Can we use Multiple Antivirus Apps on One PC?
To solve this question, i found a discussion on Yahoo which may describe the situation clearly.. Here's a quote from the thread:
Running multiple security applications at the same time, particularly anything that runs in real time like antivirus or firewall programs, can wreak havoc on Windows, crash your computer, give you many headaches, and, in the very best case, merely slow your computer to a crawl.
The problem is worst with antivirus programs, which is designed to keep constant tabs on files being changed or created without your knowledge. But since antivirus programs are constantly doing this kind of thing behind the scenes, there's a good chance one program will try to block the behavior of the other program, and vice versa. The result could be a catastrophic failure of both applications (leaving you without any protection), or just general instability in Windows. This is so common that if you try to install one antivirus app on top of another, many installers will warn you not to do so.
(You can read the full thread on the website)
If i AGREE with that. The next question is Which of these three freebies should I choose? 'Avira vs avast vs AVG' ? or Can i just use All three on 1 PC?
Some computer savys place Avira at number one, some choose avast!, others prefer AVG. Actually, I'm still unsure which one is the best, BECAUSE.. According to my own experience, After using both 3 one 1 PC, every app has the (+) and (-). Using more than one 'real-time' antivirus program can cause conflicts and use much system resources, so in most cases it is recommended we only choose only one antivirus application for real-time protection. I use the other two apps as Back-up scanners to prevent any 'missed' virusses/trojans/malwares/spywares/etc.
Here's my ranking from best to good, and how i use them:
(++++++++) avast! (real-time)
(++++++) Avira (as backup scanner, manual)
(++++) AVG (as backup scanner, manual)
Why do i prefer avast!?
The free edition of avast! antivirus app GIVEs me more features than the others. The performance so far is great. Although the detection of viruses is weaker than AntiVir.
Avast! Home Edition Antivirus 4.8
(+) Antispyware built-in
(+) Active Email-scanning
(+) There's also Web scanner
(+) Internet Messaging protection
(+) Outlook/Exchange shield
(+) P2P protection is also available
(+) Fast when update, updates several times a day, and each update is small and quick
(o) Real-time/active residential shield on background: On-Access protection
(o) average on resources (File-size 27MB)
(o) Higher detection rate than AVG, but not as high as Avira
(o) Email registration to get Free License
(-) Relatively high rate of false postives
(-) Complicated user interface (like a media player with annoying buttons, my eyes hate it)
Avira Antivir Personal Antivirus 8.2
(+) it's VERY light (installer-file-size only 21MB)
(+) it uses few system resources, making it a good choice for older computers
(+) UI is simple (i like simplicity)
(+) Anti rootkit
(+) Full details on Report/Logs/Results
(+) Fast scan speed
(o) Real-time/active residential shield on background: Guard protection
(o) It has a time-limited license but it's renewable
(-) Slow when update
(-) Unfortunately, this Free edition does NOT have spyware protection. You have to switch to premium edition to grab it.
(-) No active email-scanner, It won't warn us of infected emails before we open them. However, should we open an infected email, we're still protected from email-based infections.
(-) Advertisements that appear with every update, however these ads can be 'disabled' with a trick.
AVG Free Edition Antivirus 8.0
(+) Email scanner
(+) UI is nice, simple and modern
(+) it's heavy (installer-file-size 51MB)
(o) Real-time/active residential shield on background: Resident Shield
(o) LinkScanner Lite (slow my browsing on search engine), fortunately it can be 'disabled' with a trick: How to Disable AVG LinkScanner
(-) it does NOT have rootkit detection, You have to switch to paid version to grab it.
(-) often having trouble with Automatic Update manager on my pc
(-) Very slow scan speed
(-) 'Exclamation Mark' on the AVG icon if we disable one of the features
(-) install Toolbar by default + advertisement (AdBanner on program)
>> TIPS to prevent any conflicts using all 3 apps on a single PC?
+ Use only the most trusted app to be a 'real-time' protection on background. In this case, i prefer avast! and the other two apps are used just for back-up scanners, only to make sure that less thing is missed.
+ Use Exclusions (for other antivirus apps' files/folders to be excluded from scanning)
NOTE1: I DO NOT suggest your computer/pc/laptop should sport all those 3 protections if you feel confident with just one of them (the best according to you). Using only one can prevent conflicts, and of course it will use far less system resources/memory usage.
NOTE2: Most of the comparison reviews in this article were based on the experiences i had on my computer, and also after reading lots of other reviews online. Please understand that it is very personal and subjective.
As we all know that all those three antivirus apps are constantly updated from time to time. The features and UIs of those antivirus apps should be different in any future versions or when you read this article (please see the versions of the apps and when i wrote this post).
If you want share your experiences using avast or avira or avg antivirus, feel free to tell me your opinion in the comment section
