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Six free antivirus programs made for your Windows 7 system
There are plenty of pay-for programs you probably already about, like Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky and Trend Micro. I'm going to focus on the free options -- of which there are many!
Hey, you just paid for an OS or a whole new computer -- why not save a few bucks if you can?
The most important thing to remember when you go hunting for a Windows 7 antivirus program is to make sure it's fully compatible. You can get just about any old program to install under 7, but who knows if it's going to work the way it's supposed to?
All these free options are good to go, and they all have their good points. Keep an eye on the comments, too -- Download Squad readers love to share their thoughts about their free antivirus app of choice!
Avast is a longtime favorite of free antivirus users. It doesn't hog your processor or memory, scan times are fairly speedy, and it includes a DOS-based boot time scan -- something you don't find in a lot of free products -- or paid ones for that matter. Avast runs on both 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
If you're comfortable running software that is still in development, the Avast 5 beta is looking good. That said, it's antivirus software - is using an unfinished antivirus something you really want to do? That's your call, of course.
Though you may not have heard of it, Avira is an extremely popular free antivirus program. It is very good at detecting all kinds of malware, and scan speeds are among the best you'll find in free antivirus programs.
The knock on Avira is its intrusive nag screen. If don't mind putting up with a pop-up window after updates, it's a very good choice. There are also ways to blog the nag screen, such as a small program like Click Off. Avira works on 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
AVG has gone through some ups-and-downs with techy types over the years. It used to be one of our favorites, then it seems like popular opinion turned against it.
Version 9 is much more like the early version that I used. It also comes with the optional AVG link-scanner toolbar for your web browser. I wrote about Linkscanner before -- it provides a nice additional layer of security, especially for less experienced users. AVG runs on both 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
Comodo's firewall software has been popular for ages and they recently released an antivirus program to expand their security offerings. I tested the suite, and it performs well. You're not locked in to the whole package either. You can install the antivirus or firewall on their own if you want.
As you can tell from the download links, Comodo offers different downloads for 32 and 64-bit systems. Make sure you grab the right one!
Microsoft's replacement for Live OneCare is totally free, and it's gotten pretty good reviews so far. I'm running it on two Windows 7 laptops at home and my son's WIndows XP system. Some users have reported MSE overworking their processor, but I haven't had any such trouble so far.
I get far fewer false positives (reports that a program is infected or malicious when it actually isn't) with MSE than I did with Avast. As with Comodo, download the correct version for your OS.
Cloud AV is not ready for general use (like Avast 5), but it too has gotten good reviews so far. The one knock on Panda's offering is its slow manual scans. Then again, you probably won't need to run those all that often, so it might not be an issue.
Remember: beta software is not yet considered complete or ready for everyday use.
Now, which one to pick? One of the most important things to know about an antivirus program is its detection rate -- how often it catches the malicious software trying to infect your system. Here's what PC World reports for detection rates:
- Panda: 99.4%
- Avira: 98.9%
- Avast: 98.2%
- MSE: 97.8%
- AVG: 95.8%
- Comodo: 74.6%
Remember, Panda is still in beta testing so despite its amazing detection rate you may want to wait for a finished product.
If lightweight, basic protection is what you're after, Microsoft Security Essentials is a good pick.
If you want a more complete package, AVG 9 and Avast are solid choices.
Avira offers excellent detection and fast scanning speeds, but that nag screen can get quite annoying.
Regardless of which antivirus you choose, you can add extra protection with two more pieces of software I mentioned here. Both AVG's LinkScanner and Comodo Firewall are available as standalone downloads.
Comments
28
Subscribe to commentsJustinOct 24th 2009 2:29PM
Thanks for such a great concise article! Im using MSE and had used Avira in the past but tired of its nagging.
michas_piOct 24th 2009 3:12PM
http://www.elitekiller.com/files/disable_antivir_nag.htm
Citizen ChinOct 24th 2009 4:28PM
I'd go with Avira, but then I guess I'm one of the few people that can tolerate a pop up screen once per day. Click on the 'X', it's gone. Seems like a fair trade off for a superior product that is free.
Citizen ChinOct 24th 2009 4:29PM
Oh, MSE I'd rank a close second to Avira, though I too have had some issues with it freaking out my CPU once in awhile. This is on an XP system.
LarsOct 24th 2009 5:32PM
Very helpful article.
Had to laugh at this line:
"Though you may not have heard of it, Avira is an extremely popular free antivirus program."
Reminds me of Judd Hirsch's character Alex Rieger's line on on Taxi: "You know, not many people realize this, but I'm very famous."
KevinOct 24th 2009 7:08PM
My current choice for Win7 64-bit is MSE, although I really dislike that you have to have Windows Update set on automatic updates in order to get MSE definitions updated automatically. I wish they were independent of each other, or at least the option was made to make it so.
I tried out AVG9 and it was causing conflicts with uTorrent, so it almost immediately got uninstalled. Avira was good, but for some reason it wasn't removing the eicar test file upon downloading. Had to manually scan the file. AVG also didn't remove it automatically upon download, so far only MSE has.
Once Avast 5 comes out of beta I'm definitely going to try it out. It's the AV I've normally installed on novice family member computers for the past few years.
minibarOct 24th 2009 9:58PM
i've found avg 9 which released last week somewhat faster than 8.5 and the interface slightly more intuitive or streamlined--no problems at all.
i haven't had time to try mse and i'm mixed on avira.
kaiOct 25th 2009 4:57AM
MSE does update independently, I heard about this on MSE's official forums.
KevinOct 25th 2009 6:24AM
@kai
You can do manual updates either by clicking 'Update' or by downloading the definition file from microsoft.com, but you can't do automatic definition updates like you would with any other AV without also opting into automatic Windows Updates, which a lot of tech-savvy users find annoying because they want full control over what's installed.
If you mean there's a way to have MSE update definitions automatically without having Windows Update on, then that's a brand new feature and I'd appreciate if you could provide a link saying that it's the case now. Thanks.
AkoOct 24th 2009 7:15PM
great article.
yeah, MSE chokes my CPU too, from time to time. and it's very slow at taking action. but it's the most accurate free antivirus i've seen so far.
Avira is totally fast at both scanning and deleting. but many false alarms!
AVG 8.5 (the last version of AVG i've used) didn't see many of the common threats, and it slowed down folder browsing in Vista.
AnonymousOct 24th 2009 8:17PM
Instead of LinkScanner, I recommend WOT, which currently works for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. Also works for Opera with a bookmarklet.
http://www.mywot.com/
BugMeNotOct 24th 2009 10:10PM
"The knock on Avira is its intrusive nag screen. If don't mind putting up with a pop-up window after updates, it's a very good choice. There are also ways to blog the nag screen, such as a small program like Click Off. Avira works on 32 and 64-bit Windows 7."
If you* don't mind
There are also ways to block* the nag screen
Don't work too late Lee, the proof reading is needed.
Tech-MikeOct 24th 2009 11:07PM
Avast! ... I have used avira, avg, and comodo - Avast is the best choice, easy install, no annoying pop-ups, no confusion, and has kept my systems protected against all threats for the last few years.
dreamscape86Oct 26th 2009 7:14AM
I second Avast! I used to use AVG, but when I moved to Vista early on, they didn't have a 64-bit version yet, so I switched to Avast. Now I wonder how I ever put up with AVG's putziness and resource hogging.
KevinOct 25th 2009 12:38AM
It's also worth noting also that there's a yearly annoyance with Avast. You have to re-register (for free) on their site to get a new serial, and then input it into the license section of the app, in order to continue to get definition updates for another year.
It's a piece of cake for those of us who've been doing things like that for years, but it can be a pain to walk through with an older family member who doesn't know much other than surfing the web and checking email.
Tech-MikeOct 25th 2009 12:42AM
You register once, from then on the serial is emailed to you and all you have to do is:
- Copy it from email
- Right-click the avast! icon in system tray, choose about
- Then click the license button at bottom
- Paste and viola !
....wow thats so hard to do once a year for absolutely GREAT protection.
KevinOct 25th 2009 6:23AM
You don't have to be so snarky. Apparently you haven't dealt with extreme luddites (I'm talking 65 years old and over) who find simple step by step instructions like that difficult.
Something like that IS a hurdle for someone who doesn't want to have to deal with yearly calls from several people to either hold their hand for several minutes over the phone, or actually pay a visit. Obviously these are extreme cases, but don't make it sound like it's a cakewalk for 100% of computer owners.
Tech-MikeOct 25th 2009 12:49AM
Also...theres a video tutorial on their site on how to do what I posted :
http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/insert_key.htm
MarkyB86Oct 25th 2009 2:20AM
I agree, Avast is superior and its protected myself, friends and family for the past few years. I even throw it on computers I repair.
Tech-MikeOct 25th 2009 3:06AM
Same here Marky
I dont know why AVG seems so much more popular than Avast!, the couple times I tested it myself (granted it was a long time ago) it, like otheres, effected system performance whereas with Avast! I have never had any issues.
Also - I have not tested Microsofts Security Essentials but recommended it to a friend who in which loves it.