Antivirus software versions are gaining more and more comprehensive protection capabilities, targeting operating systems such as Windows 10 and macOS. With this, the line of thought that paying for an antivirus service is no longer a necessity is growing. However, the decision cannot be based on the features that a free version offers, but rather on how a person interacts with the online world, and how much they have to lose if their computer is hacked.

We have therefore decided to list some of the main advantages of paying for an antivirus.

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Perhaps that is the most important argument. The threats from online fraudsters and hackers today go far beyond viruses and malware. Unlike most free antivirus software, paid solutions tend to offer a full suite of tools and features in one package, with a much wider range of protection. These add-ons usually include anti-phishing, VPN, anti-ransonware, online banking security and password managers. There are programs for each of these functions, but having them all packaged on the same platform makes security management easier.

On-call support

If you have a problem with a free solution, you are at the mercy of FAQ pages or user forums to find a solution. This is because free antivirus rarely includes technical or phone support, while with paid options such support is standard. In a situation where you are a victim of a ransomware attack, the delay in response can be disastrous. This risk drops considerably if a support team is on hand.

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Securing your personal laptop, used for Netflix and social networking, is quite different from protecting the machine used for work and business. The threats and needs are different for each case. So if you're running a company, no matter what size it is, where there's more than one computer being used to handle business, you need to consider varying levels of security. And only the paid version of an antivirus will have the necessary scope for an efficient protection system.

Management

Paid antivirus will deliver centralised management of all company devices, including servers, workstations and mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. This gives visibility into the company's risk landscape, which speeds action if needed. Whereas the free program is one-off, designed for the personal machine you have at home, without a full dashboard for company IT to manage protection.

Email Protection

E-mail continues to be one of the preferred paths for fraudsters who want to steal data using viruses and trojans. All it takes is one accidental click on an image or seemingly harmless links. Premium antivirus products will automatically scan incoming messages and attachments, alerting you to suspicious files and potential threats.

More efficiency

Antivirus software used to get a bad reputation (indeed, a well-deserved one) for taking up too many resources of the machines they ran on. Today, premium solutions have a much smaller impact on the system, running in the background with minimal pull on computer performance. And they are generally much more efficient than the free alternatives.

Protection for the family

The internet, unfortunately, is not a place that children alone can safely explore. For this, antivirus programs usually have some sort of parental control feature in the software. The paid version will likely provide a license to run the program on multiple machines, unlike free alternatives, meaning you can protect the whole family's computers with just one payment.

By: Leonardo Camata