Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2020 15:53:57 GMT
Dec 12, 2020 14:26:33 GMT @bizzley said:
One of the problems with the word "free" is that software companies apply that word in several different way, anything from being zero cost to a limited trial of a paid product. Avast does indeed offer a paid subscription model for individuals (£60 GBP per annum) and if your Avast is coming up with an expiry message then I suspect it's this version that was installed on your computer, or a "free" limited trial version of it. The thing is Avast do actually offer a completely free version of their software that should never expire, but it contains less features compared to their paid version and of course is meant as an incentive to upgrade.Pretty much all of the commercial antivirus software companies offer the same kind of deal - limited features free\full features paid - so it all comes down to budget. If you can afford to keep up a yearly paid subscription of what you are already using and are comfortable with then that's your first choice. A Cheaper paid alternative from another company is your second choice. The free alternatives are to either use one of the restricted features commercial programs or find one that uses an Open Source (totally free) engine such as Clam but of course these may not be as secure and definitely won't be as fast. The free versions tend to be lighter in that they don't have so many features but are slower in scanning, again as another incentive to upgrade and in the case of the Open Source ClamWin acts purely as a standalone antivirus scanner with no other functions.
Windows 10 of course comes with its own built in antivirus software, Microsoft Defender, which has its supporters and its detractors. Defender is geared towards being an antivirus program but there are other threats such as malware and ransomware that it's not really designed to aim so if you decide to go with that option you should make sure that all threats are covered with other software. In fact it's often a good idea to double up on your security software since no antivirus or malware scanner is 100% effective.
If you are happy with Avast and can afford it then keep paying for it. If you have a zero budget and like the Avast system then consider replacing the Premium version with their free version. Other free restricted commercial antivirus software comes from companies like Bitdefender, AVG, Trend and Sophos and the easiest way to see what's currently available is to type "Best Antivirus" into a Search Engine and compare the results. Whatever antivirus software you choose you should also get the free version of Malwarebytes and regularly scan with that, it will pick up things AV software won't. Something like ClamWin or ClamAVNet won't put any strain on your system but you may have to add other software to bolster your security back up to the level you had before with Avast.
To save you from asking, I don't use AV software, I find it intrusive, restricting and it slows down my system. I've hardened my PC in other ways.
Good information. Thank you very much.
I had McCafee and Malwarebytes back home and they were excellent. But on this forum I heard terrible things about McCafee so I hesitate to use them again.. I will upgrade the Avast and install Malwarebytes. Thank you again.