This isn’t just some marketing gimmick, either. Install it and you can be protected by Bitdefender technology (an excellent commercial engine), Avira (probably the best of the free offerings), and two further engines of Qihoo’s own. Still, what makes the suite interesting is that it uses no less than four antivirus engines. It’s not always easy to operate, and if you run into problems there’s no significant documentation to help. This feature overload does make for a relatively complex interface. It provides antiphishing support, online shopping protection, network threat blocking, hard drive clean-up tools, a Windows update checker, and more. If you’re looking for a standalone antivirus package then 360 Total Security might seem a little overweight. So if you no longer want to pay for the privilege of protecting your valuable piece of hardware, read on – we’ve picked out five of the best free antivirus engines to deliver great security at no cost. Luckily paying through the nose for this type of protection is no longer the status quo and there are scores of different programs offering protection that is more than adequate. Remember, independent testing has shown that Microsoft’s layer has very poor protection rates (it typically misses one threat in six), and as such you must look elsewhere.

Staying loyal to the trusty built-in Windows Defender keeps you safe to a certain extent but when it comes to covering your PC with a layer of protection that is a worthy of the modern age you need to go beyond that.

Our best free antivirus round-up has been fully updated.

The best antivirus 2015 free