Are Free Antivirus Programs any Good?

You may have learned the hard way that you get what you pay for but that is not usually the case with free anti-virus software. The truth is, many anti-virus companies give out their personal or home version of their product for free. Why would companies do this?  They hope that people will use it, become impressed with it and then recommend it to the companies they work for. Then, the companies make their money from the commercial versions of their products. 

Most free anti-virus products are just as fast at detecting new viruses as the pay-for products. The companies make their money by offering a good commercial version (which must be purchased) so their reputation would be on the line if they didn't come out with updates just as fast as the other guys.   Their hope is that they get referrals (and therefore sales) from the free versions, so it is in their best interest to keep them updated and working well. They are just as fast (or even faster in some cases) at getting new virus definition files created. 
 
Most anti-virus programs auto-update, which is a great thing for the user. If the company relied on the user updating the software themselves, many would forget to keep it updated on a regular basis.  Without the update, the user is then open to newer viruses.   The updates are the most important part of having an anti-virus program. As new viruses come out, new updates to your AV program come out to keep you safe from them. If you are not updating your AV programs, you are leaving yourself open to be infected by any new virus that comes along.
 
So, what program is the one for you?  I recommend using AVG, Avast or Avira. All of these products come in a free home version for your personal use and all of them rate just as high as the pay-for versions from the big two namesakes, Norton and McAfee.