We often get asked if commercial (paid for) antivirus is necessary for the common laptop user. Generally, we think not, the reasons exploring this advice are given below.
For many users, Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender) is sufficient for antivirus and malware protection, in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The built-in offering from Microsoft is a decent real-time antivirus protection, firewall, and ransomware protection suite, and is generally effective against common threats. However, if you handle sensitive information, use your computer in high-risk environments, or simply want extra security layers, a third-party antivirus might be a better choice.
First off, Microsoft Defender is free and built-in: It comes pre-installed on Windows (both 10 and 11), saving you the cost and hassle of installing a separate program.
Independent tests show that Microsoft Defender performs well against various recent viruses, malware, and threats.
It's designed to be less resource-intensive, minimising performance impact on your system. Many commercial antivirus/security packages are known to use a lot of system resource, meaning less available for the task at hand, and possibly even slowing down your system and response times.
Defender receives regular updates directly from Microsoft, ensuring it stays current with the latest threats - these update automatically, quickly, and without you even knowing it is happening.
If you don’t expect your online and computing use to fall under the umbrella of “regular user”, then you may wish to look at additional protection. Some third-party solutions offer advanced features like phishing protection, VPNs, password managers, and more robust ransomware protection. If you need features like dark web monitoring, or specific parental controls, then a paid solution might be more suitable.
If you are a regular user of laptops and PCs, then Microsoft Defender is a solid choice for most users who want decent antivirus protection. It is there and running as soon as you power on your laptop, and runs its own checks and updates.
As ever, should you have any specific questions regarding antivirus or anything laptop related, then please do get in touch. You can call us on 0161 850 8501 or email sales@thetechoutlet.co.uk