Avast a good buy?

[Ikith]

So I've been using Avast for about a year now and it seems to keep me in good standings along the lines of viruses (At least as far as I can tell). So I was wondering if Avast is a good buy or should I just stick with the free version?

Edit: Other virus scanner suggestions are always welcome.

[SephYuyX]

MSE

[chiyio]

MSE

what he said. It's a waste to spend money on antivirus when the free options are so good.

[Amastacia]

Not worth spending money on AV unless you're buying NOD32 or Kaspersky.

And if you're not an idiot, and/or not paranoid, the extra security isn't worth what it costs.

[Rellikard]

Not worth spending money on AV unless you're buying NOD32 or Kaspersky.

And if you're not an idiot, and/or not paranoid, the extra security isn't worth what it costs.

This. I had KIS 2011, took it off my machine to try out Comodo for a bit. With NoScript/ABP(FF) and Flash blockers + ABP in Chrome, you should be fine with a free scanner. Just don't be dumb about replying to e-mails to enhance the size of your junk. Most of the shit going around atm is via e-mail and social network spam links.

Edit: New Norton isn't bad either. Even uses low resources with its 2011 version. Best thing to do if you're unsure on which to choose, check out videos on languy99's Youtube channel. He has videos w/ him testing all top/most new anti-malware programs against zero-day viruses.

If you're looking for free:
Avast
Comodo
MSE

If you're looking to buy:
Norton
Kaspersky
ESET

[Astarael]

don't buy norton if you're buying one, terrible option. kaspersky and ESET's nod32 are the way to go. I have nod32, would recommend it to anyone.

If you're here thinking about AV's, safe to say you'd probably be better off buying one for the additional safety

[Rellikard]

I repair computers daily and see what AV works and what doesn't work and Norton 2011 is definitely back on the road to being a top AV again. I did not recommend Norton again until after using the 2011 version for a few months. Some people are just more comfortable with the name Norton. One big advantage Kaspersky has though over other AVs is it updates every hour which gives you a better chance at fighting off a zero-day virus.

Anyway, check some out for yourself and make your decision then.

If you want to buy Kaspersky Internet Security though which is very good, you can go to eBay and buy a copy (from someone with a high rating). The main thing you need from them is the product key. Can download the software from here. I bought a few copies between $20-$25 which were for 1 year, 3 users.

PS: Norton AV and IS. 360 is still a bad option. Resource hog.

[nitsuj]

ESET is amazing, and super lightweight. It's definitely worth checking out, at least.