Avira and Panda are among the most popular and best free antivirus software, but how do they compare to each other and which can be called the best free antivirus of 2015? While both these programs offer pretty comprehensive security tools and features, there are certain differences which set these free antivirus programs apart. If you are looking for the best free antivirus to download in 2015, you have countless software available online, but not all of them offer accurate virus databases or enough functions to make you feel safe. Paid antivirus software isn’t the best choice either, because many have the same problems free antivirus has: lack of an updated database. Viruses are created each day in the hundreds, and if you don’t update the antivirus database, you might be exposed to dangerous computer viruses that might even render your laptop or PC unusable.
Panda vs Avira seems like the most sensible comparison, since these two are considered the best free antivirus download in 2015. One of the common problems these two antivirus programs have is that they frequently come up with false positives, meaning that they detect some files in your computer as being malicious ones and quarantine them, even though they are not a danger to your computer. That’s not such a big drawback, because you can always restore false positives from quarantine. It becomes troublesome when Panda or Avira remove these false positive files from your computer and render some of your programs unusable.
For example, the new uTorrent free download has a virus, according to Avira, even though it’s just a file within the configuration of the Bittorent client. Avira proceeds to automatically remove the file from your computer and rendering uTorrent unusable. That’s a pretty cumbersome issue, but a reinstall with Avira turned off will solve the issue. If the antivirus detects malicious files in your uTorrent install upon enabling the software, you just set it to ignore that particular detection since it qualifies as a false positive.
Panda and Avira have been among the most popular free antivirus choices for a long time now, because while they are free, they do offer pretty much updated virus databases. Panda is easier to use than Avira, because the latter tends to confuse users sometimes. Panda comes with great scores in malicious URL blocking as well as malware blocking. Panda uses its own cloud-based scanning technology thus having a pretty updated database compared to Avira’s timely updates which you sometimes have to perform manually.
Panda has an edge over Avira in scanning time, too. Panda takes roughly half an hour to scan your system, while Avira takes double that time. Naturally, the time a free antivirus download in 2015 spends on scanning varies depending on your PC or laptop, because you might have a pretty full HDD with millions of files and antiviruses scan file by file. Smaller bot more files take longer to verify than large but less files. Panda free antivirus also boasts excellent malware blocking. Avira, on the other hand, is ahead of Panda when it comes to URL blocking, which is a pretty important part of a free antivirus download in 2015, because our lives revolve around the internet. Avira also blocks tracking cookies, which comes in handy when you don’t want ad sites retrieving your information and then bombarding you with advertisements. The downside with Avira’s free download version is that, at least for now, you won’t benefit from any sort of tech support.
Avira does come with its own problems, such as system problems caused by malware cleanup. The Rescue System tool in Avira comes in handy if you’ve already managed to infect your computer with something, which is neat in my mind. There are many bonus features available in the paid version of Avira, but the 2015 free to download version does come with enough tools for the average PC and laptop user, so you won’t be left in the dark in case you don’t have the cash to buy the premium version of the program. No matter which free antivirus download in 2015 you choose between Panda and Avira, you will get a satisfactory experience. Nonetheless, Panda might just take the best free antivirus download in 2015 trophy because of its improved cloud scanning technology and good malware detection system. Any thoughts?