The popularity of Antivirus programs isn’t as much as it used to be. Thanks to Microsoft for including a full-fledge antivirus (i.e., Microsoft Defender) with Windows operating system, we don’t usually need antivirus. However, antivirus business is still going on and people are still getting their subscription.
I often see two kinds of people nowadays. First being the kind of people who say they don’t need antivirus anymore and then the second kind of people are those who use antivirus everywhere, even in their iPhone.
We’ll be covering both- antivirus for PC and smartphones here.
Do you need antivirus on your Android or iPhone/iPad?
You don’t really need antivirus for your Android or iOS smartphone. Antivirus for iOS is basically useless because they just offer you with addon features of antivirus which comes in iOS by default. However, Android version could be useful at times. Still, it is hard to get infected with virus/malware in your phone unless you’re an idiot or your manufacturer added it by default.
Besides that, antivirus cannot detect a lot kind of virus and malware in Android. So, your best bet is to not install apps from third party sources. Or at least download apps from reliable sources.
What about Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows PC?
It depends on how you use your PC. Viruses on Windows OS can be really horrible compared to what we see on Android. However, the same rule can be applied here as well. If you don’t install software from unreliable sources, you should be fine. However, it could be difficult to do that especially if you’re a student.
If your friends or family have access to your computer than there is no saving at all. You never know what they will run when you’re not looking at it. Some people usually take things easily until they are screwed up because of that. So, even if you’re cautious while downloading and running programs, you might still end up with an infected computer.
Microsoft Defender is usually good enough if you’re not installing random programs. However, it is not the best out there. You can rely on it if you’re careful with what you put on your computer. It also includes storage devices used in other devices, not just randomly downloaded programs from the Internet.
Do you need paid Antivirus on Windows PC?
You should be clear on this part if you have read the article properly till now.
Paid antivirus programs also come with some additional features which might benefit you but are mostly not required. However, these features also make them heavier compared to Microsoft Defender. Your computer might have performance related issues if it’s low-end PC. So, you’re better off with Microsoft Defender if your PC isn’t great in specs-sheet.
With time, criminals who spread spyware and ransomware are also getting smarter. They use domain names like the original ones or use pirated software to spread them. And some time, your friends or somebody else who have access to your computer might run such a program on your PC.
So, if you can make sure that you don’t download pirated software or games and you can also make sure that nobody else run anything on your computer then you should be fine.
Just don’t run any program unless you’re 100% confident it is from a legit source. And yes, don’t believe your friends’ words on it.
However, if you are someone who like to pirate software & games (which is illegal, by the way) and cannot stop friends or family members from running random programs on your computer then you’re better off using a premium antivirus program.
Just don’t pirate antivirus.
Conclusion:
So, at the end, you guessed it right- it’s all about how you handle your computer. If you can protect it then for the most part, you’re extremely unlikely to have your computer infected. Besides that, premium antivirus programs are also heavy on computers. They can have noticeable performance impact if you don’t have high end PC.
Personally, I don’t feel the need for a premium antivirus because I am careful with whatever I am doing on my computer. However, if you have really important things on your computer then I don’t see why you shouldn’t have a good antivirus program on your computer.
