The top free antivirus options include Avast Free, AVG Anti-Virus, and Windows Defender.
The top free antivirus options include Avast Free, AVG Anti-Virus, and Windows Defender.
Avast performs the same basic tasks but is even more intrusive than AVG. It includes the bothersome "Your anti virus has been updated" message and frequent pop-ups. Managing it through Task Manager isn't effective, which causes it to consume significant CPU resources. I prefer relying on common sense, using an adblocker, and avoiding downloading files from unknown sources. Occasionally I run a Mbam scan to remove minor issues.