Many people today use free antivirus software on their computers, but even so, it’s hard sometimes to know which ones are really worth while using, and which ones are not going to block things you want blocked. Personally, I like to run one good piece of antivirus software on my pc, and I also have a couple of other things on there that help me to keep malware and spyware off my system as well.

Two of the best known pieces of free antivirus software available at the moment are AVG and Avast. Both are good, and it will depend a lot on who you talk to as to which they recommend. Personally I prefer AVG, but maybe if I’d used Avast first, I’d have gone with that as a personal preference.


Both of these, along with many others have free versions available on the internet which you can download and use on an ongoing basis without having to pay for them. Like every single piece of antivirus software out there, paid for or free, they’re not perfect, and there is still a chance of your pc getting infected, but you’re much less likely to be if you use a decent piece of software and set it to scan sites that you’re going to as well as checking incoming e-mails, attachments and any device you plug into your pc be it CD, DVD, memory stick or card. It’s always best to set your software to scan on a regular basis at a time when your machine is likely to be on, I set mine to scan daily as my computer gets a lot of use every day, but some people prefer to set theirs to scan weekly as they use the pc less.

If you’re not sure whether to go with free software, or paid for software, you could always try looking for a free trial. Many companies such as Bullguard Antivirus Norton, Kapersky and others offer free trials of a week or a month so you can see how you get on with their software before you decide whether to buy it or not.

Whatever option you pick, make sure you do choose something. Sadly these days, you’re computer is at risk every time you connect it to any other device including (and particularly) the internet, and as viruses can be pretty nasty in some cases, it’s important to protect all your documents and software.