Best Buy Antivirus Software – A Buyers Guide!

Every year, antivirus software developers compete against each other to claim the title of best antivirus software. Antivirus software is now a must-have for all computers, especially since the risks of contracting computer viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and malware have significantly increased due to frequent online file sharing by many PC users.

Inexperienced users, especially those who are easily overwhelmed and intimidated by the number of antivirus software out in the market, shouldn’t lose hope. This guide will help you choose the best antivirus software from the pack by reviewing five of the popular antivirus software currently available in the market.

The criterion for deciding the antivirus software’s ranking on the best antivirus list is as follows: ease of use, effectiveness, scope of protection, and features.

Another veteran on the list is AVG 9.0 Anti-Virus software. Unlike the other antivirus software in the list, AVG stands out because of two things: it has a free version and its free identity theft protection.

AVG provides standard protection from viruses, malware, and spyware. New features in version 9.0 are reduced scan times, LinkScanner, which scans search engine results to protect you from phishing scams, and then there’s the AVG Identity Theft Recovery Unit that assists users who have been victimized by identity theft for free.

The present interface is almost identical to the previous version’s interface, which is a plus because you won’t have a difficult time tinkering with it if you previously used AVG. AVG interface, as a whole, is easy to work with and ideal for both beginners and experts.

BitDefender Antivirus -- BitDefender provides its users with solid protection from online threats like malware, spyware, and phishing scams among other things. BitDefender actively scans all your email and internet traffic for malware without affecting the performance of your system. BitDefender also boasts of an instant message encryption feature that protects the privacy of your conversations and blocks off suspicious websites.

Out of the lot, this antivirus software is probably the most user friendly of them all despite its advanced features. BitDefender has an easy-to-use interface that takes into consideration the capability level of the user by letting them choose from novice, intermediate, or expert mode.

Overall, BitDefender covers all bases through its impressive arsenal. It also doesn’t hurt that this very impressive package comes with an inexpensive price tag.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus -- Perennial antivirus software favorite Kaspersky continues its promise of providing easy and complete protection for your PC by including a variety of new technologies with the package.

Two new scanning technologies are included in the package: the iSwift and the iCheck. The iSwift adjusts itself to the user’s activities in order to preserve your computer’s performance. The iChecker, on the other hand, takes note which files have been scanned and deemed safe by the software. To cut down on scanning time, the files will only be scanned again if they are modified by the user.

Other new features are the Kaspersky Whitelisting and Application Control for determining the security of applications and the Kaspersky URL Advisor, which protects users from dangerous links.

An impressive feature of Kaspersky is that it immediately identifies threatening files and blocks it off before you can initialize downloading the file.

Kaspersky tools and interface are more on the advanced level, but they are pretty straightforward so beginners can also tinker with them as well. Though the price may seem a little steep, the protection Kaspersky can provide your system is worth every penny.

Another basic but effective antivirus software is by Trend Micro. It offers real-time and hassle-free protection for your PC from the traditional threats though it’s not as quick to detect viruses like the other antivirus solutions.

It features an adequate array of tools to protect your system such as an advanced protection for your emails and instant messages. Not only does it protect you from incoming threats, it also prevents you from passing along viruses to your contacts.

Trend Micro has a straightforward interface, making it ideal for beginners. You can also access all the essential features on the main console.

These are just some of the best antivirus software available in the market. Ultimately, when it comes to choosing the best antivirus software for you, you have to pick one that is in line with your PC and internet habits. Compare your behavior with the features available in order to get the best possible antivirus protection.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus - If you’re the type who prefers a no-fuss security software, ESET NOD32 is for you. The main draw of ESET is that the software does all the work for you. For example, external mediums such as USB drives are automatically scanned once they are plugged in.

ESET provides you protection from the traditional threats while simultaneously protecting you online from keyloggers and adware by actively scanning your web traffic. ESET also scans all inbound and outbound emails for viruses and malware. Another feature of the software is a built-in recovery tool.

Interface design is very simple and it even lets the user choose between the beginner and the advanced mode, though there’s very little difference between the two.

Overall, ESET is equally impressive and effective as its other antivirus counterparts. Its only drawback is that it doesn’t feature IM encryption or anti phishing protection