Paid VS Free Anti-Virus Programs

   All antivirus programs are the same. They were created to keep our computers safe from malicious programs that had the intent of stealing our information and destroying our computers. They only serve one purpose, and that's to kill these viruses. they do not have any other purpose; they don't come with games, spreadsheets, or music. But which ones are good? Are paid ones better than free.

Paid:

We've always liked the idea of paying someone for our security: Banks, ADT, the police deparment. They all are paid to keep us and our property safe. Anti-virus programs are no different. Our computers are huge investments, keeping our data, files, personal property in an easy place to steal. A person pays a year subscription to a program they believe should be the best out there. Yet, that's not always the case. There are a lot of paid anti-virus programs that vary in price and quality. Choosing the right one is difficult. Here are the best ones:

Symantec: Norton Anti-Virus

Norton Antivirus: $39.99 for a year. Up to 3 computers.

Most people use Norton. This is because it's the best marketed and has been known to be reliable, trusted, and safe. It's definately one of the oldest. The Symantec company was started in 1982 with Norton Ant-Virus showing up in the late 1990's. It's a good program, but prior to 2009, a pain to uninstall. It comes with an ability to be installed on up to 3 computers.

Norton Internet Security is commonly found on new computers as a trial version.

McAfee VirusScan

McAfee VirusScan: $34.99 for a year. Up to 3 computers.

Also a popular choice, McAfee is the main rival of Norton. It's got the same basic function as Norton and almost as good. The company started in 1987 and in the late 1990's also released an anti-virus program. It's almost as good, but some say that it fails with detecting certain common viruses.

This program is also commonly found on new computers.

Free:

Many anti-virus programs come with paid, and free versions. These free versions are trimmed down programs without the bells and whistles of the paid ones. They usually do a good job, even as good as the paid versions.

AVG Free Edition

AVG is a Czech company that has both free and paid versions. The free version is a good replacement for a paid one. Norton And McAfee can actually slow down a computer and be more a hassle than a good thing to have. AVG is a smaller program and doesn't drain as much computing power as Norton.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition version lacks any anti-rootkit capability and has less frequent updates.

According to AVG Technologies, over 80 million users have AVG Anti-Virus protection, including users of the Free Edition.

Avast! Home Edition

Avast is also a Czech anti-virus program company.

Avast! antivirus can be downloaded and used for free for 60 days. After 60 days, the free Home Edition must be registered, and a license key inserted into the program, if it is to continue to be used. After registering, a license key is sent by email and once inserted into the program, it can continue to be used free of charge for 14 months. After 14 months, it is necessary to re-register and insert a new license key. This program has won numerous awards for anti-virus protection. Avast! antivirus is one of the most widely used antivirus programs in the world, with more than 80 million users worldwide as of April 2009.