IMO you can't go wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender (depending on Win7/10). It is integrated into the OS and depending on when you check, has anywhere from 95-99% prevention rate. I have used BitDefender Free and like it, but will only choose it for people who refuse to use Microsoft version. A couple of resources:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/
https://www.av-test.org/en/

I just switched from Avast as well for the reasons you stated. I moved to Panda which seems unobtrusive enough (bonus for legacy OS users as well as it still supports down to XP) and the machine seems a little quicker that it was before.

It does ask you to set up an account whenever you open the GUI but you can just ignore it with no problems with regard to the level of protection you get.

clueless1 wrote:

IMO you can't go wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender (depending on Win7/10). It is integrated into the OS and depending on when you check, has anywhere from 95-99% prevention rate. I have used BitDefender Free and like it, but will only choose it for people who refuse to use Microsoft version. A couple of resources:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/
https://www.av-test.org/en/

+ 1

Seamless and safe in my experience over the last 7 years or so.

badmojo wrote:

clueless1 wrote:

IMO you can't go wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender (depending on Win7/10). It is integrated into the OS and depending on when you check, has anywhere from 95-99% prevention rate. I have used BitDefender Free and like it, but will only choose it for people who refuse to use Microsoft version. A couple of resources:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/
https://www.av-test.org/en/

+ 1

Seamless and safe in my experience over the last 7 years or so.

+2
This is a recurring question, if you're not after special features the OS's antivirus is (nowadays) good enough for standard usage and definitely less troublesome.

MSE certainly is efficient, but kind-of shitty in terms of efficacy. I'd be reluctant to use it in cases where people will less dependably make good decisions in terms of their browsing habits.

On Windows I run MSE for realtime scanning, mostly as a safety net. If there's something I'm suspicious of I manually scan it with ClamWin (open-source/free), which I've found to be reliable. I use Malwarebytes (free version) for the occasional malware/adware scan.

I don't like modern antivirus programs even I imagine still necessary..starting from the size of the installer itself that's often really too high for a program that should be light on cpu/memory; then the graphic interface they often have that like many other programs are simplified to few options, heavy, full of colours and animations and without all the options you'd have expected in the past; then their "free" concept that is much less "free" that it was (..not already) in the past when you look inside the preferences of some antivirus program (I don't remember which one) and you see that you can't disable some advertising/data/statistics collecting options (from an antivirus?) and that as obvious open randomly windows to upgrade to premium or whatever other features.
But as usual to make an antivirus probably needs much much work and nothing is free, but I imagine I would not be happy as well if I'd upgrade to those premium options considering how heavy these programs are.

AllTinker wrote:

I use Malwarebytes (free version) for the occasional malware/adware scan.

+1 on this too!

yeah monthly MBAM + MSE/Defender scans have been good enough for me for years

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

If you are using w8.x onwards, WD just does its work without any bells and whistles and without common bloat that comes to third-party free av programs nowadays.

AVAST Free has gone downhill lately.
BitDefender Free is quite good but too much autopilot and not enough options for power users.
Karspersky Free is also good but it tends to slow down things a little.
Panda Dome Free is good but it depends heavily on good Internet connection. It could slow downs things a bit too. Nice option for those still under XP though. Shows ads.
Avira Free is also good but I think it shows a lot of ads. It didn't install fine on some PCs I tried.
386 Total Security (essential or not) has got a small footprint but its real-time protection is very lackluster.
Other free security suites may be less efficient as WD even.

eL_PuSHeR wrote:

Panda Dome Free is good but it depends heavily on good Internet connection. It could slow downs things a bit too. Nice option for those still under XP though. Shows ads.

Ads can be switched off quite easily. I'm using dome and never seen a single ad in all the time I've used it. You simply need to go into the settings and disable them after installing.

I'd think anyone who is a member here is interested in computers enough not to do anything overly stupid in which case the MS AV is fine.
For less computer savvy people like my parents, I still prefer something bit more obvious, usually I just research at the time which seems to be getting the better reviews.