Jan 13, 2016 Sophos Home, a free antivirus solution by Martin Brinkmann on January 13, 2016 in Software - Last Update: January 14, 2016 - 20 comments Sophos Home is a free antivirus solution by Sophos Group, a UK-based company that is most known for its Enterprise market security offerings. Avast Endpoint Protection rates 4.2/5 stars with 51 reviews. Sophos Endpoint Protection rates 3.9/5 stars with 71 reviews. Each product's score is calculated by real-time data from verified user reviews.
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PCs get viruses, Macs don't. You know it's true—you saw it on TV! Alas, the reality is a bit different from that. Yes, Windows is more popular with malware coders around the world, because it offers more of an attack surface. You'd be nuts to go without antivirus protection on your Windows boxes. But Macs need protection too, especially from ransomware. If you're willing to protect your Macs with antivirus but don't want to lay out cash for that purpose, consider Sophos Home Free (for Mac), especially if you need to manage protection for others.
The big business for Sophos is Enterprise-level antivirus systems, where an IT administrator controls all the local installations. It's no surprise that the consumer edition works the same way. To get started with Sophos, you register an account online. From the online console you can install and manage protection on three devices, whether they run macOS or Windows. If you need more than three and don't want to set up another free account on a separate email, you must upgrade to Sophos Home Premium (for Mac). The Premium edition lets you manage 10 devices, and adds useful security-related features.
Sophos installed in a flash on the MacBook Air I use for testing. The product was ready to use, including all the latest antivirus signature updates, within a minute or two.
With Sophos Home Free on Windows, you see the small, simple window of a local antivirus agent, with all logging and configuration happening online. The Mac edition goes a step beyond. It has no main window—just a tiny pop-up invoked by clicking its icon. The pop-up reports security status, lists recent activity, and serves as a progress display when you're running a scan. From its menu you can manage your devices, view all activity, or configure preferences; selecting any of these three sends you to the online dashboard.
The Windows antivirus always runs a full scan, while the default on a Mac is a quick scan. You can check a box to make it a full scan, and you should do that at least once after installation, to wipe out any preexisting malware conditions.
Pricing and OS Support
It's true that the number of malware attacks on macOS devices pales next to the huge number aimed at Windows, so you might be tempted to skip antivirus on the Mac. Why invest in protection you might not need? But installing Sophos on your personal Macs requires no investment beyond a few minutes of your time. Avast, Avira, and AVG also offer free antivirus protection for the Mac. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac, in particular, has no restrictions on number of installations and doesn't require that you register.
For comparison, non-free macOS antivirus utilities typically go for about $40 per year, or $60 for three licenses. McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) takes a different approach. Your $59.99 subscription lets you install protection on every Mac in your household, as well as any devices running Windows, Android, or iOS.
Apple makes keeping your operating system updated really easy, whether it's iOS or macOS. Most Mac users migrate to the latest as soon as it's available. For those lagging just a little, Sophos supports macOS versions from El Capitan (10.11) to the latest. Avira also required El Capitan, while Avast Security (for Mac) and AVG go back to Yosemite (10.10).
If you're stuck using an old Mac that can't handle the latest updates, you may need a commercial antivirus. Webroot is compatible with versions back to Lion (10.7). That's impressive, but ProtectWorks AntiVirus (for Mac) goes even farther, with support for Snow Leopard (10.6) and later.
Online Dashboard
Other than real-time protection and antivirus scans, everything about this product takes place in the online console. Clicking Manage Devices, Show All Activity, or Preferences from the menu takes you to the console. From any computer, Windows or Mac, you can log into the console online and install Sophos Free (provided you haven't used up your three licenses).
Clicking an existing device from the console brings up activities and settings for that device. In the free edition, only Antivirus Protection and Web Protection are enabled. If you want Ransomware Protection, Privacy Protection, and Malicious Traffic Detection, you'll have to upgrade to Premium.
Settings are almost identical on Windows and macOS installations. The one significant difference is the feature called Download Reputation. On Windows devices, this feature works to double-check files that the regular real-time protection system doesn't catch. It checks each download against an online reputation database that considers the source website, content, and feedback from other protected computers. If the reputation is bad, Sophos offers to kill the download. That feature doesn't appear in the macOS edition.
No Test Results From the Labs
If you're looking for a new computer, you probably peruse PCMag's reviews to find out which one scores best in various feature areas. I do something similar when reviewing antivirus utilities, checking results from the big independent testing labs. I follow four labs that regularly publish test results for Windows antivirus utilities, and two of those also cover Mac antivirus.
When I first put it to the test, Sophos held Mac certification from AV-Comparatives. In fact, all the products in my initial round of Mac antivirus reviews had at least one certification.
Unfortunately, Sophos doesn't appear in current reports from either AV-Comparatives or AV-Test Institute. As you can see from the chart, that's true for about half the products I've reviewed. It's not a reflection on the products that don't appear. The test labs regularly shuffle the sample sets for their reports. But the absence of independent certification does make it hard for me to determine whether a Mac antivirus utility is effective.
Bitdefender, Intego Mac Internet Security X9, and Trend Micro earned certification from both labs, and took top scores. Kaspersky came close to perfect marks, but lost a half-point for Performance, from AV-Test.
Scanning and Scheduling
I always advise running a full scan after installing any antivirus utility, to make sure there's no malware lurking on the system. After that initial full scan, you can probably rely on real-time protection to handle any new attacks. If you're at all worried, you can schedule a full or quick scan for any day of the week, just as with the Windows edition.
When I last tested this utility, it ran a full scan in 20 minutes, a little better than average for scan time on this Mac test system. I don't know what changed, but this time around that full scan took more than two hours. A second scan took just as long. That's longer than any recent product, though ESET did require an hour and a half. At the quick end of the scale, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac) only needed two and a half minutes to complete its full scan, and Trend Micro did the job in 10 minutes.
I still advise a full scan after installing Sophos, but perhaps one time is enough. That full scan did detect malware hiding in odd places like the trash and some cache folders, including quarantine folders left over from long-deleted installations of other products.
Malware written to attack Windows machines can't affect Macs, and vice versa. Even so, most Mac antivirus tools also wipe out any Windows malware they find. That eliminates the faint possibility that your Mac might act as a carrier, passing malware along to Windows boxes on your network. Sophos is among those products that aim to kill off any Windows malware they see.
To test this feature, I copied my Windows malware samples to a thumb drive and mounted it on the Mac. Sophos immediately started popping up notifications about threats blocked. For known threats, the pop-up came with just a Close button; pop-ups for lower-risk PUAs offered a choice, Close or Clean. I always clicked Clean.
This deluge of pop-ups went on for at least 10 minutes, totaling vastly more notifications than the actual number of samples. I could see some of the same ones showing up over and over. When the pop-up storm finally subsided, Sophos had removed 86 percent of the Windows malware. That's pretty good, but when last tested it caught 100 percent of the then-current sample set. Webroot also whacked 100 percent of those samples.
As noted, Sophos started scanning the contents of the USB drive as soon as I mounted it. If you want to launch a scan of any folder, including folders on a removable drive, you can Control+Click and choose Scan with Sophos Home from the menu.
Decent Phishing Protection
It's possible to craft a website that drops malware on every visitor, or performs other dirty deeds. However, doing so isn't easy, and the result tends to be OS-specific. It's a lot easier to build a phishing website and just wait for saps to hand you their security credentials. A phishing site duplicates the appearance of a secure site such as a bank, a gaming site, or even an online dating site. It looks totally legit, unless you notice the wrong URL in the address bar or some other sign recognizing a phishing scam can be tough. And phishing is completely platform-agnostic. If you enter your username and password, they go straight into the hot little hands of the scammer. In most cases, the fraudulent site passes your login along to the real thing, so you don't even know you've been pwned.
Unlike most Mac antivirus products, Sophos doesn't rely on a browser add-on to filter out malicious and fraudulent URLs. It does it work below the browser level, so it works even if you've chosen an off-brand browser.
There's one slightly awkward side effect of this browser-independent technology. If the fraudulent site uses HTTPS, Sophos can't replace the page with a warning. When this happens on Windows, the browser displays an error message and Sophos tells you what happened with a pop-up. On the Mac, you just see an error message. I had to dig into the activity log to identify which errors reflected blocking a secure URL and which were just plain errors.
Interestingly, the two Sophos editions didn't quite come up with the same results. The macOS edition missed some fraudulent pages that the Windows edition caught. It also caught a few that the Windows edition missed, but not nearly as many.
Sophos detected 82 percent of the verified phishing URLs, which is decent but not stellar. It beat Firefox and Internet Explorer, but lagged seven percentage points behind Chrome. Tested simultaneously, the Windows edition managed 91 percent detection.
Phishing websites are platform-independent, but clearly phishing protection needn't be. It's common for a Mac antivirus to lag behind its Windows equivalent in this test. However, there are exceptions. McAfee and Webroot scored precisely the same as their Windows equivalents, with 100 percent and 97 percent detection respectively.
Porous Web Content Filtering
As with the Windows edition, Sophos offers a very simple parental control web content filter, managed from the online console. Filtering is by device, with no option to exempt certain user accounts. For each of 28 content categories, you can choose to block all access, or to just warn that proceeding to the site is inadvisable and will be logged.
I tried connecting with a few dozen raunchy sites. To my surprise, several got past the filter, including some that Sophos caught on Windows. I did find that since my last review, Sophos added the ability to filter unwanted HTTPS websites. However, it can't display its usual warning for these, and doesn't pop up a notification the way it does on Windows. A blocked HTTPS porn page just causes an error message in the browser.
As with the Windows edition, if you choose to warn about inappropriate sites rather than block them, Sophos doesn't handle HTTPS sites. I had no trouble connecting with HTTPS porn sites. In this mode, a tech-savvy youngster could connect through a secure anonymizing proxy and completely evade all parental control and monitoring. The limited parental control system offered by Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac is also foiled by anonymizing proxies.
On Windows, content filtering only works in supported browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera). I found that I could ignore the filter completely by browsing with Vivaldi. On the Mac, the filter seems to be browser-independent. At least, it blocked pages in Safari, Chrome, and Vivaldi.
If you really want parental control served up with your Mac antivirus, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac is your best bet. It includes content filtering, time scheduling, and more. As for the limited, porous content filter in Sophos, it's not worth your time.
Free and Easy
Sophos Home Free has shrunk its Mac edition down to a menu bar button with a tiny pop-up window. All the settings and logs reside online. Alas, the independent labs no longer include it in testing, so it's hard to be sure of its effectiveness. It earns a decent score in our phishing protection test, and detects most (but not all) of our Windows malware samples. The addition of a parental control content filter looks like a bonus, until you see that it has numerous problems.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac earned certification from both independent testing labs, and both offer features beyond basic antivirus. Bitdefender marks dangerous links in search results and protects your sensitive documents against ransomware attack. Kaspersky goes full-on security suite, with network defense, privacy protection, parental control, and more. Bitdefender and Kaspersky are our Editors' Choice picks for Mac antivirus protection. If you just can't justify paying for Mac antivirus, look at Avast Security (for Mac) or Avira Free Antivirus for Mac. These two earned certification from both labs, though not with the very highest scores.
Bottom Line: Sophos Home Free (for Mac) keeps configuration to a minimum, but doesn't have independent test scores to verify its accuracy. It can be a good choice for protecting your Macs at no cost.
Let's face it..we're no closer to vanquishing the cyber-criminals and hackers that plague the internet than we were a decade ago. In fact, cyber crime actually grows significantly year after year. So it's clearly as important as ever to ensure that your computer and mobile devices are afforded the protection of the best antivirus out there. You may be most familiar with names such as Norton, McAfee and AVG - but are they really the best?
We've tested and reviewed the latest packages - both premium and free antivirus - from the biggest names in cyber security, so you can be confident that our recommendations can be trusted. More than 80 antivirus and security suites have been reviewed and re-reviewed by our experts, as of July 2019, to give you the very best solution to protect and secure your devices.
Best antivirus 2019: our top 5
Read on for detailed analysis of each best antivirus service pick
Creators of malware and viruses are always coming up with new ways to gain access to your PC and other internet enabled devices (with your mobile phone and tablet included). Luckily online software security companies are constantly updating their security software packages to protect against phishing scams, ransomware and all other types of viruses and malware.
Right now, we think that Bitdefender Antivirus Plusis the best antivirus available. It combines watertight security tools with an array of other excellent security features and is super easy to use, too - best of all, it also offers extremely good value for money. You can read more about what it offers below, together with Norton AntiVirus and Webroot SecureAnywhere that complete our top three.
If you’re looking for all-round protection against the latest cyber threats, then investing in the strongest programme is the best solution you can hope for - and we also have the best business antivirus plans if you're looking to take care of your company computers. That doesn't mean you have to start spending big money either, as our guide also gives you the best available prices for the best software. And if it's the best free antivirus that you're after, we have some top recommendations for you, too.
Or jump straight to:
The best antivirus 20191. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2020
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: 1 | Stand out features: Ransomware protection and remediation, privacy tools, VPN, Safepay
Antivirus Plus 1 Year
$23.99
Accurate
Cheap subscription
Get a 50-60% discount on Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2020
TechRadar's #1 rated antivirus in a world packed with loads of virus protection providers, and doesn't even cost that much more than free antivirus downloads.
Note: For our Bitdefender Antivirus Plus review, we tested the 2019 version. This was updated and renamed to 2020 in July this year.
Take a look at any rankings of big independent antivirus and Bitdefender's premium security products always rise to the top.
It tends to be reliable and accurate in its virus detecting, featuring web filtering to blocks access to malicious sites, a secure browser that keeps your online banking ans shopping transactions safe, and there's a password manager which auto-completes credit card details in web forms. It also scores high for its excellent anti-phishing module, which alerts you to malicious links in your search engine results and blocks access to dangerous sites.
There's also multi-layer ransomeware protection that heuristically learns the behaviour of such threats to keep you safe as well as the ability to scan all your linked devices via the Bitdefender Central mobile app.
There are one or two issues – it grabs more resources than average, and might conflict with some programs – but Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is still a likeable package which offers excellent detection rates, great performance, and more than enough bonus features to justify the price.
Bitdefender Internet Security builds on AVP and triples the number of devices covered plus offers anti-spam, firewall, parental advisor and file encryption features.
For a little bit more you can purchase the Bitdefender Total Security edition. It adds all of the above and covers up to five PCs, Macs, Android and iOS devices.
Get Bitdefender Antivirus Plus up to 60% off!
Great news! You can currently score up to 60% off our #1 rated antivirus. It's a special software treat for TechRadar readers. It means that fantastic virus protection for your PC is now even more affordable - check out the exact pricing in your locale below, or head to Bitdefender's US site if your country isn't listed:
2. Norton AntiVirus Plus
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: 1 | Stand out features: Advanced privacy security, financial security, global civilian intelligence network
Norton AntiVirus Plus
$39.99
Blocks even brand new malware
Browser extension extras can be unreliable
Norton AntiVirus Plus is a top quality malware hunter which can automatically protect your PC all on its own.
The newly named product was introduced in April 2019 as a direct replacement for the old Norton AntiVirus Basic. Moving from 'Basic' to 'Plus' certainly sounds better, but it really only adds a couple of extra functions - more on which further down this article.
Norton offers plenty of tweaks, options and settings for those who need them, as well as features like a handy URL blocker that keeps you away from malicious websites. If that misses something, an excellent file reputation service heuristically recognises suspect downloads immediately. And if malware still finds a way through, intelligent behaviour monitoring uses its up to date virus definitions to quarantine threats at the first sign of trouble.
If you're a more hands-on type, you can easily run scans on demand. Maybe set up and save custom scans to check just the areas you need. Even schedule them to run at a particular time, but only if your system is idle, and it's not running on battery power.
So what does Plus do that Basic didn't? Only a couple of things really: it adds a bonus 2GB worth of cloud backup and a password manager. The latter is worth having if you've not got one already, but it can't match the power of Dashlane and other market leaders
There can be problems with some of the browser extensions. For example, we've found the Chrome version sometimes stops working for no apparent reason. We've seen plenty of reviewers reporting similar problems, so there does seem to be a real issue here.
That said, Norton AntiVirus Plus's main functions deliver on all fronts: it's easy to use, has the configuration options experts need, comes highly rated by the testing labs, and is carefully designed to have the least possible impact on your system performance.
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3. Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus
Operating system: Windows and Mac | Maximum devices covered: 1 | Stand out features: Always-on security, identity protection, real-time anti-phishing, firewall monitor
Webroot AntiVirus 1 Year
$19.99
Extremely light on system resources
No testing data from the top labs
Just about every antivirus tool claims to be ‘lightweight’, but Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus is the only one to really deliver on this front. Installation takes seconds, the program files barely grab 2MB of your hard drive, RAM footprint is tiny, and there are no bulky signature updates to tie up your bandwidth.
There's no compromise on features, though. Along with the core protection, there's smart behaviour monitoring, accurate real-time antiphishing, a firewall and network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and other interesting extras.
It's not easy to compare Webroot's accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely evaluate the company's products. But when they are reviewed, they generally score well, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection.
There's a lot to like about SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, and Webroot's 70-day 100% money-back guarantee suggests it's confident in the product, too. If you're tired of overly complicated and bloated engines, Webroot must be on your shortlist.
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4. ESET NOD32 Antivirus
Expert-level antivirus for the more experienced user
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: 5 | Stand out features: Ransomware Shield, UEFI Scanner, Exploit Blocker, cloud powered scanning
ESET NOD32 1 Year
$39.99
Highly configurable
Relatively expensive
If you judge antivirus software on the length of its feature list, ESET NOD32 Antivirus might be a disappointment. There’s no firewall, password manager, file shredder, vulnerability scanner or any of the bundled extras you'll often find elsewhere.
This doesn't mean the package is short on power, it's just more focused on the fundamentals. ESET NOD32 Antivirus comes with real-time malware protection, some of the best heuristic detection around, an anti-ransomware layer, exploit protection, URL filtering to block malicious websites, and modules to prevent attacks using PowerShell and malicious scripts.
A Device Control module limits the risk of infection from other devices by controlling access to USB sticks, external hard drives, optical storage media, even devices connecting by Bluetooth and FireWire. It's an unusual extra, but could make a difference if others are regularly plugging devices into your PC.
ESET NOD32 Antivirus isn't aimed at beginners. The interface is clumsy sometimes, some features are very advanced, and even the Help isn't always exactly helpful.
Experienced users will appreciate ESET’s power and configurability, though. Above-average protection does a good job of keeping you safe, and a lightweight design ensures the package won't slow you down.
One of the new features in the latest update is the UEFI Scanner which protects you from threats that attack your PC before Windows has even started.
ESET Internet Security builds on NOD 32 and triples the number of devices covered plus offers firewall, botnet protection, webcam protection, antispam and more.
Alternatively, you can purchase the ESET Smart Security Premium edition for not much more. It adds all of the above as well as password management and secure data.
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5. F-Secure Antivirus SAFE
The most easy to use antivirus option Avast vs sophos antivirus for mac.
Operating system: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Maximum devices covered: 3 | Stand out features: Browsing and banking protection, Family Rules, ransomware protection
F-Secure 1 Year
$34.99
Very user-friendly
Prone to false positives
F-Secure Antivirus SAFE is a great collection of antivirus tools, and while it's a bit more expensive than some of the other programmes on this best of list, the amount of features you get makes the cost worthwhile.
With F-Secure Antivirus SAFE, you get the brilliant antivirus software from F-Secure, along with banking protection for safe online shopping, family safety tools and a device finder that lets you track your lost Android or iOS device, and if needs be remotely lock or delete it as well. https://renewexclusive742.weebly.com/blog/avast-for-mac-block-popups.
The package typically receives maximum marks for protection from AV-Test, and generally scores highly with AV-Comparatives, too. They also say it can generate significantly more false positives than most of the competition, but how that affects you will vary depending on how you use your computer.
The interface is a major plus. It's extremely easy to use, lightweight, and for the most part you can just leave the app alone to look after your PC. The program has minimal effect on your system performance, and if you do need to intervene then you can generally solve any issues in a couple of clicks.
In 2018, F-Secure Anti-Virus SAFE remains an appealing package: fast, lightweight, and able to run alongside many other security tools without conflict - you can read more about the company's offering with our F-Secure Anti-Virus review of its slightly lighter product.
US Prices: Avast cleanup for apple mac.
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6. Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: 5 | Stand out features: Automatic scans, drive-by cryptomining infection prevention, simplified security management
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 1 Year
$29.99
One of the best performing security packages
Kaspersky's full suites are better value
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a stripped-back security package which focuses on the core security essentials: web filtering blocks dangerous URLs, an accurate engine detects and removes threats, smart monitoring technologies track and reverse malicious actions, and that's about it.
Fortunately, what you do get works well. Very, very well. We've consistently found Kaspersky to be amongst the best at blocking malware, and removing it from an infected system, plus it's regularly top-rated at sites like AV-Comparatives.
The program is easy to use, too. A well-designed interface has just the right number of buttons and options – not too basic, but not complicated or intimidating, either – and there are plenty of on-screen instructions to explain how everything works. Even a beginner will be at home right away.
If you just need accurate, reliable and consistent malware protection, Kaspersky Anti-Virus will serve you well.
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7. Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: 1 | Stand out features: Ransomware protection, advanced AI learning, email scam safeguarding, Pay Guard
Trend Micro AntiVirus+ 1 Year
$29.95
Compare Sophos And Avast For Mac 2016
Affordable pricing
Strong protection
Sightly limiting options
Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security is a very capable package that's simple to use with above average antispam and an effective ‘Folder Shield’ module to block ransomware. And it seems to get better and better as time goes on.
How good is it exactly? The top testing labs all rate it highly for protection, although there's some disagreement on the details. In particular, AV-Comparatives says it gives a high number of false positives, which could be a real nuisance. But AV-Test reports high levels of accuracy and no issues with false positives at all.
If there's a problem here, it's likely to be performance impact. PassMark's March 2019 Performance report assessed 14 security products on various performance-related benchmarks, and Trend Micro came towards the bottom part of the list.
Our experiences with the product are a little more favourable: protection levels appear similar to Bitdefender, false positives are only marginally higher, and it doesn't slow down our system noticeably more than anything else.
We'd recommend running the trial for its full 30 days before you buy, then, to see if you notice any problems. But if you're unaffected, its high levels of detection and excellent bonus features make Trend Micro a good choice.
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8. Panda Dome Essential
Operating system: Windows only | Maximum devices covered: Unlimited | Stand out features: Process monitor, URL filtering, bootable USB rescue drive
Lots of features
Interface won't be for everybody
Real-time malware detection, speedy cloud-based scanning, URL filtering to block malicious websites: Panda Dome Essential antivirus has all the goodies you'd expect from the best antivirus software.
That's just the start. Panda Dome is jam-packed with added extras that some of the other plans on this list don't match. From port scanning and ping handling to in-depth process monitoring and an integrated VPN.
When it comes to the main event - virus protection - there's not a lot of Panda test results from the independent labs around right now, but the figures we've seen don't exactly fill us with confidence as Panda came towards the bottom of the pile according to AV-Comparatives. This doesn't mean that Panda Dome will put your devices in harm's way, but you can understand why we'd recommend other providers over it on this basis.
The interface will be a little bit decisive, too. With so many weird and wonderful features included, Panda Dome does a very capable job of making sure that they can all be accessed and you can go as in-depth as you need. But on the other side of the same coin, this might put off users who just want a quiet, simple antivirus package.
One undoubted bonus is the price - Panda Dome Essential is one of the best value programs out there. And you even have the option of paying a little more and upgrading to cover an unlimited number of laptops, phones, tablets and desktops with a single subscription.
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Best free antivirus downloads
Paying for a premium service means you get more features, such as spam filters, parental controls, system scans and advanced firewalls. This makes them more suitable for power users, those who want a bit of extra security and anyone who wants their system to run as smoothly as possible. It also means you avoid annoying pop-ups that try and tempt you to upgrade to the full version. And, as you've discovered above, they don't really cost too much to buy
But these days you can get top quality protection absolutely free, with just about every single major vendor out there offering a free antivirus. By doing so, developers gain access to more devices from which they can collect data and therefore improve their knowledge and security platforms, so it’s not in their interest to reduce the amount of protection provided by the free version.
Windows has come a long way in terms of security, but it's still fair to suggest that Windows 10's built-in solution, Windows Defender, is the last free AV app you should trust to keep your system clean.
So if you're determined to get free antivirus, we strongly suggest that you check out our list of best security downloads in 2019 below. We've highlighted their features -and shortcomings - to ensure that you pick out the best one.
1. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
The best free antivirus scanner in 2018
Operating system: Windows, Mac, Android | Version: 2018 | Features: Phishing protection, Behavioural analysis, Automatic scanning
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
Fast scanning
Advanced users may want more control
Essentially consisting of the AV section of the full product, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition's clean, light, well constructed scanning mechanisms – which are almost universally faster than the industry average – and unrivalled virus definitions mean Bitdefender is back at the top of the free tree.
The free version's insistence on running in autopilot mode is a double-edged sword, making the process of virus management easy but taking it out of the user's hands; while we're inclined to trust it, there have been cases in the past of automatic systems going slightly rogue, such as the incident a few years back when Panda Antivirus identified itself as a virus and locked up a large number of Windows systems.
AV-TEST's testing did pick out a few flaws in its handling of zero-day threats, however. And it's worth pointing out that for you can currently get our top rated paid-for solution - Bitdefender Antivirus Plus - for the equivalent of around $2 per month. That's a tiny amount to pay for a tonne of extra features, such as online banking protection, integrated password manager, permanent file shredder and and free online 24/7 support.
Review and where to download: Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
2. Avast Free AntivirusAvast For Mac Review
A much-improved free antivirus suite
Operating system: Windows, Mac, Android | Version: 17 | Features: Virus detection, Gaming mode, Password manager, Malware scanner
Avast Free Antivirus
Doesn’t slow your computer
Irritating privacy settings
Avast and AVG haven't yet fully merged, despite the former formally acquiring the latter in mid-2016. The newly combined company says the two free antivirus products will remain separate, although there's apparently a joint AV package on the way soon. Obviously, though, Avast now has a lot more data to work with, having expanded its effective userbase (and, therefore, its threat detection network) to a whopping 400 million users.
The latest edition of Avast Free Antivirus adds an automatic gaming mode to mute popups and reduce system load when you're firing up a processor-hungry game, which is very handy indeed, and the interface has been given a clean new overhaul. There's a password manager, too, which is an undeniably good addition to your security portfolio.
It scores well on AV-TEST's widespread malware benchmark and continues a clean sweep against 0-day attacks – presumably that expanded detection network is really helping. Less impressive is the slight negative effect Avast has on software launch times, and its slightly popup-heavy attitude.
Review and where to download: Avast Free Antivirus
3. Sophos Home
The perfect choice for a home full of PCs
Operating system: Windows, Mac | Version: 17 | Features: Virus detection, Phishing protection, Parental controls, Protects up to 10 PCs
Sophos Home Free
Simple and non-intrusive
No scan scheduling
Marketing itself as 'business-grade security', Sophos Home does a little more than most free antivirus software, and actually seems better suited to families.
You get standard virus protection and anti-malware protection, along with browser tools like anti-phishing and, most importantly, content control. Combined with central management of up to 10 PCs, this means you can effectively lock down your kids' browsing options.
Although AV-TEST hasn't formally assessed Sophos' skills, fellow lab AV-Comparatives offers a decent rating of its abilities.
Although Sophos Home has always had desktop notifications, there was no premium version of the software for it to encourage an upgrade to. That changed in February with the launch of Sophos Home Premium.
Review and where to download: Sophos Home
4. Kaspersky Free
Kaspersky's first foray into free internet security
Operating system: Windows | Version: 18.0.0.405 | Features: Real-time scanning, Anti-phishing, Email scanning, Spyware protection
Kaspersky Free Antivirus
Accurate, reliable antivirus engine
Basics-only feature set
The paid-for version of Kaspersky's Windows security software frequently tops charts of best virus prevention solutions and AV-TEST once again gave it full marks across the board in its latest round of testing.
As you would expect, Kaspersky Free is a scaled down version of the full program - a tool that we really like (more on which below). The free version ditches additional features such as privacy protection and safe payment sandboxes to concentrate on powerful, no-frills and - most importantly - free protection for your PC. The result is a tremendously easy to use and navigate bit of software that does an effective job of keeping you protected from viruses.
Using the nuts and bolts real-world scanning engine of the paid-for suite, Kaspersky Free is fiendishly hard for viruses and trojan horses to break down. And we love that it doesn't constantly pester you with nudges to upgrade to the full version.
But, ironically, we will just for a moment, because Kasperksy Anti-Virus 2018 isn't expensive to buy and yet affords much better protection to your PC (or PCs). The standard price is $29.99 to protect three computers and includes more muscle when it comes to preventing ransomware, spyware and Trojans.
Review and where to download: Kaspersky Free
5. Avira Free Antivirus
Great antivirus, but a little noisy for our liking
Operating system: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Version: 2018 | Features: Virus detection, Phishing protection, Built-in VPN, System optimization tools
Avira Free Antivirus
Little impact on system performance
Compare Sophos And Avast For Mac 2016 Download
Installer promotes other Avira products
Compare Sophos And Avast For Mac 2016 Excel
Avira Free Antivirus for Windows continues to score highly on AV-TEST's stringent testing program, quashing 99.7% of tested threats, and it generally doesn't put too big a burden on your hardware.
It has a clean, friendly interface - with a swish redesign ready for 2018 - and throws up minimal false positives. The introduction of a free security suite to optionally run alongside it – with ransomware and phishing protection, a 500MB/month VPN and various speedup promises – just sweetens the deal. This is one of the best free antivirus packages of 2018.
Sophos Antivirus For Mac Review
So why, then, have we dropped it from the top spot on our list, a position it's held for the past two years? It's the constant badgering. There's a certain level of popups and advertisements that's acceptable for a free product, and Avira has begun to cross the line. It's not as onerous as some – Comodo's over-enthusiastic interface comes to mind – but booting up your PC to see Avira shouting at you once again is jarring.
Review and where to download: Avira Free Antivirus
Best business antivirus
Each entry in this list has been carefully chosen for its business features, such as remote installation and central management. The best business antivirus software will have enterprise-level protection against threats, but that doesn't mean they have to cost a lot of money, either. The price per installation can sometimes be cheaper than even our recommended best antivirus packages.
Sophos For Mac Reviews
An excellent business antivirus suite, giving you various tools such as virus protection, Firewall, email protection, anti-spam and the ability to sandbox applications for complete security. Avast Business Antivirus Pro (as opposed to the standard Avast Business Antivirus) also includes Sharepoint and Exchange protection, as well as a number of tools for your servers.
Symantec's first benefit is the company's Insight file reputation technology, an effective way to detect and block even the very latest undiscovered threats. Other layers of protection include virus protection, behaviour monitoring, intrusion protection, a firewall, and the 'Power Eraser' to remove stubborn threats and repair your system.
This package makes reliable protection its top priority. Bitdefender products are loved by the independent testing labs, highly rated for malware detection, removal, performance and usability. Most of the features work automatically – anti-malware, firewall, web advisor, URL filtering – but you can also customise the product to control user actions.
This is Avira's main small business product. It takes all the core features you'd expect – antivirus, baseline network protection, web filtering – and extends them with file server protection and optimisation, along with application whitelisting and blacklisting.
A small business product, which comes ready to protect Windows PCs, file servers, Android and iOS devices. The desktop side of the package has all the usual quality Kaspersky modules – antivirus, antispam, a firewall, more – but the mobile security technologies are even more impressive.
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