Best Free Antivirus Program

Computers connected to the Internet are extremely vulnerable to malicious programs that pervade the web space. Having a computer without an antivirus software, connected to the Internet is risking a system crash, data theft or letting hackers gain access to your computing resources. Still, many people will ignore installing one until a day comes when the computer operating system crashes due to computer viruses. If you are under the impression that getting an antivirus program will cost you big bucks, forget it. Here, I present the best free antivirus programs that you could install on your computer. Go through the short reviews of best free antivirus software (2010) offered below and choose the one which suits your requirements.

What should one look out for in an antivirus software? The first thing is of course high detection rate of computer viruses. For that to happen, the program must have a regularly updated database of virus signatures. So the second thing to look out for is regular updates. The third point is of course scanning features. You should be able to schedule scans and have a quick and custom scan option. The best free antivirus (2010) must have real time scanning facility, which is extremely essential. Of course, no antivirus program is perfect and none can guarantee a 100% detection rate. If you get additional security features like email and link scanning, it's even better. In the next section, you will find four of the best free antivirus programs reviewed.

Best Free Antivirus Program (2010)

There are many options when it comes to selecting an antivirus program for your computer. As I said before, none can guarantee 100% security, some of them have a detection percentage in the nineties. To make your choice easier, I have selected the four best antivirus software programs for your perusal.

Avast! Free Antivirus
If you are looking for a free antivirus program, that has a wide range of security features, Avast! Free antivirus is the program you must go for. Besides offering excellent antivirus and antispyware scanning, what sets it apart is its P2P, email and IM scanning options. This is a great antivirus for Windows 7. Check out the Avast Antivirus review and Avast vs AVG comparison for more detailed information.

Microsoft Security Essentials
If you have Windows 7 installed on your computer, one of the best free antivirus programs that you could opt for is Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). To use this one, you must possess a licensed version of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP. Very light on the system, MSE offers the best security, if all you are looking for is only bare essentials. Its database is updated regularly and its detection rate of malware programs is superb. This is arguably the best free antivirus for Windows 7.

AVG Free Antivirus 9
One of the oldest programs that is counted among the top 5 best free antivirus software programs is AVG free antivirus 9. In its latest avatar, it offers all round security, with an excellent detection rate of viruses and malware.

Avira AntiVir Personal
Last but not the least, another god free antivirus option is Avira AntiVir Personal. This program also has a good virus detection rate and comes with custom, quick and scheduled scanning features.

You may select any one of the above contenders for the title of best free antivirus program (2010). Select a program that offers adequate security, according to your usage pattern on the computer. I would personally recommend Avast antivirus. Well, I may be biased, but I found that Avast offers a great range of features, along with excellent overall service. If you have a PC with Windows 7 installed on it and your usage pattern is very limited, then Microsoft Security Essentials is also a good option to opt for!