Best Free Antivirus
You don't have to pay for solid baseline protection. These are the strongest free tiers and trials we've tested, ranked on how much real protection survives once you say no to the upsell.
Kaspersky Standard
Kaspersky Free runs the same detection engine as the paid Standard plan with no time limit — the most complete free tier we tested.
McAfee Total Protection
McAfee's 30-day full-feature trial is long enough to properly evaluate identity monitoring before committing.
Bitdefender Total Security
Bitdefender's shorter trial still gives you the full, top-ranked detection engine to test on your own files.
Common questions
How were these rankings decided?
Each pick is drawn from our full lab-tested review set and ranked using the same protection-rate, performance-impact, and pricing data published on its individual review page.
How often is this shortlist updated?
We re-check rankings every test cycle — roughly every quarter, or sooner if a major vendor update changes detection or performance numbers.
Can I see the full ranking instead of just this shortlist?
Yes — the full lab ranking with filters for OS, price, and purpose is available on the Rating page.
Do these picks include paid placements?
No — rankings are based purely on lab data. Some outbound links are affiliate links; see our Disclosure page for details.