AVG Anti-Virus... is it worth paying for Internet Security?

[jonoclouds]

Hey up! I have been running a PC service business for 12 years and I have seen AVG grow from a small product which lead the market, into a mammoth also-ran which has better rivals.
AVG still provides good protection with its free offering and there is no need to pay for the upgraded version. However, AVG is large, inefficient bloatware and the company definitely put a lot of pressure on users to spend money. Their webpages are carefully contructed to lead people through the payment route, encouraging them to click on deliberately misleading buttons. After installing the product, users are reminded that they could "benefit" by sending AVG money. Adverts are attached to the user interface periodically.

As other posters have already said, Avast! makes a very good choice. Use it free, just re-register in seconds once a year and get another 12 months of good protection.

Finally, I abandoned Zone Alarm a few years ago. It is intrusive and inconveniences the computer user far more than it protects them! The additional safeguards have little value, and many of its alerts for "threats" are meaningless. Even expert users might struggle to work out which threats are real and which are not.

One of the problems in recent years is that the large anti-virus brands are dressing up completely safe things as threats. For example the lastest version of Avast tries to check each application on the computer to see if it is up to date. This might be important for a few things but is not relevant for most. For example, it flagged Foxit Reader as not up to date on a computer I dealt with recently. Yet Foxit is a basic PDF reader, the current version worked perfectly and there was simply no threat. What is happening is the companies are looking for new ways to scare users, preferably enough to make them pay for additional "protection" that adds very little value.

[izan]

May 28, 2013 12:32:30 GMT alvoram said:

Used both AVG and Avast, firmly in the Avast corner now for reasons already mentioned above, but both are fantastic IMO

Plus there's nothing funnier than watching your missus crap her pants as your laptop suddenly announces at the top of it's voice that the "Virus database has been updated," pmsl.... Get avast.

I changed the language of the announcement to French.
"Base de données de virus a été mise à jour".

...She sounds naughty...


I

[kibbster]

The basic rule in IT is never, ever pay for Anti virus software
Unless you are in a corporate environment.

[Super-Shiny]

Installed and all Free

Microsoft Security Essentials
Malwarebytes Anti Malware
Super Anti Spyware
Ccleaner
Windows Firewall
Noscript
Adblock Plus

No bugger is gonna get to my p.c

[dinamic22]

May 28, 2013 10:41:02 GMT chykensa said:

I've used AVG Free on desktop and laptops for about 3 years with no problems - give it a go and see if you like it!
Andy

me too 

[djs]

May 28, 2013 11:01:15 GMT Mev said:

Microsoft's own AV program is one of the best free programs out there, there's no need to buy AV programs. Personally I don't even use one but I am the only person that uses my PC and I know what I am doing so never have the need to.

Is the correct answer.

I could write a 2 page thesis on the reasons why this post is 100% spot on, but you'd be bored and you'd all hate me.

[Mev]

May 28, 2013 17:42:56 GMT djs said:

May 28, 2013 11:01:15 GMT Mev said:

Microsoft's own AV program is one of the best free programs out there, there's no need to buy AV programs. Personally I don't even use one but I am the only person that uses my PC and I know what I am doing so never have the need to.

Is the correct answer.

I could write a 2 page thesis on the reasons why this post is 100% spot on, but you'd be bored and you'd all hate me.

What even more ?

[stu1873]

Microsoft security essentials is all you need for an anti virus program. works great. Anti Malwarebytes is also good to remove spyware.

Both are free.

[inigomontoya]

Firm believer in NOD32.

[hoppers]

Used Avast for a fair few years with malwarebytes, with no issues. MSE above^ also is highly recommended by people in the know on the forum I frequent.

[jonn]

May 28, 2013 14:20:25 GMT Super-Shiny said:

Installed and all Free

Microsoft Security Essentials
Malwarebytes Anti Malware
Super Anti Spyware
Ccleaner
Windows Firewall
Noscript
Adblock Plus

No bugger is gonna get to my p.c

+1 to the above

AVG and NOD32 used to be good, but they both are system heavy nowadays (similar case is Firefox browser).

IMO Microsoft Security Essentials+CCleaner is the best free combo out there.

[Jerri]

I use avast in my desktop and Microsoft security essentials on my laptop and HTPC. Not had any issues with any of them.

[OneDay]

Well I have removed Zonealarm from my netbook and laptop and put Microsoft Essentials on instead. It's like I have two new machines, they are so much quicker

I also installed Malwarebytes as an extra precaution.

Thanks everyone who has contributed to this thread I'm over the moon

[santa668]

Having used AVG and Zone Alarm free for many years, I've moved to MS Security Essentials since I got Windows 7 and haven't had any problems with it. Far less maintenance seems to be required to keep it updated and scanning, and I haven't noticed any viruses on my machine yet. I also run PeerBlock continuously to make me less visible online. Both use about 2.3MB each of running memory in my processes list as background. I refuse to pay for security software - the free ones haven't failed me yet!
It's far more effective to be sensible about what websites you browse and what programs you install than to pile security software into your RAM. Also, backup important data regularly; because sometimes no security will save you from the BSOD...

[vicuk]

May 28, 2013 14:20:25 GMT Super-Shiny said:

Installed and all Free

Microsoft Security Essentials
Malwarebytes Anti Malware
Super Anti Spyware
Ccleaner
Windows Firewall
Noscript
Adblock Plus

No bugger is gonna get to my p.c

I am the same don't pay when you can have all these for free and things from Microsoft don't give that much any so get it all the best vic