Best 5 Antivirus Softwares for 2021

Are you wondering which antivirus software offers the best protection and performance these days?

In this article, we'll tell you five top-ranking antivirus brands whose free antivirus programs offer exceptional anti-malware security – without impacting your system performance.

We've selected five free antivirus software that you can consider this year if you want to stay safe online, based on hours of research and examination. Plus, we will also show you the best antivirus products that are worthwhile and offer exceptional value for money, so stay tuned!

Do you know how frequently malicious hackers attack our data and privacy?

Every 39 seconds! According to reliable estimates, cybercrimes are expected to cost the world around 6 trillion dollars annually by 2021.

Shocking, right?

Over 10 billion malware attacks were recorded globally last year, with over 8 million devices infected in the United States alone. These figures are expected to rise even higher in the future.

So, it’s clear that if you want to protect data and privacy of yourself and those you love, you need an excellent antivirus software. And by “excellent,” we mean a software that offers flawless anti -malware protection without putting a burden on systems, not a flimsy freeware that doesn't stand achance against modern, ever-evolving malware threats.

Also, all cyber security companies reserve their best security features and utilities for their products. So, we highly recommend a antivirus software if you can afford it. To protect against all types of existing and emerging malware threats, products are loaded with cutting-edge features and malware detection technologies.

Also, additional features -- like file shredder, password manager, parental controls, encryption tool, VPN -- further improve your security and add more value.

For a few dollars a month, you can secure all of your home's internet-connected devices and enjoy complete peace of mind.

For our number one antivirus recommendation for this year. Now, talk about the best free antivirus software out there. We have ranked these free antivirus products on four different criteria:

Number 1 is Features – where we review the features offered by each free software.

Number 2 is Malware Protection – this is an assessment of how well these programs will protect you against different types of malware threats.

Number 3 is System Performance - here we measure how much impact a security program puts on system performance. We will review the latest independent lab tests conducted by the AV-Test Institute to see how these software stack up in terms of malware protection and system performance.

AV-Test is an independent and prestigious testing organization, trusted for its reviews of cyber security products. The organization evaluates and rates antivirus software in three different categories: protection, performance and usability.

The final thing we consider is User Interface – here, we see the user-friendliness of a software's interface.

Before we get to our list of the best free antivirus software, we ask for a small favour. We have spent a lot of time creating this article. Also, which free antivirus software have you used and what are your thoughts about it?

Do leave a comment down below. Now, let's get on with our list.

1) Avira Free Antivirus

Avira is a German Multinational Computer Security Software company. Avira was founded in 2006. As of today, the company has over 30 years of IT security experience under its belt.

Avira actively sells itself as being 'Private by Design'. Which means all of your information is secure and isn't sold out to third parties, not even governments.

Avira is a pioneer in the fermium business model and offers cloud-based malware detection and analysis. That means the actual action doesn't take place on your computer. Moreover, the detection methods are well hidden from hackers as all the activity occurs on the company's servers. That gives Avira an edge over the hackers.

The company's freeware, Avira Free Antivirus, offers spyware, adware and basic ransom ware protection as well. The free software is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android and iOS platforms.

Another benefit of using the cloud is that Avira can only use a small amount of your system's resources. In fact, of all the major antivirus products, Avira has one of the lightest engines. Even for older, sluggish machines, this makes it an excellent choice. However, the freeware makes you want to upgrade to a paid version.

In the AV-Test evaluations, Avira secured a perfect 6 out of 6 points for malware protection and a near-perfect 5.5 out of 6 points for system performance. The freeware’s interface consists of a pretty simple and straight-forward design. A left-hand side panel contains access tabs for Scan, Modules, Quarantine, and Activity. You'll also find the cog icon for Settings and the Feedback tab at the bottom of this panel.

The other side of the screen displays your system's security status, a quick scan button and a few big icons like real-time protection and ransom ware protection. You'll also find a couple of locked icons to let you know what more you can have if you upgrade to the paid product.

In our opinion, Avira Free Antivirus does provide solid protection against malware. It's also extremely lightweight in terms of digital footprint.

Avira is a good choice as long as you're not mad about advanced features, which you can only get with the tiers.

2) AVG Antivirus Free

AVG Technologies is a subsidiary of Avast. It was founded in 1990. The company develops a wide range of protection, performance and privacy solutions for consumers and businesses. AVG typically offers freeware as its main product and earns most of its revenue through users that upgrade to tiers. It covers Windows, macOS and Android devices. The free software offers robust malware detection and removal capabilities, including spyware

and other malware types. But it is particularly effective against malicious websites as well as phishing scams. As soon as the software detects suspicious activity, it feeds this data back to AVG database. At the database, this intelligence is shared with millions of other feeds and checked for similar suspicious patterns.

AVG Antivirus Free comes with a Secure Browser that helps block ads, tracking attempts from hackers, and dangerous URLs or email attachments. Additionally, the Secure Browser also redirects you from unsecured sites to secure connections. It also offers scans for PC performance issues. The software is reasonably light on your system and occupies very little space on your system.

The AV-Test Institute gave AVG an excellent 6 out of 6 score for malware protection. The program received a slightly less but still commendable rating in system performance with 5.5 out of 6 points. Moving on to AVG's interface, we can see that it's a straightforward layout with different feature icons occupying the better part of the screen.

AVG makes sure you know what you're missing out on with basic-level protection as it also displays a few locked icons on the main dashboard. To us, that might seem like a waste of space, but the company has its reasons.

You can view both overall and web and email security status on the main dashboard. You can run a quick scan by clicking on the Scan Computer button at the bottom of the screen. The big positive about AVG Free software is that it combines both trusted antivirus and anti-phishing features into its free. Although, if you require protection against ransom ware, webcam frauds, or mobile protection, you'll have to upgrade to paid tiers.

3) Kaspersky Security Cloud Free

Kaspersky is a global cyber security company with a comprehensive security portfolio. The company began its operations in 1997 and leads in endpoint protection and deep threat intelligence. Kaspersky has continually contributed innovative and specialized security solutions to the digital landscape.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is a free service that includes the company's top-rated antivirus technology, auto-analysis, real-time data, and the fastest scanning engines available. The program is automatically updated on a regular basis.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is compatible with Windows, Android and iOS devices. You also get protection against corrupt files and applications as well as suspicious sites. While you're on the internet, the software also protects and stores your passwords and private documents.

Kaspersky automatically installs a toolbar to mark dangerous links in the search results. This toolbar works with Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. The cloud technology means that the program uses minimal resources on your device and doesn't affect the system speed. In the recent AV-Test evaluations, Kaspersky scored an excellent 6 out of 6 score on both protection and performance tests.

As for its user interface, Kaspersky has a simple and intuitive layout. All the available features show on the home screen, even some locked ones. The security status shows on the top of the screen. At the bottom, you'll find a button labeled More Tools to access more features. It's a pretty neat offering for basic level protection. However, for features like password management, privacy protection, Safe Money, and home Wi-Fi monitoring, you'll have to get paid subscription

4) Avast Free Antivirus.

The company opened its doors in 1988 and is now one of the largest security companies in the world. Avast is known for its scalable cloud-based security infrastructure. Avast specializes in next-generation technologies including:

Malware detection and blocking AI and Machine learning Internet of things and Location technologies even the free software, Avast Free Antivirus, is more feature-rich than most other freeware out there. For starters, you get comprehensive protection against a wide variety of malware threats.

Secondly, you get Avast Wi-Fi Inspector which provides ample protection against home network threats. This feature provides the first line of defense against hacking attacks and makes sure no rogue element can enter your home network. In addition, you get a Password Protector.

This feature is really handy and makes your accounts and financial information secure online. It locks all your passwords and credit card information behind a Master password. When you need to retrieve that information, the feature auto-fills the details for you.

This makes it easier to protect your private information on the internet. Avast is also fairly efficient and doesn't occupy many resources on your system, allowing you to go about your routine tasks unhindered. The software secured an excellent 6 out of 6 score in AV-Test's protection assessment.

For the performance test, the company received a slightly lower 5.5 score, which is not perfect but not bad either. The software supports a fresh and clean looking interface. The middle of the screen shows the security status information followed by a Run Smart Scan button. You can access the settings and details about other features from the left-hand side panel.

You can see on Avast access tabs labeled Protection, Privacy, Performance, and Settings. Avast offers a pretty generous package for a free program. However, the company has been known to sell user data to third parties such as corporate clients. So, if you're big on data privacy, maybe go for another solution.

5) Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition

Bitdefender was founded in 2001. The company quickly became a world leader in cyber security through its robust global security infrastructure. Bitdefender has consistently delivered innovative and award-winning threat intelligence products to the cyber security landscape. The company specializes in developing, deploying and managing transformative security solutions, including antivirus security, internet security, endpoint security and other cyber security software.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition – which works on Windows, Macs, Android -- is arguably the best free antivirus software out there. The software is extremely lean and lightweight. It doesn't interfere much with your routine tasks, allowing you to focus on tasks that matter. It is quick to install and automatically installed the latest version.

The program scans your system for active malware as soon as the instal is complete. It's a good idea to run a thorough scan soon as you install the antivirus software but expect it to take some time. You'll notice the subsequent scans will take much less time. The freeware offers excellent malware protection without putting a burden on system performance.

The recent AV-Test evaluations gave Bitdefender a perfect 6 out of 6 score on both protection and performance tests, which is incredible. The interface of the freeware is lean, simple and to the point. The interface displays system status at the top of the screen. Right beneath it is a button to run a system scan. This is followed by a drag and drop area to scan specific files or documents. And then the rest of the screen is taken up by recent activity. You can access the software settings from the top bar. That's about it — no flashy or unnecessary details.

All in all, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is a pretty solid choice. However, if you can afford Bitdefender’s tiers, we highly recommend them as they provide exceptional value. Features like multi-layer ransom ware protection, VPN, parental controls, the hardened browser, the system optimizer are only part of the suites. We have reviewed and ranked the best antivirus products and we think that Bitdefender.

Total Security is the best antivirus product available in the market. Apart from providing top-drawer anti-malware protection, it offers all the advanced features and utilities that must be there in a high-end package -- and best of all, it offers good value for money. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with just one license of this product.

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