Why Should I Pay for Antivirus Software?

Having a good antivirus program running on all of your devices is important in order to protect your files and personal information. Choosing a security suite that fulfills your needs and provides you with the protection you require can be difficult and often confusing. There are so many to choose from and in most cases some technical knowledge is necessary in order to make an educated decision. In addition to that, there are numerous free products and free versions of paid products available out there. Why pay for a yearly subscription when you can install something for free instead? While some companies do provide anti-spyware or anti-adware products for free, good antivirus protection will usually require you to purchase a security package.

Multiple Devices

It’s natural to think of having an antivirus only on your PC or Mac, but in today’s internet-driven world that’s not enough. The use of smartphones has increased to the point where everything is accessible via mobile. Users shop from their phones, access their bank accounts, and save quite a lot of personal information that is very sensitive, including their emails, contact list, and more.
Free antivirus products do not provide protection on all devices and users who want to really feel safe will need to purchase a yearly subscription of a product that supports the devices they use.

Advanced Threat Detection

Free versions of antivirus products protect your PC by scanning & searching for known threats. Paid versions usually have more advanced algorithms that can detect threats based on suspicious behavior while updating their database in real-time if any new possible threats arise. This means that having a paid antivirus product will likely be more effective in detecting newly discovered malicious threats both on your computer, in websites you visit, and emails you receive.

Advanced Features

When it comes to choosing an antivirus product, you need something that suits your specific needs and that’s where the advanced features come in handy. Whether it’s more elaborate firewalls, email protection and anti-spam, parental control or social media protection, these types of advanced features are usually only available in premium security suites that require a yearly subscription.

Support

Free antivirus products rarely offer technical support and if something goes wrong with your antivirus or computer, you’ll want to have someone assist you immediately. Antivirus companies provide complete support for their paid products, some offering 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone in addition to community forums, tutorials, and FAQ accessible on their website.

Advertising

No one likes having advertisements on their computer and that’s usually what you get when you install free antivirus products. Paid versions never show advertisements and some even have anti-adware features.

How to Choose

As previously stated, you need to find the security suite that is in line with your specific needs. That means choosing one based on the features it provides and the yearly subscription cost. Read detailed reviews about top antivirus products to help you make an educated decision.

The table below details the amount and type of features you get with the free version compared to the ones you get when you purchase an antivirus software. There’s quite a difference.