12/13/2011

Ask the Experts: What's the difference between the VIPRE you review and the one on TV?



Got a call today from Steve who asked,
There's an offer for VIPRE antivirus I've been seeing on TV lately for a hundred bucks. It's for a "lifetime" license for 10 PCs. Is this the same thing that you reviewed on your site?
Here are my answers and the rest of our call... (His questions are in italics. My answers are indented.)

Yep. It's functionally the same thing.
I don't have 10 computers, I have 2. They're pretty new, so I'm planning to have them for a while, but I'll be honest, I'm asking myself what's the catch?
No catch. It's great software. It's the same software we review on our site. It's just the pricing and licensing that may not be be right for everyone.

The software on TV comes on a USB thumbdrive. You use it to install the software onto your system.

You buy it. You wait. It gets delivered.

You install it. You sock the USB drive away someplace safe. You're done.

That's about it, 'til you need to re-install it or put it onto another PC in your house. Better hope you've still got the USB key!
OK, that much makes sense.

How 'bout me though, since I've only got the two computers? Can I get it for less?
With the TV deal, no, through our site, yes.

With our site you're actually buying it straight from the manufacturer, GFI, so you only pay for the licenses you need. It's not a pre-packaged "made for TV" type deal.
I get it. I see on the order page there are three options, 1 PC, 2 PCs, or 3-10. I need the 2 PC option.
Exactly. With our coupons, it'll cost you less than what you'd pay for the TV deal, and you can also upgrade to VIPRE Internet Security, which you can't do with the TV deal?
I was just about to ask you about that. What's this VIPRE Internet Security I'm reading about on the site? What's that have in it?
It's exactly the same software as VIPRE Antivirus and the same thing that's on TV, but with a couple of important extra features. They're worth the price of admission.

The two biggies: a built-in software firewall and web browser filter. If you're not familiar with a firewall, it forms a virtual "moat" around your PC; the web browser filter stops you from accessing malicious web sites. It's pretty cool to see it work.
So if the version on TV comes on a USB thumbdrive, how does this version come?
It's downloaded. About 30 seconds after you order online, you'll get an email from GFI with a link and your license key.

You install it right from the link they send. From the time you order 'til the time you're installing software is less than five minutes.

If you want, you can get a CD shipped to you for about $9.
OK, so tell me about this lifetime license thing. How does that work?
It's great for people with newer PCs.

If you're going to have your computers for more than a couple of years, the Lifetime License is a good option. You buy the software once. As long as you own those PCs, you'll have antivirus software for it.

That's it.
What if I get another computer? Can I transfer it?
Nope. No transfers.

GFI is reasonable about hardware failures and whatnot. Have a disk crash or something like that, that's fine. You can move it onto the new disk. You just can't move it onto a whole new computer. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but generally not.
OK. Wow. Thanks. You've been great. I'm looking at the two PC lifetime license of VIPRE Internet Security. I really appreciate you taking the time.
My pleasure. Drop us a note or give us a call back if you have other questions we can help with.