In this article, I will unveil the best free antivirus solutions available in 2024. I have scrupulously selected, rigorously tested, and then ranked each product to ensure the list that is reliable and up-to-date.
The criteria for the rankings aren't arbitrary — I've considered important aspects like robust malware protection, additional feature sets, and user-friendliness.
The best part?
All the free antivirus programs featured in this list are cross-platform. If you need a security solution that effortlessly protects your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices, each option here is viable.
To help you visualize the uniqueness of each antivirus product, I've included eight illustrative screenshots of these solutions in action. Read on and make an informed decision to safeguard your digital life without stretching your budget.
In a Hurry? Here’s a Quick Summary:
Don’t have time to read the whole article? Check out the synopsis:
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free — Kaspersky is my top pick due to its excellent virus detection, real-time protection, and scan options. Plus, it has a great device optimization feature.
TotalAV Free — TotalAV provides reliable virus detection and important security features like web protection and phishing detection.
Panda Dome Free — Panda grabs the next best spot with its strong virus detection, fast scans, and minimal effect on computer speed.
Avira Free Security — Avira is a fantastic free antivirus option with a strong virus detection system, but it doesn't have phishing and ransomware protection.
AVG Antivirus Free — With years of service and millions of global users, AVG's free version is still one of the most popular antivirus solutions.
Avast Free Antivirus — Avast is a well-liked app with strong privacy and security features, but my trust in Avast is currently low.
Why Should You Trust Us?
Lots of antivirus reviews online aren't reliable. Why? Because the editors don't actually install and test the antivirus software they "review." They just copy text and images from the developer's website. Many reviewers don't even include screenshots of the antivirus’s interface.
Our team at AntivirusGuide does things differently. We buy, install, test, and thoroughly review the antivirus software featured on our website. We also keep our reviews current and continuously improve the information we share to help you choose the right antivirus.
I’ve thoroughly reviewed each antivirus product on this list. Also, I added links to full reviews at the bottom of each listing. My full reviews include detailed insights, screenshots, and recommendations.
After in-depth testing, I ranked the best free antivirus products based on security, privacy, and performance.
1. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is the most feature-packed antivirus solution among the best free antiviruses. It comes with a real-time virus scanner and virus removal features. Plus, Kaspersky is easy on system resources because it uses cloud technology to scan and remove viruses.
Independent testing labs, like AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, and SE-Labs, have tested Kaspersky and given it their top scores. It was the antivirus product with the best protection at SE-Labs.
Features
Kaspersky Free gives you lots of excellent features for free. Besides the real-time virus scanner mentioned above, you also get phishing protection and an email virus scanner. The anti-phishing feature worked well in my tests, blocking all phishing pages I tried to open.
Kaspersky Free also provides a malware removal utility (they call it the rescue kit) you can use to clean computers infected with malware.
Another feature many people will appreciate is ransomware protection. Ransomware is one of the most dangerous threats today, and protection against it is essential.
Furthermore, Kaspersky provides good tools for cleaning up junk files. Those include the unused data cleaner that removes temporary files, the privacy cleaner that erases your computer activity history, and the file shredder that lets you permanently delete files.
Other free features include:
An on-screen keyboard to prevent keyloggers
Browser settings for improved security
Checks if your account data has been leaked in a security breach
Limitations
The VPN service is the most significant limited feature. You are restricted to using just 300 MB per day, which only allows for a few Google searches. In addition, you can’t select the servers you want, and it doesn’t have a kill switch.
Additionally, Kaspersky Free includes a limited version of its password manager. Unfortunately, you can only add up to 15 entries to your vault. Parental control features are also missing.
Other absent features crucial for your privacy or safety include webcam protection, application control and management, data backup and encryption, and a secure browser for online transactions. If these features are essential to you, take a look at our Kaspersky deals today.
What You'll Like
Multiple scanning options — Kaspersky offers a variety of scanning features and settings for all users.
High malware detection rate — In my tests and in independent lab tests, Kaspersky blocked all malware threats before they could infect the target devices.
Robust ransomware protection — Kaspersky excels at preventing ransomware from holding your files hostage.
Effective junk cleanup features — Kaspersky Free has several helpful file cleaning options, like the privacy cleaner and data shredder.
What You Won’t Like
The quick scan isn't that quick — Kaspersky’s quick scan took longer than I expected: over five minutes.
Limited VPN — Although it’s quite generous for a free VPN (300 MB per day), the VPN is missing two key features: a kill switch and the ability to select a server.
Pro Tip
Want to erase traces of your activity on your computer? Use Kaspersky’s privacy cleaner. It’s a type of tool that few antivirus products provide. You can use it to permanently delete website history, data about opened apps and files, Windows logs, and more. Simply follow the privacy cleaner wizard, and you'll clear your traces in no time.
Kaspersky is the best free antivirus, thanks to its impressive virus detection engine and various features.
Read my full Kaspersky review.
2. TotalAV Free
TotalAV has rapidly risen to become one of the top free antivirus programs, even though it's relatively new. The free version offers great security and privacy features such as scheduled scans, malware removal, phishing protection, and a data breach checker.
The reputable antivirus testing organizations, AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, have also extensively tested TotalAV. It scored high in protection, performance, and usability in their recent tests, demonstrating excellent malware detection accuracy.
Features
TotalAV organizes its features into three categories: malware protection, privacy, and performance. The free version only has a few features, but those that you can access are crucial for blocking cyber threats. For instance, the web protection feature blocked all the phishing pages and other threats I tried to open.
The scan features allow you to scan for malware manually, and real-time malware detection is unavailable. On the plus side, you can schedule automatic scans (twice a week, weekly, or monthly) to avoid manual scans.
Other notable free features include:
The ability to enable or disable applications on startup — Useful if you don't want certain apps to open on startup, saving resources.
Application uninstaller — Great for easily uninstalling your apps and cleaning up any remaining files.
Limitations
The most significant limitation is the absence of real-time malware detection. Additionally, the VPN is entirely locked — there isn't even a small daily data allowance available.
Also, the performance-related features are only available for 48 hours after installing TotalAV Free. These tools were quite effective in my tests, scanning and finding many junk and unused files in my system. You can view TotalAV’s performance-related scan results for free.
Furthermore, if you want the complete password manager, you must pay for it. I tested TotalAV’s password manager while doing my full TotalAV review, and it’s among the better ones available.
What You'll Like
Highly accurate antivirus engine — TotalAV's antimalware engine detected nearly all of the threats I tested during my full TotalAV review.
Excellent web protection — The free version of TotalAV is highly effective at blocking phishing websites, network attacks, and other web threats.
Data breach checker — This tool is handy for checking if your email or phone has been compromised in a data breach.
User-friendly — TotalAV is one of the easiest antivirus solutions to use. The user interface and experience are well-designed.
What You Won’t Like
No real-time virus detection — Regrettably, TotalAV Free can't alert you of malware in real time. You have to upgrade your antivirus to unlock real-time protection.
Time-limited cleanup features — Other antivirus solutions offer unlimited time for some of their device cleanup features, but TotalAV doesn't.
No VPN — The VPN service is completely locked. There isn't even a small daily data allowance.
Pro Tip
Are you concerned about the safety of your personal information? To check if someone is misusing your data, see if your email or phone number has been involved in a data breach. Head to the Internet Security tab on TotalAV and click on Data Breach Check. Enter your email address or phone number here. TotalAV will quickly tell you if your data has been compromised.
TotalAV is a simple yet effective antivirus program that provides many useful features for free.
Read my full TotalAV review.
3. Panda Dome Free
Panda Dome Free is among the best free antivirus solutions available. During my tests, the antivirus software blocked most threats I tried to open, including ransomware and harmful web pages.
Features
Considering it's a free antivirus, Panda offers a decent amount of features. The most important is real-time anti-malware detection, which is crucial for protecting your devices from cyberattacks during your daily computer use.
All scan types (quick, full, and custom) worked perfectly in my tests. The full scan was relatively fast and thorough, finding nearly 380,000 files in 40 minutes. Panda identified a few potentially harmful files and moved them to the quarantine folder.
Other notable features include the process monitor, which lets you observe each open process on your computer and its threat level. I also liked the USB flash drive scanner, which automatically checks your flash drives once you plug them into your computer.
Limitations
Panda lacks significant features such as parental controls, a password manager, a junk cleaner, a performance optimizer, and a firewall. However, given these features' complexity, it's reasonable to expect to pay to unlock their full capabilities.
There's also a VPN service, but it's limited to 150 MB per day. That's only enough for a few Google searches, so upgrading to the full version is worthwhile. Panda offers a decent number of servers worldwide, and the download/upload speed is decent.
What You'll Like
Fast and precise malware detection — In my tests, Panda Dome Free was as effective as the paid version, scanning and identifying cyber threats quickly and correctly.
Efficient virus cleanup — Besides moving malware and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) to quarantine, Panda Free offers an efficient cloud-based malware cleanup tool.
Low system resource usage — Using Panda Free didn't feel heavy, and my computer ran smoothly, even during full scans.
What You Won’t Like
Few configuration options — Although Panda Free has some security and privacy settings, I'd like more options for setting up malware scans.
Lacks features — I know it's a free antivirus, but still, Panda Free offers fewer features than other free antivirus solutions on this list.
Pro Tip
Think your computer or someone else's has malware? Use Panda Cloud Cleaner to remove stubborn threats from any computer. You can install it separately. Follow the steps in the program's interface, and Panda will remove the frustrating threat using cloud-based technology.
Panda Dome Free comes with a strong antivirus engine, but it's not the antivirus software with the most features.
Read my full Panda review.
4. Avira Free Security
Avira Free Security is another excellent antivirus option that's been available for a long time. Despite not advancing much compared to its rivals in recent years, Avira remains a strong antivirus solution.
Independent antivirus security firms like AV-Test and AV-Comparatives consistently test Avira. Most of the time, Avira receives top awards from these well-known companies.
Features
Avira Free Security's features are divided into security, privacy, and protection categories. The scan features, accessible from the security tab, are varied. You can start a full scan, a quick scan, and a custom scan. Avira also monitors your device for threats in real time, which is a crucial feature.
Additionally, Avira includes a smart scan feature, similar to most antivirus products. In my tests, Avira identified various issues but only fixed a few. It partially cleared up junk files and removed all registry items. However, other services, like tuning up privacy settings, are only available for paying users.
Another important free feature is the Password Manager. You can save an unlimited number of passwords, but features like account and password checking are only available if you pay.
Avira Free also includes a data shredder. With Avira's advanced shredding algorithms, I was able to delete sensitive data, making it unrecoverable.
Limitations:
The most crucial unavailable features are web protection and ransomware protection. Since most threats come from the web, web protection is strongly recommended. Email protection is also unavailable, but that's not as important.
As previously mentioned, many optimization features are locked or limited. The locked features include optimizing slow startup apps, privacy settings, outdated apps, and breach monitoring. A similar feature is the driver updater, which can detect old drivers but doesn't update them (unless you upgrade to the pro version).
On the plus side, Avira Free's VPN service allowance is one of the most generous among all antivirus products. Avira Free provides 500 MB of data per month to its users. For comparison, Panda Dome Free offers just 150 MB per day.
What You'll Like
Powerful anti-malware engine — Avira has one of the strongest antivirus engines, achieving near-perfect malware detection rates.
Real-time malware detection — Besides allowing you to manually start scans, Avira Free can detect malware and other cyber threats in real time.
Modern and well-organized interface — The features and different buttons are intuitively organized, and the interface feels contemporary.
Generous VPN data allowance — Avira Free provides 500 MB of free data per day, which is more than what most other free VPNs offer.
What You Won’t Like
No web or ransomware protection — Unfortunately, Avira Free can't protect users from web and ransomware threats. Upgrading to the pro version is necessary.
The smart scan wasn't very accurate — During my tests, Avira’s smart scan spotted several problems but only managed to fix a few of them.
Avira Free Security accurately detects threats in real time but lacks web and ransomware protection.
Read my full Avira review.
5. AVG Antivirus Free
AVG Antivirus Free is a well-known antivirus app that's been popular for many years. It has a lot of useful features. So, what sets AVG Free apart in the crowded market of free antivirus software? Let's find out.
Features
Despite being free, AVG Antivirus Free offers a diverse range of features. Here are the key ones:
Protection from cyber threats in real time
Manual scans (full, quick, and custom)
Web and ransomware protection
Rescue disk for cleaning malware
Wi-Fi Inspector for scanning network vulnerabilities
Hack alerts to monitor accounts for leaked passwords
DND mode to silence all notifications when a specific app is open
Software updater to automatically update installed software
Limitations
AVG Free does not include several Pro features, like the webcam shield and phishing protection. Other Pro features like cleaning junk and password protection are nice to have, but not crucial.
A feature that’s missing is the enhanced firewall, which promises to be better than the standard firewall of Windows or Mac. Also, there's a remote access shield option, which lets you control who can remotely access your devices.
In addition, AVG Free doesn’t let you install or use their VPN unless you pay a monthly or yearly subscription.
What You'll Like
Customizable installation — AVG allows you to choose which security components you want to install on your computer.
Strong ransomware protection — In my tests, the ransomware shield blocked all the ransomware threats I tried to open.
Lots of features — AVG generously provides a lot of features for free.
What You Won’t Like
No junk cleaning tool — AVG has a separate, feature-packed cleanup utility, but the antivirus solution doesn't have such features.
No phishing protection — The Free version doesn't defend against the widespread threat of phishing.
No VPN whatsoever — You don’t get to use AVG’s VPN even for a limited time each day.
AVG Antivirus Free includes many security features but lacks phishing protection.
Read my full AVG review.
6. Avast Free Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus has been around for over 30 years, and it's one of the most downloaded antivirus apps. But can you trust it? In December 2019, Avast got into a privacy scandal where they were accused of selling user data.
That’s why I can't recommend it right now — but I may change my mind if they regain trust.
Features
Avast Free Antivirus offers a decent number of features for a free service. The most important ones include protection from cyber threats in real time, manual scans (full, quick, and custom), web and ransomware protection, and a rescue disk for cleaning malware.
Other significant features include:
Wi-Fi Inspector — Scans for network vulnerabilities.
Hack alerts — Monitors accounts for leaked passwords.
DND mode — Stops all notifications when a specific app is open.
Software updater — Finds and automatically updates installed software.
Limitations
Some features of Avast Free Antivirus are only accessible if you pay for them. These include the webcam shield, phishing protection, password protection, and junk cleaning.
A unique feature that's missing is the remote access shield, which lets you control who can remotely access your computer. An enhanced firewall, which guards against network attacks, is also missing.
Additionally, Avast Free Antivirus allows you to install its SecureLine VPN, but you need a subscription to unlock its features. You don’t even get a limited daily data allowance.
What You'll Like
Customizable installation — Avast lets you choose which components to install (such as password protection or firewall) during the installation process.
Strong ransomware protection — Based on my tests, Avast’s protection against ransomware is very good.
Lots of features — Despite being a free antivirus, it offers an above-average number of features.
What You Won’t Like
Trust issues with Avast — Because Avast misused its users' data (although they claim they've stopped doing that), my trust in Avast is currently low.
No junk cleaning tool — Avast Free Antivirus doesn't include any type of junk cleaning, though it does offer a separate cleanup program.
The Free VPN is locked — Avast’s SecureLine VPN doesn’t even allow you to use a limited amount of data daily.
Avast Free Antivirus comes with a good number of features, but it's not completely trustworthy.
Read my full Avast review.
Tips to Help You Choose the Best Free Antivirus
If you're still not sure which antivirus is best for you, here are some questions you can ask yourself:
Can I install the antivirus on all my devices? If you use more than one device, it would be best to pick an antivirus that works on all of them.
Is it user-friendly? Your antivirus software should be easy to use and understand. Choose one that doesn't require lots of adjustments.
Does it slow down my device? Although most antivirus software today doesn't use a lot of system resources, it's still best to test if it affects your device's speed.
Do the developers keep it updated? An antivirus that's not frequently updated by its developers might not protect your device well enough.
Are the paid plans affordable? If you decide to upgrade your antivirus later, can you afford the costs?
How I Created this Best Free Antivirus List
I made this list of the best antiviruses in 2024 by examining 50 different antivirus solutions. After thorough research, I picked six of the best ones. I then reviewed each one in detail and ranked them based on:
I tested all these antivirus solutions on a Windows Dell XPS laptop, a MacBook Pro M1, a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, and an iPhone 11, as they all work on different platforms.
Protect Your Devices With a High-Quality Antivirus
To keep cyber threats away, there's nothing more important than a high-quality antivirus — along with being careful. Even if it's a free antivirus, it's likely better than the default security solution on your device.
Free antivirus software like Kaspersky and TotalAV are reliable and maintained by large teams of cybersecurity experts and developers. You can rely on them to keep your sensitive data safe.
FAQs
Check out the most commonly asked questions from web users and our answers to these queries.
Is built-in antivirus software good enough?
New types of malware and phishing methods appear every day, and a dedicated antivirus solution is needed to guard against these threats, especially on Windows and Android devices.
Install a sturdy antivirus app like Kaspersky or TotalAV today to stop digital threats.
Are free antivirus apps helpful?
Yes, free antivirus software is still very helpful. First of all, they have the same strong antivirus engine found in paid antivirus solutions. Secondly, they come with extra features, like an improved firewall, junk cleaning, software updater, and so on.
Look at our best antivirus list and choose the one that fits your needs best.
Do free antivirus companies misuse my data?
You don’t need to worry about your data being misused by antivirus companies. Trustworthy antivirus companies have earned their reputation by being open about how they use user data. Besides the Avast privacy scandal in 2019, there haven't been any other large-scale breaches.
Interested in a reliable antivirus solution? Check out TotalAV and Panda Dome — they’re some of the best antivirus programs.
Does free antivirus software slow down my device?
Antivirus solutions in the past were slow and made your computer run slower. But technology has improved, and computers are more powerful now. A free antivirus solution should not slow your system down unless it's doing a full scan.
Look at our suggestions for the lightest antivirus solutions today.
Octav Fedor (Cybersecurity Editor)
Octav is a cybersecurity researcher and writer at AntivirusGuide. When he’s not publishing his honest opinions about security software online, he likes to learn about programming, watch astronomy documentaries, and participate in general knowledge competitions.