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Comodo Free Antivirus Review

A look at the features in Comodo's free antivirus software

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Updated on January 6, 2021

Comodo Antivirus is certainly one of the best free antivirus programs available, due mostly to its suite of defense technologies that assumes files are threats until they prove otherwise.

Some other antivirus programs are only concerned with specific files that have historically shown to be problematic, and others will know how to identify threats only if the proper virus definitions have been downloaded.

Comodo's free AV program is nearly 100 percent effective at threat detection because it leverages cloud-based analysis and sandboxes threats before they reach your regular files.

Those features and more are packaged in this one program that's easy to use and super customizable.

Download For:

Mac

Windows

What We Like

Lots of customizable settings.
Two ways to use it: Advanced or Basic mode.
Program updates and virus definition updates happen regularly and automatically.
Includes a "Game Mode" (silent detection).
Works with macOS and Windows 10-7.

What We Don't Like

Tries to make several unrelated changes to your computer during installation.
Can only be used at home—no business use.

Comodo Antivirus provides constant virus protection, also called on-access or resident protection, for free. This means that it can completely replace antivirus software from companies like McAfee and Norton that charge for their software and for yearly access to updates.

More Information on Comodo Antivirus

Includes a full range of detection engines for viruses, spyware, rootkits, zero-day threats, and other malware
Scanned files are contained in a separate part of your computer to be analyzed so that if they're malicious, they can be taken care of before they affect anything else
Program updates are checked as frequently as every day, and database updates can be checked as often as every hour
Can scan the PC's memory each time the computer first starts up
Comodo Antivirus can decompress archives and scan the files inside. You get to pick which archive formats this happens for
File size limits can be set so that not everything is scanned
You have full control over the malware scanning schedule and what gets scanned during each scheduled check
Extremely in-depth options for auto-containment, such as blocking all known malicious apps and running unrecognized programs in virtual mode
VirusScope is enabled by default to analyze the behavior of running processes and keep a record of their activities

Any file, folder, application, or certificate authority can be excluded from scans
Create a rescue disk to clean a computer without booting to the operating system
Can optionally provide added security by using Comodo's free DNS servers on your computer

Thoughts on Comodo Antivirus

Comodo Antivirus is in a class of its own as an antivirus and anti-malware solution. The fact that a free program with free updates can almost completely protect you from malicious software should have you replacing your current antivirus program as soon as possible, especially if you're (gasp!) paying someone for the one you have running today.

One drawback is that sometimes it seems as if the program won't open. The program is still running in the background and can launch file scans automatically and on-demand, but the program interface itself is sometimes buggy and won't fully launch. This may or may not be an issue for other users—it's just something we've noticed a handful of times while using the software.

Download For:

Mac

Windows

Setup tries to install a web browser along with the antivirus program. To avoid this, be sure to select OPTIONS and then disable the browser from installing through the COMPONENTS tab. At the end of the installation, also watch out for other changes Comodo Antivirus attempts to make, like changing your DNS provider and browser home page.

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