The Best Free Antivirus Software 2026

In All About Cookies’ testing, the best free antivirus is Avast Free Antivirus. AVG AntiVirus Free is our pick for real-time protection, and Bitdefender Antivirus Free is best for malware protection. We tested the top free options across ease of use, features, and protection to help you find the right fit.

The best free antivirus software

Antivirus	Best Overall
Best for	Overall	Real-time protection	Malware protection
Star rating	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Free plan
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled	Manual and scheduled	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
24/7 customer support
Free plan compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows
Starting premium price	$49.08/first yr	$31.20/first yr	$24.99/first yr
Learn more	Get Avast Read Avast Review	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Bitdefender Read Bitdefender Review

How we tested the best free antivirus software

We selected the top three free antivirus products by comparing ease of use, available features, protection, and overall value. 

We chose the first three criteria because they are the primary factors contributing to overall value. A product's overall value depends on its ease of use, feature set, and effectiveness at protecting your devices, email, and online presence.

• Ease of use, including installation simplicity, compatibility, access to website resources and support, and whether an account is required.
• Number of features offered, including how many additional add-on security features are available as well as the degree of each feature’s functionality.
• Degree of protection provided, including lab testing scores, firewall protection, ransomware and phishing protection, plus any other functions that improve the user’s cybersecurity protection.
• Overall value delivered, including consideration of all the above criteria as well as the overall ease of use.

Avast Free Antivirus: Best overall

What we liked

Avast Free Antivirus is an excellent selection if you want the most secure, feature-laden free antivirus option that works across multiple device types. While all three top choices have strengths and weaknesses, Avast's free software appears to be the most balanced considering the number of free features you get and the quality of their performance. It also comes with fewer drawbacks compared to other free antivirus software.

Avast Free Antivirus gives you more free features than most antivirus software, starting with the protection offered by an industry-leading, machine-learning-supported antivirus engine. Avast delivers real-time protection, including malware and ransomware scanning. The free version provides six layers of antivirus security, including Smart Scan, Cybercapture, Behavior Shield, File Shield, Rescue Disk, and Quarantine features.

Avast Free Antivirus also provides added bonus protection with a data leak alert, Wi-Fi network security, and a safe browsing and emailing feature. 

And in AV-TEST, Avast has consistently scored well for protection, performance, and usability.

What we didn't like

Avast Free Antivirus supports more operating systems than many free antivirus products, but several features have limits. During our testing, when we tried to resolve issues found in a scan, Avast directed us to purchase Avast Premium Security.

Avast Free Antivirus specs

Free plan compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Firewall	No — paid plans only
Malware scan	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Learn more	Get Avast Read Avast Review

AVG AntiVirus Free: Best for real-time protection

What we liked

Avast acquired AVG in 2016, so it makes sense to expect some of Avast’s free product quality in AVG AntiVirus Free. And AVG AntiVirus Free doesn’t disappoint.

AVG AntiVirus Free is perfect for anyone seeking the top-notch antivirus protection of Avast but in a smaller, simpler, no-frills package. It comes with a high level of antivirus protection for your PC and email.

It's hard not to like a lifetime of free antivirus protection that requires no account to set up and installs in roughly three minutes.

AVG AntiVirus Free includes real-time protection for viruses, malware, and ransomware. Recent AV-TEST results gave AVG AntiVirus Free perfect scores for usability, performance, and protection.

AVG uses artificial intelligence technology to detect malware on your devices, and while you browse online, it quarantines affected files and keeps you up to date with real-time alerts and analysis of current malware threats. We also liked that it includes an email shield that alerts you to malicious emails or attachments.

AVG AntiVirus Free matches Avast with convenient Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android compatibility.

What we didn't like

AVG AntiVirus Free has drawbacks that may affect its value for some: its website is difficult to navigate, and its features are more complete on Windows than on other operating systems.

AVG AntiVirus Free specs

Free plan compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Firewall	No — paid plans only
Malware scan	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review

Bitdefender Antivirus Free: Best for malware protection

What we liked

Bitdefender Antivirus Free is a strong choice for people who want free antivirus with real-time protection, phishing defense, and manual or scheduled scans. It protects against viruses, malware, adware, Trojans, and rootkits.

In our testing, Bitdefender Antivirus Free passed all three EICAR tests for malware detection, drive-by download blocking, and phishing page detection. Bitdefender's paid products also earn high scores from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs.

Bitdefender's free antivirus software provides automatic protection without extra features. It runs quickly, updates automatically, includes anti-phishing protection, and uses behavioral detection to monitor threats in active apps in real time.

Bitdefender also breaks a trend among free antivirus software by offering free online support, which many paid antivirus products don’t even offer.

What we didn't like

Bitdefender's free antivirus is available only for Windows. Its phishing protection works best with the free Bitdefender TrafficLight browser extension installed, and the app alone may miss some phishing attempts without it.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free specs

Free plan compatibility	Windows
Firewall	No — paid plans only
Malware scan	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Learn more	Get Bitdefender Read Bitdefender Review

Bottom line: The best free virus protection software

Avast, AVG, and Bitdefender earned excellent AV-TEST scores for usability, performance, and protection. The best free antivirus depends on which protection and features matter most: Avast has the most free features, AVG focuses on real-time protection, and Bitdefender provides the most precise malware detection of the three.

Avast Free Antivirus is the best overall pick for people who want a free-forever antivirus. You can choose AVG AntiVirus Free if real-time protection is the priority or Bitdefender Antivirus Free if malware protection is the priority.

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