{"id":65602,"date":"2017-09-07T02:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T23:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/en\/blog\/?p=65602"},"modified":"2025-01-07T11:35:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T09:35:24","slug":"best-antivirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus","title":{"rendered":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BestWe all know the dangers lurking in the web from malware to Trojans to botnets and while we\u2019re inundated with making decisions about everything, ignoring <\/span>internet security<\/span><\/a> is not a good idea. You think it will never happen to you, until it does. The results can be devastating and we\u2019re not just talking about having your PC shutdown and losing all your family pics that you never bothered to backup as you figured who\u2019d be interested? However, the bottom line is don\u2019t fall into the trap of going without antivirus (AV) protection \u2014 be it for your personal PC or for your business!<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Free Antivirus Software for Windows<\/h2>\n

If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software \u2014 even though it does offer more protection, here are some of the best free AV software to help protect your PC that don\u2019t <\/span>just<\/span><\/i> clean up prevailing malware infestations, but pack a ton of extra features for free.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"avast<\/span><\/p>\n

Avast Free Antivirus 2017<\/span> combines excellent free AV protection with a surprisingly extensive collection of bonus features, such as a password manager, a secure browser, and network security scanner. Avast gives more than many competing commercial products do.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"bitdefender
\nBitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2017) <\/span>includes exactly the same top-notch antivirus protection and technology as the for-pay edition \u2014 such as the core malware-fighting components \u2014 just without the commercial variant\u2019s vast collection of additional security features. This product has gone several years without an update and the latest edition is now compatible with Windows 10.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"avira
\nAvira Free Antivirus<\/span> gets excellent ratings from independent testing labs especially for malware blocking and, with hundreds of millions of users worldwide, is immensely popular. However, its on-demand scan and real-time protection proved sluggish in testing and its browser protection only works with Chrome and Firefox.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"avg
\nAVG Free Antivirus 2017<\/span> features a brand new look plus some new technology and is just as reliable as ever with a very good malware-blocking score, decent malicious URL blocking, and its web security plug-in includes website rating and an active \u201cDo Not Track\u201d. Having said that, its anti-phishing ability and slower-than-average initial scan need work.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Panda
\nPanda Free Antivirus<\/span> is free, lightweight, slick, and comes with an attractive UI and unusual USB drive injection feature against malware. It also flags dangerous websites, but doesn\u2019t quite match up to the aforementioned contenders especially in the realm of malware-blocking.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Microsoft Windows Defender<\/span> offers comprehensive protection for your system, files and online activities from viruses, malware, spyware, and other threats. It is also built-in to Windows 10, so no configuration, subscriptions, or nagware.<\/span>
\nDownload Here<\/a><\/p>\n

Why do we need an Antivirus?<\/h2>\n

In general, a quality AV utility is essential as it fends off all types of malicious software, from irritating adware to catastrophic ransomware \u2014 and before you start digging into your pocket and sweating over budget concerns, the best free AV products (most are free for noncommercial use only) are extremely effective. If it\u2019s your business you want to protect, a paid edition \u2014 and a full security suite at that \u2014 is worth the investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

More specifically, even if you\u2019re running Windows 10, you cannot rely on Microsoft\u2019s security tools \u2014 many free third-party apps are far more efficient at keeping you secure. So, what should your AV deliver? Yes, it should pull out the cleanup tools when a nasty malware infestation shows up as well as eliminate spyware, however when the problem is gone they shouldn\u2019t render themselves useless. They should offer the ongoing capability to avert future botnets, ransomware, Trojans, and other kinds of bad programs in real-time. Some free AV programs even guarantee that you don\u2019t browse to a malware-hosting site, or get duped into handing over your credentials or sensitive information to fraudulent of phishing websites.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another easy way to protect your PC is to install all security updates \u2014for Windows, browsers, and other common applications. Windows 10 makes it easier than ever to stay up to date, but there are plenty of security holes in older versions, in popular apps, and in add-ons. <\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Yes, modern versions of Windows come with inherent AV protection, but you still require third-party antivirus software \u2014 even free editions \u2014 that are significantly more effective. Having said that, it seems only logical that an AV company should offer basic protection for free, but spare superior bonus features for their paid edition. However, in reality, many of the most prevalent free AV tools around truly pack a ton of extra features.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all know the dangers lurking in the web from malware to Trojans to botnets and while we\u2019re inundated with making decisions about everything, ignoring internet security is not a good idea. You think it will never happen to you, until it does. The results can be devastating and we\u2019re not just talking about having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBest Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WOT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weboftrust\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-9.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alex at WOT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Web_of_Trust\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Web_of_Trust\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alex at WOT\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alex at WOT\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae7ad33d93b334cdbf7f10ac604f37c9\"},\"headline\":\"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\"},\"wordCount\":768,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Device Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\",\"name\":\"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"WOT\",\"description\":\"Safe Web Search & Browsing\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"WOT\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Web of Trust\",\"alternateName\":\"WOT\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/logo-big.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/logo-big.png\",\"width\":395,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Web of Trust\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weboftrust\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Web_of_Trust\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/wot-services-ltd.\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MyWOT\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae7ad33d93b334cdbf7f10ac604f37c9\",\"name\":\"Alex at WOT\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d775e2b963afb3e50c3cc8ae1745b6e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d775e2b963afb3e50c3cc8ae1745b6e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alex at WOT\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT","description":"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT","og_description":"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus","og_site_name":"WOT","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weboftrust","article_published_time":"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":400,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-9.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Alex at WOT","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Web_of_Trust","twitter_site":"@Web_of_Trust","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alex at WOT","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus"},"author":{"name":"Alex at WOT","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae7ad33d93b334cdbf7f10ac604f37c9"},"headline":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows","datePublished":"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus"},"wordCount":768,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Device Security"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus","url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus","name":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows | WOT","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-09-06T23:00:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-07T09:35:24+00:00","description":"If you don\u2019t have the budget for paid AV software enter to find out what are your best choices for free antivirus software.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/best-antivirus#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Best Free 2017 Antivirus Software Releases for Windows"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/","name":"WOT","description":"Safe Web Search & Browsing","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization"},"alternateName":"WOT","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Web of Trust","alternateName":"WOT","url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/logo-big.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/logo-big.png","width":395,"height":150,"caption":"Web of Trust"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weboftrust","https:\/\/twitter.com\/Web_of_Trust","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/wot-services-ltd.","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MyWOT"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae7ad33d93b334cdbf7f10ac604f37c9","name":"Alex at WOT","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d775e2b963afb3e50c3cc8ae1745b6e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d775e2b963afb3e50c3cc8ae1745b6e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alex at WOT"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65602"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65602"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67569,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65602\/revisions\/67569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mywot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}