the best free antivirus 2018 for laptops

Relying on any one app to protect your system, data, and privacy is a bad bet, especially when almost every security app-including Malwarebytes and Windows Defender- has proven vulnerable on occasion.

But information security experts repeatedly recommended it as a useful anti-malware layer, one of multiple layers of security you need for your devices, coupled with good habits. Malwarebytes is not an all-in-one option for protecting your system against exploits, malware, and other bad stuff. These options provide reliable protection without slowing your computer significantly, installing unwanted add-ons, or harassing you about upgrades. Information security experts told us that the built-in Windows Defender is good-enough antivirus for most Windows PC owners, and that both Mac and Windows users should consider using Malwarebytes Premium, an anti-malware program that augments both operating systems' built-in protections. The 'best antivirus' for most people to buy, it turns out, is not a traditional antivirus package. And after all that, we learned that most people should neither pay for a traditional antivirus suite, such as McAfee, Norton, or Kaspersky, nor use free programs like Avira, Avast, or AVG.

We set out to do a standard Wirecutter guide to the best antivirus app, so we spent months researching products, reading reports from independent testing labs and institutions, and consulting experts on safe computing. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter.

The best free antivirus 2018 for laptops