Ask HN: Which of the below AVs is the lesser poison?

#1

Post by aisync » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 8:48 AM UTC

I need to install an AV or won't be able to connect to my work Wifi. I'm not a fan of anti-virus and think for the most part they just take resources and data. But I got no choice now and have to choose one from the list. Looking for the one least resource intensive. Ideally, I want it to do as little as possible, even if I have to pay for it.

Avast Avira AVG Bitdefender CrowdStrike Dr.Web ESET Malwarebytes McAfee Norton SentinelOne Sophos Symantec Trend Micro

Re: Ask HN: Which of the below AVs is the lesser poison?

#2

Post by zamalek » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 9:01 AM UTC

They aren't happy with Windows defender? Prior to using the objectively best AV (Windows defender) I had a pretty good experience with ESET: low overhead and uninstalls nicely (you should be using Windows defender).

Re: Ask HN: Which of the below AVs is the lesser poison?

#3

Post by nullfield » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 9:41 AM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #2

They aren't happy with Windows defender? Prior to using the objectively best AV (Windows defender) I had a pretty good experience with ESET: low overhead and uninstalls nicely (you should be using Windows defender).

I’d second ESET. Go for just their AV product, not full everything-shield, and there are configuration options to make it do less and less, up to a point.

Plus, it can be had cheaply-keys from prior year versions, IIRC (someone correct me if I’m wrong?) will activate (and/or extend?) an account, and those keys can be had legitimately and cheaply from NewEgg or other places.