So if you want truly impervious protection, and less impact, you may need to look at one of the paid options in our best antivirus or best internet security software guides. It also puts strain on system resources when running a full system scan. The Antivirus protection is very good but it's worth noting this isn't the very best.

This forces HTTPS encryption, masks your digital fingerprints and blocks tracking scripts. On the outside everything will appear to look like you're running the regular Chrome browser, but actually this is much more secure. This works through a dedicated secure browser. While the free version does offer some spyware and malware protection, you'll need the full version for targeted protection against ransomware attacks. This gives you protection against webcam snoopers, adds a firewall protective layer and is able to block fake eCommerce websites.

The AVG Internet Security system will cost you, but for that money you do get a lot of extra features to make sure your machine and your identity are better protected. (Image credit: AVG) AVG Antivirus: AVG Internet Security Nearly always deleting it is the right choice as it is a threat that's been found. You are then notified and it's your choice what to do with that potentially threatening file. Should AVG find any threats it will immediately lock them away in a secure vault. You can also set a scan start time, ideal if you want to leave that running when you finish work, for example. Again, the positive here is little impact on your machine's performance – but at the cost of a longer wait. That said, if you do decide to manually set a computer-wide scan going then you'll notice this does take a long time to perform. All this is in real-time, running in the background and without draining resources noticeably. But that is perhaps underselling it as that means you get full antivirus protection in place as well as protection from web and email threats. The AVG Antivirus free version gives you, what the company itself calls 'basic protection'. 12 month plan - $0 per month ($0 total cost).

At AVG Technologies AVG Antivirus review: Free version

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