Free vs. paid security software

I guess there is no real answer here- it depends on how comfortable you feel.

Personally I use freebies. I run a home pc, for the use of my partner and myself. For security I use AVG antivirus (this updates more or less daily) Adaware for antispyware, Zonealarm as a firewall, Ccleaner to remove unwanted junk and Advanced WindowscareV2 for checking the registry and cleaning.

These are all freebies and, in six years of ditching Norton,Macafee etc. I have not had a problem that has caused me any downtime.

I have saved a fortune financially. With regard to Norton in particular, I feel that they are trading on their reputation that was earned in the early days and are well overpriced.

Kind regards,

Tony

Like you I have always bought the recommended or the best security suite in the knowledge that our home computers would be protected. However, some months ago, the house laptop got infected and guess what, our expensive all singing, all dancing security suite was rendered absolutely useless.

I tried everything and eventually thought why not surf the Net for some free software as I could not afford to buy another expensive product. I did and stumbled on Ad-Aware SE Personal. Couldn't believe it was free. I downloaded it, followed the scanning instructions and got rid of all the pesky spyware and malware that had been making my life a mystery. I am now a convert and have introduced the software to my friends and family. I intend to upgrade/include Ad-watch once the subscription to my paid security suite expires.

It's true that most things in life aren't free, but we've all struck the jackpot with this wonderful ...and free (believe it or not..!) product. Try Ad-Aware and be glad you did!

Good luck.


Akoko2

You don't say what kind of suite it is. If it's Norton 2007, that program is a CPU hog and as far as I can tell has no great advantage over free programs. I fought with the company after buying their 3-license deal and needed to reinstall. After 24 hours it would revert to saying my subscription had run out - whether I installed their patch or not. Their technicians were few, rude, barely spoke English, and further appeared to have no training in either customer relations or computer technology. When the problem could not be resolved, Norton refused to buy it back from me because it was over the very short refund period. I bought it early so I could install when my other license from them ran out. Big mistake. My husband used it for his computers but dumped it in favor of the free programs because it slowed his computers down too much, and it was clear the free programs I eventually found were doing a better job. Symantec also owns McAfee. One suite that I've heard is better, but also slows your computer is AVG.

Advice columns and review pages tend to advise you not to use the same vendor for all your programs anyway. So we use Avast virus protection, and Zone Alarm for firewall. Both are free in their home user forms. I am more than happy with both of them and think that they are BETTER than Norton even if you ignore all the bugs. We also use Webroot for popups and spyware. We pay for the program, and while it is very good, it takes absolutely forever to start up - so I have it turned off most of the time, and scan my computers once a week. Since my laptop is slow starting up anyway, I'm looking for something else. I'll probably do that when I have a little time though to read reviews, as indiscriminately downloading supposed web protection can be dangerous.

In my opinion, paying for protection doesn't really get you much. Take the time to do some research, and keep your wallet in your pocket.

There are several free security programs for Home computer users. Many of these programs work much better than paid subscriptions and are well worth the subscription fees for business use. Speaking from experience, Avast Antivirus has worked better than any other program I've observed in action. The Avast program updates quickly, unobtrusively, and as soon a 'threat' is noticed in the wild. Avast talks a lot! Several times a day it says, "Virus database has been updated." Viruses are created and distributed faster than we can repeat those words:

http://www.avast.com/

I prefer Windows XP or Linux since an upgrade to Windows Vista would put me in the money crunching bracket due to compatibility issues. Filseclab is a fantastic personal firewall program that protects a computer from spyware, viruses... and mean stuff. Filseclab is not compatible with Windows Vista though.

http://www.filseclab.com/eng/products/firewall.htm

Sharon Solesbee
www.InternetEngineer.biz

AVG
Windows defender
spybot search and destroy
spyware blaster
adaware 6

small downloads that are free to home users, can be set for auto updates

Get Avast! the free version as I have never had a problem with it - found loads of trojans/viruses and removed...

i think that as long as you have chosen a reputable anti virus then you are going to be ok.. there are loads out there that are free and do an excellent job..avast and avg are just some of them...read reviews and then see which one is best for you

I recently wondered the same thing. When I bought my computer in January it came with a trial version of McAfee Security Suite. My Internet Provider included a Security Service.

I have been very happy with the Security Service my Internet Provider offers. For me they offered the same protection. From my experience I would suggest trying the free one AFTER doing your homework on the protection required and what each one offers.

Also, in my case McAfee is cheaper from the store than renewing over the internet. I can always buy McAfee if I wanted to, but so far I have no need to.

Depending on where you are looking for "free". They make their money from the original products offered (i.e. internet service)

this is timely because i am still waiting for the blue and yellow store to finish 'protecting' my computer. i did not even use the software that came with my computer last august. it was a pretty hot day and i let the geek talk me into a $461 'cleanup' that i could have done myself, either by using and renewing the stuff i got when i bought the machine, or by buying the stuff recommended in our favorite online tech source.
they were supposed to be done thursday and on friday the guy called me with more questions.
my advice is learn about virus, spam, and adware and do the updates yourself.

I have been using avast for the past 3+ years which is free. I had alternately used 2 of the big names for the previous 4+ years, which covers my computer experience. I have purchased spyware protection which was more troublesome than spyware. I have often had problems with software I have purchased which may have been due to my inexperience or lack of tech support with the software.
I don't know how money is made on the free programs but this one works fine and it is so easy to download if I have to reformat my computer. I am a senior citizen and not a computer geek by any means, although I have picked up quite a bit of computer knowledge along the way. At least enough to avoid computer repair shops so far.

75% of my customer base are senior citizens. Some of the computers they use have as little as 128mb of ram, some of them aren't connected to a broad band computer. In these cases the full blown Internet security suites bog down their computers to an unusable level. Mosts customers just use the default installations and end up with a bunch of features they don't need and those features are always trying to update themselves. Also many of the firewall programs create warnings that can confuse the owners.

Many of my senior customers only want to email distant family and friends and these full blown security suites turn them off to computing. For them I recommend an anti-virus only program, Windows built in firewall, and a static (not running full time) spyware program such as Ad-aware.

Even with new high end computers and lots of memory the full blown security suites can create confusion. Throw that in with Vista's insane warnings about the most mundane tasks it can make for very unpleasant computing. However, if you have teenagers, heavy websurfers, online game players, and people who visit "adult" sites, by all means go for the full suites. (As the old commercial use to say, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later")

Hi Jasmine,
I used to pay for a anti-virus cleaner every year but when I had to upgrade it and didnt have the money to do it, a friend of mine told me that I could get it free on line ( my price ) lol... so thats what I did and never looked back.
Barb

Jasmine, I am glad that you asked this question! Millions of people are spending (Pissing away) Billions of $ on so called Anti-Virus, Adware and Anti-Spy software. Example. Last fall, before going to Australia, I purchased a new $1600 laptop from HP, with built in Norton Security suite. As I had very little time to prepare for my trip, I did not install my own software, but relied on Symantec's piece of crap to protect me. Just as soon as I got to Perth, my computer was attacked and cleaned out by a virus, destroying my photoshop and everything else. My backup computer, that has AVG Free and Microsofts Windows defender, also free, was not affected at all. Those programs just quietly isolated the virus, and then let me delete it. All at no cost to me at all. There are many free programs out there that serve extremely well. Openofice.org is just one of them. It replaces all the Microsoft office and word programs needed to open all the MS documents, they work great and take up only a fraction of what MS programs do. Make sure that your automatic updates are turned on for Windows,(I assume you are running windows).There are a few other programs that work extremely well, better that paid ones, such as Spybot search and destroy, http://www.download.com/3001-8022_4-10401314.html .Beware of other "Spybot downloads that have "Free Download". These are ripoff sites that let you download a very hard to get rid of program that you have to pay for! One program that I will gladly pay for, is Super Ad Blocker. I have used this program for years and have not had to look at any Advertising in that time. It just leaves a blank space, where ads are.They have THE BEST customer service of any company I ever dealt with! www.superadblocker.com .Save your hard earned money, and maybe make a contribution to some of the websites that bring you real FREEWARE ! I hope this answers your question.
Jamie Douglas zz@surfy.net (Not affiliated with any software company)

In response to your query about free antivirus programs: It's true that nothing in life is free. Or, it was, before the creation of the internet. However it would be wrong to think that there are millions of philanthropists out there, just seeking to give away free stuff. The crux of it is this: There is free antivirus software. Some free antivirus programs are good. Some are REALLY good. Some are good, but contain spyware themselves. so, it's really down to which one you choose. After all, while some may be free, and perform well, they may not contain all the software you need, or may not work with the other software you install to compliment them. Myself, I use Avast antivirus. It has served me well, and over the last 3 years, my computer has not crashed once. And that's saying a lot, since I've filled up 3 seperate 500GB hardrives, with nothing but downloads. So, if I were to recommend an antivirus program, it would have to be avast. Now, the reason that these programs manage to offer you the product free: you either only get a trial version, which will cease to be functional after a time, or, you get a version which does not provide all the features of the full program, or, you get a program that is not up to the Quality of the full program. The free version of McCaffe has the second problem: not full featured. It also tends to be incompatible with certain programs you might try to pair it with. Norton is another free antivirus you might try, although in my experience, it is fairly low quality. Avast falls into the last category. It's free, but you have to register it, and update the registry every 6 months, plus, it's not up to the quality of avast PRO. However, I've had Avast PRO, and found that the gap is not that big between the two. Plus, the free version still offers all the great features of the full version. So, there's my opinion. Hope it helps, and sorry it was so long. Oh, and in case I didn't address it adequately before, the reason they can offer it free is that they think you'll like it so much, You'll get the better version, which costs money. Or, you'll be driven to the better version, because your current version lacks features.

From my own expirence , I have paid for several anti virus and adware programs and have not been satified with most of them. I now have a free active virus shield , and Lavasoft free adware remover. I also have AVG control center. These programs give automatic updates and has been sucessful in removing a virus i recieved in an e mail (which i was forewarned not to open ) And McAfee also has a free site advisor that warns you of unsafe sites when searching the web. I am totally satisfied with these free services. Hope this is helpful to you. FreewillEllie

My experience may not be unique, however, I paid for Norton SystemWorks 2005 which includes antivirus and was very happy for several years, undated as recommended. About 6 months ago caught two worms which Norton did not prevent. I worked with Norton for several weeks to rid my system of the infection without success. The tecky guy with Bright.net ISP kindly offered to help. After about two days he successfully cleaned my system. Of course I asked him what he did and how did he cleanse the worms. I was told he uninstalled my "Norton SyatemWorks" and installed avast anti-virus which immediately located and eliminated the worms. The version he loaded is free to non-business related users and I have been using it ever since. Check it out at avast.com. Good luck.

I've been in the same boat! I was using ZoneAlarm which was great. Since then, I didn't have the money for another year of the same one, so I've been using the FREEbies and they're working. I've got Ashampoo Firewall, ADV Spyware and ADV Security which includes an anti-virus program also. They're all working just great and have found some problems that I didn't know existed.

Peggy Stark
scottishlas_4@yahoo.com

Hi Jasmine. I got 1 year free Norton with a new computer, and then the nags to pay up or get no more updates began. I did one last update and scan before it expired, removed it and loaded Grisoft's AVG. It found two viruses that Norton had missed. In addition, it takes fewer resources and has never caused a problem with compatibility (Norton had issues and caused problems). What does Grisoft get out of it? Well, first, a little free advertising (if I had to buy anti-virus software for professional use (it is only free for personal use) I would probably buy AVG. Second, all the free copies running out there serve as an early-warning system for new viruses, which strengthens the professional product (which they make their money from). Choosing the right anti-virus program is important, because (generally) you can only run one at a time (they work at such a deep level that they truly cannot coexist well). As for anti-spyware, I run several free ones: one as part of a utility (Advanced Windows Care) and a couple of dedicated ones: Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware. (Plus, do not forget that AVG now has anti-spyware built in - the fomer Ewido product). So all-in-all I feel pretty well protected. How do I know? Well, anecdotally, my corporate laptop has big expensive anti-virus/anti-spyware installed on it (paid for by my company). On occasion, I have hooked up to my home system and my free programs found stuff the big $$$ corporate stuff had missed.

I can't speak about using free anti-virus or other such utilities; however, when it comes to renewal I have had some experience. Renewal of my Norton Anti-virus was $75.00 for a year. Renewal of Norton Internet Security was an additional $75.00 for a year. Norton Internet Security Suite, which includes anti-virus is only $95.00 retail and often on sale for much less. I'll never renew again!

I'll tell you a safe way to use free software.

NEVER put vital numbers, such as your Social Security number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers ANYWHERE on your computer. That includes financial programs.

In financial programs like Quicken and Money, misspell the names of your banks, mutual fund companies, etc.

I have no trouble at all with the free anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewalls I use.

That's exactly what I thought. Until I gave it a try. Free spyware, antivirus, and firewall software will probably give you the same thing as the paid ones do. By getting free pc security software your only getting the "core", which means you won't get customer service, or any bonus software you might get with paid pc security software. I think, with all respect, you are wrong to believe that paid software will do a better job than free ones. I tried the mcafee software suite and it just gave me problem after problem and it wasn't doing a good job. So, I got the free AVG antivirus and it works a little better than mcafee. Guess how much I paid for AVG, NOTHING, FREE!! You can try spybot-search&destroy for spyware as well as Zonelabs for you firewall. With all three of these software I guarantee you will be virus and spyware free. I don't know if you've heard this or not, but they say "The best things in life are free." I think it's true. By going free you gain the fact that you don't have to pay. With AVG Antivirus you can only scan and get rid of the viruses. AVG also has AVG Internet Security Home Edition, this is $64.95 for a 1 year Subscription. I took the following from their website:


"Includes

* Anti-Virus protects from viruses, worms and trojans
* Anti-Spyware protects from spyware, adware and other malicious programs
* Anti-Spam filters spam and protects against phishing attacks
* Firewall protects from hackers

Special Offer Information

* This offer is perfect for home users with up to 3 computers
* This special offer is available for a limited time only
* This product will be open to all of the usual benefits regarding upgrades, renewals and so on

Features

* All-in-one, easy to use protection ? install and forget
* New program versions and updates, for free, throughout the license duration
* Quality proven by all major antivirus certifications (VB100%, ICSA, West Coast Labs Checkmark)
* 24/7 technical support provided at no extra cost
* Improved virus detection based on better heuristics and NTFS data streams scanning
* Unique automatic threat-removal anti-spyware engine
* Automatic firewall profile switching for improved security and usability

Click here to view details and compatibility

* 100% virus detection ? AVG?s scanning engine has received numerous awards for its excellent detection of ?in the wild? viruses, including the VB100% award. Its unique combination of detection methods provides full protection against viruses, worms and trojans.
* Cutting-edge anti-spyware technology ? Using the latest state-of-the-art detection technology, AVG detects spyware, adware, DLL-trojans, keyloggers, and much more. Malware hidden in data streams, archives, or the Windows registry is also detected.
* Full on-access protection ? The powerful AVG Resident Shield provides maximum protection by scanning every file opened, executed, or saved. It also prevents the opening or executing of infected files.
* Flexible intelligent scanning ? The AVG Resident Shield can include/exclude files from being scanned based on individual file extensions and can handle exceptions for potentially unwanted programs such as adware.
* Full e-mail protection ? AVG checks every e-mail sent or received, providing full protection from e-mail-borne threats. AVG supports all leading e-mail clients, including MS Outlook, The bat!, Eudora, and all other SMTP/POP3-based e-mail clients, such as Outlook Express. Encrypted connections using SSL are also supported.
* E-mail spam and phishing filtering ? AVG checks every e-mail received, using the latest technology and up-to-the-minute spam signatures to ensure maximum detection rates for spam and phishing attacks.
* Automatic threat handling ? AVG can automatically heal or remove infected files and other threats such as trojans, worms and spyware.
* Control over all network access ? The AVG Firewall monitors all communication to and from the computer, blocking external attacks and preventing trojans from exporting confidential data. The AVG Firewall configuration wizard automatically creates access rules for all popular software. In addition the firewall can switch profiles automatically, based upon the current conection type, ensuring seamless changeover for notebooks.
* Powerful scheduling ? AVG automatically provides recommended daily schedules for scanning and updating, and also allows you to create custom-scheduled events.
* Multiple language support ? No need to buy a special language version.


* AVG?s world-class product support is provided at no extra cost to all registered AVG customers.
* 24/7 technical support by e-mail
* FAQ and online documentation
* Up-to-the-minute updates available "around-the-clock" as AVG virus experts react rapidly to new and emerging threats. High speed delivery via worldwide networks guarantees maximum protection levels for users.

Licensing

* AVG Internet Security Home Edition requires 1 license per computer and can be purchased in pack for 3 computers.
* Licenses can be purchased for 1 or 2 years.
* Each license includes all program and database updates and full technical support for the license duration.
* For more information and special licensing please contact Sales Support."


See what I mean with the free version you just get the antivirus, you can also download an anti spyware from avg also.

They make their money from selling software. For example AVG sells the AVG Internet Security Home Edition for $64.95. They make the free version available so you can eventually buy the Home edition. Spybot does this too and they also accept donations, Zonelabs also does this.
Their is no catch it's just like a marketing strategy to get people to eventually buy their software. But hey it's FREE, and that's good enough for me. In my opinion their is no difference between free software and paid software. If you have a very good understanding with computers and your on a tight budget then I suggest you get the free version. If you do not have a good understanding with computers and you have the money then I suggest you get the paid software because they have technical support available. I hope this helps you.

Visit these site for more information.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/information/znalm/zaReleaseHistory.html

I would say to save your money, and go with the free. I went years bouncing between Norton and McAffee, with the most recent being Norton. Then I updated to Internet Explorer 7, and Norton just stopped responding. Knowing that my sister had the same problem, I called her to find out what she did. She said our brother (who is a Master-licenced computer tech), and he told her that the IE7 "does not play well" with most of the paid antivirus programs (Norton and McAffee being the top 2 paid protection having problems responding to IE7), So if this is the case, why would anyone want to spend big bucks for protection that may/may not play nice with IE7? Doesn't make sense. I've tried several "free" programs but watch out cause there's alot out there that say free but just for a limited time. Here is what I've used with my opinion.

CA Antitrust/Antivirus...in my honest opinion, this is good if you have dialup where you don't always have a steady connection to the internet. Also, what used to be free for a year, is now just 90 days. If you have broadband like me, I wouldn't recommend it as it doesn't pick up everything.

AVG 7.5 Antivirus...this has a free home version that you can download/install from download.com. It's really pretty easy, and you can set scheduled scan times and update times. However, I found that if you don't upgrade to a paid version, you're not going to get the in-depth scans you want, and who knows what the free version is not catching.

Avast! by Awil Software is the absolute best free program out there!! My brother had to recently put in a new motherboard and hard drive for me, and when he did, he installed the Avast! (which he does for all his customers...he swears by this free antivirus program and so do I). You have the option to do a quick scan, a standard scan, a thorough scan, or even a boot scan. You can set it to update the virus database automatically (recommended with all the viruses out there). You cannot schedule scans which is the only downfall to this program. I do a quick scan daily, a thorough scan once a week, and a boot scan once a month. It not only picks up viruses, but all adware too. It is totally free (just have to re-enter the key" they send in your email every 14 months to keep protection going). I highly recommend this free software. If you want to learn more about it, check out their website. www.avast.com Before you spend money on your paid service, I hope that you will try Avast! In my opinion, they are the very closest to complete protection without the price!

Hope this helps you!

I went through a nightmare several years ago when I decided not to renew my Macafee subscription for Virus protection and personal firewall and go with my ISP's free service instead (based on FSecure software). After uninstalling the Macafee and installing the FSecure software, it didn't work - got messages that important features were non-functional. After spending hours on the help line, I even had two techies come over and work on it for a couple of hours. They gave up and suggested I use a proprietary product instead. I bought Norton and guess what - it didn't work either, also after many hours on their web site using every fix that they recommended. So I took it back to the vendor, who - after a little persuasion - not only gave me a full refund but also confessed that internet security packages are never completely removed by an uninstall, but leave enough little bits of themselves around to defeat features of other similar software packages. Not that this is intentional, but a fact of life nevertheless. They suggested the only fix possible was to reformat my hard drive and reinstall XP and all my software from scratch. As I had another computer connected to the internet with a free security system that worked just fine, I opted to disconnect my first machine and use it as a stand alone media machine for movie editing and picture storage. Robin

I have been using AVG Free Edition by Grisoft.com for many years and have the utmost faith in it. It has not cost me a penny to use in all these years and it updates itself daily, you don't have to do a thing. It tests incoming/outgoing mail and on the bottom of your emails it tells you it's been checked. I like the ease in which it works. Honey H.

Free or not my advice is to search the net to get the best choice to protect your PC.
CNET search has many pages with postts from members - Google search will give a lot more sites to check.
only a short answer. but tu the point.
Michel ney