With Microsoft dropping the ball with the effectiveness of the Security Essentials software, many people are looking for a better free solution.
AV-Comparatives does several tests every few months on the most common AV solutions. Here are the most recent results. I am really shocked that Avast and AVG are so low now, as they used to be the go-to AV solutions for the educated PC users.
Real-World Protection
Performance Impact
File Detection
Recommendations based on resource usage and protection:
BitDefender Free
Avira Free
Remember:
Any protection is better than no protection.
Having and using secondary scanning tool like
SuperAntiSpyware or
MalwareBytes is very important.
Use a secure, often updated web browser with Ad Block Plus. Avoid Internet Explorer.
The best protection is intelligence, skepticism and paranoia.