Info Carnivore

Thanks for the input. I'm pretty faithful to AVG, but like I said I recommend all these programs. Avira does have pretty solid detection rates.
Twitter: danielsnyder1

Interesting combination of AV software, so you say it's not using up a lot of resources… impressive! You don't feel comfortable with avast on it's own? I guess you can never be too cautious. Yeah, will send you a link for a license key to safe returner. thanks for commenting.
Twitter: danielsnyder1

Hi,

Have you sent the link?

I don't seem to find it in my mailbox.

Thanks.

I agree with your picks EXCEPT, I personally have found Microsoft Security Essentials to be better at detecting malware and less resource intensive. Also, no annoying adds from AVG when it is time to upgrade trying to sell you the pro version

Try it, you won't regret it.

Aha, I'm 3/4 of the way through testing 10 free antivirus programs myself so I was intrigued to see what you had to say Daniel.

Its interesting that your conclusions are very similar to mine, especially your comments about Avira's interface which I think may put the not-so-savvy user off of that particular program.

I would also go along with stagnant – MSE is a good quality and free solution without ads – I'd recommend giving it a go too.

I hear what you're saying about Microsoft's historical reputation for security but I think you'll find they've now turned the corner at the very least.

I have tried MS Sec Ess and I would put it on the same par with AVG and the others. I do find it less resource intensive than AVG or AVAST. In addition it also includes antispyware/antimalware protection.
For myself I use AVG with Spybot and Spyware Blaster. As long as you don't mind manually updating them, I stay pretty infection free.

Thank-you for your review. As a guy who is relatively new to honest web browsing I read your review and switched from Norton to AVG thanks to a little nudge from you Dan. Best move yet

I have used Antivirus software since 1990, even written a cleaner for one specific beast back then. Having used AVG, Avast, Bitdefender 8, F-Secure, Norton, Sunbelt etc. I have now landed onto the Microsoft platform. My wife has been running MSE for over a year and it is a solid product. I have paid for AV several times (Norton, Bitdefender, AVG, Sunbelt, at least).

The worst of the herd was definitely Bitdefender. Their product simply caused huge problems for a lot of people. Some had to reinstall their OS. My version refused to update itself. Please read their forums if you do not believe.

As for MSE it is fast, invisible and seems to do its job just as well or even better than many of the competitors. I was a fan of AVG for five years but ditched it for a number of good reasons. A recent pretty impartial report from nsslabs.com reveals that AVG alongside with NOD are in a pretty bad shape. Have a look at the report here: http://tinyurl.com/2vlmvfj

The bottom line is that you really do not need to pay for AV software any more. The real treats are somewhere else. Do not believe the marketing people or advertisement-monetized sites or magazines.