Sophos Home is a free-for-personal-use antivirus package with an emphasis on extreme simplicity.
The program console offers hardly any options. You can launch a full scan, look at the status of the various components, click "Help" or "About", and that's it.
But wait: there's more here than first appears. You get real-time protection, on-demand scanning, Explorer integration for quick checks (right-click a file or folder, select "Scan with Sophos Home"), even web filtering for blocking access to dangerous sites.
There are a few settings available in a web dashboard, too. You're able to remotely launch a scan; enable/ disable real-time protection, "potentially unwanted applications" detection and web filtering; block sites by category as a basic form of parental control; add antivirus, website or application exceptions, and view recent device events.
The dashboard isn't restricted to a single system. Add other family PCs or Macs - up to a maximum of 10 - and they'll all be displayed, allowing you to manage them from one place.
Please note, the download link takes you to a login form. You must click "Create account", register a free Sophos account and add a PC or Mac before you can download the software.
Verdict:
Sophos Home doesn't do very much, but its mix of extreme simplicity, low impact on system resources and remote management will appeal to some.
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