A good antivirus should effectively repel malware attacks, not use too much memory, and protect the user's personal information.
All programs included in ranking of the best free antiviruses of 2015, provide real-time protection against malware attacks. They are selected based on the selection of the editorial board of the reputable computer magazine PC Magazine, which publishes reviews and previews of the latest hardware and software news.
Earlier, we published the antivirus rating of 2015, which included the best paid solutions for maximum protection.
5. Avast Free Antivirus 2015
The brainchild of the Czech company Avast Software has a friendly interface, good performance and a large (for a free program) feature set. The new version of the antivirus adds a network protection scanner whose task is to check the security settings of the home router. Although Avast Free Antivirus 2015 doesn’t cope with the detection of some of the “infections” that have entered the computer as its “colleagues”, which are included in the top 5 best free antivirus programs, it can protect the system from most threats.
4. Ad-Aware Free Antivirus + 11
Lavasoft developers have improved the user interface of their program, making it easier for users. When scanning, the antivirus differentiates between dangerous files and safe files that have similar behavioral symptoms. It real-time monitors network activity, processes running on the computer, registry changes, files downloaded from the Web and sites visited by the user. The disadvantages of Ad-Aware Free Antivirus + 11 PC Magazine include the fact that the previous version earned a higher score in the same antivirus test.
3. Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free
The advantages of this antivirus software include: ease of installation and the absence of conflicts with other applications to protect your PC. It does a great job with various exploits and does not use signatures to work. Cons: to fully protect your computer, only Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free is not enough. It does not have a quick scan or scan scheduler. This program does not know how to check email or sites. You must run the exploit check manually.
2. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014)
This program won the hearts of PC Magazine employees with its unobtrusiveness. It can fully work in the background, does not need configuration settings. It has proven its worth as a result of tests in independent test laboratories and in the PCMag test for detecting and removing malware. Why is only the second place among the best free antiviruses? This antivirus is primarily aimed at “saving” an already infected system, and technical support advice can be obtained only by e-mail.
1. Panda Free Antivirus 2015
According to the results of tests in independent laboratories, this “cloud-based” antivirus turned out to be on par with the best commercial antivirus solutions. For this, he topped the list of the best free anti-virus software of 2015. Among the advantages of the “panda” are: quick installation, ease of use, a unique system for searching and treating virus and other types of threats, which in real time is “fed” by information from millions of users. Computers in the Panda community constantly share and benefit from all the data stored in the cloud. Panda Free Antivirus 2015 has one drawback: the program mistakenly identified one PCMag utility as a malicious program.