The Best Free Antivirus Software in 2024 | Security.org (2024)

You might have seen some “free” antivirus software out there. But can those free antivirus programs stop hackers and actually protect you online? The short answer is: sometimes.

While premium antivirus software usually offers more comprehensive protections, there are a handful of providers out there that offer free tools to help improve your internet security with antivirus protection. The question is: which ones?

You’re in the right place to find out. We’ve put dozens of these programs to the test and ranked them according to security, cost, and ease-of-use.

We’re going to get into the details of each service below, but here’s what they look like, stacked up side by side.

The Best Free Antivirus at a Glance

Summary: The Best Free Antivirus Protection in a Nutshell

1. TotalAV Antivirus - Best Features
2. Surfshark Antivirus - Best with VPN
3. Bitdefender Antivirus - Best for Desktop
4. Avast Antivirus - Best for Android
5. AVG Antivirus - Best with Ransomware Protection
6. McAfee Antivirus - The Best Free Trial
7. Kaspersky Antivirus - Best Discounts

A Closer Look At Our Favorite No Cost Antivirus Software

• 1. TotalAV Antivirus - Best Features

  Editors Rating:

  9.7 /10

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  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	No
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

  View Packages

  Pros

  • Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices
  • Streamlined software keeps device working fast
  • Easy installation and setup
  • Option to schedule weekly scan

  Cons

  • No firewall
  • No real-time protection
  • Only covers one device
  • Quick scan can take up to 15 minutes

  

  Fast, Easy Installation

  TotalAV is perfect for anyone who is looking for a quick, free antivirus solution. Think you might be infected with malware and want a fast, easy fix? Navigate to the TotalAV free download site, press the big green button in the middle of the page, and start the download. It’s that simple. TotalAV read our device so it knew exactly which package we needed. The installation took us less than two minutes, and the software initiated as soon as we opened it, so we had results within fifteen minutes. Turns out our device was clean, but we like knowing that if it had been infected we’d have known that fast and with no fuss.

  Unobtrusive Scanning

  All software slows down devices, including antivirus software. We’re willing to pay the cost in speed in exchange for keeping our device safe. Still, there’s no denying that when Zoom hangs up in the middle of staff meetings, or when our games lag, we can get pretty frustrated. TotalAV’s free edition is compact and doesn’t require a lot of resources to run effectively. Even when we were running a full on-demand scan, we saw no sign whatsoever that TotalAV affected our performance.

  Compatible With Multiple Platforms

  There aren’t a lot of antivirus companies out there offering free versions of their software. Even fewer of them offer free versions for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms. TotalAV does. You’ll find highly rated apps on the App Store and Google Play, or you can head to the company’s website and TotalAV will choose the package that’s right for your device.

• 2. Surfshark Antivirus - Best with VPN

  Editors Rating:

  8.9 /10

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  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	No
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

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  See Also

  What is the difference between free anti-virus software and paid anti-virus software?Free vs. Paid Antivirus: Should You Pay?Does Antivirus Slow Down Your Computer?Microsoft Defender Antivirus Review

  Pros

  • Protection for unlimited devices
  • Affordable pricing
  • Robust VPN service
  • Identity theft protections
  • Webcam protection

  Cons

  • Free version only lasts seven days
  • Some IP Logging with VPN
  • Average malware-blocking abilities
  • Lacks Android features

  VPN Functionality

  

  You might know Surfshark primarily as a VPN provider, and while that’s true, the company also offers some highly effective antivirus software as well as digital privacy tools that are free to try. First, let’s talk about their VPN, though.

  VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. These tools effectively hide your online activity from hackers, internet service providers, and overzealous government agencies by sending your digital traffic through an encrypted tunnel. It’s obviously a lot more technical than that, but you get the gist. If you want to increase your privacy online, a VPN is the best way to do it.

  >> Learn More: The Best VPNs of 2024

  As far as Surfshark’s VPN goes, it’s definitely one of the best out there. It’s footprint is decently sized at around 3,200 servers across 100 counties, its protections are high-tech, and the performance degradations associated with VPN use were almost negligible when we put it to the test. It’s not the biggest — that’s PIA — and it’s not the fastest — that’s PureVPN — but we’re splitting hairs on both accounts. Overall, Surfshark is a high-quality, well-rounded VPN that’s going to get the job done where it counts.

  Personally, I’ve found that Surfshark is one of the best travel VPNs out there. When I’m abroad, I use the VPN to watch Netflix from back home by spoofing my location back to my apartment in Brooklyn. This is comforting in two ways — one, I know my sensitive data is secure while I’m accessing the internet through public WiFi, and two, I get to watch Seinfeld while I fall asleep.

  Antivirus Functionality

  While VPNs can help increase your anonymity online, that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk about Surfshark One and Surfshark One+, this provider’s malware protection services. In our tests, we found that they did a pretty decent job at detecting our test viruses — not an outstanding job, but a decent one. But where they really stood out is that the database they check against is automatically updated every three hours. Digital threats are constantly evolving, so you want a company that’s going to keep up with the rapidly changing times.

  We do want to point out here that this isn’t technically a free service. It’s free to try for seven days. Once that period is up, you’ll be asked to purchase a subscription, which will cost you between $2 and $20 per month, depending on the tier of service you select and the subscription term you go with. Also keep in mind that you have 30 days to return the service if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, so think of that as an extended risk-free trial.

  Identity Theft Protection

  Another reason I really like Surfshark is how comprehensive the protections are. They’re one of the few on this list that actually provide identity theft protection services bundled in. Functionally, this shows up as regular scans of known black-market sites that trade in personally identifiable information and alerts you if your sensitive data shows up — items like your credit card information or your social security numbers.

  Surfshark also helps you set up what they call an “Alternative Identity” — essentially false credentials you can use to set up services or purchase items through sites that might not have the strictest security protocols. I actually used it to purchase a paint sprayer from China recently, and felt a lot more confident that I wasn’t giving them any information that could be used to steal my identity.

• 3. Bitdefender Antivirus - Best for Desktop

  Editors Rating:

  8.7 /10

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  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	Yes
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

  View Plans

  Pros

  • Packed with premium features like Bitdefender Photon™
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android
  • Got a perfect score in our virus detection test
  • Anti-phishing and anti-fraud features

  Cons

  • Packed with premium features like Bitdefender Photon™
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android
  • Got a perfect score in our virus detection test
  • Anti-phishing and anti-fraud features

  

  Desktop Optimized

  We’ve tested dozens of antivirus programs on our Windows and Mac computers, but we were most impressed by Bitdefender’s intuitive desktop app. The user-friendly interface made it easy for us to do a quick or full system scan, but it’s the on-access scans that made life easy for us. We just left the app running in the background, and whenever we accessed a file or opened a folder, it scanned them beforehand. Of course, running scans in the background could easily backfire and cause our computer to slow down. But thanks to Bitdefender Photon™, a freemium feature that optimized the antivirus for our hardware and software configuration, our computer and the scans ran smoothly.

  Premium Features for Free

  Although it’s free, Bitdefender didn’t hold back from providing premium features. Bitdefender Photon™ was one, but there were also web protection features such as anti-phishing and anti-fraud. Bitdefender checked the websites we visited to make sure they weren’t fake websites trying to scam us into providing our personal or payment information. We don’t easily fall for such tricks, but it’s a feature we certainly want for our parents’ computers.

  FYI: Phishing websites these days do a great job of imitating legitimate websites, so always be careful when clicking seemingly harmless links. Be wary of things such as suspicious URLs (e.g. URLs that end with .xyz instead of .com), emails asking you to update your account information or else you’ll lose your account, and grammar mistakes on webpages.

  Don’t Underestimate Its Virus Detection

  The Bitdefender antivirus we tested may be free, but it’s no different from the paid-for version (which we also tested, by the way) when it came to our virus detection test. Both versions of Bitdefender detected all five viruses we hid in our computer. That’s not to say that the premium version isn’t worth it. Virus detection aside, the premium version offers a ton of useful extra features, like advanced scan customizations and device cleanup. But if we’re to focus on Bitdefender’s ability to detect viruses and that only, the free and premium versions are on par with each other.

  It’s also worth pointing out that BitDefender’s free version receives the same updates as the paid version. This means you won’t miss out on protection from more modern threats — definitely a nice touch.

• 4. Avast Antivirus - Best for Android

  Editors Rating:

  8.5 /10

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  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	Yes
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

  See Also

  Do You Still Need Antivirus Protection Software in 2024?

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  Pros

  • 98.60 percent detection of recent Android malware
  • 4.7 stars Google Play Store rating
  • Anti-theft protection
  • Scanned public Wi-Fi networks for potential hackers

  Cons

  • Requires additional permissions to use some features like anti-theft protection
  • Additional app is needed to access junk file cleaner
  • Not-so-subtle advertising of other Avast products
  • Setting up a custom scan required more taps than we hoped

  

  Great Android App

  If you’re looking to protect an Android Device, Avast is definitely a service to check out. Their app is highly rated in the Google Play store, and in independent testing, they were able to detect almost 99 percent of Android-specific malware. Those are some pretty great stats right there.

  We also appreciated that Avast let us control what data they could collect and how it would be used. A lot of antivirus software providers — particularly ones that offer free services — collect a ton of data about their users and sell it to third parties. So if you’re interested in protecting your privacy as well as your Android device, this might be a good service for you.

  Hackers Beware

  Avast can also protect you from hackers trying to steal information through unprotected Wi-Fi Networks, something you should definitely be concerned about if you’re on the move a lot with your Android device. Their WiFi security scanner checked for network vulnerabilities and prevented us from wading too far into the danger zone.

  Similar to Surfshark, we also use Avast’s onboard VPN to help keep us protected, like when we’re browsing social media on our phone at the airport or in a hotel lobby. Knowing that no one can look in and see what we’re doing offers some pretty great peace of mind. To learn more about that, check out our Avast SecureLine VPN review.

  Protection in the Background

  Thankfully Avast’s ability to detect malware isn’t limited to user-initiated scans. Who remembers to do those anyway? Instead, Avast is always working in the background, even if you don’t have the app open. We really felt a lot safer seeing the message that Avast was running in our notification tray.
  

  >> Related: Avast Privacy Report

• 5. AVG Antivirus - Best with Ransomware Protection

  Editors Rating:

  8.6 /10

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  How We Review

  

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  Pros

  • Scanned URLs and email attachments
  • Simultaneously protected multiple devices
  • Checked our devices for performance issues
  • Worked on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android

  Cons

  • Collected our personal data and payment information
  • Limited iOS features
  • Aggressive marketing of other AVG products
  • Didn’t have a firewall feature

  

  Ransomware Protection

  AVG offers extensive protection against ransomware. This type of malware traditionally hijacks a computer, encrypts or threatens to leak important files, and then asks for a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. It’s a formidable malware that has cost companies, government agencies, and individuals $7.5 billion in damages in 2019 alone.2 To protect its users from such attacks, AVG scans files for traces of ransomware, such as files that bear the ability to encrypt other files. AVG immediately quarantines such files to prevent them from causing any damages. However, note that AVG doesn’t have the ability to recover already hijacked files. As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure,” and AVG is one of the best free antiviruses at preventing ransomware attacks.

  Viruses: Do Not Enter

  Checking our files for potential threats is one thing, but making sure they didn’t enter our devices in the first place is another. AVG’s web protection features kept viruses and malware out by blocking unsafe links, downloads, and email attachments. For instance, when we accidentally clicked on an ad that was supposed to bring us to a suspicious website, AVG immediately interfered. Even during our virus detection test, we forgot to turn off AVG before downloading the first virus file, and so AVG prevented the download from pushing through. Well, it did detect that the file was a virus, so that’s a point for AVG right off the bat. As for the rest of the files, we made sure to turn off AVG before downloading them so we could proceed with our tests as planned.

  Performance Problem Scans

  Quite a few of the antivirus tools we tested slowed down our computers while they scanned for threats. However, AVG was different. It was a lightweight program, so it had no noticeable effect on our PC’s performance. On the contrary, it scanned our computers for potential performance issues. And while it didn’t fix them, it helped us pinpoint which areas we could optimize to make our computers faster. For example, it pointed out that our hard disks were “cluttered”, so we knew it was time to defragment our drives.

• 6. McAfee Antivirus - The Best Free Trial

  Editors Rating:

  8.8 /10

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  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	Yes
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

  View Plans

  Pros

  • Free trial has access to all premium features
  • Supports up to 10 devices
  • Firewall protection
  • Web and identity theft protection with password manager

  Cons

  • Free trial expires after 30 days
  • Scans could slow down devices
  • Full and quick scans took longer than other antivirus programs
  • Notifications pop up frequently

  

  Try All Features For 30 Days

  McAfee is the odd one out among the antiviruses in this review. It’s the only free trial software, not a free version, and that means it has a time limit of 30 days. However, it has a unique advantage over the other top picks. Because it’s a free trial of the paid-for version, the McAfee software we tested had access to all premium features, including web protection, identity theft protection, a password manager, and a VPN.

  Additionally, it’s a free trial of the highest tier package, and that means it protects up to 10 devices and includes parental control and family safety features. It didn’t last long, though. The free trial was over before we knew it, and we had to upgrade to the five-device plan to complete our McAfee review. However, if you’re looking for a premium antivirus software for short-term use, a free trial of McAfee Total Protection might be just what you need.

  The Trial Has Expired. What Now?: After the free trial period, McAfee gave us three options: upgrade to a paid subscription, purchase a different product from them, or install a free security solution. Unfortunately, none of the free solutions was an antivirus, so we ended up upgrading our subscription.

  Real-Time Threat Detection

  Running a full scan with McAfee took several hours, which is why we’re glad it offered real-time malware detection. Instead of having us scan our computer every now and then, McAfee took the initiative and scanned every file, folder, or program we clicked on before allowing them to open. And everytime it detected threats hidden in those items, McAfee quickly quarantined the files to prevent the threat from spreading or affecting our computer.

  A Simple User Interface

  Our experience using the McAfee Windows app went smoothly, largely because of the intuitive design and user interface of the app. The app’s homescreen featured a quick status report of recently detected threats along with shortcuts leading to the app’s advanced features. It had one of the cleanest interfaces we’ve seen, and despite the frequent notifications, the app generally left us well enough alone to go about our daily tasks.

• 7. Kaspersky Antivirus - Best Discounts

  Editors Rating:

  9.1 /10

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Virus Detection	Yes
  Malware Detection	Yes
  Firewall	No
  On-demand Scanning	Yes
  On-access Scanning	Yes
  Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

  

  Pros

  • Works on iOS, Android, and Windows
  • Free version can be used on more than one device at a time
  • Detected five out of five threats in our virus detection test
  • Free password manager (up to 15 accounts) and Kaspersky VPN (up to 200 MB per day)

  Cons

  • No free Mac version
  • No firewall on the free version
  • No phone or live chat support for the free version
  • Rumored (but unproven) ties to the Russian government

  

  Smartphone Protection At Its Best

  We tested Kaspersky’s free antivirus on Windows, iOS, and Android, and we have to admit, we were impressed by the smartphone apps. The apps have a near-perfect user rating — 4.7 out of five stars on Android and 4.7 out of 5 stars on iOS. Aside from that, independent tests by AV-TEST show that the Android version detected 99.9 percent of all recent Android malware, another near-perfect performance. Plus, the fact that we could use the antivirus on our iPhone and Android phones at the same time means we didn’t have to choose one device to protect and compromise the other. Thanks, Kaspersky.

  More Than Just an Antivirus

  Kaspersky was a great antivirus, but it was much more than that. It was also a VPN and a password manager. As a VPN, the free Kaspersky version could encrypt up to 200 MB of data per day and change the IP address of devices to help maintain the user’s anonymity online. And as a password manager, the free version could securely store up to 15 passwords. Now, that’s not nearly enough for all the social media, shopping, and digital streaming accounts we have. But we’re glad that we could protect our most important accounts such as our emails and online banking accounts. As a side note, the Kaspersky full version includes a VPN with no data limit and a password manager that can handle an unlimited number of accounts.

  Pricing for All Budgets

  We know we’re supposed to focus on free antiviruses, but we also want to keep your options open in case you decide to spring for the full version. Kaspersky’s pricing is flexible. There are license packs for three or five devices, and the duration of the subscription ranges from one to three years. If you’re in for the long haul, a three-year license will yield the biggest savings, but if you want to dip your toes first, a one-year license is better. Either way, you’ll get Kaspersky’s full virus and malware protection suite.

  Did You Know:

What Goes Into Our Review Process

Before anything else, let’s get one thing straight: we knew we were testing free software, so we made sure to keep our expectations realistic. However, that didn’t stop us from setting a standard. We set out to do our tests with the goal of finding free antivirus tools that provide the bare minimum virus and malware protection we require. And if they offer extra protection in the form of additional features? Even better! That said, here are the factors we considered during our review process.

Free Trial vs. Free Version

If you Google “free antivirus,” you’ll find dozens of companies offering free trials and free versions. Subjectively, we prefer free versions because they can be used indefinitely whereas free trials have a time limit. We want to give our readers options that they can use for a long time and not just for seven or 30 days.

With that being said, we didn’t completely eliminate free trials from our tests. Free trials often offer features similar to the full version and that’s good for those looking for better features. On the other hand, free versions are usually limited feature-wise. Some free versions also have a stricter limit to the number of devices or operating systems they support. So here’s the bottom line: we recommend free versions of antivirus tools to those who are in for the long haul and are okay with a limited set of features. But for those who want premium features for a limited time only, we suggest getting a free trial.

Priority Number One: Virus Detection

Now onto our actual review process. All of our top picks meet the minimum virus and malware protection we expect from antivirus software, which we verified through our virus detection test.

First, we downloaded (but didn’t open) five viruses posing as regular files. They were in the .xlsx, .exe, .doc, .xlsm, .xls file formats. Pretty inconspicuous, right? Well, that’s how most viruses operate, so we expected our top picks to detect at least three of the five. We then proceeded to scan our computer using each antivirus tool. Out of the roughly 40 antiviruses we tested, only our top two picks, Bitdefender and Kaspersky, detected all five viruses. Meanwhile, Avast, AVG, and McAfee all detected three out of five, which is still a strong showing compared to some that managed to detect only one or two.

Scan, or Scan’t?

Next, we checked which methods of virus and malware detection each antivirus can and can’t do. We focused on three main methods: on-demand, on-access, and behavior-based detection.

• On-demand scans: On-demand scans are user-initiated. If you have to click on a “Scan” button to start the process, then that’s definitely an on-demand scan. Most antivirus tools offer the option to do a full scan (all files and folders), a quick scan (most important files), or a custom scan (files you choose).
• On-access scans: On-access scans take the load of initiating scans off the user by automatically running in the background whenever the antivirus software is open. So if the antivirus detected threats even though you didn’t scan your computer, it most likely has an on-access scan.
• Behavior-based detection: Behavior-based detection doesn’t just scan your files for suspicious codes that might indicate malware infestation. It also looks at how each file behaves and flags suspicious activities. One example is if a seemingly innocent .doc file tries to change your computer settings. Because of its way of detecting threats, behavior-based detection excels at finding new malware not yet added to antivirus databases.

All three detection methods are important, which is why we looked for antivirus tools that have them all. In addition, since an updated virus and malware database is required for on-demand and on-access scans, we made sure that our top picks can all push automatic updates of their virus and malware database regularly. That will ensure that their ability to detect threats is always optimal.

Privacy 101

Of course, data security is important to us, so we looked into each antivirus company’s background to search for past privacy-related issues. Believe it or not, most if not all of the companies we checked have had breaches in the past. What’s important, though, is how quickly and efficiently they resolved those issues, and we’re glad to report that our top picks in particular have a history of acting immediately when security breaches arised.

We also checked each company’s current data collection policies, and most of them complied with the industry norms. However, note that the types of data antivirus companies normally collect might be more than what you’re willing to give up. It might include:

• Personal information (name, email address, contact details)
• Payment information (card numbers, bank account numbers, billing information)
• Device information (IP address, MAC address, IMEI number, O.S version)
• Usage statistics
• Technical reports
• Web usage statistics.

Wrapping it Up

While free antivirus software definitely offers you some protections, we always recommend paid solution. Just think about it, nobody wants to spend their free time developing antivirus software without any compensation. So, most free antivirus software servers as a starting point that aims to entice you into paying for one of its paid options. As such, they limit the free version’s capabilities to scans and minimal protection. But, if you can’t afford antivirus software, one of the best free antivirus programs will still be better than nothing.

FAQs

If you're looking for more information about free antivirus software, here's our answer to the most frequently asked questions.

• Is free antivirus software safe to use?

  Not all free antivirus tools are safe to use, therefore, you have to be vigilant when searching for a free antivirus. We recommend installing antivirus software from legitimate sources, such as the vendor’s website itself. Avoid downloading free antiviruses from pop-ups or ads that might say your computer is at risk or something along those lines.

• What is the best free antivirus software?

  We’ve tested dozens of free antivirus software and our highest ratings go to TotalAV, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Avast, AVG, and McAfee. In terms of virus and malware protection, these antiviruses have proven themselves reliable.

• Is free antivirus protection enough?

  From what we experienced, most free antivirus tools are just as effective at detecting viruses and malware as their premium versions, but they may not cover all of your devices or operating systems. In addition, some paid-for versions offer extra protection through premium features such as firewall protection, password manager, and VPN.

• Do I need to provide credit card information to download free antivirus software?

  There is no need to provide credit card information to download most free antivirus tools. However, if you download a free trial of a paid-for antivirus, you might need to provide a payment method if the trial is set to auto-renew.

• Does free antivirus software work on mobile devices?

  Good news, smartphone users: there’s free antivirus software for you too. Look for a highly-rated, free-to-download antivirus mobile app. We’re fans of TotalAV.