The windows defender antivirus software built into windows 10 is very good but while it certainly holds its own against other free rivals it still can t quite match the features of the best paid.
Windows security software reddit.
It was inevitable for third party av software to become bloated they had to have something to differentiate themselves once windows started offering the basic service out of the box.
It essentially blocks all possible incoming threads effectively.
Also if there is a free offer it s probably for a 30 day trial version of the paid version.
Mse aka windows defender has been recommended countless times on reddit because it doesn t nag you much but it s actually very poor at detecting and removing viruses.
In the latest reports it s dead last out of 21 products tested.
Or you can opt for bitdefender free.
The windows firewall is 100 sufficient.
Controlling outgoing traffic is not only difficult basically all commercial firewalls still can be bypassed by malicious software it s also rather pointless.
Much of our lives now take place online and even in 2018 there s no such thing as being too careful.
First keep in mind that upgrade is and update is not.
Both are highly effective products but my personal recommendation definitely goes to kaspersky security cloud free because of its great signatures behavior detection cloud access ransomware rollback feature and overall usability.
By the time any unwanted software communicates with the outside it has already bypassed your av scanner and.
Except for windows defender the free ones usually emphasize converting to the paid version.
I started using microsoft s av back when it was still called security essentials.
It s a shame but yes you still need antivirus software.