Where to find the best free anti-virus software

With such a vast amount of anti-virus solutions on the market nowadays, it can be difficult to know which one is the best to go for. Whilst there are countless numbers of paid for solutions out there, protection against a virus is of paramount importance, especially for any computer that is being used online. This article will look at where to find the best free anti-virus software.

What are the benefits of anti-virus software?

Protecting your computer is very important. Not only will this stop any malicious software from taking control over your system, but it will also mean that personal and private data is also kept safe. There is also the added benefit that you know that you'll be able to surf safely without having to worry about your computer being hit by some nasty code that is written into a website for instance. Can I trust free software?
The best free anti-virus software can be considered to be as equally good as their paid for relatives. Indeed, paid for IT security software is often known to become bloated with each new release, adding more and more features that most users will rarely (if ever) use. This is often seen, by some, as a justification for the manufacturers of paid for anti-virus software so as to keep charging an annual subscription. These bloated anti-virus programs cannot only drastically reduce your computer's performance (especially noticeable on lower end machines), but they can be extremely difficult to remove once they are installed. Free anti-virus software rarely does this, but it will still offer the same level of protection.

The best free anti-virus software

Whilst this list of the best of free anti-virus solutions is by no means definitive, if you choose to download one of them, you will find that your computer will have adequate protection from spyware and viruses. All of the following offer file scanning, and most offer protection for e-mail too. Avast 6! Free Edition
This is a very good anti-virus solution that has auto update functionality. There are many other features on offer that can be turned on or off, depending on the user's requirements. AVG Free
This offers fairly solid PC security without it hitting your system resources too hard which thus makes it ideal for older machines. Microsoft Security Essentials Released by Microsoft themselves, this integrates very nicely into the Windows experience making it feel like it is more part of the operating system than a stand-alone piece of software.