Usually charging a premium price for its antivirus product, the company decided to also release a free version so that everyone can stay protected
The software has been on top of the list when it comes to testing results for years. Even more, in 2016 AV-Comparatives created a new “Outstanding Products” category for it and Bitdefender.
However, the company decided to announce Kaspersky Free, allowing users to benefit from a protected computer without having to pay a dime.
However, the free version of Kaspersky is not as full-featured as the full version. It only offers protection for files, emails, and the web, along with features such as automatic updates and a quarantine for flagged files.
“In short, the indispensable basics that no one on the planet should do without,” CEO Eugene Kaspersky wrote.
The free version will help improve protection for everyone, as more data is beneficial for the company’s machine learning engines. The premium Kaspersky Total Security Suite includes parental controls, online payment protection, and VPN access, features that are not available with the free version.
On the other hand, even though it is free, this version won’t embrace anti-user practices.
“Kaspersky Free doesn’t come cut with all the usual nonsense like advertising-oriented user-habit tracking and confidentiality infringements – which free AV normally suffers badly from in order to make it financially worthwhile to its manufacturers,” Kaspersky promised
Kaspersky Free is currently available in the US, Canada, and “many of the Asia Pacific countries”. In a few months, it will become available for the rest of the world, too.
