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How To Run Commercial Antivirus Software Without Paying For It


This article is not about illegal methods of obtaining software products. But read on if you are interested in how you can protect your computer with the latest antivirus software without having to pay for it. The principle is simply. Most antivirus companies are offering test versions of their products. These versions can usually be tested for 30 or 90 days. All you need to do to protect your computer with antivirus software is to install a new product every 90 days. This means that you need four antivirus products, preferably the most reliable ones that are offering 90 days of testing. You start again with next year’s edition of the first antivirus software that you started with. If there are not enough 90 day trials you switch to 30 day trials instead or use a free antivirus software to fill gaps in the 12 month cycle.

The following links point to antivirus software programs that can be downloaded as trial versions. These trial versions can be used for either 30 days or 90 days without payment.

Which antivirus software developers are offering 90 day trials?

  • McAfee VirusScan Plus [link]
  • McAfee Internet Security [link]
  • McAfee Total Protection [link]
  • Norton Antivirus [link]
  • Norton 360 [link]

Which antivirus software developers are offering 30 day trials?

  • Kaspersky Antivirus [link]
  • Kaspersky Internet Security [link]
  • Bitdefender Antivirus [link]
  • Bitdefender Total Security [link]
  • Bitdefender Internet Security [link]
  • ESET Smart Security [link]
  • ESET Nod32 Antivirus [link]
  • Trend Micro Internet Security Pro [link]
  • Trend Micro Internet Security [link]
  • Panda Security Antivirus [link]
  • Panda Antivirus Pro [link]
  • F-Secure Internet Security [link]
  • F-Secure Antivirus [link]

Please let us know in the comments if we have missed a product.

Some notes: This article does not rate the antivirus software programs. There might be free programs out there that are comparable to the listed antivirus products. The only problem with this method is that users need to install different antivirus software regularly. This not only means more work for the user but also the requirement to get used to new software products.

Many antivirus companies are running promotions every now and then that offer longer trial versions for download. This will obviously help tremendously.

Any thoughts or ideas?




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Categories: Security, software


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21 Responses to “How To Run Commercial Antivirus Software Without Paying For It”

  1. JK says:

    Interesting, but not always feasible and not suitable for every systems.

  2. Peter Owen says:

    You used to be able to set your computer clock back to extend the 30 days period. I suppose that probably doesn’t work anymore. :)

  3. szekelya says:

    I guess a free antivirus SW (my choice is avira), a well maintained OS with only the necessary services running, PC placed behind a NAT router, and some precaution of opening email attachments (from strangers or spam-like mails from your buddies) or deleting them without even opening the mail might keep you safe* even without reinstalling big AV packages every 3 months.

    *Compared to the real threat. This is my home PC without any critical stuff on it. Photos and music backed up. If it is a business environment I guess it’s safer to invest in security.

  4. nero says:

    I second the free Avira. In terms of detection rates for both known and in the wild it ranks as one of the top options there.

    Add in it light use of resources and you really can’t justify paying for another solution.

  5. saad says:

    Martin is there any way to reinstall the eset.I.e by uninstalling it and then after removing registry entries or something like this,reinstall the eset?wot do u say?

  6. Rarst says:

    Fun idea. :) Seriously supposed advantage of commercial solutions over free ones (the one I losing faith in fast) would not be worth additional hassle.

  7. mario.91 says:

    I Prefer Avira free: for me simply the best!

  8. Tinybeetle says:

    Avast.com is free for home users. Works very well. It just requires an email registration to activate. You get an 18 month license that is free to renew.

  9. Searcher says:

    There are abundant free (and good) alternatives to these and most paid vendors periodically offer longer free licenses (I’m happily using a 1 year PCTools license). Within the last 30 days or so, I’ve seen 1 year Dr. Web, and 1 year Fortinet, and others.

  10. hcuml says:

    Agnitum Outpost has a 30 days deadline .

  11. Mezanul says:

    This is interesting, but think about the leftovers in your registry and the number of unused drivers that some of them left behind after you uninstall one anti-virus. This will later cause various system problems.

    I think using a good free anti-virus solution like Avira personal edition, coupled with spybot search and destroy, etc is more feasible option.

  12. John says:

    or, Install Avira – one of the bests anti-virus with fully functional free version.
    If you want a commercial one, pay for it !

  13. Manide says:

    Avira Premium Security Suite 3 months exclusively for Ubisoft — https://license.avira.com/en/promotion-hylm9fbv7chaxs8zbl83

  14. Mohammed says:

    I use eEye Blink free edition which has everything I need (AV, firewall, etc.) and wouldn’t waste time with Norton or others as they slow down your PC.

  15. Jay says:

    Hmm, interesting. But home users can easily do with the free ones available.

  16. nice idea but you can use long time free nod32 by register with different email id.try it

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