How to Tell Whether You Need A Paid Antivirus

In the market for security software, there are many paid antivirus and free antivirus. Some users used a paid antivirus simply they just don’t believe that the free antivirus is secured enough. While for some who does not choose the paid antivirus, they choose a free one simply because it is free. If you have the confusion or unable to make a decision whether to get a paid antivirus or not, you can refer to the FAQ below.
Free Antivirus VS Paid Antivirus

A paid antivirus offers a better security, is it true?

Not exactly. A paid antivirus would able to offer a better security simply because it provides more features that can enhance the overall security. If you simply debate on the detection level, Malware removal effectiveness and scanning capability, then both paid antivirus and free antivirus can offer more or less the same quality.

I am quite happy with my current free antivirus. However, the advertisement keep popping up and lure me to upgrade. Should I upgrade?

Using a free antivirus with lots of advertisement is the life that you are going to live with. This is how the world works, there is no free lunch. If you want to upgrade just to get rid of the advertisement, then it is not worth it. Before upgrading or buying an antivirus, you should read the review and see if you need the extra features provided. For instance the Avast antivirus that I had just reviewed, it is not suitable for all users. Choosing a paid antivirus is vital as you are going to use it until the license expired unless you have the intention to waste it.

I am just a regular home user that does even go to the internet with my computer. Do I need an antivirus?
Unfortunately, not going to the internet does not stop the Malware from connecting to you. If your computer do use any removable media such as USB flash drive, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SD Memory card or any media that you can think of, then you cannot escape from using an antivirus. However, if you are a really light user, a free version would be good enough rather than a paid antivirus and I suggest the computer to connect to the internet to get the latest virus definition. Otherwise, having a not-up-to-date antivirus is also useless.

Alright, I do go to the internet and only download things that I can personally 100% trust. However, I do not do any banking transactions as I cannot rely on the internet security. Can a free antivirus cope with my needs?
Spot on! You are just the right person to use a free antivirus. Also I would like you to take note that you should also not store anything sensitive in your computer without encryption. I can see the free antivirus can meet your needs and you can only consider a paid antivirus when you plan to do something more or have sufficient budget to purchase one.

I am just the same type of user as the above. However, money is not a problem to me. Is buying an antivirus will be a waste to me?
Absolutely not. When you have a paid antivirus, you might already start using certain features that you think you do not need. Let say that you don’t even use those features, you can still make use of the good phone or email support provided by the paid antivirus vendor. There is nothing to lose after all.

I am poor and I cannot afford to pay for good security. However, I want to have a complete security for my computer such as firewall, internet filtering, parental control and so on. Is it possible for me to achieve?
It is possible. Although I am unable to give you the list of free programs, but based on my experience, there are many free software out there. However, the drawback is that you will need to combine a few software to build your security system. For instance, you could use Comodo Free Firewall on top of Avast Free antivirus. Bear in mind that, any problems you faced, you will need to go to the forums or ask around for support. Vendors that provides free software usually does not provide support. Lastly, you also need to accept the advertisement in the free software asking you to use the paid antivirus instead.

In addition to the question above, installing so many security software is going to cause my OS to have software conflict, isn’t it?
In a usual case, it should not. However, if you attempt to install two antivirus into a single system, then you are likely to have a conflict. If each of your security software serve for different purposes, it should not conflict. Even if they do, you should know it is trusted and put the software into the trusted list of your other security software to avoid future conflict.

I am an employer and I have many staff in my company. Should I get a paid antivirus for each computer?
Yes, absolutely. You should allocate part of the investment to invest into your own company’s security. A paid antivirus offers you phone or email support where if you hit certain IT security related issue, you can get immediate answer from them to keep your business running. I can only advice home user to use a free antivirus and not corporate user.

There are many antivirus out there and which one you think is the best for me?
Unfortunately, I would not be able to answer that. Kaspersky and BitDefender appears to be one of the top paid antivirus around but that does not conclude that everyone should use them. You need to read the reviews of those paid antivirus and see if the value added features suit your needs. As I mentioned before, all antivirus are equally strong in detecting virus and eliminating them. Hence, when choosing a paid antivirus, you should focus at the features more.

How much do you think I need to pay to have a complete security?
Complete? Do you mean 100% secure? There is no such thing as 100% secure but by paying $100 for a set security software, you can at least ensure you are 90% secure.

You mean I would not get a formidable defense even if I am paying this much?
Software is there to guide you to have a better IT security. You can always choose to ignore error message or warning from your security software to perhaps visit your favorite website. Thus, you should always keep in mind on the tips to stay safe when you are online combine with the software that you had in your computer.

Last question, do you think it is worth use a paid antivirus?
Absolutely.
Conclusion to Free Antivirus and Paid Antivirus

Free antivirus has the pros to consider as well and not only paid antivirus ruled the entire world. It is not necessary for you to spend hundreds of dollars for security if you are just a regular home user. You can even choose not to spend at all. As a conclusion, you should consider the facts above to decide whether you need a paid antivirus or not.

(source :http://www.itscolumn.com/)