[Free] Antivirus and Antispyware

The Internet is full of brilliant ideas, marvelous software…and danger. You absolutely must use antivirus and antispyware protection if you connect to the Internet. Even if your computer is locked in a WiFi-proof Faraday cage with no connection to the outside world, threats like the Conficker worm can slip in via removable drives. Going without security software is simply not an option. But what if this year's economy has left a big fat zero in your budget's security column? Never fear—you can still get reasonable protection without paying a cent.

If you decide to shell out for security, Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010 is our Editors' Choice for standalone malware protection; Prevx 3.0 is another good choice with an innovative approach. You'll pay a bit more for a full suite, but you'll also get more comprehensive protection. Norton Internet Security 2010 is our Editor's Choice for security suite; it's what I use myself. BitDefender Internet Security 2010 and
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010 are also good choices. But all of these apps will cost you money—money you might not have.

Most of the free products I've reviewed offer the full range of protection against malware (which includes virus, spyware, rootkits, and so on). They will both remove malware that's already present on your system and keep any new malware from installing. HouseCall 7.1 takes a different approach. It's a scan-only tool with no real-time protection. The free edition of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.36 is also scan-only—you have to pay if you want real-time protection. On the plus side, you don't have to worry about real-time conflicts either, so these two make good "second opinion" scanners.

IObit Security 360, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 and avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 beta all pair up with non-free editions. AVG's paid edition includes more protective features than the free edition. The other two are fully functional—the only reason to get the paid edition is if you're using the product for business.

HouseCall and Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0 eschew the traditional signature database in favor of a "cloud" database that's always up-to-date. You never need virus signature updates with these products. Without a working Internet connection, though, they can't connect with their in-the-cloud intelligence. Panda will attempt a scan using local data, but it warns that effective detection requires an Internet connection.The various products have different strengths and weaknesses. Panda, our Editor's Choice for free anti-malware, outshines even the commercial programs in its ability to keep malware from installing on a clean system, but Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 scored highest in this group at cleaning up existing problems. IObit did poorly in almost every test but managed good scores for blocking and removing scareware (rogue security software).

Since these tools are free you can freely experiment and find which one you like best. You might even install a combination, like Panda for real-time protection and avast! (with real-time protection turned off) for scanning. Don't let a lack of funds leave your computer vulnerable.