Features of Free Antivirus Software

 

Features of Free Antivirus Software

Antiviruses play a critical role in keeping your computer safe from online threats, including viruses, malware, spyware, and anything else you might encounter online. When you start looking for an antivirus to buy, you will find that there are quite a few free options on the market, many users consider that if there are free options, why not take advantage of them?

The problem with this philosophy is that the saying "you will get exactly what you paid for" applies, which is as is for antivirus as for other products. Your computer is probably an important part of your life. In addition to using it for entertainment and staying connected, many use it for their jobs, this means that you need your computer to work properly, and you do not want any cyber criminal stealing your information. Before making a decision on how you are going to protect your computer, you should learn about the disadvantages of a free antivirus Software.

Features of free Antivirus Software

1. Lack of comprehensive protection

When you use a free antivirus, you only get entry-level protection for your computer. If you need a stronger firewall or the latest anti-malware, you won't get it in free Software. Free Antivirus Software usually provide your computer with limited protection or only detect certain types of threats. You may be able to combine multiple free Software for more complete protection, but it is inconvenient as it will slow down your system.

2. Frequent update announcements

Companies that offer free antivirus almost always have paid options available which offer updated versions of the free software. When you use a free antivirus you can expect frequent announcements offering you an update for the most advanced Software and thus obtain better protection. This may green as a minor thing, but it ends up being annoying to see update announcements every day. You may also have to make sure that your free version is nothing more than a free trial that will expire after a certain time.

3. Large amount of advertising.

Closely related to update ads are the amount of advertising you will see when you use a free antivirus. The company offering the antivirus needs to make a profit and one of the ways is through advertising. While this advertising may not be intrusive like update ads, it will still affect your user experience. They will end up appearing while you use the antivirus Software and if that advertising slows down your computer you will have to ask yourself if it is worth updating and saving time.

4. Lack of customer service

If you use a free antivirus, keep in mind that you will not have customer support available, why would a company offer customer support to people who have not purchased their product? The amount of customer support available when you use a free antivirus will depend on the manufacturer, but in many cases customer support will only be available in online forums.

Again you have to consider how valuable your time is compared to the cost of an antivirus, it is worth spending your time searching for answers online instead of paying a small monthly fee and having access to personalized attention, you may consider that you do not need customer service, if that's the case then this is not a problem for you, but you may end up spending some time looking for answers to questions that you could solve with a simple call, email or direct chat question.

5. Poor scanning performance.

To be fair, the difference in virus scanning between paid and free Software is not much, and manufacturers do not make their free Software worse so that they perform less well. Manufacturers do their best work with Free Antivirus Software, only tests have shown that paid Software detect a slightly higher percentage than free ones. The differences in scanning ability are few, but it is good to keep in mind how many threats there are at the moment and how often you scan your PC for viruses. Over the course of a year, that small difference can result in many viruses passing under the radar because you preferred to use a free Software.

6. Slower scans

Just as free antivirus Software aren't as effective at detecting viruses as their paid counterparts, they aren't as fast when it comes to scanning either. There is a big difference, but you can be sure that the free Software will run a bit slower than the paid Software. Since your antivirus uses part of your computer's RAM memory while it is running, it may slow down your computer while it is in use. If you normally use your computer for tasks that require a lot of RAM, such as video games or video editing, then you want an antivirus that makes scans as fast as possible and for that you need a paid Software.

7. Sharing your information

Is your free antivirus sharing your information? It is likely, but not certain. You need to read their terms and conditions. This is another way that the free antivirus manufacturer uses to make money. Manufacturers can also share your information if you use paid Software, but there is more likely an option to prevent that from happening. If you choose a free Software you may not have a choice.

Choosing an antivirus.

Considering how accessible antivirus is, it doesn't make sense to choose a free one just to save some money. There are too many disadvantages to a Free Antivirus Software. You can get something high-quality, at a great price for protecting your computer through Bitdefender. They offer a trial period so you can see how it works and what they offer before making the purchase. Give it a try so you don't have to deal with all the hassles that come with free antivirus.