In today’s digital world, where cybercriminals continue to emerge, the right antivirus software in your machine guarantees robust threat protection against sophisticated cyber attacks. But the question is how to find the antivirus software that most suits your needs and the device’s operating system.
Every antivirus is not equal or contains every critical feature to fight against the growing malware while preserving your device’s performance. Therefore, you must know what to look for when buying an antivirus. This article will dig deep into this topic and discuss the most important features you need to consider.
What are the major threats your antivirus can detect and their detection accuracy?
The cyber threats the antivirus protects your machine against are the first thing you need to look for. Ideally, it should protect your machines from the most common threats like malware, viruses, ransomware, phishing, and spam. The software should provide this basic threat protection at a minimum but if you are a heavy internet user, look for the software covering more complex threats.
Some antivirus protects against complex cyber attacks like fileless attacks, spyware, adware, and worms. For example, the RAV Antivirus can catch more types of malware because Its Machine Learning Engine can detect patterns and scan millions of files to identify potential threats. Cyber threats keep evolving and keep hidden in your machines undetected. An antivirus with such innovative systems helps you protect your devices against emerging cyber threats.
Keep in mind that any antivirus software can advertise a long list of threats they prevent, but it is important to find the accuracy in their claims. In other words, look for malware detection rates calculated by independent labs such as AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST, and NSS Labs. The amount of false positives is a major factor you need to consider as it indicates the software’s ability to avoid tagging normal files as malicious.
Does it provide real-time threat protection?
No antivirus is useful if it cannot detect the threat in real-time and can remove them quickly. Some antivirus provides the remedy only after the virus attacks the computer. But what you need to find is whether it proactively protects your device. For example, it must scan downloads before opening them or running executable files so that you can avoid potential damage to the computer.
To provide real-time threat protection, it must continuously scan your device and notify you of any malicious activity or file. Then you can see information on the detected threat and remove it yourself or let it automatically remove it. The RAV Antivirus provides active threat protection by scanning your device in the background, promptly identifying suspicious activities and files, placing them into quarantine, or removing them.
The antivirus must contain a complete scanner that scans every nook and corner of your system to provide complete real-time threat protection. In addition, look for software with browsing protection that prevents you from visiting malicious sites.
Does it impact your device performance?
What happens if your machine slows down, crashes, or creates unnecessary popups after installing the antivirus? Then it indicates that the antivirus consumes a lot of your machine’s CPU and memory power or contains unwanted ads.
You must always select an antivirus that does not significantly impact your device speed. It should be a lightweight solution but needs to carry out essential tasks such as complete scanning while doing day-to-day tasks without any hindrance, such as web browsing, launching applications, installing and uninstalling software, etc.
How easy is it to use it?
Look for its ease of usage. The antivirus must be simple so an average user can grasp it quickly without any hassle. Find information on how easy it is to download and install? How much effort will you need to understand how it operates?
You must look for an antivirus that is easy to install and has a simple and easily navigable User Interface. If the antivirus software contains a simple but intuitive UI, it allows even a person with little knowledge about them to easily catch up with its features.
Check if it includes automatic updates to avoid missing important security and software patches and updates without manually updating them. In addition, it is always good to check their customer support options. If you do not have a way to contact them if you encounter any issues, your investment will be in vain. Thus, check if they have 24/7 hour customer support, chat option, or email option.
Does it provide endpoint protection?
Nowadays, even homes have networks connected with multiple devices. Suppose you use such endpoints or many devices connected to a single network. In that case, you must look for an antivirus that offers total endpoint protection because if one endpoint gets infected with a malicious virus, it can spread to all the other connected devices.
The RAV endpoint protection identifies potentially vulnerable endpoints thorough system scans and provides a precise diagnosis. Its ML engine learns user behaviour while protecting against cyber attackers.
Is it worth the price?
Last but not least, you must consider if the antivirus fits your budget. But never go for cheaper or free antivirus as they provide only the basic protection and can inject with loads of annoying pop-up ads or may collect your information without your consent.
Always look for software that provides a free version or a free trial. Many antiviruses have a free-to-use version with basic antivirus features so that you can first try using it and see if it fits your needs before you buy it. Free trials of paid versions help you assess the features they provide are worth the price and commit to the software in the long term.
Conclusion
There is a lot of antivirus software on the market. Choosing the most suitable one for your devices and needs can be hectic if you do not know what you should ideally look for. This article explained the essential features you must look for in antivirus software. The RAV Antivirus consists of all these essential features. That is why it has become a top choice of many.