The antivirus industry can be a difficult one to navigate when trying to find a product that best fits your needs. If you’re unable to use Microsoft Defender or understandably don’t trust a Microsoft-developed product, here are a few factors you should consider when choosing an antivirus.
Reliable Threat Protection
One of the most important things to consider is the level of protection it provides against threats. The best antivirus software uses a variety of methods to protect your computer, including signature-based detection, heuristic-based detection, behavior monitoring, sandboxing and artificial intelligence.
Some threats, such as ransomware, are difficult to detect and require a multilayered approach to security. Others, such as viruses, are easier to detect but can still do a lot of damage if they’re not removed quickly. To assess how reliable an antivirus software is, you should look at independent lab results and user reviews and ensure it takes a multilayered approach to threat prevention, detection and removal. If you run a business, make sure you’re collaborating with your IT department when making this decision as well.
Frequent Updates
New malware threats are constantly created, and old threats are constantly evolving. This means that an antivirus that isn’t consistently updating its virus signature repositories to better detect these new threats isn’t going to be of much use to you.
Your software should update its virus definitions at least once a day, but more frequently is better. Some programs allow you to set the frequency of updates, while others update automatically. Most sales pages will tell you how often the software updates. If it doesn’t, ask before you purchase.
It’s also a good idea to see if the antivirus has encountered any major bugs or vulnerabilities in the past and how quickly the provider informed users and resolved the issue. Antiviruses are still pieces of software, which means they can be as prone to breaking and glitching as any other.
Cost
If you really want to pay for an antivirus, you should expect to pay around $30 to $40 for a year’s subscription on a single device, at minimum. This price may vary depending on the program’s features. For example, a business usually pays more for priority support than a home user.
The main cost factors for antivirus software are the frequency of updates and the number of devices covered. Some programs offer discounts for multiple devices, while others charge extra for updates that occur more than once a day.
Make sure any antivirus you’re considering purchasing has a generous free trial period so you can make sure it’s the right fit for your needs before spending any money.
Compatibility and System Load
When choosing antivirus software, you should also consider how compatible it is with your operating system and how much of your computer’s resources it consumes. The best software is compatible with all major operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux.
It’s also important to consider how much of your computer’s resources the software uses. Some programs consume a lot of memory or CPU power, which can slow down your computer or even cause it to crash. It can be hard to find an antivirus that doesn’t cause at least some slowdown, but we’d still recommend looking for one that won’t be too big of a drain on your device’s resources.
Customer Support
Good customer support options are great to have in case you run into any problems with the software or need help using it. The best antivirus programs offer 24/7 customer support, either by phone or live chat. Most of the time, this will be with a chatbot, but if the provider offers actual support with a human, that’s even better. Check customer reviews for any positive or negative interactions previous users might have had with customer support.
Trustworthiness
Reputation and trustworthiness are important for any cybersecurity company, especially an antivirus provider. You’re essentially trusting this company and its software to keep your device and data safe. As such, we recommend researching any company you might be interested in buying from, looking at user reviews and seeing if they’ve been involved in any major scandals.
ASK THE EXPERT
How should I choose an antivirus software?
Howard Poston
Business Expert
Zephin Livingston
Staff Reviewer
 
Most computers have decent built-in antivirus protection, and protecting against malware on mobile devices largely requires being careful about the apps that you install and the links that you click. If you want a supplementary antivirus, check out independent reviews and avoid anything that is free or comes packaged with other software (browser toolbars, etc.).
Howard Poston
Business Expert
 
I’d recommend most PC owners use Microsoft Defender. If you really have to buy an antivirus, look for one that has a good reputation and scores well in independent testing. Avoid the big names if you can.
Zephin Livingston
Staff Reviewer
