Antivirus for laptops free

If you decide to uninstall your third-party antivirus, your PC will automatically ask you to reactivate the Windows Defender antivirus.

Professional Reviews. Affiliate Commissions. Reviews Guidelines. Katarina Glamoslija Updated on: January 13, This article contains. Short on time? Download Avira Free Security for Windows here. Quick summary of the best free Windows antiviruses for 1. Kaspersky — Free extras like a VPN, dark web monitoring, and a password manager. Malwarebytes — Minimalistic antivirus with on-demand scanning. Sophos — Good real-time scanning with remote access for 3 PCs.

Comparison of the Best Free Antiviruses for Windows in Here are a few of them: Avast. While Avast — and their subsidiary antivirus company AVG — continue to offer two pieces of widely used free antivirus software Avast Free Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free their repeated privacy violations have caused too many concerns. You can read more here.

McAfee is one of my favorite antiviruses of It comes with an advanced anti-malware engine, excellent web protections, and a VPN with unlimited data. Why should I use a free antivirus instead of Windows Defender? The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection.

Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices. You may also find discounts on an app's Amazon page.

To be effective, antivirus software needs to monitor what's going on with your PC, check in with company servers about unusual behavior and should provide sound banking protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy. But if you want to know more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share.

Protection for other platforms. Microsoft is by far the biggest target for viruses and malware. While the Mac does come under attack via side-loaded apps, it's rare, and if you download apps only from the Mac and iOS app stores and keep your guard up when clicking links and download files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices.

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Best free Windows antivirus Microsoft Defender.

Jump to details. See at Microsoft. See at NortonLifeLock. See at Bitdefender. Best on-demand Windows malware removal Malwarebytes. See at Malwarebytes. Solid subscription antivirus alternative McAfee Total Protection. See at McAfee. Another good subscription option Trend Micro Maximum Security. See at Trend Micro. See at ESET. Alternative free Windows antivirus Sophos Home. See at Sophos. Our recommendations Looking for free antivirus protection, malware protection or virus detection, willing to pay for an antivirus program that offers broad internet security coverage across all your devices, including from ransomware and phishing, or need to remove a computer virus or malware from your PC right now?

Best free Windows antivirus. Microsoft Defender. Best antivirus subscription for Windows. Top product Advanced malware protection Top malware protection Best performance Best usability. Download for free Download for free. Real-time updates via the cloud Stronger together: every secured device is as a sensor, which detects emerging, never-seen-before attacks. Light and fast Avira has one of the smallest footprints in the industry — with virus definition updates lighter than most other antivirus products.

The best antivirus protection With over 30 years of security experience, Avira offers superior detection, with additional web protection and repair capabilities. Made in Germany. Downloaded by millions. Rating: 4. Rating: 5 stars. I found Avira easy to install and am pleased with the protection it provides.

Very easy to use. No guessing. The latest technologies. Antivirus Scanner Detects and blocks malware viruses, ransomware, banker trojans, etc. NightVision Our automated, intelligent learning system protects you against new and evolving threats. PUA Shield Identifies potentially unwanted applications hidden within legitimate software. Safe Browsing Blocks harmful websites before they load.

Ad Blocker Prevents intrusive and malicious ads, banners, and pop-ups from loading. Browser Tracking Blocker Stops companies from monitoring you online. Price Comparison Saves you money while you shop. Load more. Laptop, smartphone or tablet? Secure all your devices with Avira. Discover Antivirus Pro for Mac and Windows.

It ran an in-depth threat scan of all the IoT devices connected to my network, including my printer, baby monitor, and security camera. Norton and McAfee offer similar protection, but only for US-based users. BullGuard has a good anti-malware engine that also improves CPU performance when gaming.

BullGuard offers a day money-back guarantee for all premium purchases. Download BullGuard Now. Intego is my favorite antivirus for MacBooks in During my tests, Intego detected and removed all of the malware samples from my device, including Mac-specific spyware and ransomware. Intego has great parental controls as well, which let users create lists of allowed websites and block access to entire categories, like gambling or adult sites. You can try out Intego on your MacBook risk-free with a day money-back guarantee.

Download Intego Now. Both Windows and Mac have some built-in security tools that provide a little protection against certain viruses. For example, Norton has an advanced antivirus scanner, a VPN, parental controls, anti-phishing, dark web monitoring, and a lot of other internet security protections to ensure laptop users stay fully protected.

Free antiviruses are okay for basic protection. If you only use your laptop to watch YouTube videos or check emails, a free antivirus is probably good enough. Premium antiviruses like Norton and McAfee Total Protection are way better than any free antivirus, and they provide complete online protection for a really low price.

For more information about the best antivirus software, check out our recommendations for Windows and Mac. All laptops need antiviruses, especially ones that run on Windows although MacBooks need protection, too.