“Why should I pay for anti-virus software when there are programs available for free online?” is the most frequent question we receive from our customers about anti-virus software. It’s true, there are several anti-virus programs available online for a free download, and most anti-virus software vendors put the same scanning engine in free releases that are used in retail versions. However, there are three points we emphasize to our customers in the difference between “full” retail versions of anti-virus software and their free download counterparts.