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This article is for students, faculty, and staff. It provides background information on free and paid antivirus software that can be used in protecting desktop devices from cybersecurity threats. 

This article will focus only on recommended antivirus programs as they apply to desktop devices. For more information specifically about threat prevention on mobile devices, review the article,

ITS ensures that all University computers, networks, and systems have proper cybersecurity measures in place, including antivirus programs and tools. Despite the fact that non-University devices are not supported, ITS also strongly encourages all users to take action to protect their personal devices, especially laptops. To assist users in taking these security measures, lists of recommended software, both free and paid, are provided in the sections below. 

Free Antivirus Software

Free antivirus software is widely available, and is often offered by providers that also produce a paid version of their products. While it tends to only provide only basic protection, free antivirus software enables users to exercise more flexibility in choosing which software features they would like to have in place, based on their security needs. With free software, users have a wide variety of providers to choose from, and they can enhance the basic security provided by adding other security tools, like firewalls, and link-scanning.

There are two main drawbacks to free antivirus software. The first is that enhancing software capabilities by adding on features a la carte will require some research and technological savvy on the user’s part, especially because of the complications that could potentially result from custom security measures. The second drawback is the lack of technological support for free antivirus programs. While paid versions of these services will usually provide support for subscribers, free software users are often left to their own devices (so to speak), and are provided with only a knowledge base, or forum for sharing issues and seeking assistance.

Some common, free antivirus software products include:

  • Avast Free Antivirus
  • Avira AntiVir Personal
  • Threatfire Free
  • Malwarebytes Free

For more information about free recommended antivirus software, review the PCMag article, The Best Free Antivirus Protection for 2020. 

Paid Antivirus Software

Paid antivirus software offers more comprehensive functionality than do free products. Not only do they scan for threats, but they also offer additional security features, like parental controls. Unlike free software users, paid antivirus software users are also provided with phone and/or email support as part of the subscription.

While they provide users with more protection, paid antivirus software does not offer as many additional features as a full security software suite.

Some common, paid antivirus software products include:

  • Panda Antivirus Pro
  • Norton Antivirus
  • BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011

For more information about paid recommended software, review the PCMag article, The Best Antivirus Protection for 2020.

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