Top 3 Best Free Antivirus Programs

There's a host of really good, and really bad antivirus programs available on the market. Some range from nothing more than a pretty icon that sits in your system tray, to full fledged security solutions that act like overzealous customs agent checking everything that tries to enter your computer. Here's a breakdown of the top three best free antivirus programs available today.

  

#1. Avira Antivirus Free Edition

The Good:

• Perpetual Free License means no re-registration.
• Rated very highly by the VB100.com RAP comparison
• Very light weight meaning minimal slowdowns on your PC

The Bad:    

• Nag-Ware. One pop-up window a day that you must close. 
• But, this is a small price to pay for free.

Download:    http://www.avira.com/en/download-start/product/avira-free-antivirus

  

#2. Microsoft Security Essentials

The Good:    

• Perpetual Free License means no re-registration
• Integrates very well with Windows
• Non-nonsense Icon lets you know when there's a problem
• Seamless updates bundled with regular Windows Updates

The Bad:    

• Slightly bloated meaning some slowness will be noted

Download:    http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials

#3. Avast Free Home Edition

The Good: 

• It works
• It talks to you when it downloads an update or detects a virus

The Bad:

• It talks to you when it downloads an update or detects a virus. Gets annoying!
• Must register the software and it only allows you to register for one year.
• If you forget to re-register, you lose protection even though it's free to re-register.

Download:    http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download