#2. "RE: free replacement for malwarebytes" In response to Ed (Reply # 0)
What Ttech said, but... What are you looking for exactly? If you're looking for free real time protection I doubt you'll find it. Free Malwarebytes is probably the best all-round after the event scanner, although IMHO SuperAntiSpyware does a better job on cookies. Both are worth having.
In light of all the kerfuffle about Russian intervention in US affairs I wouldn't touch Bitdefender with a barge pole. Perhaps I'm paranoid but there are suggestions they are complicit in that.
#3. "RE: free replacement for malwarebytes" In response to Paul D (Reply # 2)
Free Malwarebytes is fine, if you simply remember to run it manually on a periodic basis. The only real difference is that the paid version is constantly running in the background, making it a kind of set it, and forget it, kind of thing.
#4. "RE: free replacement for malwarebytes" In response to lenjack (Reply # 3) Tue Jun-05-18 02:14 AM by Paul D
That's a bit over-simplified.
Free MB is an after the event scanner. It can't prevent anything nasty happening, it can only clean up problems that have already found their way into the machine. The paid version on the other hand is a VERY effective preventative It actively stops you going to dodgy websites, thus preventing the nasties that the free version can only clean up. It's also (since version 3) an excellent anti-virus - the only one I use now.
I was lucky enough to get the old lifetime deal just before they changed to annual subscription. Best computer investment I ever made. The current annual licence is expensive.
If you want to rely on free prevention IMHO you need a separate anti-virus, Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware. MB is a pretty thorough scanner, but SAS does a far better job on third party cookies.