What Type of Antivirus to Choose for Your PC?

 The differences between "Free", "Premium" and "Default" security software.

There are three main types of antivirus solutions available to computer users: free, premium, and installed by default on your operating system. Here is some information that we found useful to share with you so you can choose the one that suits you best.

When it comes to the security of your computer and personal data, you want the best protection available. But with all the choices available, it can be confusing. Is free virus protection as good as a paid security suite? Is the default program that came with your computer as good as that from another company? Let us provide you with some explanations:

Free

Free antivirus can be exceptionally good. In fact, “free” antivirus consistently benefits from the results of paid work for solutions in third-party testing. This is because companies that take security seriously, simply cannot afford to deliver a product that only goes halfway. And choosing a free antivirus provider, such as Protegent, is like using the same antivirus engine on all of the basic security products on the computer. This way, we offer our free and premium users the same basic protection against malware.

We always provide our free solution, Protegent Free Antivirus, for testing by independent testing organizations. In AV-Test's most recent test, Protegent received a maximum score of 6 in the organization's product review and certification report. This means that Protegent users get 100% protection against 0 days threats and 99.80% against malware. Not all free solutions were able to score well on this test. It depends on the security company, so it's best to check these tests and judge for yourself which ones perform best.

Premium

What do you get when you go from free to premium? Premium versions of antivirus include additional features that free versions just don't have. A Premium version is for people who want the most comprehensive protection, as the world changes, threats continue to emerge in new ways, and often a new cutting edge feature addresses this recent vulnerability.

Examples of premium features: firewall, anti-spam, data destructor, and a feature that prevents attackers from modifying your PC's DNS. Many security risks are beneficial, such as the risk of not changing your password which weakens the security of your accounts. Most people choose the premium version because it gives them peace of mind that they have the most complete protection.

By Default

The default type of security software is the software provided by default when you purchase your operating system, such as Windows. Windows Defender is one such product and the most available. The downside to this security software is that it comes from a company like Microsoft, which is best known for its word processing software and operating systems. The defender was introduced in 2006, around the launch of Windows 8. It has had a decade to improve performance but third-party testing shows otherwise.

In fact, Windows Defender was the least effective antivirus product out of a field of 21 home user security products in tests conducted by independent institute AV-Test... Windows Defender only scored 89.9% for protection against 0-day malware attacks (rated by AV-TEST Institute as minimum protection level) and detected 9 false positives. The industry average for protection against 0-day attacks was 98%.

Another thing to consider is the impact of your antivirus on your computer's system performance. You don't want to use an app that grabs your CPU and slows your machine down. Unfortunately, Windows 10's default software has a significant impact on system performance compared to free or premium brands of security software. In the table below, you can see that Windows Defender scored 20 points worse than free software, like Protegent, which finished in the top five.

With the launch of Windows 10, Windows Defender has activated automatically when an incompatible antivirus program or no antivirus is detected. Windows also prompt users to uninstall their active antivirus to enable Windows Defender instead. So beware of any instructions you can get from your computer's operating system regarding your security. You can therefore expect lower protection. The biggest argument for the “Default” is convenience, however, with fast downloads and great free options, you have plenty of other great choices available to you.

It is up to you to decide what type of antivirus you want to install on your computer. It is best to do your research before making a final decision. To help you decide, you should:

• Check the effectiveness of the antivirus you are interested in tests performed by organizations like AV-Test and AV-Comparatives
• Understand the features offered and included in the product
• Compare the prices