A good antivirus program is essential to a secure system, and you most definitely do not have to pay for one to get great protection. Below is our hand-picked list of the 11 best free antivirus programs that you can download for Windows today.
All of these programs perform definition updates automatically, are always running to make sure your files are protected from malware and your personal information remains private, and can start scans on-demand whenever you like.
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However, each of them do have a few prominent differences that make them stand out, so pay attention to those as you decide which one to use.
If you're looking for protection on your other devices, check out our list of free antivirus apps for Android and best Mac antivirus articles, too.
If you just need a spyware cleaner, and need it right now without waiting for one of these full AV programs to install, use one of the (preferably portable) applications from our Best Free Spyware Removal Tools list. There are also free on-demand virus scanners you can install. Also consider installing a Windows Firewall alternative from this list of Free Firewall Programs.
If you can't even log in to Windows to install an antivirus tool, access a computer that does work and then use it to make a free bootable antivirus tool that you can then run on the infected computer.
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Avira Free Security Suite
What We Like
- Password manager included.
- Optional additional downloadable protection layers.
- In-the-cloud antivirus process.
What We Don't Like
- Additional features can be annoying.
- Only protects Chrome and Firefox browsers.
- Add-on components often require fee to be fully functional.
The main component in Avira's free software suite that makes it stand out is the optional 'in-the-cloud detection' feature called Protection Cloud. This scanning method lets Avira's antivirus tool identify and stop threats before they get out of hand.
This is how it works: When a suspicious file is detected on any computer running Avira, a fingerprint of that specific file is generated and uploaded anonymously to Avira so that they can scan it and report its status (whether it's safe or dangerous) back to every Avira user so that the program can take appropriate action.
Avira can scan and remove existing threats as well as automatically detect and stop new ones. It protects you against ransomware, Trojans, spyware, and other kinds of malware. You can even choose which ones to actively watch out for, and disable others (though it's not recommended) like dialers, jokes, adware, etc.
- Scan on a schedule
- Check files with any file extension or just the ones you manually choose from
- Disable the ability to stop active scans (so that viruses can not stop the program from finding them)
- Adjust the scanner's priority level
- Scan master boot sectors
- Follow symbolic links to scan the actual files
- Search for rootkits before starting a scan
- Scan the Windows Registry
- Ignore files on network drives
- Automatically repair, rename, quarantine, delete, or ignore threats when they're found
- Use heuristic scanning
- Add files, folders, and processes to the ignore list
- Manage Windows Firewall settings
- Password protect the program's settings
- Block autorun on removable devices
- Make the hosts file read-only
The Avira suite offers more than just a very extensive antivirus application. It includes several other 'layers' of security that will install automatically, and they might take a while to download since there are several. However, you don't have to use them and they won't bother you unless you open them.
These separate modules include a VPN that encrypts all your traffic (up through the first 500 MB each month); password manager to securely store complex passwords; and software updater that identifies outdated programs and gives you the download links to update them.
In addition to those, Avira can speed up your computer and reduce boot up time with its tune-up tool, help you find the best deals as you shop online, and warn you of malicious websites or software bundles before you download them (with its SafeSearch add-on).
These extra features can be annoying if you're strictly after an antivirus solution, but again, you don't have to use them; just keep them tucked away where they are and you won't have to worry about them.
Avira Free Security Suite is intended to run on computers with Windows 7 SP1 and newer, including Windows 10 and Windows 8.
There's also Avira for macOS that's similar, but not exactly the same, as Avira for Windows. Namely, the Mac edition is only on-demand, meaning that it doesn't check for viruses automatically like the Windows version.
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Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
What We Like
- Drag-and-drop file and folder scan.
- Minimal, uncluttered design.
- Simple to set up and run.
What We Don't Like
- Limited customization if you're looking for that.
- Large initial program download.
If you want an antivirus program that's not only free but super easy to use and not cluttered with lots of buttons and menus, you should definitely try the free version of Bitdefender Antivirus.
You not only get instant protection against viruses, worms, rootkits, spyware, and other threats, but also anti-phishing and anti-fraud protection to carry security with you when you're browsing the internet and entering passwords.
It's actually remarkable how well Bitdefender runs despite its minimal design. You can drag and drop folders and files directly into the program to instantly run a scan against them, as well as immediately start a full system scan or scan select objects from the right-click context menu—all of which can run at the same time.
Regardless of how they're started or how many scans are running simultaneously, a history of those scans are recorded for you on the primary window of the program as well as within the Events area of the settings.
The obvious downside to a program that lacks many customization options is that there isn't much you can change about it. That might be something you want but it might not be available; so be aware that basically all you can do with this edition of Bitdefender is start and stop scans.
Another downside to this software is how long it takes to become ready for you to use. The initial installer for Bitdefender is quite small but that's just what's used to then download the full program, which is hundreds of megabytes and could take a while if you have a slow internet connection.
It's also unfortunate that you can't pause scans (it just lets you stop them) or set up file and folder exclusions before starting scans like some AV programs allow. With Bitdefender, you can only mark files or websites as safe after they've been identified as malicious.
Ads asking you to purchase Bitdefender's professional programs and scheduled scans not being supported (but they're not necessarily needed since Bitdefender is always checking for new threats) are a few other not-so-greats.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition runs on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. You can also get this free antivirus software on your Android or Mac.
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Adaware Antivirus Free
What We Like
- Lightweight antivirus program.
- Can run as a supplement to other antivirus programs.
- Silent mode mutes notifications and limits resource use.Reviews quicken for mac 2018. Quicken For Mac 2018 Review – A Big Improvement For Mac Users Last Updated On December 19, 2017 Robert Farrington 22 Comments This article contains references to. Purchased Quicken 2018 from Amazon with the 27 month packaged. Tried to install disc, immediate errors with install, figured that I could fight through it. After 2 days, threw my hands up and called Quicken Support. One of the biggest news items in the personal finance software space for 2015 was the releasing a new version of Quicken for Mac. The last time there was a true update for Quicken for Mac was in 2007. Quicken Essentials for Mac was released after that, but no one really takes that app seriously. Quicken For Mac 2018 Pricing. Subscriptions for Quicken 2018 are available on a one year or two-year basis. However, Quicken Inc is only selling one-year subscriptions – two-year subscriptions are only available via third-party vendors such as Amazon.
What We Don't Like
- Some useful features are only usable with paid version.
- Limited configurability.
- Email scanning not included.
Adaware Antivirus installs in minutes, is light on system resources, and can be used in one of two ways. The first is in regular mode where it checks for threats as they happen, but the other lets you use it in addition to your 'main' antivirus program (i.e., along with Bitdefender or Avira).
What this so-called 'second line of defense' does is disables real-time protection but still lets you use Adaware Antivirus to manually scan for existing threats. This is helpful if your primary AV software doesn't seem to find malware that you know is infecting your computer.
Whichever way you use it, Adaware Antivirus provides a defense against ransomware, spyware, viruses, and other forms of malicious software. You can find those threats through a quick, full, or custom scan.
Daily, weekly, and monthly scheduled scans are supported, and you can even run a scan to just check certain things, like only rootkits or just tracking cookies and boot sector viruses, for example. How to get sims 4 for free mac 2018 update.
Adaware Antivirus also lets you choose a custom performance setting to use more system resources to run the scan (to make it faster), exclude files/folders/file extensions from scans, and decide how often to check for new definition updates (every 1/3/6/12/24 hours).
When it comes to real-time protection, you can toggle on or off the following options:
- Scan archive files
- Scan email databases
- Deep scan that checks CHM files and executable files
- Smart scan that skips previously checked files
- Scan boot sectors
- Scan files as they move throughout the network
- Skip scanning files that exceed a custom file size (e.g., 10 MB to skip video files)
You can also protect the program's settings with a PIN as well as enable gaming/silent mode to suppress notifications.
Adware Antivirus definitely has its advantages but because there's also a non-free version you can upgrade to, many additional options are not supported.
For example, parental controls and advanced network, web, and email protection are only available in Adaware Antivirus Pro. These options are visible within the free edition but they're not actually clickable/usable until you enter an Adaware Antivirus Pro license key.
Adaware Antivirus Free works with all versions of Windows.
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Avast Free Antivirus
What We Like
- Add-ons allow you to increase protection.
- Great customizability.
What We Don't Like
- Password manager and some other tools included are trial only.
- Additional features require purchase.
Avast is used by hundreds of millions of people and ranks high in nearly every 'best list' of antivirus programs, and for good reason. If you want a solid program that is sure to block new threats but is still easy enough to customize, you should consider using it.
Avast Free Antivirus is similar to Avira which we mention above; there are numerous components that you can install along with the virus shield that provide additional services related to security and privacy (more on those below).
The antivirus portion has lots of options you can change but it's still easy enough for anyone to use since there are information blurbs next to most items so you're not left wondering what will happen if you enable them.
Plus, both definition and program updates are performed automatically (a manual option is available, too), meaning you can install Avast and let it do its thing without worrying whether you're running the latest and greatest version.
Avast is highly customizable and lets you make changes to everything from whether to make a sound when threats are detected and how long notifications should remain on the screen, to the kinds of file extensions that should be scanned.
Here are some more features supported in Avast Free Antivirus:
- Scheduled scans
- Custom scans that can check only the memory, rootkits, auto-start programs, etc.
- Checking all files or just certain file extensions
- Identifying files by their content instead of their suffix
- Fine-tuned heuristics sensitivity
- Scanning for potentially unwanted programs
- Follows shortcuts to scan the real file
- Can scan within lots of archive file formats like self-extracting DOS and Win32 executables, CHM, ACE, 7Z, RAR, TNEF streams, Mac archives, ISO, and more
- Windows Explorer context menu integration
- Folders, HDDs, and URLs (but not specific files) can be pe-excluded from scans
- Custom scans are easy to save for use in the future
- A Rescue Disk can be created that lets you use the Avast scanner even if you can't start your computer
- Particular areas of the program can be protected with a password
- Lets you enable Do Not Disturb Mode to deny notifications from other apps while you're using one in full screen mode
Before Avast is installed, you have the option to include over a dozen different tools: file, behavior, web, and mail shields; software updater, browser cleaner, rescue disk, Wi-Fi inspector, security and SafePrice browser extensions; password manager; junk file cleaner; and Game Mode.
Technically, if you only want the antimalware protection, you can install just the shields from the start of that list; the others are add-ons that aren't necessary but could be helpful at some point.
For example, the software updater is a nice tool that will not only check for and report outdated software but also install the newer versions for you (even in bulk). This is a great way to make sure your programs are up-to-date with their latest security patches and features.
Wi-Fi Inspector scans the network for devices that could be vulnerable to attacks. For instance, it might identify that a computer is running a file sharing service that has been known to facilitate the spread of a certain kind of worm.
You can install these tools (it takes less than five minutes) and then disable or completely remove them later. Or, you can ignore them during setup and just install them later, or not at all.
However, please know that the password manager and Cleanup tools are only trial versions that will expire after so-many days. There's also a firewall, file shredder, and sandbox feature that's unusable in this free version.
Avast Free Antivirus is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
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Panda Dome
What We Like
- Light impact on system resources.
- Minimal, uncomplicated design.
- Security news about the latest reports of breaches and threats.
What We Don't Like
- Resets browser home page and default search engine unless specifically deselected during installation.
- Contains advertisements.
Panda Security's free antivirus program, Panda Dome (previously called Panda Free Antivirus), installs in minutes and has a minimal design like Bitdefender, mentioned above. However, even though it's not a CPU or memory hog, and doesn't appear to be customizable, all of its many options are tucked away in the settings.
From there, you can do things like set up both on-demand and automatic scans to check compressed files and scan for potentially unwanted programs.
The automatic, permanent scanner includes some additional options, too, like behavioral and analysis scanning options, the ability to ask you before neutralizing a virus, and blocking files from running for so-many seconds until results on whether it's safe or harmful are obtained from the cloud.
Something entirely unique to Panda Dome is its security news and alerts sections that can show you critical, warning, and informational messages like when a popular vendor experiences a data breach that could affect your personal information. You can, however, turn those off if you want to.
You can complete a scan in just a few minutes if you only want to check for actively running threats, like browser cookies, processes, and things currently loaded in memory. However, there's also, of course, an option for a full system scan or a custom scan.
Here are some other things you can do with Panda Dome:
- Password protect the entire application
- Have the quarantine emptied every three days, every week, every month, or never
- A gaming/multimedia option will disable all notifications if you're using a full screen application
- Exclude particular files or folders from scans, as well as specific file extensions of your choosing
- USB protection can be enabled to always scan removable devices as they're attached, to make sure that they don't spread anything to the computer
- Monitor running processes as well as any URLs accessed by them, and have them terminated if Panda Dome deems them a threat
- Record everything in event reports that you can browse through and even print or export to a TXT or CSV file
- Can optionally install Panda Safe Web during setup to protect you against malicious websites
The Panda Dome antivirus software does a really good job at keeping the important buttons up front and hiding the additional options within menus so that you're not constantly bombarded with options or alerts.
However, the program will change your home page and the search provider in your web browser, unless you uncheck those options during the initial setup.
Panda Dome works in all versions of Windows from Windows 10 back through Windows XP.
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AVG AntiVirus Free
What We Like
- Installs in a few minutes.
- Choose what to enable during setup.
- Updates automatically (definitions and the program).
- You have full control over how things work.
What We Don't Like
- Shows features you can't enable in the free version.
- Always advertises AVG Internet Security.
- Doesn't officially support Windows Vista or XP.
AVG's free antivirus program is easy on the eyes and even easier to use. The scan button is right in the middle of the screen, turning features off is dead-simple, and all the advanced options are tucked away from view in the settings.
Like most antivirus tools, this one lets you schedule scans, check for threats in archives, remove viruses right when they're found, scan USB drives, exclude files/folders/websites from scans, and run boot-time scans.
It's worth noting that AVG AntiVirus Free is highly customizable. You can either install it and leave the settings alone to have regular protection, or you can go into the settings and make adjustments to nearly anything.
For example, you can have viruses and PuPs fixed automatically or be prompted to take action, enable/disable scanning of downloaded files and scripts, scan inbound and/or outbound mail, check/skip the scanning of MS Outlook attachments, check or don't check for threats on inserted discs, and scan all archive types or just the most commonly used ones.
Another important feature in AVG's antivirus software is the option to choose how to scan files. You can have the program scan only the files that contain content that might include malware (like executable data), only files that are using a file extension considered potentially dangerous (like EXE), or all files regardless of content type or file extension.
You can also enable rootkit detection, hardcore mode (recommended for inexperienced users), and CyberCapture technology, which helps detect threats in unrecognized files.
During setup, you have full control over which components should be enabled or disabled once AVG is installed. Options include File Shield, Behavior Shield, Web Shield, Email Shield, SafePrice browser extension, File Shredder, Cleanup, and Do Not Disturb Mode.
AVG AntiVirus Free includes a file shredder tool as well, which you can use from the right-click context menu to overwrite files using the Random Data, Gutmann, or DoD 5220.22-M data destruction method.
Windows 10, 8, and 7 are supported. It also runs on Mac (10.10 Yosemite or above) and Android (5.0 or above).
You're asked during setup to also install AVG's web browser, AVG Secure Browser, but you can uncheck that option if you want.
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COMODO Antivirus
What We Like
- User interface can conform to your comfort level.
- Lots of settings can be customized.
- Run programs virtually.
- Automatic updates for the program and virus definitions.
What We Don't Like
- Settings sometimes don’t save after editing them.
- Includes other programs and tools you might not want.
COMODO Antivirus excels in a few ways: it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be depending on your experience level with antivirus tools, it supports cloud-based scans to detect new threats, and the built-in sandbox technology can isolate programs so that they can’t affect your files even if it they do turn out to be malicious.
Right after installing this free antivirus program from COMODO, a scan is started immediately to make sure your computer is safe as soon as possible. You can also run scans at any time, either quick scans, full scans, scans of commonly infected areas, and custom scans.
A custom scan in COMODO Antivirus lets you choose which files or folders to scan and enables a host of other customizations like whether to decompress and scan archives, use cloud scanning, automatically delete threats, enable heuristics scanning, check for threats running in memory, skip files over a maximum size, run the scan with full system resources, delete PuPs, and more.
Provided in this program are two ways to view the settings and features: basic and advanced. The basic view lets you run scans, unblock applications, update the program, and run software in a virtual mode, while the advanced view includes more details about those areas of the program and lets you view logs as well as toggle various things on or off, like HIPS and VirusScope.
It’s important to not overlook the virtualization feature in COMODO Antivirus. You can run any program you want in a virtual space completely separate from the rest of your files. It’s an opportunity to test out an application to ensure that it’s real and not just a trick to get you to install a virus.
However, even if it does contain something malicious, your real data (photos, videos, documents) are unaffected. You can launch programs in this protected container from inside the COMODO program or by right-clicking an executable file and choosing the option in the menu.
- Password protect the program
- Utilize a floating desktop widget
- Hide the “Upgrade” advertisement
- Choose which archive file types to unpack and scan
- Enable real time scanning of files on the network
- Define heuristics scanning level (low, medium, high)
- Schedule scans as frequently as every hour to as infrequently as once a month
- Customize the HIPS rules
- Turn on Silent Mode in seconds
- Force the auto-containment of suspicious or malicious files
- Use a unique password for the Virtual Desktop feature
During setup, you can also install Internet Security Essentials to protect against main-in-the-middle attacks.
COMODO Antivirus officially supports Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. It's also available for macOS.
The COMODO Dragon Web Browser automatically installs during setup unless you tell it not to. After installation, pay close attention to the options you’re given — you can change your DNS servers to be the COMODO Secure DNS servers (which presumably improve security and speed up browsing), enable Cloud Based Behavior Analysis, send anonymous program usage to COMODO, and change the home page and default search engine to Yahoo.
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FortiClient
What We Like
- Automatically downloads and installs updates.
- Lots of control over the settings.
- Simple user interface.
- Comes with an application firewall.
What We Don't Like
- Requires the internet during setup (it’s not an offline installer).
- Slow to download and install all the components.
- Unable to pause scans (only stop).
- Lacks helpful documentation.
The FortiClient free antivirus program is unique for several reasons. Unlike many of the other AV programs on this page, this one includes parental control features, can manually check your programs for vulnerabilities, functions as a VPN client, and includes a firewall.
Installing this program lets you block websites by URL and/or site category, such as bandwidth-consuming sites, illegal sites, and ones flagged as including content relating to hacking, discrimination, adult/mature, games, advertising, shopping, child abuse, plagiarism, and several others.
You can also automatically sandbox files opened from a web download, email attachment, removable drive, and/or network drive. This is great if you’re cautious about opening those types of files because they’re the primary entry points for malware.
Here are some other FortiClient features you’ll like:
- Scan on a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule
- Lock down the program with a password
- Manually check for application vulnerabilities
- AntiExploit is enabled for all your programs automatically, but you have the freedom to disable the feature on any of them
The program interface itself is easy to read and navigate, but it might be a bit too much for a novice user. There’s hardly any information regarding what each component and setting does when enabled/disabled, and a few of the features are really only useful if your computer is being managed remotely by an administrator.
Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 are supported. You can also get this free antivirus program on Linux and macOS (but with fewer features). FortiClient has a similar tool for web filtering and VPN access, too, for Chromebook, the Chrome browser, iOS, and Android.
During setup, you’re asked if you want to enable the following along with the antivirus program: SSL and IPsec VPN, FortiSandbox detection and quarantine features, and Additional Security Features which include Antivirus, Web Filtering, Single Sign On, and Application Firewall. You can turn them on during setup or later once FortiClient is fully installed.
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Immunet AntiVirus
What We Like
- Tons of customizable options.
- No ads.
- Automatic updates.
- Helpful information built-in.
- Small setup file; installs fast.
What We Don't Like
- Runs on Windows only, and probably only newer editions (not XP).
Another free antivirus program that offers real time protection for Windows is from Immunet. It has a bit of an outdated interface but the software is still current, and even connects directly to the cloud for updates.
There are lots of options you can toggle on or off to customize how the software works, but you can also leave all the defaults and it will still check your computer for threats in real time.
Here are some other features you get with Immunet:
- Detects and removes bots, viruses, worms, Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware
- Three scan modes let you check just running processes (Flash Scan), any location of your choosing (Custom Scan), or the entire computer (Full Scan)
- Schedule any scan type daily, weekly, or monthly
- Start scans directly from Explorer on any folder or file
- A timeline shows the history of threats on the computer, to 30 days in the past. There's also an extremely detailed history of events that have happened in the program that you can filter by date, keyword, and type (such as quarantines, cleanings, blocked processes, etc.)
- Lets you run a FlashScan right after installation to check the registry and running processes for threats
- Includes a special blocking mode you can enable that prevents all programs from being installed unless they first pass a security scan
- Gaming Mode can be enabled at any time to prevent notifications from the program while watching movies or playing games.
- Automatically excludes certain folders and file types from scans, including temp folders and certain system32 folders
- Lets you manually exclude any file, folder, or threat (by its name)
- Toggle scanning on or off for archives and packed files
- Can run alongside many other antivirus programs, such as security software from Comodo, Avira, AVG, and Norton.
Immunet AntiVirus has been tested on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7, as well as Windows Server 2016/2012/2008 R2.
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Kaspersky Free
What We Like
- Super clean user interface that’s easy to understand.
- Unique features not found in other programs.
- Protect your email.
- Lots of options you can customize.
- Set up a scanning schedule.Sep 24, 2018 Today, we are announcing the general availability of Office 2019 for Windows and Mac. Office 2019 is the next on-premises version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project, Visio, Access, and Publisher. Office 365 ProPlus, the cloud-connected version of Office, delivers the most productive. To provide you with the best experience, Office for Mac is changing to support Apple’s three most recent versions of macOS.With the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave, Office 365 for Mac and Office 2019 for Mac will support macOS 10.14, 10.13, and 10.12. Office 2019 for mac techsoup.
What We Don't Like
- Must create a user account to activate the software.
- Several features you see in the program aren’t free.
- Can’t exclude scans by file extension.
- Slow install.
- Must renew the free license every year.
Kaspersky Free is a good choice for a free antivirus program if you want a simple program that boasts lots of features. It’s incredibly easy to use but has loads of advanced options if you care to look into them.
This free AV program is also useful if your computer is low on system resources. Kaspersky Free can automatically postpone scans and reduce display animations if the CPU runs too high, supports idle scans for when you’re away, and lets you favor performance over protection by altering the overall security level.
Another important feature to know about this program is that it includes Self-Defense, which is a function that blocks all attempts to change or delete Kaspersky’s processes, registry items, and installation files.
- Searches for rootkits and can delete malicious tools, adware, auto-dialers, and suspicious packages
- Can password protect the program to protect its settings from being changed and/or to stop it from being uninstalled or shut down
- Includes a file and web scanner as well as Network Attack Blocker, System Watcher, and Mail Anti-Virus
- Supports gaming mode to suppress notifications while using any program in full screen mode
- The antivirus scanner can be set up to auto-pause when specific applications start up and/or during certain times of the day
- Choose what happens when a threat is detected: notify, disinfect, delete if disinfect doesn’t work, or delete
- Can auto-scan external drives or prompt you to scan them when they’re inserted
- Schedule quick or full scans for every day, every weekend, every weekday, weekly, or monthly
- Choose what gets scanned in a full, quick, and selective scan. Can include any of the following: system memory, startup objects, disk boot sectors, system volume information, email, all hard drives, all external devices, all network drives, any folder.
- Lets you skip items if the scan takes too long
- Speed up antivirus scans by checking only new and changed files
- Exclude files and folders from scans, and even prevent the scanning of specific threats
- Define trusted applications so that they're not scanned
Kaspersky's free antivirus program can be installed on Windows operating systems.
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ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus
What We Like
- Updates automatically.
- Includes a free firewall.
- Can run scheduled scans.
What We Don't Like
- Heavy on system resources.
- Slow installation.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus, also called ZoneAlarm Security and ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, is just what you think: antivirus software with a firewall tool built-in. You not only have protection against threats like spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, and bots but there are also firewall shields to block intruders from reaching your computer files.
Here are some other important features in this free antivirus tool:
- Real-time, cloud-based security updates that relies on millions of other users to stop threats quickly
- Gamer Mode can be used to block interruptions while gaming, such as scans, updates, and alerts; you can set all alerts to be automatically denied or allowed
- Lock down ZoneAlarm's configuration with a password to protect its settings from being changed
- Back up the program's security settings and restore them later
- Run quick and/or full scans on a schedule
- The network firewall can screen every single program with 'suspicious behavior' alerts that you have to explicitly allow or deny
- The firewall lets you block fragments, trusted servers, and public servers, as well as enable ARP protection, filter IP traffic over port 1394, allow/block VPN protocols, and lock the hosts file
- Set up notifications for suspicious credit activity
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall works on Windows 10, 8, and 7.
Symantec Norton Family Premier
Editor Rating: Excellent (4.5)
US Street Price$50.00
Pros
Settings apply across Windows, Android, and iOS devices. No specific limit on number of devices. Flexible content filtering. Video tracking. Controls SMS contacts on Android. Location supervision via mobile devices. Web-based configuration and reporting. Most features available in free edition.Cons
No Mac support. Limited iOS support. Limited social media tracking.Bottom Line
Symantec Norton Family Premier lets parents track and manage their children's use of Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Its completely Web-based configuration and wealth of features make it a great choice for parental control.
- ProsAffordable. Excellent web dashboard. Settings apply across all devices. No limit on number of PC, phones, tablets, or children protected. Tracks child's location.
- ConsDoes not work on Macs. No Free version anymore. Does not block HTTPS sites on unsupported browsers. Web extension is easily disabled. Platform-dependent features. Lackluster social media tracking.
- Bottom LineNorton Family's top-notch web interface and wealth of features make it easy for parents to track and manage their children's activity across their many devices, though it doesn't work on Macs.
There's a wide range of behavior among parental control and monitoring programs. Some install in stealth mode and spy on your kids, which is just creepy. Symantec Norton Family Premier, on the other hand, encourages parents to engage with their children and make them aware of exactly what rules are in place. Norton offers supervision across an unlimited number of devices and lets you monitor all of your kids' activity from either its revamped web portal or a standalone companion app. It doesn't work on Macs and has some browser- and encryption-based limitations, but its easy setup and variety of capabilities make it a solid choice.
Pricing and Platforms
Pricing tiers vary widely in this field, but Norton's plan is pretty simple. Paying $49.99 per year gets you a Norton Family Premier subscription, which includes capabilities such as web filtering, time usage restrictions, and location tracking. It keeps 30 days of activity history and has some extras like instant locking and SMS logging. Norton used to offer a freemium version of the software, albeit with some limitations, but it no longer offers that account tier. You can try out the software for yourself via a free, 30-day trial, however.
There aren't any limitations on the number of children or devices you can add to an account, which is ideal for the always-connected generation and for large families. It's an indisputably good deal when considered alongside its competitors. By comparison, a single license for Net Nanny runs $39.99 per year, while a $79.99 annual subscription gets you a ten-license Family Protection Pass. Qustodio costs $54.95 per year for use on up to five phones, tablets, PCs, or Macs.
Norton mainly handles configuration and reporting via an online console, though you can make changes from the Android app. A local agent app enforces the rules and monitors activity. You can install Norton's tracker to monitor and control activity on Windows, but Macs are beyond its power. That said, you can still access the web portal on a Mac to set up parameters, view your child's activity, and manage other child profiles. To set up Norton Family on either an Android or an iPhone, simply head over to the Google Play store or the App Store to download the app.
We installed Norton Family on an HP EliteBook 8460 running Windows 10 to evaluate the desktop monitoring. For mobile, we did most of our testing on a Google Pixel and a Nexus 5X running Android 8.0, though we also set it up on an iPhone 8 running iOS 11.
Getting Started
The first thing you do with this service is to create a Norton Family account and sign in online. To add a child, specify a name, gender, and birth year, and either select an avatar or upload a profile photo. Norton sets up the initial configuration based on the birth year you specify, but you can change it later. When you click on any child, you can manage their settings and customize the type of notifications the app sends.
You also need to download the Norton Family agent on each Windows, Android, or iOS device your kids use. Just log in to the console and click the Download Norton Family link—this gives you the correct download. Each time you install the app, Norton asks which child uses it. For PCs, you connect each child profile to a specific Windows account. To prevent your child from uninstalling or circumventing these apps, Norton recommends you rescind any administrative rights and remove all generic guest accounts.
Setup on mobile is slightly more involved than on a desktop. For Android, you need to give Norton a few different permissions, including usage and accessibility access, and you need to add it as a device admin app. On iOS, you need to enable location access and install a mobile device management (MDM) profile for all the features to work.
As mentioned earlier, Norton emphasizes that parents should communicate with their kids, instead of attempting to secretly monitor and control them. There is no silent install option; if you use Norton Family to monitor your kids, they will be aware of it. The configuration settings you make online get boiled down to a set of house rules the kids will see and can easily understand. The Norton mobile app and notification tray icon explain the rules with such clear messages as, 'Web sites that I visit can be monitored' and 'My time on the computer can be restricted.'
Web Interface
Norton Family's web interface benefits from a significant recent redesign. All the elements are separated by ample white space and use large tabs and icons. The trademark Norton yellow is used sparingly, while secondary colors appear consistently across other elements. It's a vast improvement over the old, left-rail menu system. One annoying thing, however, is that the dashboard logs you out automatically after only a few minutes of inactivity, and there's no way to change that. In general, automatic logouts are good for security, but you ought to be able to adjust them.
The main page has three tabs, Children, Device, and Parents. The default tab (Children) shows a list of all your child profiles. If you click on a profile, Activity and House Rules tabs appear below it. The Activity section shows an overview of each of the eight supervision categories: Location, Mobile App, Search Social Network, Text Message, Time, Video, and Web. Clicking on individual tabs lets you drill down for more detail. With the other tab, House Rules, you customize restrictions across the categories.
The next tab across the top, Devices, lets you manage your children's existing phones or tablets or add new ones. You can filter the list to show everything or just those PCs, phones and tablets assigned to particular children, but there's no filter for age range, which could be useful for large families. Each has an appropriate icon and an editable name so it's easy to distinguish them, which helps. For PCs, you can specify which login accounts apply to which children from this section.
The rightmost tab, Parents, is where you can edit your own profile and add other administrative accounts. To invite a parent, just click the Plus sign at the upper left. Keep in mind that anyone you add will have full access to your account settings and all of each child's activities, so be sure to only invite people you trust completely.
Web Filtering
The central feature of most parental control systems is the content filter, the component that keeps kids from accidentally (or deliberately) visiting inappropriate websites. Norton's content filter offers great customization options but sometimes falters in its implementation.
To get started, click Web Supervision from the House Rules tab. First, you need to select what level of supervision to enable, ranging from High (block the website completely) to Moderate (give a warning, but allow access) to Low (monitor, but don't block anything). Net Nanny also lets you choose to warn instead of blocking, but it lets you configure that option separately for each of its categories, whereas with Norton this setting applies across the board.
Below that, you can manage access to Norton's 48 content categories. You can block categories manually, or use preset collections based on the child's age group. Hovering with the mouse over any category displays an explanatory tooltip, which is helpful if you decide to select a custom set of sites to block. If those 48 categories don't offer enough customization for you, there are also dedicated sections for blocking or allowing specific sites.
When Norton blocks access to a site, it explains why. The child can optionally send parents a message requesting access or click a link to report that the site was incorrectly categorized. By default, you get an email notification when your child ignores a warning or tries to visit a blocked site. You can also view a log of web visits on the Activity page online. The list can be massive, so Norton lets you limit the display to questionable activity, select a specific category, or specify a time range.
Clicking an item in the list opens up a highly detailed display that includes a thumbnail of the page, categories assigned to the site, and the number of visits. From the detailed display, you can also choose to dispute the categorization, whitelist the site for the child's access, or allow access to the entire category. It's much more than a static report.
Advanced web tracking features on Windows, such as social networking, video, and web and search supervision for HTTPS sites requires an extension that is currently only available for Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. One serious issue is that a child can simply disable this plugin at will and browse to their heart's content. They could then access any HTTPS-encrypted sites, including anonymizing proxies, so all bets are off. Norton seriously needs to improve how this works.
We tested Norton out in various browsers by trying to access Twitter, a site with HTTPS encryption. We did this after blocking the social media category in the House Rules and setting supervision to the highest level. On Chrome, with the extension enabled, Norton blocked the site, reported the activity and threw up a red flag. On Opera and Microsoft Edge, it allowed us to access the site without any warning. We even tried explicitly blocking Twitter but got the same results. However, Norton did block access to unencrypted sites, such as CNN, on both Edge and Opera, when we blocked the relevant category or added it to the exception list.
We confirmed multiple times that even if the broad content category is blocked or you add a site to the Restricted Website list, your child can still use a not-supported browser to access any HTTPS-encrypted sites. These are serious shortcomings and a child can easily take advantage of these workarounds.
Restrictions are applied locally on the device, so a child cannot get around these blocks by using a VPN, and it will also alert you if your kid attempts to use an anonymizing web proxy unless your child uses an unsupported browser. If you want broader control, use OpenDNS Home VIP or SafeDNS for whole-network filtering.
On Android and iOS, Norton recommends that kids use the integrated Norton Browser. On Android, parents can just block every other browser app to ensure that a child uses a monitored browser. On iOS, the MDM disables Safari and you just need to toggle the Installing Apps option in the Restrictions section of the main settings app to prevent them from getting around the rules. The Norton Browser is fine; it blocks both HTTPS and non-encrypted sites reliably and is reasonably quick.
Time Supervision
Norton also helps parents manage when children use their hardware—if the time allowance is up or the schedule doesn't allow it, they can't use it. Net Nanny limits the amount of time a child can spend on the internet but does not lock down their hardware. With Qustodio , parents can schedule hardware use and internet use, or even limit the time spent on specific programs. Norton's time supervision works on Android and Windows, but it isn't available for iOS.
As with content filtering, time supervision is automatically configured based on the child's age. The preset age ranges don't affect how many hours a child can use their smartphone, but they do change the hours in which it is operable. If you want to change the schedule or daily limit, you need to do so separately for each day of the week, in ether hour or half-hour increments. We prefer the grid-style schedule used by many competing products, as it's easy to block out a time range on every day of the week with a single mouse-drag.
You set time limits and supervision levels individually. The High supervision option completely blocks the child once time is up, while Low just continues to monitor the activity after the time limit is reached. You can set up a PIN as well, for access in case of emergency.
The time allowance in Net Nanny covers all devices; a child who runs out of internet time on the iPad can't just switch to the PC and keep surfing. Qustodio swings both ways, letting you choose between an overall time allowance or individual settings.
On the Time tab of the Activity page, parents can view a calendar that shows how much time the child used on a given day. Each phone, tablet, and PC is tracked separately. The page also lists occasions when the child ran out of time or disregarded a timeout warning.
Facebook Monitoring
On Windows and with supported browsers, Norton can monitor Facebook activity. If your child creates an account using a false age, you get a notification. You also get notified any time the child posts personal data (more about personal data protection shortly). You can opt to block access to other social media sites entirely, or disable the mobile apps in question.
It's common for products that monitor social media to require the installation of an app. That means the parent needs the child's login credentials; it also means the child can uninstall the app at any time. Qustodio takes a novel approach—if the app isn't enabled, it blocks access to the site. Qustodio tracks all social activity, including posts, pictures, and comments, regardless of the hardware used.
Norton simply watches the browser and notes when the child is using Facebook. One problem with this approach is that Facebook's frequent changes can disable it until Symantec's engineers push out a fix.
Extra Features
Turning on Search Supervision tells Norton to force Safe Search on Google, Ask, YouTube, and Yahoo. If the kids try to turn it off, Norton turns it right back on. You can also see a list of what kids are searching for in the Search tab on the Activity page. The site also claims to force-enable it on Bing, but in testing, it did not lock down Safe Search.
Here's an uncommon feature—Norton can monitor what videos your child watches on YouTube and Hulu. On the Activity page's Video tab you can see a list of all the videos your child has watched. Each item includes the date and time of viewing along with the video's category. Opening an item gets you the full description, a thumbnail image, and a link so you can view the clip yourself. We wish that this functionality applied to video streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as well.
Kids can be too forthcoming when it comes to sharing personal information. You can record your child's SSN, phone number, and email address, along with one free-form field for other personal data. A child who tries to share this information gets a warning that it's not allowed, and you receive an email notification. However, this feature can't track data sent on secure (HTTPS) pages, so its usefulness is somewhat limited.
Norton recently added an Instant Lock feature. On Windows and Android, this renders the device temporarily unusable and locks down any activity. On Android, your child can still make calls to approved contacts, but apps won't launch. This feature is usable on iOS, but it is controlled by the MDM. This profile can be uninstalled without triggering any notification, however, so long as your child first enables airplane mode.
Apps and Messaging
Kids these days are just as likely to use a smartphone or tablet as a clunky old computer. Norton recognizes that fact with a number of features that are specific to mobile platforms. Keep in mind that many features are not available on iOS at all, as we've mentioned.
On the App tab of the House Rules page, you can see a complete list of all the installed apps. Simply check the box for any app you want to block. The page does point out that new apps will always be allowed until you block them. But a quick look at the App tab on the Activity page reveals any new installations.
Norton can also monitor your child's SMS messages and contacts on Android. Parents can view the child's mobile friends and assign either a monitored (messaging is allowed, but conversations are logged) or unmonitored (messaging is allowed and conversation logs are not recorded) status. On the latest versions of Android, you can no longer outright block a contact. In testing, it recorded incoming and outgoing messages without an issue and notified us that Norton logged the activity. Keep in mind that for MMS messages, it does not save the content, but rather just the instance of the activity. This function is limited to SMS message types and doesn't apply to services like WhatsApp, Signal, or Line, but you could just block these other apps entirely. Like app supervision, this feature is Android-only.
Location
In addition to keeping your kids safe online, Norton can help you make sure that your kids are at a safe location in the real world. On both Android and iOS, Norton uses all the standard methods of determining location, including monitoring GPS and Wi-Fi use, as well as by tracking the SIM card. On the Activity page's location tab, you can view a map with pins for recent locations, and a timeline that identifies when each pin was dropped. Clicking a pin gets an address and an accuracy estimate.
Keep in mind that the app does not include geo-fencing functionality, so you can't set it up to alert you when your child leaves certain geographical boundaries. It also can't even automatically notify you when a child's location changes, though it will refresh every 15 minutes. Both Boomerang and Locategy offer excellent geofencing capabilities.
Norton Family for Android
Kids aren't the only ones going mobile. The Parent Mode on Android lets you set rules and view activity and alerts for the devices you monitor. All of the functionality of the web console is here, but unfortunately, its excellent interface did not make the jump to mobile. The app uses the same mix of white and grey elements, with the occasional splash of color, but the layout is not nearly as clean and a lot of the text looks a bit small. Further, the app's look suffers from poorly aligned checkboxes, artificial shadows, and inconsistently spaced elements.
It displays tabs for Alerts, Activity, and Rules across the top with individual options organized under each section. All the rules and activity tracking work as reported above, regardless of whether you configure them on the desktop or on via the parent app on Android.
In Child Mode, the app simply opens the Norton Browser. It does let the child access the House Rules from a left-hand menu, but that's pretty much it. If a device is set up in Child mode, parents can sign in from this menu as well to make changes as needed. Just be sure to switch back to Child Mode before handing it back to your kid!
Norton For Mac
Norton Family for iPhone
Norton used to offer a Parental Control app for iOS that let parents control and monitor activity, but now, the app can only be used to set up a phone or tablet for monitoring. The child app on iOS is just the Norton Browser. There are no options for parents to sign in and make changes to House Rules. This lack of a presence on iOS is frustrating, given that nearly every other competitor lets you make such changes from an iOS app.
To reiterate, the following features do not work on iOS: time supervision, social network supervision, mobile app supervision, and text message supervision. It is worth noting that iOS comes with a built-in set of app blocking tools in the Restrictions section in the Settings app. From here you can block apps, such as Safari, Camera, FaceTime, and Siri. You can also use this tool to block access to the iTunes and iBooks store, as well as prevent children from installing/deleting apps and making in-app purchases. Rounding out the built-in features are content filtering by age and maturity ratings for pretty much any content types, such as music, movies, TV Shows, Books, and Apps. You can also customize any number of privacy settings and prevent features in the Game Center. Basically, this Restrictions section does a better job at protecting your child's safety and privacy than Norton Family.
A Good Choice
Symantec Norton Family Premier offers an impressive range of parental control and monitoring features for parents of today's hyper-connected kids. It can track an unlimited number of devices, has an intuitive web interface, and logs lots of usage data. On the other hand, however, its web filtering is weakly enforced, a lot of mobile features are platform dependent, and it does not support Macs at all. If you need more flexibility, consider using Qustodio, our Editors' Choice pick, for your parental control needs.
Bottom Line: Norton Family's top-notch web interface and wealth of features make it easy for parents to track and manage their children's activity across their many devices, though it doesn't work on Macs.
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