Should You Buy Anti-virus Software Or Get a Free Version?

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Should You Buy Anti-virus Software Or Get a Free Version?
By Carl Robinson

Which is more beneficial buying an antivirus software or downloading the free version online? Computers have become so important in so many parts of our personal and professional life that it is very important to safeguard the data stored in them against viruses which are designed to destroy or steal it.

However, many people take this very lightly and never think twice about the damage that can be caused by such viruses. So thinking that they are saving money they go for free online downloads of antivirus applications. What they do not realize is that even these free antivirus downloads might be spam or can inject virus into the system.

Those free versions that are not malicious in their intent may however be very ineffective in detecting and destroying viruses. Much antivirus freeware is outdated and not powerful enough to fight the virus or remove it fully from the system.

Keeping this in mind many software companies are trying to cash in on the demand for a good antivirus software. So they introduce antivirus software which is powerful enough to fight any form of virus and it also provided one year free upgrade after which time the user can update the virus for a small additional fee. This software is normally moderately priced ($25 – $65) and can provide a complete solution for your systems security and safeguard the data from virus threats.

When you become a paid customer of an antivirus program you are entitled to certain special benefits which you are devoid of when you download free antivirus software. You will need to pay for customer support, possible after a short period of free support, but the most serious disadvantage is that the software is not automatically updated regularly. This prevents it being effective against new viruses which come on coming day after day.

Whereas when you buy antivirus software the software company is responsible for all your queries related to the software and it’s functioning. As the competition among the antivirus software companies increases more are offering increasing functionality (i.e. antiadware, privacy features etc) and better value. Free 24/7 live support is also becoming offered by some of the big players. Moreover the software that you buy will entitle you for a free upgrades for at least one year and after that you need to pay only a small fee to upgrade and continue using the software.

Therefore many benefits are experienced when a user opts for a paid antivirus software. Now, this may come as no surprise but it is all too common for people to pay more in the long term by taking the cheap short term option.

Carl Robinson is a software reviewer from the UK. He writes series of antivirus software articles for the antivirus review site Best Antivirus Downloads

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