager and a network security scanner, all for a cost of exactly nothing.

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With Avast you will get some cool features like Wi-Fi Inspector (formerly called Home Network Security), which scans your home network, Wi-Fi connection, and routers. An easy-to-use tool called Browser Cleanup for removing unwanted toolbars from your browser. Click Here to optimize and speed up your mac for FREE clean my mac,utility mac,top utility mac,mac osx clean my mac,clean my mac download.

Installation went quickly, though I did find I had to separately activate the password manager and the Online Security browser extension from the Tools page. You'll also find Avast's SecureLine VPN on that page, but it's not free like the others. When you click to activate, you get a choice of signing up for $2.99 per month or starting a 30-day trial.

The product's spacious main window features a large status indicator centered in an otherwise-empty white region, with a menu down the left side. It's a very different appearance from Avast Free Antivirus on Windows, which uses pops of purple and green on a dark gray background.

Pricing and OS Support

Like Bitdefender and Kaspersky, Avast supports macOS versions back to 10.9 Mavericks. If you have an antique Mac that for some reason can't even run Mavericks, consider ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), ProtectWorks, or ClamXAV (for Mac) all of which support versions from 10.6 (Snow Leopard) on. At the other end of the spectrum, Avira, Trend Micro, and Symantec require macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or better.

Like Sophos and Avira, Avast offers full antivirus protection for free. Avast Security Pro (for Mac) costs $59.99 per year for one license or $69.99 for three. The Pro edition adds ransomware protection and real-time notification when new devices connect to your network. The free edition is strictly for non-commercial use; in a business setting, you must pay up.

Good Malware Protection Scores

When reviewing a Windows antivirus utility, I report how it scored with four independent antivirus testing labs. The very best products earn top scores from all four labs. But even if no test results exist, I can run my own hands-on tests using real-world malware and malware-hosting URLs.

It took years to develop my hands-on tools and tests for Windows. Most of them don't carry over to the macOS platform. Hence lab results become extremely important for my Mac antivirus reviews. Two of the labs I follow, AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives, test Mac antivirus, and Avast participates with one of them.

Experts at AV-Comparatives test Mac antivirus products using the latest macOS malware. They also evaluate each product's ability to detect Windows malware. Why? While a Trojan written for Windows wouldn't run on a Mac, the Mac could serve as a carrier.

Avast managed 99.9 percent protection against Mac malware. That's very good—better than most. However, Bitdefender and Kaspersky exhibited 100 percent protection. In the Windows malware test, Avast detected 100 percent of the samples. Most competing products also took 100 percent. However, Webroot only caught 75 percent, and Intego Mac Internet Security X9 got just 18 percent. Like most tested products, Avast received certification from AV-Comparatives for Mac antivirus protection.

Having one certification is good; having two is better. Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Sophos are among the products that received certifications from both labs for Mac malware protection.

Scan Choices

Avast offers several scans to improve your Mac's security. A full scan on the Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch that I use for testing took 14.5 minutes, just a hair over Intego's 14 minutes, and quicker than the 18 minutes required by Avira. The average for recent products is 24 minutes, so Avast proved quite speedy. Norton is the current speed champ, completing a full scan in 10 minutes.

There's a separate scan for removable volumes, though you can configure the full scan to include them. I scanned a thumb drive containing my Windows malware collection and found that it quarantined 85 percent of them. For comparison, Avira detected 82 percent of these, while Sophos Home (for Mac) wiped out every single one.

There's no predefined quick scan, which makes sense given the speed of the full scan. The custom scan settings confused me, though. As with the full scan, you can add file locations to exclude from scanning, and configure it to scan Time Machine backups. But the full scan's settings include those options, and also let you include removable volumes and network volumes, while the custom scan's settings do not. Puzzling.

You can schedule a daily, weekly, or monthly scan if desired. Settings for a scheduled scan include two additional choices. You can set it to skip scanning if your device is running on batteries, and you can have it wake from sleep if necessary, to perform its scheduled scan. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac not only offers scheduled scanning, it defaults to a weekly scan with no effort on your part. Sophos skips scheduled scanning, relying instead on real-time protection.

Network Security Scan

The final scan choice doesn't look for malware. Rather, it collects information about all the devices on your network and flags any security problems. On my own network, the scan finished in just under three minutes.

The scanner correctly reported that my main router has an open port that could theoretically become a point of attack. It's true that the port is open, as my ISP uses it to run remote diagnostics when necessary. But that function requires a key that only the ISP has.

More interestingly, it found serious problems with a network storage device (fortunately, one that I'm not currently using). Not only does this device have numerous open ports, it's vulnerable to a buffer overrun attack. Avast advised updating the firmware; I just unplugged it.

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The report also serves as a list of everything that's connected to your network, identifying each by name and type. It's similar to the output of Bitdefender Home Scanner. With both products, I found devices with names like unknown6542990b6483—not much help! Bitdefender includes an option to edit the name and type, and it remembers your edits in subsequent scans. I'd like to see that ability in Avast.

Excellent Phishing Protection in Chrome and Firefox

In the Windows realm, one thing that differentiates Avast's premium product is better protection against phishing sites, those fraudulent sites that imitate secure sites and try to steal your login credentials. The free Windows edition scored very poorly, while the premium edition did an extremely good job. Based on initial round of testing, the Mac product's phishing protection, both free and Pro, seemed to match that of the free Windows product, meaning it's not very good.

I learned later that Avast's phishing protection is not fully functional in Safari. The developers are working on making it completely browser-independent. In the meantime, they advise using Chrome or Firefox. Norton was also having problems during my original test, so I tossed those results and started fresh.

My phishing protection test uses URLs reported as fraudulent, but not yet verified. Typically, these are only a few hours old. That's important, because phishing sites are ephemeral. Once they've been identified and blacklisted, the fraudsters just create new ones.

I simultaneously launch each URL in Safari on the Mac and in a browser protected by long-time antiphishing champ Symantec Norton Security Premium. I also launch each in Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, relying on the browser's built-in protection. If any of the five browsers throw an error message, I discard the URL. A true phishing fraud masquerades as a secure site and tries to capture your login credentials. Any URL that doesn't match that profile also gets junked.

I've written a Windows-based tool that handles launching URLs and capturing results. On the Mac, I copy and paste each URL into Safari and manually record the result. When I have enough data, I dump the five reports into Excel for comparison.

The malefactors that perpetrate these phishing frauds are clever. They're always devising new techniques to get past security software. That being the case, I report results not as hard figures but as the difference between the product under test and the others.

Tested using Safari's incomplete phishing protection, Avast's detection rate lagged Norton's by 32 percent, and Norton itself was having a bad day. All three browsers soundly drubbed Avast. When I retested using Chrome, Avast tied with Norton and beat the detection rates of the three browsers. That's impressive. Of the Mac security products I've tested, only Bitdefender did better, beating Norton by 5 percentage points.

While phishing is browser-agnostic, phishing protection is not. Bitdefender beat Norton by 5 percentage points, but its Windows cousin more than doubled that gap. Even Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) didn't detect many frauds that its Windows edition caught.

Site Rating and Do Not Track

Like McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac), Avira, Trend Micro, and several others, Avast marks up results in popular search engines with green for safe, red for dangerous, and gray for unknown. You can click to vote a page up or down. Simple!

Clicking the Online Safety toolbar button displays the status for the current page. It also lists all the elements on the site that can track your online activity, including analytics, social media, ad trackers, and more. By default, it doesn't do anything, but you're free to block any tracker or category. Websites are free to ignore the official Do Not Track header sent by your browser, but Avast's active Do Not Track feature has teeth. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac offers a similar active Do Not Track feature.

Digging into the settings for Online Safety reveals a hidden gem: SiteCorrect. If you mistype a site name, this feature offers to change to the correct name. You can even set it to automatically make the fix, with no prompt. However, in testing, I couldn't tease it into action. I tried pyapal.com, pcmga.com, whitehous.gov, wallmart.com, and many others, with no reaction from SiteCorrect.

Basic Password Manager

Like Avast's Windows antivirus, this product includes a password manager. Where the Windows product invites you to install on Android, the Mac one suggests adding password management to your iPhone. On Windows, the password manager is integrated with the antivirus; under macOS, it's a separate app.

There's no limit on the number of devices, and you can sync your passwords between them all, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Avast doesn't keep your passwords in the cloud. Rather, it uses your Avast account to authorize syncing data that's stored locally on your devices.

Once you've enabled syncing on a device, that device becomes an authenticator for adding more devices. The new device displays a numeric code, and the existing device gets a notification with the same code. If the numbers match, just click to approve. What if you lose all your devices? On installation, Avast sends an email with a recovery link; don't lose that email!

On each of your devices, you create a master password to protect the local password stash. The master passwords need not be the same, but who'd want the confusion of making them different? Avast offers advice on creating a strong password, with a color-coded line representing the strength of what you've typed. It's not easy to get all the way to green, but Avast doesn't require it. In fact, it accepted 'Password' as a master password.

Avast offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. When you log in to a site, the extension offers to save your credentials. If you come back to the site, it fills your saved credentials. Clicking the key icon in one of the fields brings up a menu showing all the credentials you've saved. And it handles two-page logins like what Google uses.

Avast doesn't use the typical menu of logins attached to its toolbar button. Rather, you click the button and launch the main application. Unlike the Windows edition, this is a separate app, not integrated with the main antivirus. Its main window is seriously tall and skinny, like something you'd find on a smartphone, and you have only limited control over its size. Clicking an item opens its details, with a link to open the site itself.

You can also use the password manager to sync and share secure notes between your devices. These are simple, unformatted text snippets, suitable for saving such things as locker combinations and non-digital passwords.

The left-rail menu offers simple icons to manage passwords and secure notes, and one to bring up the password generator. By default, it generates 18-character passwords using all character types. You can set the length anywhere from four to 30 characters using a slider.

Avast analyzes the strength of your master password when you first create it, but not when you update it. Avast Pro Antivirus on Windows can analyze your passwords, flagging any weak or duplicate ones. The free Windows edition used to include this feature, but it was recently enhanced and redefined as a Pro-only feature.

This password manager handles all the basic tasks and no more. Fancy features like secure sharing, two-factor authentication, and password inheritance aren't here. But you do get it along with the antivirus, at no charge, so if it does enough for you, go ahead and use it.

Worth a Look

AV-Comparatives certified Avast Security as an effective Mac antivirus. Impressively, it offers a network scanner and password manager, features often reserved for full security suites. On the other hand, the password manager handles basic functions only—nothing advanced. And while Avast earned great stores in my hands-on antiphishing test, that function currently works well in Chrome and Firefox, but not Safari. But the pros outweigh the cons. If you're looking for free Mac antivirus protection, give it a try, along with Sophos and Avira, and see which you like best.

For truly top-notch Mac security, you'll need to lay out some cash. Our Editors' Choice products in this realm are Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac. Both received certification from two labs. Both scored well in our hands-on antiphishing test. Bitdefender's AutoPilot mode means you can set it and forget it. And Kaspersky goes above and beyond feature-wise, with full-scale parental control, protection against webcam peeping, a network attack blocker, and more.

Bottom Line: Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a look.

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As a Windows user, you have three possible paths when it comes to system security: use the built-in Windows Defender, install third-party security softwareThe 8 Best Security Software for Windows 10 Malware ProtectionThe 8 Best Security Software for Windows 10 Malware ProtectionWant to tighten security on your PC? It's a good idea, so take a look at these fantastic antivirus choices for Windows 10.Read More, or ignore security altogether (the last option isn’t possible on Home versions of Windows 10). The path you take is crucial.

In our piece on important facts about Windows DefenderWindows Defender: 7 Things You Must Know About Microsoft's Antivirus SolutionWindows Defender: 7 Things You Must Know About Microsoft's Antivirus SolutionIs Microsoft's built-in security good enough? Microsoft continuously improves its security tools. We'll show you the upsides and downsides of Windows Defender in Windows 8,Read More, we noted that Windows Defender is good enough for most users — but do you really want to settle for “good enough” when your security is at stake? Seems like an unnecessary risk to take…

So here are five of the best free security suites for Windows, all of which offer anti-virus, anti-malware, and real-time protection features. Some of these lack firewall functionality, but you can always supplement with a free third-party Windows firewallWhich Free Firewall For Windows Is Best For You?Which Free Firewall For Windows Is Best For You?We place emphasis on antivirus and malware removal, but don't ignore firewalls. Let's take a look at the best free Windows firewalls, comparing ease of setup, ease of use, and availability of features.Read More.

1. 360 Total Security

360 Total Security is a free security suite provided by the leading Chinese security company, Qihoo. I know that some folks are hesitant to use China-based software, but if you’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, you’ll find that 360 Total Security exceeds your expectations.

Qihoo’s software is available in two forms: the full package (360 Total Security) and a pared-down, lighter-weight version (360 Total Security Essential).

The Essential version includes anti-virus, anti-malware, sandboxing, secure online shopping, and real-time protection against privacy invasions, downloaded files, infected external drives, registry hijacks, and more. In addition, the full version includes system optimizers and junk cleaners.

What’s particularly nice about 360 Total Security is its sleek interface. Easy to navigate, nice on the eyes, and modern enough that it has a professional feel to it. That’s more than can be said about most security suites, even premium ones.

360 Total Security is also available for Android and is one of the best tools for guarding against and removing mobile malware infections.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus and anti-malware protection with multiple engines.
• Run programs and files in a protected sandbox environment.
• Real-time protection against keyloggers, external drives, malicious websites, registry hijacks, and webcam spies.

2. Avira Free Antivirus

Avira Free Antivirus (not to be confused with AVG or Avast) is one of the best free options currently available. In consistently outperforms the big-name kings of security — including Kaspersky, Norton, and McAfee — in controlled comparisons of real-world effectiveness from sites like AV-Comparatives.

You get what you’d expect and more. The anti-virus/anti-malware scanner provides manual and real-time protection against all kinds of hazards, and the real-time scans use a cloud database to stay up-to-date and guard you against new and emerging threats.

What’s nice about Avira is that it also detects and blocks potentially unwanted applications — those bundled programs that hitch rides within installers and end up on your system without your knowledge.

If you install the free Avira browser extension (available on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and IE) then you can also take advantage of features like harmful website detection and the ad-tracker blocker.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus blocks malware, Trojans, worms, and spyware.
• Real-time protection based on up-to-date cloud database.
• Blocks unwanted applications bundled inside installers.
• Browser extension offers even more protective features.

3. Outpost Security Suite

What impresses me about Outpost Security Suite is how comprehensive it is in terms of features offered. And while there is a Pro version of the software, it isn’t that much better (it has identity theft protection). The Free version isn’t otherwise crippled or limited. It’s the real deal.

The anti-virus feature ranks better than most free alternatives, both in terms of detection rates and performance speed. The real-time protection keeps you safe from files, photos, videos, and emails (which is aided by the mail scanning feature). It even comes with its own configurable firewall.

Outpost Security Suite also has something called Auto-Learn Mode, which isn’t as useful as it sounds. Best to keep it off, but beware that you may be inundated with notifications whenever you want to install or run programs.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus protection with top-rate detection and speed.
• Built-in firewall that guards against unauthorized access.
• Proactive protection against viruses and installers.
• Mail Scanner checks inbox and attachments for viruses.

Note: As of this writing, Outpost Security Suite is only available up to Windows 8.1. They are working on Windows 10 compatibility, but it’s not yet known when a compatible release will arrive.

4. Comodo Internet Security

As a company, Comodo is deeply invested in the security world. Internet security software makes up a good chunk of their offerings, but they also have their hands in PC maintenance, DNS hosting, SSL certificates, data backups, and even secured versions of both Firefox and Chrome.

These guys are security experts who have been around for more than just a few years, so you can rest assured that their products are worthwhile and that they won’t disappear overnight without you knowing.

Comodo Internet Security is pretty darn good for free software. It can eliminate existing malware infections (including spyware, rootkits, and even zombies that make you complicit in botnet attacks), has sandboxing capabilities, and a memory firewall that guards against buffer overflow attacks.

It’s not the fastest or most resource-friendly security suite, but it gets the job done and does it well. The interface could use some improvements, but compared to what it looked like years ago, it has certainly come a long way.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit protection.
• Memory firewall for buffer overflow attack protection.
• Run programs and files in a protected sandbox environment.
• Filters dangerous websites and untrusted software publishers.
• Game Mode suppresses operations while gaming.

5. Panda Free Antivirus

Panda Free Antivirus is an up-and-coming solution (relatively speaking) that’s gaining a lot of attention and traction. Silly name aside, it nails the trifecta of security software: light on resources, easy to learn and use, and effective at keeping your system secure.

Panda Free Antivirus is as simple as they come. It was designed with the phrase “install and forget” in mind, with few settings to fiddle with. It stays out of the way, making it great for those who aren’t tech-savvy. If you want a simple solution that’s better than Windows Defender, this is it.

Compared to their premium products, Panda Free Antivirus might seem a bit limited — no online shopping protection, no data backups, no file encryption, no system optimizations — but what it does do, it does well, and that’s real-time protection against malware and spyware.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-malware, anti-spyware, and external device protection.
• Up-to-date malware definitions using a cloud database.
• Internet protection through URL/Web filtering and analysis.
• Advertisement popups asking to upgrade every once in a while.

Avast For Mac Review

Which Security Suite Do You Use?

There are plenty of security and antivirus appsThe Best Computer Security and Antivirus ToolsThe Best Computer Security and Antivirus ToolsConcerned about malware, ransomware, and viruses? Here are the best security and antivirus apps you need to stay protected.Read More worth considering. My personal choice is 360 Total Security, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the ones listed above.

It all depends on what you need, what you can live without, and how much you trust the companies behind said products. You should also consider getting an antivirus app for your smartphone to protect yourself from mobile security risks5 Mobile Security Risks That Could Spoil Your Fun in 20195 Mobile Security Risks That Could Spoil Your Fun in 2019Is your Android mobile safe from security risks? No. Here are the key mobile security risks to look out for this year.Read More. Just remember that an antivirus isn’t enough to protect against DNS cache poisoningWhat Is DNS Cache Poisoning? How DNS Spoofing Can Hijack YouWhat Is DNS Cache Poisoning? How DNS Spoofing Can Hijack YouYour router, PC, and even your ISP's servers can be subverted by DNS cache poisoning (or spoofing). Here's how to avoid that.Read More and malware, especially code-signed malware.

To learn about cool advancements in antivirus technology, check out how AI is enhancing your antivirusThese 4 Antivirus Tools Are Using AI to Protect Your SystemThese 4 Antivirus Tools Are Using AI to Protect Your SystemDoes your next antivirus subscription need to include artificial intelligence, or is it just another security buzzword?Read More.

How Good Is Avast For Mac

Explore more about: Anti-Malware, Antivirus, Computer Security, Online Security.

1. let me tell you something! never use comodo esed or malwarbytes! they all work for turkish pedophile dictator tayip erdogan and give the backdoors of their products to him! be careful using firefox tor browser and duckduckgo! they work for cia!

2. You're right about 360 total Security. I too was doubtful, but I've found no hassles with it.

3. As an IT professional I'm totally surprised that you would recommend Total 360. Thats like putting a uniform on a convict and asking him to guard the bank.

   EmsiSoft is what I recommend for anyone using a standard PC (Windows based) and I never recommend a 'free' version. You still pay no matter what. It may just be your personal information but what is that worth? To me its worth more than a free piece of software. If using a MAC or Linux then Bit Defender is the best. Again, not the free version. You don't get free locks for the door of your house.

   As for those that say they can't afford it.. Either you pay now or you pay later. Either way, you WILL pay.

   Dan - A+, Net+, MCP, MCP+I, MCSE, MPS, ITIL certified.

4. 360 Total Security is a total muck up installed itself twice once where i indicated and on in system files also installed Opers web browser and continually had pop ups happening
   And is a Pig to uninstall LEAVE WELL ALONE

5. I have tried Comodo and after a while it started warning me of things which wern't there so I tried to uninstall which I eventually did but they do hide traces on your computer so you have to be careful and do a thorough check so I would advise against them as for MSE and Windows defender I had no end of problems with viruses so no thank you. In the end I went to Zone Alarm free Anti Virus +Firewall and I have had no problems they do pester you with offers of upgrades from time to time but either just click no or accept their offers which by the way are good

6. I do use and have used for a long time the F-Secure products. In the days of MS-Dos, F-Prot was the best gimick free AV product out there.
   Their current line is good enough for me to trust both my client's and my own data with.
   I have been a beta tester and can tell you that their stuff keeps improving all the time.
   They also must adhere to the strict standards imposed on their home country's Data secrecy laws. So, they are not going to be handing anyone the keys to your encrypted files anytime soon. Looking at you NSA..

7. I have used AVG & Kaspersky internet security before & trust those sites. Thanks for the free internet security advice. Cheers. Time for a beer I think. Its 5pm somewhere in the world hahahaha..

8. I have used Comodo since it first became availabe way back when - and as far as doing what it says on the tin, it pretty well does just that, and does it quite effectively. However, it has had a few rough edges from time to time. For example, on more than one occasion, it has decided that it could not run, when booting up the computer, and instead it pops up a window to say so, and asks if it should run its own diagnostic and repair check - which is a nice enough touch - (although it does also suggest to me, that Comodo's developers obviously thought their software could go belly up, and thus needed such repair facilities included in the software). The baffling thing is that having ran the diagnostics, and received a report at the end of the diagnostic process that nothing was found wrong, the Comodo can then be started by clicking the desktop icon. When in this capricious mood, there is no way I have found to get Comodo to run without runningt the diagnostics, and getting a report that all was found well! Bizzare!.
   More worringly, I have just had to replace Comodo with Norton, for reasons as follows, as we run a rather expensive piece of dongle protected design software, (which cost almost £2500, and thus needs to be operational). While this software is installed on two machines, as something of a backup strategy, it will only run on the machine which has the dongle plugged in. I was horrified therefore a few days ago when the machine in regular use, failed to open the design software, and reported a 'System error - c0000005', when trying to start it. 'No immediate problem' thought I, and sucessfully swapped the dongle to the other machine, flashed up the software, and completed the task I had set out to do. I was mortified therefore about 12 hours later when I again flashed up the design software to do some further work, only to be met with the same system error message on the second computer, and a failure of the software to load. To cut a long story short, even after re-installing Windows in desparation, (and the design software several times) nothing worked - until, hit by a flash of inspiration - some would say desparation, I completely removed Comodo, and installed Norton instead. Hey-ho expensive software up and running again on both machines, and no error messages!!.
   Thus I conclude that while Comodo is a great piece of software as far as keeping you secure online, it is/can be, somewhat ragged around the edges at times, with occasional problems seemingly attributable to it.

9. I've been using Comodo for years and have been happy with it, until this past week. It changed to Comodo 10 and now it crashes and won't run. I uninstalled it and tried re-installing but it won't install properly. It keeps coming up with a fatal error. I hope that they fix this issue soon. In the meantime, I will try 360 again. I used it years ago. Thanks.

10. I have been using Comodo Free version for many years. I also run MalwareBytes in parallel. My Rootkit app is from Avira. Go figure. Glad to see Avira still among the tops . I've never used the other three.

    As for compatibility, running those two services together can create a snag or two but once they get used to each other it's a nice pair-up. I'd much rather be a bit over secure than lose the use of my PC. Buying parts and setting uip plus convincing Windows that I am the same user as before.. woot! That's a headache i never want again.

    Thanks for your review.

11. I use AVG alongside MalwareFox. Pretty good combination if you ask me.

12. I use Comodo and lately I find myself disappointed. It has incompatibilities with some software that I find unacceptable. Both CosMos and MasterCam 8X are some that will not work with Comodo on the system and the Comodo Company has no intention to fix the compatibility issues. Since I need some of the programs for school, I have to remove Comodo. At one time it was great but they honestly just to provide good support even for the paid version.

13. I was using Bitdefender Internet Security and before that Avast. I'm not working at the moment so I need a protection program that is free. I am trying Comodo the free one.

14. Outpost aint no longer available all updates will stop on jan 7 and the program is now not available.

15. I have been running Comodo for many years on Windows XP then Win 7 (X32). The database updates were a horror by a slow ADSL as a fail reverted to restart. These days (NBN) it's great.
    I had problems with the other (X64) laptop on Win 7, and took Comodo off, but now Windows 10 seems stable I am putting Comodo back on again.

16. I just install Panda Antivirus in old laptop with windows xp. Very light and useful interface, but after one day i have two Blue Screen O.D.

17. I used 360 for a while, and was very happy with it. Until I had great problems with something interfering with the TV. Every time I hit a key, selected a new page or program, or whatever, my wife would scream again! After trying all possible cures, I eventually uninstalled 360, for about the third time, and used Avira instead. Since then-no more TV problems. I find it a little hard to believe, and of course this may have been caused by something else, however, the problem has gone. I have to say that I preferred 360, but if it was the cause of the problems, then I am very wary of using it again. The TV interference was so bad that it was unwatchable, picture freezing for frequent long periods. I did inform 360 of the problem, and if it was caused by them, hope they solve it.

18. 365 is terrible , Avast is hard on pc and causes preformance issues, making you buy preformance suite, AVG, is slow going and registry is not free, Avira is pretty good i believe.

19. I have no idea why you recommended 360 Total Security which is Chinese software, as I know Chinese software have some safety problem. They developed some useful software, but safety always put first.

20. Could u plz give an opinion about avast free antivirus and malwarebytes anti malware free? would be really helpful

21. Came across your article, thanks. Have been using Comodo CIS free for some time and their anti-virus before that (along with MBAM Pro). I do agree it's bulky, its scans can take up a lot of system resources, and generally a bit idiosyncratic. What I'm not clear about is firewalls. You mention CIS and Panda having firewalls. What about the other three? Has terminology changed about how they are described?

22. I guess I've been extremely lucky. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) and Windows Defender have protected me for years without any virus or malware infection.

    I've been using the following software on my desktop for years and my laptop for a year and haven't ever had any big issues:

    Windows Defender (for continuous scanning), Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware (SAS) for periodic scanning.

    I've had one piece of malware, but Malwarebytes got it and removed it - no problems. And I've had a lot of spyware which was caught and removed by SAS and there were no problems either.

    I am definitely going to replace Windows Defender with 360 Total Security or Avira Free Antivirus though and I'm going to recommend that my friends also replace their Windows Defender software also after reading this article as well.

    Uninstal avast for mac. • Click Avast Security in the Menu bar on the top-left of the screen and select Uninstall Avast.

    Thank you so much for this article!

    • Windows Defender is slow when doing realtime scanning on .exe files. if you have Core i7 or FX-8350 you might not notice anything, but when you use low-mid end proc you will notice it.

    • Windows Security Essentials, is horrible, I would stay away from that. We used it at the local tech school, even though it is for home use only, I don't know if that has changed.
      I was in the computer class, and viruses and malware we always getting on the computer. You would clean it up with another tool, and that tool would find so much more it missed.
      If I were to use Security Essentials, I would check out it ratings, with the big companies that test it's performance. I believe it was still at the bottom of the barrel when I last checked.

23. I wonder, there is no Avast. I am using it for more than 10 years and most to reviews for free AV include Avast. But, I must thing again and try other. Any reason, you not included Avast and not in top 5?

    • Its 'Free' antivirus, newer version of Avast full of bloat features, simply because they install premium features but cant be activated without code.

      • I've used Avast on XP, Vista (my wife's machine) and 7, and it works very well. To avoid the premium features, use the custom install feature and UNcheck everything but File System Shield, Web Shield, Mail Shield, and Rescue Disk. You may find the Behavior Shield useful, but I don't.

        If you still get premium features:
        1. Go to Control Panel-->Programs
        2. Find Avast Antivirus and click Change.
        3. When the Avast screen appears, click Modify.
        4. Uncheck what you don't nee/want, then click Done.
        You'll probably have to restart your computer.

        Now, if someone proves to me that Avast is the cause of my computer taking over three minutes to boot, I'll switch.

24. I like Panda and have been using it for past two years. I found that AVG & Avast put 500 or more unnecessary hooks in the registry. I like Panda, simple setup and forget. I use Win 7 Firewall, it blocks everything.

25. I am using Comodo Internet Security Software ! It's a perfect security Solutions !!

26. Well i personally think that all antiviruses are also viruses by their natures; but we have to rely on them anyway. Windows essentials worked good for me over the years.
    But 360 sounds interesting i must say.Good article and information.

27. I would stay away any software from China - it's actually an advise from lots of Chinese.

    • Do you think they will break into your system somehow?

28. I've been using AVG for a long time, but I'm looking to switch for a number of reasons, but mostly because AVG seems to require a reboot for literally every update. And lately it seems like it updates 2 or 3 times a week. The constant nags to reboot are extremely annoying. Anyone know if this is par for the course for all security software, or do any of the above alternatives avoid this?

    • Yeah, me too!

29. you are way off date , Agnitum has today released the second updated version for Windows 10 users ( Pro version ) , and yes in my opinion it is the best Security Suite there is. They also provide their knowledge and software for other , more commercial , players in the field , like Avast , AVG , Bullguard , Avanquest , Lavasoft , Sophos and more...

30. As I remember, Qihoo was cheating in the lab test. it should be black listed.

    • Qihoo provided an installer with a different default configuration for the lab test than for the end users. It had the in-house QVMII engine disabled and the Bitdefender engine enabled (default is the reverse).
      Basically, if they provided a geo-installer with one configuration for the Chinese market and one for the ROW (equal to the one provided for lab tests) there would be no 'cheating' accusation.

      On top of their own engines, they are (or at least were) licensed to implement both, the Bitdefender as well as the Avira engines ~ both frequently scoring very high in AV tests.

      Personally I have switched to Qihoo over a year ago and with both, the QVMII and the Bitdefender engine enabled you have a solid protection. Being banned from certain AV tests doesn't make it a lesser product IMHO.

      • Interesting. is there any reference/article to confirm this?

        • There are a few news articles mentioning this change. Products are tested in their default configuration and since the configuration in the lab differed from the one an end user would see they got removed.

          As for using other vendors engines this is not uncommon in the AV business. There are a few dozen vendors that actually license other engines to improve their own products.
          http://www.av-comparatives.org/av-vendors/

          Last but not least you should know that Qihoo was tested and certified as late as August 2015 by one of the labs that originally banned them.
          https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-7/august-2015/qihoo-360-360-antivirus-bdqvm-5.0-153241/

31. I use Avast, MBAM, and Super Anti-Spyware. But if I could find objective testing that proved a greater reliability at protection and detection among another collection of programs, I'd go with it (assuming it is compatible with my Windows 7 Pro system).

32. I use Microsoft Security Essential.

    • Security products should be evaluated based on how well they protect from threats. Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender score poorly on most tests (see https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-7/ for example).

    • Even Microsoft said that MSE is inadequate!

      It routinely fails testing and should be replaced with one of the antivirus suites (except Qihoo) mentioned here, or Avast!