Although I only provide security services to businesses, I wanted to provide this information so that home users can also be protected. There’s just so many threats out there, and sometimes when you do become infected, you don’t even know what happened. Think how devastated you would be if one day you found that all your pictures in your media library had been encrypted and no longer accessible. Or what if all your documents were damaged. What would you do?  Prevention is always the best form of protection. And in addition to understanding the threats, it’s critical to have a good anti-virus on your systems.

Sophos Home

I’ve used a lot of Anti-Virus products over the years. And Sophos Home is by far my favorite. They are just awesome. And their Anti Virus is really a great product. The really great thing about Sohpos Home is that it’s basically the same product as the Business version. It’s not stripped down, it’s not a “light” version, and you aren’t constantly bombarded with pop ups trying to get you to purchase a version with all the “features”.  Here’s Sophos Home in a nutshell:

  • It’s 100% completely free for home use.
  • You can install it on up to 10 computers.
  • It’s not a stripped down product. No features have been removed compared to the corporate version.
  • No annoying pop ups or notifications. No constant pressure to buy a paid version.
  • It has integrated Content Filtering so you can block inappropriate or unwanted websites.
  • Unlike other Antivirus programs, Sophos Home is the SAME product as what is used in the corporate edition. It’s not stripped down, features are not removed, etc. The only real difference between the Home and Corporate version is that the home version does not include Sophos Central, which is a corporate management tool. You don’t need it for home use.

Simple. Effective. Free.

Sophos Home protects every Mac and PC in your home from malware, viruses, ransomware, and inappropriate websites. Here are some screen shots of Sophos Home in action:

Feature Comparison

Check out how Sophos Home compares to some of the other free Antivirus software. Click to zoom in.

Advanced Computer Security

Sophos Home will remove malware, viruses, ransomware, and malicious apps and programs. It goes far beyond simply preventing known malware. Sophos Home analyzes suspicious behaviors and activities from files and programs, using real-time threat intelligence from SophosLabs. This delivers proactive protection from new and developing malware.

Easy to Install and Manage

Quickly register and begin adding computers in no time. Installation is fast and you can start a virus scan or add new web filters immediately. Secure computers located anywhere in the world. Enjoy no ads, pop-ups, or prompts to enter credit card information.

Block Unwanted Content

Sophos Home will automatically block phishing attacks, websites that contain malware and viruses, and bad websites pretending to be legitimate. You can also control the content your family can view with web filtering. Easily decide what to allow, warn, or block for each computer.

How to get Sophos Home:

  1. Go to https://home.sophos.com/
  2. Click on the “Get Started” button and create a login with your name and email address.
  3. Check your email and confirm your account.
  4. Go back to https://home.sophos.com/ and login with the account you just created.
  5. Click on the “PC Installer” button and it will download and install to your PC.

Once you have Sophos Home installed, you can use the online portal to manage settings related to how the anti-virus works, including content filtering. The settings will then propagate and be enforced by your local system.

Why is it Free?

At the last Sophos partner conference I attended, Sophos basically told us that they give away the home version for brand awareness. They want people to use it at home, love it, and then when the topic comes up at work, Sophos is now part of the conversation. That’s all.  It’s simple and brilliant.

What about “Other” antivirus companies?

Avast: I used to love Avast. But got tired of all the popups. Didn’t like how it was stripped down, and the free version was so limited in functionality.  Furthermore, Avast owns the company Piriform, authors of CCleaner.  If you have followed the news lately, a major breach occurred  at Piraform and over 2 million people downloaded a virus infected version of CCleaner.  Basically, the company got hacked and didn’t realize it for quite some time. Not just any company. An Antivirus company got hacked and didn’t know it. That’s pretty serious.  Read about it here: http://bgr.com/2017/09/21/avast-ccleaner-backdoor-hack-malware/

AVG: AVG is a popular anti-virus for home use, but just like Avast, it’s severely stripped down in the free version. Additionally, you get an unreal amount of popups.  But the real reason I despise AVG is that I have seen two companies get hit with a Cryptolocker Ransomware while using the corporate AVG product as their antivirus protection. It didn’t stop it, it didn’t even know it was infected.  If the corporate version can’t protect you, how is the limited free version going to do anything?

Others: Yes there are a few others. I could list several but I won’t. Just go download Sophos Home and move on with your life.