Best 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 cybercriminal stealing your information. Before
making a decision on how you are going to protect your computer, you should
learn about the disadvantages of 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 updating ads is 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 updated 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 the 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 free Software.
6. Slower Scans
Just as free antivirus Software isn'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 free Software you may not have a choice.
Choosing
a Free Antivirus Software
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.
Comments
Post a Comment