Do we need to purchase antivirus software?

[Shadowfax]

I have been using Quick Heal Total Internet Security for about a year.

It is going to expire next week and asking me to renew. I loved Quick heal.

But in Windows 10, we have Windows Defender antivirus. So I don't know whether I shall renew Quick Heal or use Windows in built antivirus? What is the difference between them?

Is there point in purchasing antivirus program since Windows defender already offers protection from virus and malware.

Please give your views....

Thanks!

 

[whitestar_999]

It depends on your browsing habits,if you only browse usual sites & don't click on random ads then default win 10 protection is enough.Also you need to stick to downloading from safe sites & stay away from pirated softwares. If you do feel the need to install an AV then instead of paying for quick heal I would suggest using avira free version or pay for kaspersky(it now has a free version too,check kaspersky India site) or eset or bitdefender.

 

[meetdilip]

Install Avast or buy Kaspersky. As far as I know, Avast works well. But spies too. I read a medical document on my PC and offered to encrypt it. It will show a few ads as well occasionally.

 

[cute.bandar]

Nothing more than Defender is required.
Irrespective of which antivirus: Don't download pirated stuff, keep windows update on. Be super careful with pen drives that come from noobs computers

 

[meetdilip]

If you keep pirated software away and have safe browsing habits, that is more than enough. Use open source alternatives. But sadly, this doesn't work for most people. Especially when they try out games. There is no use to have an antivirus and then install a pirated software at the same time.

 

[Zangetsu]

Alertness is useful while browsing and installing, but one cannot be alert all the times and there are many varieties of Viruses (Adware, Ransomeware, Root-Kit etc).
So, you definitely need a good AV protection be it paid or free.
checkout the features supported by the AV before installing.
Avira, Avast are good AV

 

[whitestar_999]

^^Microsoft win 10 protection is now good enough to completely ditch AV(assuming you keep it updated & enabled).

 

[billubakra]

Switched from KAV to MSE/WD years back and it is more than enough. No need to spend money on av's anymore.

 

[Gollum]

I keep windows updates disabled and so I keep a basic free antivirus like Aivra which is not heavy on the unit like McAfee or Trend Micro.

 

[lotabsorbing]

No, the free ones are good enough. Actually, I removed anti-virus from old PC, which slows download performance especially boot time.