How does free Security software such as AVG and AVAST compare to McAfee Security software?

Answer 1

I know a number of places that use the AVG and they seem to be OK with it. I used it at one time and was satisfied as well.

McAfee as well as Norton used to be good programs however the newer versions have been known to take over your computer and cause problems.

I was introduced to Mico World Technologies, inc about a year ago. I am very pleased with them and they are not expensive. I recently had a problem, caused by myself, and they worked with me until the problem was solved.

You can go to their web site below.

Answer 2

Some say you can. I'm dubious. These commercial companies spend a lot of money on dedicated, trained and competent staff who are charged with fighting the complex battle against the cowards that propagate viruses and malware and the businesses that use adware and spyware to watch what your're doing, regardless of the cost to the consumer. The free software is supported by part-timers who think they know what's going on. Clearly, some are bright but is that enough? The free companies have no stake in the game. Are they in it for alturistic reasons? I doubt it. Many (far too many) are not protecting you at all but opening your system for attack. They do this in several ways. First, they delude customers to think they are protected. Some actually damage the OS that makes the system vulnerable to attack by other programs. Many slow the system down to the point you THINK you have a virus and do something rash. Others simply contain the malware you're trying to shield yourself from. Some pop up on your system promising to fix some undetected problem that's not really there. The solution? Their own brand of malware. The result is your system is compromised--sometime to the point of destruction. I think you get what you pay for. A really good virus program is a necessary expense if you must draw on the resources on the web. More and more of these sites are being contaminated. Actually, I have an alternative solution. I use a Virtual PC to host a version of XP that I use to access the web. If the VPC is contaminated, I don't care--I just throw away all changes at the end of the session. The host OS cannot be affected in any way. The cost is a one-time price of the VPC software and the slight loss of performance.

Answer 3

I have used AVG Anti Virus, Zone Alarm Firewall, Spy-bot Search and Destroy and Ad Aware both spyware killers for years. They are all free for personal use and I have had no trouble with Viruses Trojans etc. AVG does not slow the system down as much as some other products and Zone Alarm allows a lot of personal configuration unlike the Windows Firewall. They can all be downloaded from the following link. http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ On the home page select downloads and then the appropriate category.I also use Windows Defender from the Microsoft site. It is safe to use two anti-spy products but never use more than one A/V as it can cause conflicts. You should run A/V and anti spy weekly. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

CyberNet did some tests by seeing how many viruses different scanners detected. The first source link is the results of those tests. The tests were done last year, so don't consider them to be completely accurate today, but the general ranking of virus scanners is probably still accurate. In particular, AVG's virus database only caught around 83% of the viruses, compared to the highest rated at 99%.

They also have a list of free virus scanners available at the second source link. Combine the first list with the second list, and you can see which free virus scanners are the most effective.

Answer 5

Like so many things I think this is a matter of choice and budget. AVG Free is an excellent anti virus package and frequently beats many of the pay for competitors in reviews but you need much more than an anti virus programme to keep your computer secure.
You will also need a firewall (like zone alarm or comodo) and two or three anti spy/ad ware software like adaware se, spybot search and destroy and windows defender.

You may also want anti spam software, BHO blockers pop up blockers the list is probably endless but good anti virus, firewall and spyware removers is a good place to start

Answer 6

mcafee is a great software, however avg is outstanding considering its , free... its realtime protection alerting you when viruses are in software downloads etc is great. also its ease to scan individual files is simple. i have had avg for years , and can honestly say i have never suffered a virus attack. also all my spyware software ( adaware) (spybot) free too has kept all my pc's that are running in the house free and clean of spyware. These days theres not much need to pay for defence software as there are many leading free versions availabe

Answer 7

AVG has a smaller footprint in memory and on the computers resources. McAfee is ok, of the two I would go with AVG - stay away from Norton - its a train wreck heading for your computer.

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. - Omar N. Bradley

Answer 8

unless you know how to handle a computer don't use McAfee. Its not easy to use. AVG is good, i dont know anyone who has ever experienced a problem with it. Symntech (norton) is good but it can slow your computer down because its very demanding. I have never heard of AVAST so cant give my opinion on that one.

Answer 9

I see the AVG fanboys and cheerleaders are out in full force again here on Yahoo Answers!

Mostly noobs,the naive and the computer illiterate use AVG Free. These types love AVG because they say it is easy to use and almost never bothers them with any pop-ups or warnings. Of course AVG Free never bothers them, it hardly ever finds any virus to warn them about!

In short, AVG Free is crap!

In test,
http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82
after test,
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
after test,
http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/gr/avgfree.htm
after test ,
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=891307&postcount=1,
after test,
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130869-page,1/article.html,
after test,
http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm#Section_0
etc. etc. etc, ad nauseam, AVG free fares poorly.

AVG has proven itself to be a miserable performer at best. Missing almost 20%, while trying to detect known malware, in some tests. Not to mention almost non-existent heuristic detection and infrequent "once-a day" updates.

AVG. = Average, at best!

There are much better free alternatives such as Avria Anti-Vir:
http://www.free-av.com/
and Active Virus Shield:
http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?

Answer 10

avg and avast are 2 of the best ones around
go to link below for more choices