I've only used free ones for years. Years and Years.

Avast and AVG are excellent. I also have SuperantiSpyware and Malwarebytes installed. All are free.

I will never ever have McAfee on any of my machines again. Right now I would consider Panda or Bitdefender or for a pay version Kaspersky. Avast and AVG and Avira are still ok too for free. Webroot is a good product.

I agree about the McAfee hate.

Panda is good for on the run, very lightweight, but it is very limited. It does what it does quite well, as best I can tell, but it only does what it does.

I like AVG but on some systems it fights with the configuration. If that happens to you, just uninstall and try something else. I don't have any issues, and I use the free edition.

Avast is remarkably powerful even in its free version, and can lock you out of even the most up to date things, looking for certificates (unless they've fixed that in the last couple of months). You can turn off the thing that does that. If you're only going to known to be okay secure sites, it's not an issue turning it off. If you're bopping all around the 'net, maybe not. Its power in other places more than makes up for this inconvenience.

(I recently ran through the last three on a colleague's computer, trying to find something that worked broadly enough for his needs, and that didn't implode. We decided that the certificate queries weren't necessary for him, and went with Avast. With a crib sheet for him of how to get out of hell if he should need to reinstall.)

I have Norton, but my son really likes the Kaspersky that came (1 year free) with his Costco computer. I might even switch to Kaspersky when my Norton is up in a few months.

I used Avast for many years. But some of the latest updates basically crippled my computer. I don't think the program plays well with Scotty (WinPatrol). So I am now using the free version of Avira.

Panda here. It works. It's lightweight.

I use the anti-virus that comes free with my internet provider and have never had a problem. I refuse to pay for Norton after I spent about $100 on it for my son's computer and a week later he got a virus so bad, his computer couldn't be fixed and Norton did nothing about it. I use McAffe, which I suppose I do pay for with my monthly internet bill through my provider. You should see if your provider offers it as well.

I use the free version of Avast. I like it. Never let me down.

I used McAfee and Norton and hated both. I now use Kaspersky (paid) and like it a lot. I can use it on up to 3 machines. I'll continue to buy it.

Thank you all for your feedbacks and review link. Looks like Kaspersky and Webroot have good reviews. I am leaning toward Webroot more since it costs less.

As for those freebies, well, I get this feeling that somehow there's a payback hidden somewhere. After all, a business is still a business and not so much a charity.

The important thing about all these antivirus softwares is how fast do they catch and block off new malware, virus, worms, etc..

Debby_ab, I don't think my internet provider offer antivirus subscription. Otherwise, they would have advertised it already. Even if they do provide it, I wouldn't want it. A friend had it offered through her internet provider. We calculated out that after the 12-month contract, it would have cost her more than just purchasing one on her own.

Even with Norton Internet Security, I haven't paid but $20 to $30/yr.. Now, that its price has gone way up, it's time for me to change.

Over the years I've tried all kinds of antivirus programs but I've settled down on Comodo now. Lightweight, effective (as most all are in reality), simple to use and free. I was a longtime Norton fan until they bloated, Panda always had too many false alarms, Kaspersky was great, Trend Micro was good but bulky, McAfee was, well, McAfee and Avast was locking up too many machines. I started using Comodo after reading the tests on it and it always scored among the highest ranked. I also like free.

However, in reality an antivirus program is not the value it used to be. Viruses are uncommon these days. Malware is the issue. Granted most antivirus programs guard against malware too but too many people just don't understand the differences and think "I have antivirus, I'm protected." Not really true for about the last 10-15 years.

I had Norton for years, but a few months ago, I was having difficulty installing it. Norton Tech Support - overseas, it sounded like - wanted to take control of my computer in order to do the install. I refused, just wanted help in my doing the install. We reached an impasse, I hung up and cancelled it and went with McAfee. I'm happy so far.

Over the years, and with a handful of PCs in the house at any one time, I've had a few occasions when a hardware hiccup sidelined Norton. I've found their tech support to be excellent. There's nothing to be concerned about with giving a legitimate tech support provider remote access to your PC. It's all controlled by you, on and then off.

You're right, I seem to recall that Norton's tech support group is in India. If you were to call a company's tech support group located here in my area, you'd be equally likely to run into someone from Southern Asia whose family moved here. Do you think it matters?

My impressions are based on a limited number of contacts with tech support, but I sense that tech support overseas is harder to communicate with. Part of it is language, part is culture. Overseas tech support seems almost autometronic. They seem to have a script they work from, and if your problem doesn't fit one of their scripts, they can't help. When I asked for help in fixing the problem myself, the only reply he gave me was to ask me to let them take over my computer. And he had no response when I said no. He didn't seem to understand why I refused. And my comment, "There is no way on God's green earth I am giving you access to my computer," didn't resonate with him.

This happened on the heels of another tech support call involving my cell phone company. I received an odd e-mail out of the blue from my phone provider that they were going to stop my phone service on a certain date, and when I called, I was told by someone in tech support that they were no longer going to accept payment by PayPal. So I went in to my account to change to another payment method and found myself locked out. I called for help, and they couldn't get into my account. The tech support guy from the phone provider wanted the password for my Paypal account. I refused. And he didn't seem to understand why I would not give it to him. I think someone living in the US would understand this sensitivity on the part of the customer.

I understand your reaction, in part, but you must live somewhere where there are few immigrants. Speaking to non-native speakers of English can be a daily occurrence in my area. It's no big deal.

You were right to keep back your PayPal account password. However,
telling a remote tech support person they can't access your PC would be
like taking your car to a mechanic for an oil change but telling them
they can't touch the crankcase drain bolt. With companies like Norton,
remote access is what they do, it's very efficient and necessary (because of the complexities of how their software interacts with PCs), and nothing to be
concerned about.

If you want to encounter people talking from scripts and who have been cautioned to not deviate from a list of allowed actions, try calling any company's customer support call center. Banks, insurance companies, utility companies, it's all the same. I find no difference between talking to someone in the US or abroad. I've stopped contacting my bank. Even though I'm a premier level customer with a "personal banker", the seemingly "American" people who answer the phone in a nearby city talk like zombies. I restrict my dealings to what I can do on the website and accept any problems as "that's how it is".

They've said in the papers that call centers are moving to the Philippines because the English is more mutually intelligible, and they understand American culture better there. I have recently spoken with quite a few support ladies with Philippine accents who were quite good, though I don't know if they were here or there. From the ambient electronic sounds, I'd guess there, but that's only a clue, not proof. OTOH, when it comes to tech support, I've only had terrible luck with South Asian calls. I have a pretty good ear for Indian accents, and do okay with Indian customer support on non-tech, but these guys were unintelligible, so I'd ask for a supervisor repeatedly until they transferred me, and eventually got Americans to talk to. They were tech knowledgeable too, and when I described my very very unusual problem, caused by their software, they did find some answers. (Though it took my IRL tech expert trawling the 'net to find an a permanent solution.) It pays to be persistent, especially when you can't understand what the agent is saying and he can't understand you.

Thanks everyone for your feedbacks. I've purchased Webroot but haven't installed it yet. I didn't want to do it during the holidays when it's difficult to reach tech support if I need to.

As for customer service, yes me too, I have the same problem when speaking with someone in India. Half of the time, I couldn't make out with their English. They certainly have a heavy accents. LOL, I have ran into a couple of Indians that tried to show how fluently they spoke English by talking very very fast. So fast that I couldn't understand what they were talking about. I realized this quickly and requested them to speak slowly. Once they did so, their English became much more clear.

Like most everyone, I do prefer speaking with someone that I can understand so the problem could be resolved. Hence, the reason I call tech/customer support.

I've noticed that when I call customer service or tech support during business hours with some companies, most likely, I will get someone within the US.

Just be sure before you do anything to use the dedicated Norton removal tool they provide because trying it from the control panel remove doesn't remove nearly all of it. Norton gets deeply entrenched. Do the full removal then you can go install Web root.

Removal tool

Yes, I'm awared of that as I've done it before. Thanks.

I've been using Norton for the past 3 years and like it. The same application is available in single or multiple seat versions, and it does not burden the operating system as much as some others do.