# Is there a free antivirus that is actually decent, or is it worth paying for a proper subscription for a home PC user who does not want to take risks?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Is there a free antivirus that is actually decent, or is it worth paying for a proper subscription for a home PC user who does not want to take risks? That's the question I'm digging into for a roundup on <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/antivirus">antivirus software</a>, and these are the tools that stood out to me:</p><ul>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/kaspersky-antivirus/reviews"><strong>Kaspersky AntiVirus</strong></a> (4.5 stars, 95 reviews) is one of the tools reviewers reach for. They describe accurate real-time detection that runs quietly in the background, and several say it protects without slowing the machine. It provides a free trial so you can try it out before making a purchase.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/avast-small-business-cybersecurity/reviews"><strong>Avast Small Business Cybersecurity</strong></a> (4.4 stars, 102 reviews) comes from the same family as the well-known free Avast tier, and reviewers call it lightweight and reliable in the background. It also offers a free trial.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/360-total-security/reviews"><strong>360 Total Security</strong></a> (4.3 stars, 46 reviews) is the one reviewers most associate with a genuinely usable free edition, with malware scanning and PC cleanup, though they also mention pop-up ads and raise data-privacy questions.</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">So the free tiers are decent for basic malware protection, and the paid step up mostly buys you fewer ads, extras like a VPN or payment protection, and lighter system impact. For a cautious home user, do you value the free price or the paid extras more?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: about 1 month ago
- Author title: Marketer
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

For a cautious user, the split I&#39;d draw from reviews is exposure, not budget. If the machine touches banking, taxes, or a shared family login, the paid extras that matter are payment protection and fewer interruptions, and those are worth real money. If it&#39;s a browsing-and-email machine, the free tiers cover the malware basics and the paid layer mostly buys quiet. The ad-supported free tools are the one category I&#39;d steer a cautious user away from, since the constant nagging leads people to click things they shouldn&#39;t.

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: 23 days ago





## Related discussions
- [How well does Trello scale into a larger team?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/1-how-well-does-trello-scale-into-a-larger-team)
  - Posted at: over 13 years ago
  - Comments: 6
- [Can we please add a new section](https://www.g2.com/discussions/2-can-we-please-add-a-new-section)
  - Posted at: over 13 years ago
  - Comments: 0
- [Quantifiable benefits from implementing your CRM](https://www.g2.com/discussions/quantifiable-benefits-from-implementing-your-crm)
  - Posted at: about 13 years ago
  - Comments: 4