Advice for new antivirus

I need to get a new antivirus this week. I've had Trend Micro for many years. Our computer guy at work had it on our computers and recommended I get it. I've never really had any problems with it. 

I had my computer worked on in December and everything was taken off. When I went to the Trend Micro page to reinstall, I think I clicked on the chat. Someone installed it remotely - added the Trend Micro Tool Bar, which I hadn't done before. Since then, new tabs and/or new pages open up from time to time with a message from Trend Micro, which really slows things down. I don't have the Trend Micro Pay, which also keeps opening up when I order something. So, I'm not really enjoying Trend Micro right now.

In looking into the best antivirus to buy, every one I've ever heard of pops up as the best, depending on what site you go to to rate them. I'd just like to know if anyone has suggestions for a good antivirus or if I should just go on with Trend Micro.

Also, do I need a VPN? I know it's included with some antivirus programs, and can't get a clear answer as to how well a separate VPN would work with a program that doesn't include it. The computer is slow enough as it is, and I don't need things not working together to slow it even more.

As an addition, this is posted in a forum that I didn't mean to post in (virus removal), but can't find a way to delete it and post in the proper place. Any help with that would also be appreciated.

Thanks to all who reply.

Edited by liquidrain, 10 February 2024 - 06:58 PM.

There is no universal "one size fits all" solution that works for everyone and there is no one best anti-virus. Every vendor's virus lab and program scanning engine is different. Each has has its own strengths and weaknesses and they often use a mix of technologies to detect and remove malware. 
 
Choosing an anti-virus is a matter of personal preference, your needs, your technical ability and experience, features offered, user friendliness, ease of updating (and upgrading to new program release), ease of installation/removal, availability of quality/prompt technical support from the vendor and price. Other factors to consider include detection rates and methods, scanning engine effectiveness, how often virus definitions are updated, the amount of resources the program utilizes, how it may affect system performance and what will work best for your system. A particular anti-virus solution that works well for one person may not work as well for another regardless of whether it is a free or paid for product.

 
With that said...if you are using Windows 10/11, there is always the option to just use Microsoft Defender Antivirus (Windows Defender). I explain why in this topic. Also see my comments about Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Choosing an Anti-Virus Program (Post #2).