Securing Windows from external attacks without bogging said PCs down or annoying users is a big challenge, but modern security software has risen to it beautifully, and we now have a huge range of highly effective suites to choose from. Our readers have made their favourite clear below.
WINNER
AVG 2016
Price: From Free to R695 for a 2-year renewal
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• AVG INTERNET SECURITY 2016
• Complete protection for everything you do
• 1 year R449
• 2 year renewal R695
• AVG ANTI-VIRUS 2016
• Essential protection that won’t get in your way
• 1 year R349
• 2 year R523
• For Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10[/su_box]
Nothing beats free, and South Africans were only too happy to embrace AVG as their favourite supplier of security software thanks to the company’s very capable free anti-virus solution. That goodwill has likely translated to actual purchases of the company’s paid-for security software as well, and cemented AVG in the minds of South Africans as the name to trust when it comes too securing their computers.
This is remarkable, as AVG was up against the biggest hitters in the security industry, including the likes of Norton, Kaspersky, McAfee and BitDefender, who all offer their own security suites that are backed by years and years of experience and marketing. While many offer trials, none have a truly free solution, and AVG is only too happy to swoop in and save the day for many cash-strapped Windows users.
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Percentage of votes: 29.1%
Runners-up: Kaspersky Total Security (22.8%), BitDefender Total Security Multi-Device 2016 (14.5%)
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Journalist’s choice
While I like free, I prefer to pay for my security software for the peace of mind it offers. In my experience nobody can beat Norton Internet Security in terms of performance, unobtrusiveness and effectiveness against both known and unknown threats. The software tends to be quite pricy and has a legacy of poor performance that still haunts it despite massive improvements, and maybe that’s why readers went with AVG instead.
