An anti-virus is a software that is meant to detect, remove and protect the computer’s software from getting adversely affected by malfunctioning, or being affected by malicious contents. There is a specific word for thread and harmful content for the software, which is called a virus. Thus, the name anti-virus suggests that software that plays a significant role in overcoming or removing the virus from the computer’s software.
Types of Anti-viruses
You might have come across two antiviruses: paid and free.
Which Anti-Virus to choose?
A lot of people rely on free anti-virus software and think about saving money. But is it enough to fight the threats that might damage a computer’s software? That is a million-dollar question. Basic protection is provided by free anti-virus software whereas the range of features and protection for the paid antivirus is significantly higher than the free one.
Free Anti-Virus
The free antivirus might be a good option for those who are not into digital or sensitive data, like if someone is just limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Google, Netflix, Games(PUBG, snooker, cricket, candy crush, etc.).
Cost-Benefit Ratio
People who are involved in digital data or sensitive data that might be secret to the state, personal secrets, etc., then one should never opt for free antivirus software and save money which cost would be much higher than the benefit. That is why the cost-benefit ratio should be kept in mind when deciding on choosing the type of antivirus.
Significance of Free Anti-Virus
Yes, I do agree that free anti-virus has its benefits like it scans your devices to avoid any malware which is the primary work of cybersecurity software. It may also block ransomware, which works against criminals who want to steal your data.
Features of Paid Antivirus
However, some things cannot be done by free anti-virus such as parental control which is a feature of paid anti-virus.
Parental Control
In parental control, if the child is not able to recognize the threat on the internet and wants to access the dangerous site, the parents receive the notification and can even block the further proceeding. Criminals usually target minors on the internet but with this software, parents can prevent the hazardous act of criminals towards their children.
Access to many devices
The other drawback of free anti-virus software is that it is limited to one device which means if you got multiple devices like computers, laptops, mobile, etc and you are log in to your account from these multiple accounts then there is a higher probability that your data may be hacked due to the limited protection whereas, in paid-antivirus, there is the option to use the antivirus on your multiple devices and hence save yourself from cyber-criminals. Thus, this paid anti-virus makes itself trustworthy for the customers.
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Reporting to Cyber-Security Agencies
Free anti-virus cannot suspect the criminals who use your personal information and data on the internet whereas, the paid one reports the problem to cyber-security agencies to take action against such people.
Upgraded Firewall
The other and most important limitation of the free anti-virus is it lacks a firewall upgrade that allows which data should be transferred between the network and which one or malicious one should be blocked from being passed between the networks.
Protection of Devices from Threat
Free antivirus cannot protect your wifi modem, smartwatch, and other digital devices but the paid one has not only the capacity to manage the protection of all these but a time it can manage the protection from being getting threat.
Protection of Customers’ Data
The last thing which the free anti-virus system lack is a lack of protection by the companies’ customers, this means the companies which use free antivirus software cannot protect the customers’ information like name, phone number, email address, home address, etc. Whereas the companies which used paid antivirus can protect the personal information of the customers, and thus, the customers are more likely to trust the companies which used paid antivirus than the free-antivirus.
Our Opinion
We think it is the era where technology is getting advanced day by day, and getting access to others’ information or hacking others’ information, is not like cracking the nuts. We must use the antivirus but the paid one which provides a variety of features and dimensions to protect our data and information from outside threats. We do not degrade the free-antivirus software but if you think your data in your device is very personal and no one should access it, in our opinion, you should go for paid-antivirus software.
