No matter how careful you are when you surf online, you are still at risk of catching a ugly virus or other malware. If you do not want to pay for an antivirus app, then there are also free alternatives that will protect you. I tested AVG AntiVirus against Bitdefender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender to find the best free antivirus
Photo: Fossbytes
Many of these even offer lots of features to protect your PC. But are they too good to be true and how do they work in relation to the built-in protection that Windows offers? I've collected three of the most popular free antivirus programs to test it.
ROUND 1 - Features
Defender has viruses, malware and spyware detection as well as removal. Real-time protection monitors your downloaded files. There is no firewall. Cloud-based protection protects against threats identified on other users' PCs. It is preinstalled with windows and has no advertisements or pop-ups that are asking for upgrades.
The free version of AVG has viruses, malware and spyware protection as well as real-time security updates.
Unlike Defender, it has a plugin that can protect you from unsafe links, downloads, and email attachments. A gaming mode (which reduces resource consumption) is also great, but if you want firewall or phishing protection, you'll have to pay.
Bitdefender has the same features as AVG and Autopilot mode, which automatically configures security settings, allows updates, etc. and has no annoying pop-ups, but AVG's gaming mode gives it an advantage.
Winner: AVG
ROUND 2 - Ease of Use
We'd prefer our antivirus app to be discreet and keep us protected without interference. In this regard, Windows Defender has a great advantage if you run the latest version of Windows, as it is already installed and configured.
It is easy to download and install Bitdefender, and it scans your PC during the process. The user interface is streamlined and easy to understand, and the Autopilot setting means you can leave it to the app to keep you protected. To scan specific files, just drag them over.
AVG's user interface has small simple indications that tell you whether your PC is protected and a large button that can scan your system. It is not as self-propelled as the others, but the installation is simple. You are encouraged to install a plugin for your browser that can protect you when you are online, but it tries to change your default search engine and home screen and we do not like it.
Draw: Windows Defender and Bitdefender
ROUND 3 - Virus scanning
In the latest antivirus-comparable test (performed by an independent company), Bitdefender successfully blocked 1618 out of 1619 test cases with a protection rate of 99.9%. AVG did not catch as many as 1612 and 99.6%.
Windows Defender captured 1570 test cases with a 97% protection rate. It is still high, but not quite as good as the other two products in the test.
The anti-virus test also tested fake markup programs - it's secure files that are mistakenly identified as harmful and blocked by antivirus programs. Both AVG and Bitdefender completed the test without any incorrectly blocked files or websites, while Windows Defender erroneously blocked23 cases. While AVG and Bitdefender (Bitdefender won a mulehair) were pretty close, Windows Defender's performance was very disappointing.
Winner: Bitdefender
ROUND 4 - Scanning speeds
On our test machine, Windows Defender completed a Quick Scan in one minute and scanned 11,288 files. Then I performed a deeper scan on a full 100GB hard drive, which it managed in 26 minutes and 42 seconds. Then Bitdefender came, and the first Quick Scan took only 49 seconds.
With the free Bitdefender version, scanning options are a bit limited, so I pulled our entire 100GB folder onto the program to scan. It took 7 minutes and 10 seconds, which was a lot faster than Windows Defender.
AVG does not have a Quick Scan option, although it offers many ways to configure scans, so it checks only the bits of your PC you want to scan. It is advisable with all antivirus products, so you are sure your PC is completely safe. Our deep scan of the 100GB hard drive took 9 minutes and 48 seconds. Much faster than Windows Defender but not as fast as Bitdefender.
###Winner: Bitdefender
ROUND 5 - Resource Consumption
Antivirus software can be very resource-intensive. With Microsoft's knowledge of Windows, it would be believed that Defender would benefit here. While I performed the full scan, it peaked with 275 MB RAM and CPU usage (a powerful quad core Intel Core i7) of around 54.6%. When it was not used, it took up152 MB of RAM.
Bitdefender was much more resource intensive. When it was not in use, it used approx. 180 MB frame, but when it scanned it peaked at 780 MB RAM (although it was about 400 MB most of the scan time) and CPU usage reached 98% with an average of 70%. It's the price to pay for quick scan.
Meanwhile I was very impressed by AVG. When it was not in use, the software took about 130 MB RAM and in use only about 160 MB. Even better, CPU consumption was never higher than 14% - quite far from the pressure Bitdefender puts on your PC.
Winner: AVG
And the winner is…
All these antivirus programs have some benefits, regardless of whether it is Windows Defender's convenience, Bitdefender's cutting-edge scan speed or AVG's speed and ease of use of resources. If you choose Bitdefender, you can be sure that your PC is as well protected as possible with a free program and if you choose to stay with Windows Defender, you are at least protected from most threats.
The overall winner in this test is, however, AVG. It has lots of features, has a great protection rate and honorable scan speeds. What I really appreciate, however, is how few resources it requires from your PC when it runs in the background or even when it scans your computer. It protects your PC well with almost no impact on performance - like all good antivirus products, you will hardly find that it's there.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that you of course get more features in full blood payment antivirus software.
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