Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is an antivirus? Do you need one?
Think of it this way, would you feel safe leaving your doors unlocked? No, right? Even if you live in a remote property out in the country, leaving your home open will just make you and your family an easy target for burglars and intruders. Similarly, an unprotected computer attracts viruses and hackers who can easily attack you using malware such as spyware, ransomware, adware, trojans, worms, and more.
This is where an antivirus product comes in. It's a computer program designed to scan, detect, and delete viruses as well as other threats from your devices. It also acts as an alarm system or a door lock to help keep viruses, hackers, identity thieves, and other fraudsters at bay. With new online threats emerging every day, it only makes sense to install an antivirus product powerful and sophisticated enough to keep up.
What are the some of the dangers of not having anti-virus protection installed?
Without antivirus protection, you are putting sensitive information and your computer at risk. But what exactly are the consequences? Here are a few examples:
• Identity theft
• Loss of personal data such as photos, emails etc.
• Hardware failure
• Slow computer or browser speed
• Frequent freezing or crashing
• Access to files may be restricted
• Loss of money via ransomware attack
• Loss of money via an attack on your online bank account
• Loss of business-critical data
Which features should I look for in an antivirus program?
There are so many antivirus offers available nowadays, all claiming to offer the best protection at an unbeatable price. With dozens of options out there, how do you select the best one for your system? Here, we've outlined 11 features that every decent antivirus program must have:
• Virus detection and removal
• Anti-malware and anti-spyware
• Real-time scanner
• Scheduled scans
• Automatic updates
• Identity protection
• Safe browsing
• Strong firewall
• Intuitive interface
• Minimal resource usage
• Multi-platform compatibility (protection for PC/Mac/Android/iPhone/iPad and more)
And a few more that are nice-to-have:
• Email protection
• VPN
• Password manager
• Auto-clean feature
• Adblocker
• Parental controls
• Cloud backup
Does a free antivirus program offer adequate protection?
We understand the appeal of free antivirus software. After all, why pay if you can get adequate protection for free? However, most free antivirus programs only offer basic protection. It's unlikely to provide real-time protection, nor will it protect you from all angles. Plus, you'll have to contend with annoying pop-up ads and a constant reminder to upgrade. And once you run into an issue? Forget getting any technical assistance. In contrast, most paid antivirus programs are complete security suites that include various security enhancements and 24/7 customer support. Proper online security is not something you can get for free unfortunately...
Will antivirus software slow down my computer?
Probably not at all. While older computers used to be much less powerful, making this more of an issue, modern machines can easily take the strain of running antivirus software without negative effects on speed. We have specifically shortlisted antivirus utilities that have little to no impact on your system resources. All of the products in our top list run quietly in the background, so you'll hardly even notice them.Disclaimer
The aim of this website is to help you find the perfect software for your needs in an easy-to-view comparison list. You can read more about how we review and about our background in the About Us section of this website. Software.fish does not feature all of the software available in the market, we cherry-pick what we consider to be the leaders in each vertical. We try to keep this site updated and fresh, but cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information as well as the prices featured at all times. All prices quoted on this site are based on USD so there could be slight discrepancies due to currency fluctuations. Although the site is free to use, we do earn commissions from the software companies that we have partnered with. If you click on one of our links and then make a purchase, we will get paid by that company. This has an impact on the ranking, score, and order in which the software is presented in our list and elsewhere throughout the site. Software listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement.
