Activity on the Internet is intensifying more and more every day, which is why browsing must be safe. One of the tools to generate this security on the Internet is antivirus, with which we can protect our computers from network threats. We bring you the best free antivirus for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
An antivirus is a tool that analyzes and protects the equipment on which it is installed, mostly on computers since they are the devices most likely to receive malicious attacks, therefore antiviruses are a very important tool to have installed, luckily they are very good ones. Free antivirus.
Although Windows 11 has just arrived on some computers, there are already some antiviruses that can be installed in case you don’t want to use Windows Defender, Microsoft’s free security system. Well, there are many antiviruses that you can install, but we recommend that you use the free version or its premium trial to see full compatibility.
The problem with this is that antivirus manufacturers have not yet ensured the complete compatibility of their products with Windows 11, although internally Windows 10 and Windows 11 are very similar, so the vast majority of programs that we can install in Windows 10 could install them in Windows 11 without problem, but the practice can be very different.
There are many antiviruses on the market, and the vast majority always have a paid version that gives us more protection tools, such as analysis of secure payment gateways, or protection against international transactions, among others, but the vast majority offer sufficient protection in its free version.
Best free antivirus for Windows 10 and Windows 11
1. Windows Defender
Windows Defender has proven to be one of the best free antiviruses for Windows 10 and Windows 11, it protects us against online threats, and it also has a cloud-based protection method, which makes it possible to constantly update its database to contemplate new threats.
At the user level, it is the best antivirus that we can have on our computer since it will not be necessary to install it, it consumes very few resources and it also has a very complete firewall, as an extra point, it also has protection against ransomware.
Advantages of Windows Defender
- It is totally free.
- It comes pre-installed on all Windows computers.
- It has frequent updates.
- It consumes very few resources.
- It offers protection in the cloud and in real-time.
Disadvantages of Windows Defender
- It does not offer protection to P2P software.
- Uninstalling it is almost impossible.
- It does not offer protection on purchase gateways.
2. Avast Free AntiVirus
A great veteran of antiviruses, Avast has a very completely free version that offers us all kinds of protection, surely more than once you have heard of its famous notice on computers: “The virus database has been updated”.
Avast Free Antivirus offers us several types of protection: protection against malware, and active virus scanning on our computer, plus the free version also has a “do not disturb” mode which will disable all notifications produced on the computer, as an extra point it has a tool called “Wi-Fi Inspector” to see the gaps in our wireless networks.
Advantages of Avast
- Protection at all times against threats.
- It has a heuristic search engine.
- It has silent mode.
- It works on almost all versions of Windows.
- It has an easy installation.
Disadvantages of Avast
- Commercial use of the free version is prohibited.
- You have to register periodically.
- It has ads within the program.
3. AVG AntiVirus Free
AVG is another veteran brand of protection products since it has many versions of antivirus, but its free version is very complete and hardly affects the performance of our equipment. We will be able to have it in Windows 11 without a problem, but as we said before, use the trial period in case you want the premium features.
The free version of AVG offers us protection against ransomware, blocking malicious links through Internet browsing, and detection of viruses, spyware and Trojans, you can also analyze your PC in search of performance problems or protection against attachments of your mail electronic.
Advantages of AVG Free
- It has a lot of additional functions.
- It has malicious software tracking in emails with attachments.
- It has protection against ransomware.
- It is updated in real-time.
Disadvantages of AVG Free
- It slows down the computer when performing system scans.
- Not valid for commercial use.
- It does not have silent mode or game mode.
4. Avira FreeSecurity
Avira may be somewhat more unknown, but it has very good ratings on websites like AV-Test in which the analyses carried out give pleasantly surprising results, with Avira Free Security we will have guaranteed protection.
Avira Free Security has, in addition to cloud-based protection, a high-performance mode that scans your computer for problems that affect your computer’s performance and fixes them.
Advantages of Avira Free
- The free version has a great security package.
- You can directly upgrade to a paid version.
- It is updated regularly.
Disadvantages of Avira Free
- Navigating through its menus is confusing.
- Some paid versions only allow up to 5 devices.
5. Panda Free Antivirus
Without a doubt, Panda’s protection services have been one of the best systems we can have, and its free version continues to do so and manages to be one of the best free antiviruses for Windows 10.
It has one of the highest rates of protection against viruses, it is also a program that hardly affects the performance of the computer, all the work and the analysis are carried out from the cloud, which means that Panda does not store any files on your computer.
Advantages of Panda Free
- It is easy to use and install.
- All paid versions have a free trial month.
Disadvantages of Panda Free
- The free version has few features, but basic protection.
- It consumes a few more resources than its rivals.
- Download Panda Free Antivirus for Windows.
6. 360 Total Security
360 Total Security is not an antivirus itself, but it is a tool that allows us to be safe, since it has a protection engine with more than 10 online antiviruses, that is, it is as if we had several antiviruses on our computer in a single tool.
Apart from the protection tool, 360 Total Security has a system optimizer that helps us to have a computer without performance problems and offers a system cleaning.
Advantages of 360 Total Security
- Easy use and installation.
- The company offers free support.
- It has additional functions with a single payment.
Disadvantages of 360 Total Security
- It has poor protection against spyware.
- Block most incoming scripts.
- Very little compatibility with the Windows Firewall.
7. Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes has become a great analysis and scanning program for our computer in search of malware, due to its powerful search engine we can analyze our computer in just a few minutes to see if we have any file or path that is causing problems.
If the Malwarebytes scan is positive, that is to say, that it has found some malicious software, we can put those files in quarantine to protect our computer and always see their origin. As an extra point, since it is not an antivirus per se, we can have it installed together with any antivirus that we want.
Advantages of Malwarebytes
- It has several types of scanning
- Consume very few resources
- Update of viruses and programs.
Disadvantages of Malwarebytes
- It does not have real-time protection.
- It is not advisable to use it as the only antivirus software.
- Your paid version “Home” is only valid for 3 devices.
8. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free
One of the market leaders in antivirus also has its free version, which makes it possible for us to have an additional protection tool on our computer to be protected.
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is based on cloud protection, hence its name, and how it works makes real-time analysis and alerts you to new threats to protect any of our devices.
Advantages of Kaspersky Cloud Free
- Cloud-based protection.
- Low consumption of resources.
- An Internet connection is always required.
- It has a free VPN.
Disadvantages of Kaspersky Cloud Free
- VPN is limited to 200 MB.
- It does not have protection for iOS.
9. Sophos
This is a powerful virus scanner, with a high malware detection rate, it monitors the computer’s behaviour, finding even unknown malicious files.
Likewise, run a scan of incoming emails as well as attachments to detect suspicious content. In addition, it is an ideal tool to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting security holes in Office applications and PDF readers.
Sophos searches for behavioural patterns of any file or program and in this way determines if it may be a threat, even if it is not yet classified as such in its database.
Advantages of Sophos Free
- Search for fraudulent behaviour patterns.
- Email analysis.
- High malware detection rate.
- Anti ransomware security.
Disadvantages of Sophos Free
- More advanced paid premium features.
- AI threat detection, only in premium.
- Premium paid-only support.
10. TotalAV
TotalAV has become one of the best free antivirus of the moment. This antivirus is one of the most complete compared to others such as Malwarebytes or Windows Defender, making it a great option to install on your computer with Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Total AV has a paid version that allows us to have even greater protection, but thanks to its free version we can be fully protected from any type of bad action while browsing the Internet.
Advantages of TotalAV Free
- Anti-malware
- Real-time antivirus
- Antispyware.
- Great compatibility with operating systems.
Disadvantages of TotalAV Free
- Paid version with more premium options.
- The paid version has an optimization module.
After this complete list of the best antivirus that you can have on your Windows 10 and Windows 11 computer, you will have to choose because some have additional functions, but others have greater efficiency, and although compatibility with Windows 11 has not been guaranteed official, for the moment they work perfectly. We recommend that you wait a bit before updating your computer to Windows 11 or using Windows Defender.
