Top antivirus uk

Simply open packaging to reveal your product card with the activation code. No more bulky box or hard-to-recycle discs.

Features The ultimate protection, privacy, and performance bundle for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS security - real-time Antivirus and anti-hacker protection, PC webcam security, and Premium mobile Anti-Theft privacy - privately browse, bank, and shop online, and disguise your location to browse without restrictions performance - Keep your devices in top Shape by boosting their speed and battery life and removing junk data, duplicate files, and unwanted photos.

With solid malware protection and blazing fast virus scans, it is only a matter of time before Webroot's software starts challenging the big names in the antivirus arena. Webroot also offers an Internet Security Plus version that expands coverage to mobile devices and adds a password manager provided by LastPass, and an Internet Security Complete option adding to the program extra security features and an automatic backup tool.

Unsure whether you should give Webroot a shot? What are you waiting for? In that case, you'll be wondering, how good is a free antivirus and should you bother installing one? Most free antivirus options offer basic protection, which is good to shield you from at least some online threats. If Kaspersky Total Security is one of the best, paid antivirus options you can get, the company's Security Cloud version is hands-down the best free one.

The software offers record-high protection levels against phishing attacks and features solid malware and malicious URL blocking capabilities.

It is available on Windows devices, as well as various mobile devices including Android smartphones and tablets and iPhones and iPads. In addition to very good protection capabilities, the software comes with a free network security inspector and a password manager. But the extra features don't stop there. Going through each of the program's three security tabs you will find several options like a Wi-Fi Inspector to detect network issues, a Core Shields option to choose core defences a and Virus Chest feature to look at locked up threats.

The free version of this excellent internet security software has all the core features of the paid options. The main difference with the premium versions is the lack of add-ons and additional malware protection levels, but that is to be expected since we are talking about a free antivirus.

However, when it comes to virus and malware protection capabilities, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is every bit as valid as Avast or Kaspersky. Unsure about which option is best for you?

Just note that Sophos no longer offers a long-term free version to new users. You'll see on the website you can download it for free, but that's just a trial version rather than an all-singing all-dancing free antivirus package. We've tested all of the biggest names in internet security, we've found that the very best antivirus software in is Bitdefender. It's a superb bit of software - from its entry-level Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and its cast-iron malware defenses, excellent threat detection and genuinely value-adding extra features, right up to its all-singing, all-dancing Total Security that adds an array of maintenance tools and can be used to protect your family's computers, tablets and phones.

An antivirus app sits on your device like a guard dog, watching over the entire system and sniffing out any intruders malware , or indeed anything suspicious. In short, it offers real-time defenses against viruses or other threats, which if detected are immediately dealt with, preventing them from carrying out their destructive payload. As well as this automated protection, you can run manual virus scans whenever you wish.

Think of these as the fingerprints of malware, and if something is spotted coming onto your system that has a matching fingerprint, the antivirus leaps into action, quarantining the offender.

For more details on this topic, see our full breakdown of exactly how antivirus software works. The obvious answer is staring you in the face Consult our rankings in this article, which is based on our expert knowledge and thorough, continually updated reviews of the top antivirus players. That said, obviously you also have to bear in mind your own particular needs. Or at the other end of the scale, maybe you have a large family with a ton of devices to protect, and you need a package to cater for that.

Or maybe you want a VPN service as well as antivirus, so a bundled package will save you a lot of money on subscription fees. In short, our recommendations are here as firm guidance, but modify these appropriately based on your individual requirements.

For more thoughts on this, check out our article exploring how to choose the best antivirus. The good news is that the best antivirus products are getting cheaper and cheaper to purchase, and free products are getting more and more effective A good free antivirus — like the ones we recommend on this page below — is a perfectly reasonable option for protecting your PC, with Microsoft Defender now the best we've ever seen it.

That said, premium antivirus programs offer extra features above and beyond the fundamentals. A robust system of parental controls could be a huge win for those with kids, for example. Or a dedicated anti-ransomware layer of protection that only comes with the paid-for product could help catch one of the most dreaded infections and halt it in its tracks.

For more on this, read our full piece on whether free antivirus is enough to protect you. Or just keep scrolling as we reveal today's best free antivirus software providers Paying for a premium service means you get more features like spam filters, parental controls, system scans and advanced firewalls. This makes them more suitable for power users, those who want a bit of extra security and anyone who needs their system to run as smoothly as possible.

It also means you avoid annoying pop-ups that try and tempt you to upgrade to the full version. In fact, these days you can get top quality protection absolutely free, with just about every single major vendor out there offering a free antivirus. Avira Free Antivirus is today's best free security download If you're determined to get free antivirus, we strongly suggest that you go for our pick of best security downloads - Avira Free Antivirus.

We've highlighted its long list of features below, together with information on how well it performs at independent testing labs. A very impressive freebie. That's pretty good for a freebie, and why we have no qualms at all in naming it as our 1 best free antivirus download. As well as the essential security smarts, we also love the clean, friendly interface and the fact it has a track record of throwing up minimal false positives.

In fact, the list of features reads more like a fully paid premium package. It throws in identity protection, a password manager, anti-scam protection to prevent phishing attempts, and even a PC cleaner to keep your system spick and span. If there's one thing we'd change then it's the tad overeager badgering - although popups and advertisements are very common to free products, and that doesn;t prevent us from wholeheartedly recommending Avira Free Antivirus.

Review and where to download: Avira Free Antivirus. Avast and AVG haven't yet fully merged, despite the former formally acquiring the latter in mid The newly combined company says the two free antivirus products will remain separate, although there's apparently a joint AV package on the way soon.

Obviously, though, Avast now has a lot more data to work with, having expanded its effective userbase and, therefore, its threat detection network to a whopping million users. The latest edition of Avast's free antivirus - now branded Avast One Essential - adds an automatic gaming mode to mute popups and reduce system load when you're firing up a processor-hungry game, which is very handy indeed, and the interface has been given a clean new overhaul. There's a password manager, too, which is an undeniably good addition to your security portfolio.

It scores well on AV-TEST's widespread malware benchmark and continues a clean sweep against 0-day attacks — presumably that expanded detection network is really helping. Less impressive is the slight negative effect Avast has on software launch times, and its slightly popup-heavy attitude. Review and where to download: Avast Free Antivirus. Microsoft Defender formerly Windows Defender was generally seen as a bit of a joke in the not-too-distant past. It performed terribly by most measures and was a good advert for why you should really pay for antivirus.

But as we explain further up this article, Microsoft Defender has come on leaps and bounds and can now legitimately be mentioned in the same company as Bitdefender, Norton and Kaspersky.

As well as very solid virus protection, Defender has extra bits and bobs like a ransomware shield, webcam protection, privacy tools and even basic parental controls and cloud backup. And the best bit No need to download a thing, just find it in your menu and get protected straight away.

Read more and see how to use: Microsoft Defender review. Others keep watch for suspicious behaviors that suggest malware. Some even aim to reverse the damage.

Given the growth of this scourge, any added protection is beneficial. Your antivirus utility works in the background to keep out any faint possibility of infestation by malware, but its abilities don't extend beyond the bounds of your computer.

When you connect to the wild and wooly internet, you risk the possibility that your data could be compromised in transit. This component is important enough that we're starting to see it as a bonus feature in some antivirus tools.

Which antivirus should you choose? You have a wealth of options. Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus routinely take perfect or near-perfect scores from the independent antivirus testing labs. Its unusual behavior-based detection technology means Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is the tiniest antivirus around. We've named these four Editors' Choice for commercial antivirus, but they're not the only products worth consideration.

Read the reviews of our top-rated products, and then make your own decision. By Neil J. Rubenking 3 Dec , p. Top Picks. Best For Wealth of Bonus Features. With impressive antivirus lab results and a collection of features that puts many full security suites to shame, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is an excellent choice for protecting your PC.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus takes perfect or near-perfect scores from all the independent testing labs, and it aced our hands-on ransomware protection test. It remains an antivirus Editors' Choice. PROS Perfect and near-perfect scores from four independent testing labs Effective ransomware protection Good scores in our hands-on tests Full-scale phone and live chat support Bonus scans for privacy and performance CONS Bonus scans significantly overlap each other Vulnerability scan offers little information.

Best For Multi-Device Households. Other products may score better in testing, but none of them offer a deal like this. Best For Single Desktop Protection. Norton AntiVirus Plus gets impressive scores in independent lab tests and our own hands-on tests, and it and offers a wealth of useful features.

However, it's expensive and doesn't offer deals for multiple-computer households. PROS Excellent scores in independent lab tests and our hands-on tests Data Protector foils ransomware attacks Includes online backup, firewall, exploit protection, password manager, and other bonus features CONS Expensive No multi-license pricing.

It earned excellent scores in our hands-on tests and can even roll back some ransomware activity. PROS Near-perfect score in our malware protection and phishing protection tests Light on system resources Fast scan, tiny size Can remediate ransomware damage Advanced features CONS Limited lab test results due to unusual detection techniques Mixed results in testing with hand-modified ransomware Firewall component not working at this time.

Best For Techies. ESET NOD32 Antivirus earns good scores in our tests and great scores in lab tests, and it offers bonus components that go way beyond the basics. Best For Speedy Scanning. Malwarebytes Premium now functions as a full-blown antivirus, not just an assistant to your main antivirus. It earns excellent scores in our hands-on tests and its scores with independent testing labs are improving.

Best For Thrifty Users. The affordable Sophos Home Premium expands on basic antivirus with protection forged in the company's enterprise-level products, including a new remote management app. However, the advanced features may be too complex for some users.

Commissioned lab tests and our own tests show that the machine-learning detection engine in Cylance Smart Antivirus really can identify malware, but it lacks the full range of protection features found in many competitors.