Best Free Antivirus Software 2022

1

Windows Defender

Windows Defender doesn't stop malware files from downloading from the internet unless you are using Microsoft Edge as your browser. For browsers like Chrome and Firefox, other antivirus programs include a browser extension that stops most threats before they have a chance to start the download process. These also block malicious websites. With Defender and Edge working together, you can get the same results, though I've noticed it isn't as consistent compared to other antivirus programs. Windows Defender also doesn't have email protections, which are helpful in stopping phishing schemes, which is one of the most common and dangerous threats lurking.

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2

Avast! Free Antivirus

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3

Bitdefender Antivirus

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4

AVG AntiVirus FREE

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5

Avira

This isn't an easy program to install, though. Nearly every tool in this Avira suite must be individually downloaded and installed. When you first open Avira, you are shown a list of each tool or program. Clicking then takes you to individual dashboards. This is a lot of navigation, and it's easy to get lost toggling back and forth. I also found that Avira created some of the worst slowdowns to my computers, especially home computers, where there are more programs installed locally compared to the relatively bare test computers.

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6

Malwarebytes

After each scan, which is very thorough, Malwarebytes lists any threats it's found and asks if you'd like them quarantined or left alone. Once in quarantine, you can choose to scrub them permanently from your computer or wait and have them securely deleted after a few days in quarantine. Malwarebytes does this impressively quick, though this is in part because the program doesn't do more than this.

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7

Sophos Home

Sophos Home is decent enough, but I've always run into problems using it. Several of the Premium tools available when you first download the program are either scaled back or completely cut off once the initial, 30-day trial is done, and you're left with just the free version. However, the tabs and links to these features remain on the dashboard. Sophos isn't easy to figure out to use, either. Several of the tools, including the basic settings, redirect you from the dashboard to the Sophos website, where it takes some time to navigate where you need.

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