But given the wide range of options, its tough to choose the one that provides the best protection.

Despite constant threats, many people choose to go without any at all.

These are sites that try to trick consumers into providing sensitive information, such as passwords.

Then we looked at how easy each AV program was to use and whether its operation had a negative effect on the computers overall performance.

And here are some recommendations and tips based on what we learned.

Best Antivirus 2018 Free And Avast

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free and Avast Free Antivirus 2020 also performed well.

Shelling out moneygenerally 40 to 70does get you a few perks, says Richard Fisco, who heads electronics testing for CR.

Other paid products provide password managers, anti- ransomware features, and email protections.

They can be almost as annoying as adware that pops up on social media and other websites, and constantly bugs you to buy something, he says.

HitmanPro Alert, 55, posted some of the lowest scores in our ratings when it came to malware protection without offering any meaningful extras.

In both cases, youre better off just sticking with Defender.

Less malware is aimed at Macs than at PCs, but thats changing, Fisco says.

And though Windows PCs have Defender built in, Macs dont come with anything comparable.

As a result, Apple fans cant afford to ignore cyberthreats any longer.

The top paid options include Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac - 2020, 30, and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac - 2020, 35.

Best Antivirus 2018 Free AV Protection

If you click on a pop-up ad promising free AV protection, you could easily end up with malware on your computer.

To be safe, go straight to the source and manually type in the web address for the company that offers the product you want to use.

Before joining Consumer Reports, I spent 16 years reporting for The Associated Press.