Antivirus software is the most critical software utility after the operating-system itself, choosing the right one from the huge verity of offerings out there is a critical decision which can be life-saver in future for data on your computer.

There is a huge number of antivirus programs on offer to choose from, there are free ones and the paid ones. Some are real many are fake, some will offer good protection while some will overtask your computer causing it to run slower or even fill your screen with popups. Here are some tips which you can use to get the best antivirus software at the right price, from the right place.

1). Free Vs Paid : Grabbing free or the cheapest option you can find can be a tempting option, but the problem is that this may only be providing you with a false sense of security. Investing in the best antivirus software is going to be money well spent if it can mean you avoid having to deal with identity theft or an infected machine.

2). Buy Only Well-Known Antivirus Products : While making your purchase decision make sure you follow advice of a computer expert or pick a reputed anti-virus solution from a well-known vendor. I would strongly put my recommendation for products from Kaspersky, ESet, Norton, McAfee, Trend-Micro etc.

3). Stay Away From Pirated or Fake Security Solutions : Make sure you stay away from pirated copies of anti-virus utilities as they often comes pre-loaded with malware, also make sure you do not install Rouge Security Solutions usually advertised using popups and banner ads claiming to have found virus's on your computer or offering a free security scan. A good article to identify such threats is share on Microsoft's website at - http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/antivirus-rogue.aspx.

4). Make sure you get all the feature's you will be needing from your security solution, like:

• Before making a purchasing decision check if the software is designed for your operating system like Windows, Mac, Android and is compatible with your OS version.
• If you surf internet make sure you get one with Firewall feature to prevent hackers from accessing your computer and files.
• If you spend a lot of time surfing and communicating on the internet, get one with anti-phishing feature to block attempts by fake websites to steal your personal information.
• If you are not very tech-savvy make sure the antivirus solution you are buying offers supports to customer and preferably in local language.