13 Best Free Antivirus Programs

[JMH]

One nasty virus could expose your financial information or stop your computer from working at all. What you need is the best antivirus software possible on your computer. Luckily, some of the best are also completely free!
Many companies offer free versions of their popular antivirus programs for home users. My favorites are AVG Anti-Virus Free, avast! Free Antivirus, and MSE, but be sure to check out the whole list to find the best free antivirus for you.
Important: I've included no "on-demand only" (without constant virus protection), trial, or shareware antivirus programs in this list. These are the best antivirus programs that are completely free and work similarly to, or better than, expensive programs from companies like Norton and McAfee.

13 Best Free Antivirus Programs for Windows (Updated April 2013)

 

[satrow]

I really do not trust about.com for anything unless I can see the article has been leeched from a reputable source. The poll for this was clearly rigged, discussion here.

That antivirus piece I wouldn't call any kind of review; for those it does 'review', it doesn't say much more than "xxxxx installed and ran ok" and "watch out for the toolbar/Chrome during installation".

 

[Will]

While there are a couple of well known AVs suggested, several of these are so little known that they're not commonly rated by major AV comparison tests. I don't think I'd ever recommend an AV program that wasn't listed here:
AV-Comparatives Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software » AV-Comparatives