True costs of client antivirus software
Ray Geroski
Published: 11 Jul 2002 10:11 BST
McAfee offers a similar pricing plan for VirusScan. Purchase the product via download for $49.95 or buy the physical package for $59.90. If you're upgrading, the price is $39.95. McAfee doesn't offer any information about subscription services relating to this product on the Web site, but its new VirusScan Online service costs $29.95 per year.
Protector Plus's $29.95 cost entitles you to free updates for one year. Proland doesn't mention anything on its Web site about updates after one year, but upgrading from a previous product to the current release is free.
Frisk's F-Prot is a flat $25 per year and downloadable, while eTrust's EZ Antivirus is $19.95 up front with an annual renewal fee of $9.95. Cat Computer's QuickHeal is $30, and upgrades and updates are free.
As you can see, the big commercial products really rake it in via upgrade/update fees. Once you move away from the mainstream, however, the fees begin to drop.
Totally free solutions
Free solutions are available for the home user, and you may want to recommend one to your employees who dial in or connect via VPN. AVG is free to download and offers free updates. Many readers responding to our original article said they are pleased with AVG. Vcatch is free -- with one catch: advertising. If you don't mind being nagged by ads, you can use this product without paying a dime. If you can't stomach the ads, the purchase price is $14.95.
Member Stuart Hayes, principal of Stuart Hayes ConSZultingH, pointed out that Trend Micro also offers a free product. HouseCall is an online virus scanner that requires only your e-mail address for registration. Mind you, this is a manual scan, so you're not getting the automatic scanning that most products offer.
IT director Oded Szpiro noted that the DOS version of F-Prot is also free to home users. Member John D. Brown swears by F-Prot. Brown says that Frisk has the best licensing policy and that the product has performed well in tests.
The bottom line
For the most part, the commercial heavyweights, including AntiVirus 2002 and VirusScan, are the top performers in terms of detecting and removing threats. So if you want sure protection, you'll likely have to pay for it. But many of the low-cost and even no-cost products offer solid protection, so don't overlook them just because they're cheap or free.
Regardless of where you decide to turn for your client-side antivirus solution, it's a good idea to read the fine print so you know exactly what you're paying for and how much you're paying for it. In the long run, doing some comparison shopping can save you a lot of money.
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