Not the Usual Anti-Virus Discussion

I've never had to pay for any AV or other security software (well over a decade). The typical home user has plenty of free options available (already posted by others) that provide very adequate protection while not consuming resources.

Matter of fact, over the years, it appears to me that some of the paid security software has caused more bloat/slowdown problems than some of the free software that secures as well or better.

DBone said:

richc46 said:

Sandboxie does cost money to have, and not that easy to use for beginners.

It comes in both free and paid versions. The free version is just as robust as the paid version, but lacks a few features such as always starting a particular browser in the sandbox. The paid version is a lifetime license, so it's a one time purchase for a very reasonable price, and you "own" the software forever. Also, there are many good tutorials on YouTube that would help even the newest computer user to use sandboxie.

And I think the paid version is not only good for life, but can be used on all computers that you own.

I think you do have to stay aware of what it's designed to protect against though.