Tips to Find the Best Antivirus and security software for your needs

Antivirus and Internet Security are software programs that are designed to protect your computer from all kinds of threats. Yes! There are so many kinds of threats these days that we can’t even keep a count of. But, when you have the security software installed, you have the peace of mind. When it comes to buying an antivirus or internet security, there are plenty of options available. This sometimes leaves us confused. In this article we learn how to choose best antivirus and security software for your needs.

Identify Your Needs

There are primarily three types of protection tools available in the market: Antivirus, Internet Security, and Total Protection. Total Protection, as the name suggests, offers all-round protection against all kinds of threats. It has all the features of Internet Security and free antivirus software and also offers additional features of its own. Internet Security has all the capabilities of an antivirus but it also has additional protection for internet activities. Antivirus is the most basic protection service that is designed to keep your computers safe from viruses, malware, spyware etc.

The big question is, which one to buy? Your needs determine your choice. If you have a personal computer for regular use and does not contain any confidential data, antivirus protection should be enough. Most antivirus programs today offer certain level of internet security as well. The idea is to get the best antivirus for Windows or whichever operating system you are using. If your computer remains connected to internet for several hours antivirus may not be strong enough to protect it from online threats. This is where Internet Security suites like Bitdefender come into picture. If you need more all-round, enhanced security service, Total Protection is the way to go.

Make sure your PC is up to snuff

Remember that the more advanced the security software the more resources it will consume. More involved protection programs also cost you more. Antivirus is the most affordable and lightweight of all. Internet Security offers more features and thus it also requires bigger share of RAM and CPU. Total Protection is the most resource intensive security service and it may cause performance issues even on high-end configurations. All these three programs affect the performance to a certain extent as they have to keep running in the background all the time to provide real-time protection. But, antivirus can run even on computers with moderate specs without causing any significant decline in performance.

Budget

Budget is another important factor you need to consider before choosing the antivirus or best Internet Security software. As already said, antivirus is the most inexpensive of all. But, it does lack certain security features. Internet Security has more features good enough for most users. In fact, Total Protection is an overkill for most of the users and it also costs more. When it comes to buying one of these tools there are plenty of choices available. In fact, antivirus programs alone are available in a wide price range. You can buy an antivirus as cheap as $10 per year. The license fee could go as high as $30 per year. Internet Security and Total Protection cost even more. The idea is to pick the right software for your needs. When it comes to security and safety of your computer, there cannot be any compromises. Thankfully, we have Bitdefender that offers comprehensive security cover at an affordable price.

See if you can get away with a free version

We are often caught between free and paid as there are so many options available. Yes, you will find many antivirus developers offering free versions. Bitdefender is one of them. However, you will not find Internet Security free. The big question is: are free services good enough?

One thing is clear. The free tools offer the most basic security service. They lack a number of important features that are present in their paid versions. Even the best antivirus for Windows is not good enough if it is free. The free versions can simply scan your computer, detect some threats and remove them. Most of them do not have scheduled scanning, auto-updates etc. This is why I highly recommend using a paid tool as opposed to a free one. If you break down the yearly license, you will have to pay less than $1.5 per month. So, think about it.

There is one more thing I would like to draw your focus upon. Never go for the cracked version of the paid security tools. You might wind up with a malicious software. This is how the programs like Trojan Horse operate. They masquerade themselves as useful programs and end up making your computer more vulnerable.

What you need from your antivirus

It is also important to consider the features antivirus program offers. There are some common, basic features that every antivirus is expected to offer. If your antivirus program doesn’t have these basic features, best not buy it. It should have effective scanning, detection and removal system. It should be able to block the scripts. Antivirus must also provide malware protection. It should have a comprehensive database of all the known viruses and malware. It must provide regular updates.

If you need enhanced protection, then you can go for advanced security suites like Internet Security or Total Protection. These programs have additional features like firewall modules, DNS security, file shredder, ransomware protection, phishing detection and protection and more.

Wrapping Up – Safety First

I cannot assert more that safety of your files and personal information is the most important thing. There are several threats out there and it is easier for them to sneak into your computer than before. While internet has given us so much, it has also exposed us to malicious programs like viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware and more. Even if you are an offline user safety cannot be guaranteed all the time. What if you plug in a removable storage that contains a virus? No matter what type of computer you have and how you use it, always make sure that it is protected by an antivirus.