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#0046 My Thoughts on Antivirus Software
The Popular Choices, but...
There are some antivirus programs I usually DO NOT recommend. Let me be
clear—these programs WILL provide solid protection. However, many of the well-known
antivirus
brands have become overly bloated. They're trying to offer additional (more expensive)
versions of their software, with extra features that you don’t actually need. These extra
features have the negative side effect of slowing down your computer because they
consume extra system resources. On the other hand, if you go for the cheapest
option, you’ll be bombarded with pop-ups nagging you to buy even more of these unnecessary
features. If you have an older computer, these antivirus programs can make it even
slower.
These anti-virus programs aren't bad but I would not recommend them for performance
reasons.
- Norton (Not as good since being acquired by LifeLock (system hog, lots of pop-ups)
- McAfee (system hog, lots of pop-ups)
- AVG (both the free and paid versions, system hog, lots of pop-ups)
- Avast! (both the free and paid versions, system hog, lots of pop-ups)
NOTE: Avast was sued by US Government for user privacy violations
The Upsell...
All you really need is basic antivirus or antimalware
protection.
You (probably) don’t need:
- System optimization tools There are better, free programs that do the same thing.
- Driver updaters Check out Blog Post #40 for a detailed explanation.
- Defragmenters SSDs don’t need defragmenting. If you have a regular hard drive, you can use the built-in tool in Windows.
- VPNs This is a personal choice. In my opinion, most people don’t need a VPN. The https: protocol already provides end to end encryption. However a VPN will hide your IP address if you need that feature.
- Special web browsers Browser programs like the one Norton offers don’t really add anything useful.
- Junk file cleanup tools You can clean up junk files using built-in Windows tools.
We Recommend...
If you ask 10 different IT people, you will likely get 10 different answers. However, these are the solutions I recommend to my clients:
- Malwarebytes This works well for older computers. It’s a leaner program that still provides great protection.
- Bitdefender This is a good option for newer computers. It offers better protection, but it requires more system resources.
- Windows Defender Surprisingly, this is actually a good choice now. It’s become much better over the years. - AND IT'S FREE!
One Last Thing
Whatever antivirus program you end up choosing, do not use multiple antivirus programs at once. Check out Blog Post #11 for a detailed explanation.
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