There are two main types of antivirus software available – paid and free. Many of the major security brands, including Avast,  Bitdefender,  and Kaspersky, offer a free version to tempt you into its garden, but you might be surprised that both free and paid versions share the same core antivirus engines, and therefore offer the same protection from malware.

This means it will shield your computer from viruses, trojans, attachments in email messages, and similar pests. It may not offer extra features such as warnings for dangerous websites, protection from spyware. Indeed, moving up to the paid-for premium versions usually brings advanced features like protecting your webcam from snoopers, scam warnings on social media, password managers, and secure vaults where you can store important data that can’t be corrupted by the blight that is ransomware. You can of course try the free version first and then move to the paid subscription if you like the software and think the additional features are worth the investment. To see our recommendations, check out our roundup of the best antivirus software.