After many years of using and recommending the great free AVG antivirus software, Grisoft has finally decided not to make it free anymore. *sob* It’s still a great antivirus program — much better than Norton or McAfee, the one time leaders in the antivirus market.

Smaller, faster programs have emerged such as AVG, Nod32, Kaspersky. If you’re willing to spend a few dollars on antivirus software, those are all excellent choices.

As far as the free antivirus market goes, Avast now seems to be the last holdout. I’ve started using it a few months ago and it seems pretty good, although the interface is a little less than intuitive. For example, it wasn’t obvious to me how to scan a whole drive. (Right-click on the Avast icon to get all the goodies.)

Despite the slightly quirky interface, Avast antivirus is an excellent — and perhaps only — free choice.

Try it here: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

Update: AVG appears to be free again! http://www.free.grisoft.com

While you’re at it, you can also download their free anti-spyware as well. Works as a full version for 30 days before downgrading itself to a minimal — albeit free — version.