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(Last updated on April 20th, 2019)
Kaspersky or Avast, which antivirus software is a better option in 2019?
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During the past few months, we evaluated and reviewed over 50 antivirus suites from the biggest names in cybersecurity. We did this so you can confidently choose the best antivirus software to protect yourself and those whom you love.
Overall, Bitdefender is our #1 antivirus software for 2019 (and beyond), because of its excellent, flawless performance in all independent lab evaluations, particularly those conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives. Right now, we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package available in the market. Apart from providing excellent anti-malware protection, it offers all the advanced premium features and utilities that must be there in a high-end package -- and best of all, it offers excellent value for money. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with just one license. If you need protection for more than five devices, we highly recommend Bitdefender Family Pack 2019. It will cover all the internet-capable devices in your household with the Total Security suite, so your family is protected no matter what goes wrong.
First, let’s see the different products Kaspersky and Avast offer.
If you’re in a hurry and only want to see the summary of this detailed Kaspersky vs. Avast comparison, you can look at the infographic below that neatly summarizes the whole comparison.
Short Verdict
Avast offers more security-related features and extra utility tools in its security suites than Kaspersky. Independent tests prove that both software provide excellent protection against both widespread and zero-day malware, but Kaspersky is slightly better than Avast in terms of the impact on system performance.
Our recommendations: If you want to get the highest level of security and performance, there's no better choice than Bitdefender, which protects over 500 million computers worldwide.
We have reviewed and rated most (if not all) antivirus software packages out there, and we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package you can buy right now. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with a single license of this suite. If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you. If you're just looking for Mac-specific protection, we recommend Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 2019 for complete peace of mind.
Let’s start off the detailed comparison…
What’s Included in Kaspersky Antivirus Suites?
Following the footsteps of its competitors, Kaspersky released its freeware, Kaspersky Free, in July last year. The entry-level product may look bare-bones but if you take a closer look, you’ll know it still offers more in terms of features and protection than its competitors’ free products.
It provides essential malware protection, checks emails for malicious content, protects against phishing attacks, and also blocks dangerous websites and downloads. Also, it automatically scans connected USB drives for malware.
Another useful feature in the freeware is an on-screen keyword; it helps protect your sensitive information, such as banking details, from keyloggers.
If your computer is so riddled with malware that it can’t run antivirus software, you can use Kaspersky’s free Rescue Disk to reset your computer. Minecraft 1.5.0 download apk.
If security is your top priority, and you want to enjoy premium security-related features and advanced malware protection, you must select any of the Kaspersky’s premium suites.
Next level up is Kaspersky Anti-Virus. In that, you’ll get all the features jammed into the company’s free offering, along with ransomware protection, a game mode to minimize interruptions, and a vulnerability scan option (checks for outdated software and other vulnerabilities in your operating system).
Another level up is Kaspersky Internet Security, the company’s most popular plan. It offers a great array of features, including a two-way firewall (actively monitors network traffic and prevents attacks), a SAFE MONEY hardened browser for secure shopping/banking experience, and also helps you remove potentially unwanted programs and web trackers.
Additionally, webcam and microphone protection and a basic-level parental control filter (enables you to block your kids from seeing objectionable content and manage their social media usage) are also included in the plan.
Kaspersky Total Security is the company’s full-blown suite, boasting nearly every feature you could think of. Along with all the features that are part of the ‘internet security’ plan, you get an unlimited password manager (securely stores all your passwords at one place), an automatic backup software with 2GB of online space from Dropbox, and file encryption and shredding capabilities.
Note: Both Internet Security and Total Security suites also allow you to protect all your devices (PC, Mac, and mobile) with a single subscription.
A limited free VPN with a maximum data limit of 200MB per day is included in all Kaspersky’s security suites, including the freeware. Interestingly, even the top-notch suites have the same data usage limits.
Now, let’s talk about what Kaspersky offers for macOS users.
Much like its Windows-only freeware, Kaspersky offers a free antivirus solution for Mac users too, called Virus Scanner for Mac. It includes an on-demand virus scanner (checks for viruses, spyware, adware, Trojan horses, and other forms of malware) and also provides detailed reporting on any threats it catches.
Also, the product automatically updates itself so you don’t have to worry about updating it every now and then.
The premium version of the solution, Virus Scanner Pro for Mac, adds a download scanner (automatically scans all the files in your ‘downloads’ folder for malware) and also gives you step-by-step instructions on how to remove various malware.
If you want to get proactive protection and advanced security-related features, you should upgrade to Kaspersky Internet Security or Kaspersky Total Security – both of which are compatible with Mac platform, too.
What’s Included in Avast Antivirus Suites?
First, let’s look the Avast’s security suites for Windows users.
Avast’s free security solution, called Avast Free Antivirus, is one of the most feature-rich free security solution available in the market. It not only boasts decent level of malware protection, but also includes several security-related tools and utilities that most companies only offer in their premium suites, including an unlimited password vault, a WiFi inspector (checks for vulnerabilities in your network), and a limited software updater (tells you about other software that needs updating).
A game mode feature for uninterrupted experience and a rescue disk utility are also available in the freeware. If you want to run Avast alongside any other antivirus application, it can happily go into the passive mode.
The two browser plugins that Avast offers are Online Security and SafePrice. The former steers you clear of dangerous websites and also stops phishing attacks, while the latter is price comparison and coupon finder tool that could help you find the best deals while shopping online.
Next up is Avast Antivirus Pro. It includes everything that comes as part of the free version plus Sandbox technology (lets you test suspicious files in a virtual environment so don’t damage your computer), a Real Site feature (prevents hackers from redirecting you to fake websites to steal your sensitive details), and premium customer support.
Another level up is Avast Internet Security, the company’s most popular suite. It adds an advanced firewall, an anti-spam filter (blocks junk and phishing emails), and extra protection against ransomware.
Avast Premier includes everything in the ‘Internet Security’ suite plus a file shredder, an automatic software updater, and webcam protection.
Avast Ultimate is the company’s top-of-the-line security suite, boasting almost all the features that you could name. It includes a cleanup utility, an unlimited VPN, and an enhanced version of Avast’s password manager, along with every feature that is jammed into the ‘Premier’ suite.
Now, let’s see the Avast’s plans that are compatible with Mac platform.
Avast Security is the company’s free offering for macOS users. Besides providing great protection against different kinds of malware threats, it has a WiFi security scanner (checks your network and connected devices for vulnerabilities), a web shield (protects you from online threats), and an email shield (blocks junk/phishing emails).
Avast Security Pro adds a useful Wi-Fi intruder alert feature (instantly notifies when someone connects to your network) and also includes protection against ransomware attacks.
Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software Provides Better Malware Protection?
It’s part of the antivirus software’s job to provide top-notch protection against both known and unknown of malware threats.
Known malware (also referred to as ‘widespread malware’) is the type of malware which is already out there in the wild, and for which digital signatures are already available. Unknown malware (also called zero-day malware) exploits a previously unknown vulnerability and is much more difficult to detect as no previous signatures are available for it.
Usually, antivirus programs employ signature-based detection (checking the suspected files against a database of known malware samples) to catch known malware and heuristic monitoring (checking for behavioral attributes of suspected files) to detect unknown malware.
When a new malware sample is found, a prompt signature update is sent out to the community to make sure nobody else gets affected by it.
Now, let’s see how Kaspersky and Avast performed in the recent independent lab tests conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives – two well-known and respected companies that regularly test various security products on different criteria.
In the AV-Test’s most recent evaluations, various products – including Kaspersky and Avast – were put to test against 228 samples of zero-day malware and 4,887 samples of widespread malware in two-round tests conducted in January and February 2018. Windows 7 home premium 32 bit activation key generator.
Kaspersky and Avast both came up with perfect results; both blocked 100% of both types of malware samples in both months, receiving an excellent 6/6 rating from the security experts at AV-Test. (See this and this for detailed reports.)
Note: These tests were conducted on Windows 7 platform. Poiret one font download mac.
The results weren’t a lot different when the same tests were held on the Windows 10 platform, in November and December 2017, with both software once again receiving a maximum 6-star rating. This time around, however, the results weren’t as flawless as were in the Windows 7 evaluations.
Kaspersky’s protection rate against widespread malware was perfect, at 100%, in both months, but its effectiveness against zero-day malware was at 98.9% in November and 100% in December.
Other than a slightly lower 99.9% protection against widespread malware in November, Avast’s scores were perfect in evaluations held on Windows 10 platform.
Austrian lab AV-Comparatives conducts two major tests to measure the protection level of various antivirus products: Real World Protection Test and Malware Protection Test.
The former aims to rigorously challenge the participating products against ‘real-world’ conditions (as experienced by users) with their default settings in place, while the latter assesses the effectiveness of the security software’s on-demand/on-access scanning engines and behavioral detection capabilities.
AV-Comparatives’ most recent Real-World Protection Test report covered average results of the tests conducted consecutively over a period of five months, from July to November 2017). Both Kaspersky and Avast received their highest accolade — which is the “ADVANCED +” award — courtesy of their near-perfect overall protection rates of 99.7% and 99.6%, respectively. Avast registered 11 false positives (identifying legitimate software as malware) over the course of 5 months, while Kaspersky returned only 2.
In the AV-Comparatives’ Malware Protection Test, which most recently took place in September 2017, Avast’s protection rate was 99.99% with 9 false positives, while Kaspersky blocked 99.96% of the threats while returning 10 false alarms. Both software received an “ADVANCED +” award in this test.
So, it’s clear that both software provide a near-perfect level of protection against malware, and hence it’s a tie in this category.
Winner: It’s a tie
Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software Puts Less Impact on System Performance?
Since it’s part of antivirus software’s job to shield you from threats in real-time, they have to continuously run in the background to do their job, meaning they consume some percentage of your system resources all the time.
It is imperative that an antivirus program shouldn’t just provide great malware protection, but also must not significantly degrade system performance by slowing it down.
Once against, let’s see how Kaspersky and Avast fared in the independent performance tests conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.
AV-Test’s performance test measured the impact of various antivirus programs in terms of system slowdown; they executed few common computer operations — such as downloading, installing and launching applications, copying files, launching websites — and measured the slowdown each software caused on a standard and a high-end PC.
Here’re the results of the test with Kaspersky installed:
As you can see, Kaspersky received a perfect 6/6 star rating in the ‘protection’ category.
Avast, however, was found to be a little more resource-intensive than Kaspersky; it received a slightly lower but still acceptable 5.5/6 star rating from the experts at AV-Test.
Note: These tests were conducted on Window 7 platform in January and February 2018. The same tests when held on Windows 10 platform in November and December last year saw both products receive exactly the same results.
AV-Comparatives does a similar study to calculate the impact of different antivirus software on computer performance. They also executed few common computer operations, like file copying, installing/uninstalling applications, browsing websites, and more, to gauge the impact each product puts on system performance
Kaspersky once against came up with better results than Avast; it received a slightly lower impact score of 8.1 as opposed to the Avast’s 8.9. However, both software were awarded the highest “ADVANCED +” accolade.
Winner: Kaspersky
Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software Offers a Better User Interface?
I think you’ll agree with me when I say everyone prefers a cleaner, easy-to-use interface than a clunky, old-fashioned one.
First, let’s dive into the Kaspersky’s interface…
Kaspersky interface looks light, bright, and simple. The homepage has a lot of features and useful links but yet it seems clean and uncluttered. It has six different modules: Scan, Database Update, Safe Money, Privacy Protection, Parental Control, and Protection for all devices. Each one of them contains relevant features and their settings.
Clicking the ‘More Tools’ button on the main window takes you to the advanced security features and their settings.
At the top, there’s a green banner that changes to red when the software detects an issue that needs your attention. A horizontal menu with links to news, settings, support, and more.
If you’re using the free version, you’ll see that most premium features are greyed out, meaning you have to upgrade to a premium plan to get them.
Now, let’s look at the Avast’s interface…
Avast interface follows a dark, modern-styled theme and looks neat and well-organized. The first thing you’ll when you open the software is a reassuring “you’re protected” message with a checkmark provided your PC’s health is okay. Just below the message is a button to run a useful ‘smart scan’.
Along the left, there’s a vertical menu comprising Status, Protection, Privacy, and Performance tabs. Each tab when clicked elegantly opens relevant modules and their settings in a horizontal roll-out manner. Settings and Upgrade buttons are self-explanatory.
If you’re using the freeware, you’ll not have access to the premium features. Also, an unobtrusive banner advising an upgrade is also there at the bottom for free customers.
https://intensiveflo278.weebly.com/mask-off-garageband-download.html. Overall, it can be said that both software offer a user-friendly interface.
Winner: It’s a tie
Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software is Less Expensive?
First, let’s look at the prices of Kaspersky’s security suites.
Now, let’s look at the pricing of Avast’s security suites.
It’s clear that Kaspersky’s suites are not only less expensive but also cover more devices.
Winner: Kaspersky
Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software is More Popular?
It is not an easy task to decide which of the two software is more popular among the antivirus community as both Kaspersky and Avast claim to have a community of 400 million users.
To decide a winner in this category, I will look the independent market share statistics and the total numbers of downloads of each software on CNET’s download.com.
According to OPSWAT – a company that releases monthly reports on the market share of leading antivirus companies – Avast leads the table with a dominating 19.64% of the total antivirus market share, followed by ESET (13.31%) and Malwarebytes (12.9%). Kaspersky Lab is last on the list, with only 3.86% of the market share.
On download.com – which is the world’s most popular software download portal – Avast has remarkably more overall total downloads than Kaspersky.
So, Avast is the clear winner in this category.
Winner: Avast
Final Verdict
The world we live in is becoming increasingly complex with every single day, and it makes sense to say that a premium antivirus suite has become more of a requirement rather than a choice.
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Our recommendations: After reviewing over 50 antivirus suites from some of the biggest names in the cybersecurity landscape, we believe that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus suite for 2019 in terms of value for money. A single subscription of the suites lets you protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, and smartphones) in any combination.
Plus, it comes with premium customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you. Related Comparisons
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You might expect that a free antivirus company would offer basic protection for free, but reserve advanced bonus features for the paid edition. However, in the real world, many of the most popular free antivirus tools pack full-scale protection along with a ton of extra features. Avast Free Antivirus gives you more than many competing commercial products. On top of excellent antivirus protection, it adds a network security scanner, a password manager, browser protection, and more. It's an amazing collection of security features, considering that this product is free.
Avast acquired rival free antivirus company AVG in 2016. Fans of both companies can rest easy; there's no plan to merge them into a single product. Both have many thousands of users worldwide, but each is strong in geographical areas where the other isn't. And the underlying antivirus engine is exactly the same in Avast and AVG AntiVirus Free, as demonstrated in my tests and independent lab tests.
This product is only free for personal use. In the past, those wishing to use Avast in a business setting had to upgrade to Avast Pro Antivirus. Currently, Avast is de-emphasizing the Pro product; it didn't get an upgrade with the rest of the product line. When you try to use a Pro-only feature in the free antivirus, the product advises that you upgrade to the Avast Internet Security suite.
During installation, Avast offers to install Google Chrome and to install the Google Toolbar in your other browsers. Unless you opt out, the toolbar makes Google your default search engine, but it doesn't take over your home page. The installer also presents a full page devoted to explaining how Avast uses your nonpersonal data, and how you can opt out if you wish.
The biggest part of Avast's main window is a slate-gray rectangle with a bit of texture, decorated with a status icon and a big button titled Run Smart Scan. A left-rail menu lets you switch from the main Status page to Protection, Privacy, or Performance. Across the bottom, you find a banner offering you a welcome gift. Unwrapping the virtual gift reveals a discounted upgrade to Avast Internet Security. If you reject the upgrade, it offers a 60-day trial. Avast really wants you to experience the suite!
One of this product's features needs special mention, because it's virtually invisible. If you install another antivirus with Avast already on the system, it automatically goes into Passive Mode. To avoid conflicts, it disables all real-time scanning and other active protection. You can still launch scans manually. There's precedent for this behavior—Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center does something similar.
Lab Scores High and Plentiful
It may seem counterintuitive, but antivirus makers typically pay for the privilege of having products included in testing by the independent labs. The companies do benefit from testing, in two ways. A high score gives the company bragging rights, while if the score is poor, the lab helps the company improve by reporting what went wrong. When the antivirus doesn't bring in any income, a company might be tempted to skip the expense of testing. Not Avast. I follow four independent testing labs that regularly release reports on their results; all four of them include both Avast and AVG.
The analysts at AV-Comparatives perform a variety of security tests, of which I follow four. Products that do well enough to pass the test receive a Standard rating, while those that show advanced features and capabilities can rate Advanced or Advanced+.
Out of the four tests, AVG and Avast both earned three Advanced+ ratings and one Advanced. That's quite good, though Bitdefender Antivirus Plus took Advanced+ in all four tests.
AV-Test Institute reports on antivirus capabilities in three areas: protection, performance, and usability. With six points possible in each category, the maximum score is 18 points. Avast got all six points for usability, meaning it didn't screw up by flagging valid programs or websites as malicious, and earned six more points for malware protection. It came close in performance, with 5.5 points. AVG precisely matched that score.
A total of 17.5 points is high enough for AV-Test to designate Avast a Top Product. Avira, Bitdefender, Kaspersky Free, and Vipre managed a perfect 18 points.
Trying to emulate real-world conditions as closely as possible, the experts at SE Labs capture drive-by downloads and other web-based attacks, relying on a replay system to hit each tested product with the exact same attack. The very best products receive AAA certification; others may be certified at the AA, A, B, or C level. Like AVG, Avast received AA certification.
Quite a few products managed AAA certification in the latest test from SE Labs. Among them were Norton, Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security, and Microsoft Windows Defender.
MRG-Effitas reports test results a bit differently from the other labs. Products that don't manage perfect or near-perfect protection simply fail. Avast passed the banking Trojans test, and achieved Level 2 certification in the all-types malware protection test, meaning that it let at least one attacker install, but remediated the problem within 24 hours. AVG also received Level 2 certification, but the lab didn't include AVG in the banking Trojans test.
Of the many antivirus products I track, 10 don't appear in results from any of the labs. AVG and Avast are among the impressive 10 featured in all four lab reports. I use an algorithm that normalizes all the results to a 10-point scale and produces an aggregate score from 0 to 10. The aggregate score of 9.4 points for these two free antivirus products is impressive; only a few have done better. Bitdefender is at the top, with 10 of 10 points, and Kaspersky runs close behind with 9.9 points. Avira Antivirus made a decent showing, with an aggregate score of 9.1 points based on results from all four labs.
Very Good Malware Protection
Malicious software from the Internet has to run the gauntlet of numerous defense layers before it can infect your PC. Avast could block all access to the malware-hosting URL, for example, or wipe out the malware payload before the download finishes—I'll discuss those malware protection layers shortly. If a file is already present on your computer, as my malware samples are, Avast assumes it must have gotten past the earlier protection layers. Like AVG, Emsisoft, McAfee, and a few others, it checks those files one more time before they execute.
To test Avast's malware-blocking chops, I opened a folder containing my current collection of malware samples and tried to launch each one. Avast blocked about three quarters of them immediately, wiping them out so fast it left Windows displaying an error message reporting that the file could not be found. It killed off most of those that managed to launch before they could fully install. I tested AVG simultaneously, with precisely the same results.
Both products detected 89 percent of the samples and scored 8.9 of 10 possible points. That's not bad, but Cylance, F-Secure Anti-Virus, Norton, and McAfee share the top spot, with 9.3 points.
When tested with my previous malware collection, Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus earned a perfect 10 points. Given that the samples were different, I can't make a direct comparison with more recent tests, but a perfect score is impressive.
https://fileenergy349.weebly.com/3-gp-mobile-movies-download.html. On detecting a file that's completely unfamiliar, Avast prevents that file from launching and sends it to Avast headquarters for analysis. Avast quite reasonably found one of my hand-coded analysis tools suspicious, so it killed the process, triggering a Windows error message. To show it wasn't really an error, Avast attached a CyberCapture tab to the error message.
Unusual activity by few other files merited deeper examination. Avast displayed a message stating, 'Hang on, this file may contain something bad,' and promising an evaluation within 15 seconds. All my hand-coded testing utilities triggered this warning; all three got a clean bill of health. AVG offers precisely the same protection for unknown and suspicious files.
The samples I use for the malware blocking test stay the same for months. To evalute each product's ability to deal with the very latest malware, I start with a feed of malware-hosting URLs supplied by MRG-Effitas. I try to launch each one in Internet Explorer, recording whether the antivirus blocked access to the URL, vaporized the malware download, or totally failed to notice anything wrong.
I test URL after URL until I've recorded data for 100 verified malware-hosting URLs, then tally the results. Avast blocked access to about 60 percent of the URLs and eliminated almost another 30 percent at the download stage, for a total of 91 percent protection; AVG turned in identical results. That's pretty good, but quite a few products have done even better. Symantec Norton AntiVirus Basic and Bitdefender share the top score, 99 percent protection, with McAfee and Trend Micro close behind at 97 percent.
Excellent Phishing Protection
Phishing websites are significantly easier to create than websites that secretively launch malware attacks. All they do is create a convincing replica of a sensitive site, perhaps a bank, or PayPal, and broadcast links to that fake site around the Web. Any user who logs in, not recognizing that the page is fake, has just given account access to the fraudsters. If a thousand web surfers spot the fraud and just one falls for it, that's a win for the bad guys. And when the authorities quash the fraudulent site, the fraudsters just pop up another one.
I test antiphishing using the very newest phishing sites, preferably ones that haven't yet been fully analyzed and blacklisted. I launch each probable phishing URL in four browsers. The product under test protects one of the browsers, naturally. The other three rely on protection built into Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. As with my other hands-on tests, I challenged Avast and AVG at the same time.
Any schmoe can write a phishing protection module that blocks blacklisted sites. The best products use real-time analysis to identify frauds that are too new for the blacklists. Avast clearly has this capability; the company touts its enhanced real-time phishing detection technologies. In testing, it proved quite effective.
With an impressive 98 percent detection of phishing frauds, Avast joins an elite group with top scores in this test. Trend Micro, ZoneAlarm, and AVG also managed 98 percent. Bitdefender weighed in with 99 percent, while both Kaspersky and McAfee AntiVirus Plus managed a perfect 100 percent detection.
Scan Choices
If you just click the big button in the middle of Avast's Status screen, it runs a Smart Scan. Its features overlap the Computer Scan in AVG, in that it checks browser add-ons, scans for active malware, and identifies performance issues. But Avast also checks for network security problems, flags software that lacks security patches, and warns about weak passwords. The scan finished in less than ten minutes on my test system. It found several vulnerable apps and, at my request, updated them. It flagged a network problem; more about the network scan below. And, like AVG, it found performance problems but wouldn't fix them unless I updated to the premium cleanup product.
Clicking Scan on the Protection page gets you more choices. The Full Virus Scan took a bit over two hours on my standard clean test system. That's about the same time as AVG's Deep Scan took, and it's well over twice the current average of 50 minutes. I recommend running that full scan at least once soon after installation, to root out any existing malware. After that, the product's real-time protection layers should fend off any further attacks.
Like AVG, Avast offers a boot time scan, designed to eliminate pernicious and persistent malware that resists normal cleanup. Because the scan runs before Windows boots up, the Windows-based malware doesn't have any chance to defend itself. AVG's boot scan requires installation on first use, while Avast's is ready to go out of the box. With either product, you should set aside plenty of time for the scan. Note that Bitdefender's Rescue Mode reboots in a non-Windows operating system for even more power against Windows-centered malware.
Wi-Fi Inspector
Avast was one of the first security products to add a network security scanner to its product line. Despite 'Wi-Fi' in its name, the Wi-Fi Inspector can report on all the devices connected to any network, wired or wireless, and flag devices with security problems.
On my test system, the scan ran quickly and displayed my devices in a series of concentric rings, with the router at the center and the devices that connected most recently in the inner circles. Avast reported a problem with the Wi-Fi router, flagging its password as weak. When I repeated the test on a wired network, it warned that the HTTPS port on the main router was visible from the Internet (a necessary configuration setting for my Network Attached Storage backup device).
Avast does its best to identify each device by name and type, but it can't always get that information. If you have some network skills, you may be able to identify a device from its IP address and MAC address. You can change the type of any device to any of five dozen choices, among them security sensor, head mounted display, and hand-held gaming console. You can also change the name to something more recognizable than, say, Unknown70259bb1f4e. And Avast remembers your changes for future scans.
Avira users can install Avira Home Guard from the main Avira launcher; it works very much like the Wi-Fi Inspector. Bitdefender Home Scanner is another similar (and free) network security scanner, one that goes into more depth about possible security problems.
Simple Password Manager
Password management is an unexpected feature for a free antivirus, though Avira offers Avira Password Manager as a companion to its free product. Avast Password Manager handles all the basic functions, and does them well, but that's as far as it goes.
To get started, you activate the password manager as an extension in Chrome and Firefox. Next, you create a master password that will protect all your website passwords. Avast no longer offers advice on the construction of a strong password, so be sure to choose something that you can remember, but that nobody else would guess.
In either supported browser, Avast offers to save the login credentials you enter for secure sites. When you revisit a website, it fills in your saved credentials. If you have multiple accounts on the site, you can click a little key icon in the username field to get a menu of all your choices. And it does handle Gmail and other two-page logins.
With many password managers, clicking the toolbar icon gets a menu of logins. Avast works differently. If you've saved one or more sets of credentials for the current site, it displays those in a popup window. If that's not what you want, there's a link to open the app. From the same window, you can invoke the password generator, which creates 15-character passwords using letters and digits (but not punctuation) by default.
In the app, you can edit your saved passwords to give them a friendly name. You can also add Secure Notes and Credit Card details. When you visit a web form that asks for credit card data, you click the Avast key icon to fill in the card of your choice. In addition, you can sync password data to Avast's iOS or Android apps.
Avast isn't much help if you're switching from another password manager. It can import passwords stored in Chrome or Firefox, but that's it. There's no import from competing products, or even from plain CSV files. In addition, the password manager no longer reports on weak or duplicate passwords.
Some password management features hide behind a paywall, with a list price of $1.58 per month, currently discounted to $0.99 per month. Paying customers get tech support on a 24/7 basis, receive an immediate alert on detection of a password leak, and can log into the mobile apps with a fingerprint. These aren't very impressive as premium features. Truly advanced features like two-factor authentication and secure password sharing just don't appear. If you want more from a password manager, you're probably better off adding a separate free password manager.
Avast Online Security
Like the password manager, the Avast Online Security extension installs in Chrome and Firefox. If you don't see it, dig into settings; I found that I had to enable the extension manually. Note that the similar AVG Web TuneUp is no longer installed as part of AVG's free antivirus.
Online Security marks up your search results in popular search portals. Green means all clear, red means stay away, and gray means the site hasn't yet been analyzed. You can click the toolbar icon to give a simple thumbs-up or down to the current page.
If Online Security detects any advertising trackers or other trackers on the current site, it displays how many it found as a number overlaid on the icon. Clicking the icon gets you a summary of found social media, advertising, and web analytics trackers. You can dig in for details and block some or all trackers on the current site or automatically block all trackers on all sites.
You won't easily see the SiteCorrect feature in action. It kicks in when you misspell a popular domain name, steering you away from typosquatting sites that try to capture your clicks.
Online Security also watches out for dangerous and fraudulent websites. However, this feature is less important now that Avast filters out such sites before they even reach the browser.
Bonus and Premium FeaturesAvast Free Antivirus For Macbook
Software is created by humans, and hence imperfect. White hat and black hat hackers are constantly finding security holes, and security companies strive to patch them as soon as possible. If you fail to apply security updates, you leave your computer open to attacks that exploit those holes. Avast's Software Updater scans your computer and reports any out-of-date software it finds. You can click a link to find out what changed in each product, or click a button to install the updates. If you try to turn on automatic updates, you learn that this is a feature of the paid security suite.
Avast's Driver Updater promises to reduce crashes by updating old and broken drivers. It installs the first time you try to use it. On my test system, it found exactly one outdated driver. I clicked to replace the antique driver…and ran into a paywall, hidden behind several layers of other windows. Boo!
Avast Cleanup Premium is a bit more honest; you know right away that it's a premium-only feature. Oh, it happily scans your system for performance problems, but if you want to do anything about those problems, you must shell out for a subscription.
At least you don't have to pay for Do Not Disturb mode. This kind of feature is becoming very common in antivirus products. When it's active, the antivirus postpones scheduled scans and suspends all but the most critical notifications. Many products automatically switch to Do Not Disturb when you launch a full-screen program. As with the similar feature in AVG, Avast requires that you list the programs for which you want Do Not Disturb mode active.
Like the similar feature in AVG, the SafePrice add-on helps you find the best prices when you're shopping online. Just click its toolbar icon to see what details it found. It also offers coupons, when available.
On the Privacy page you'll find a link for Avast SecureLine VPN. This one isn't precisely a premium feature, in that it lets you use the VPN in trial mode for 60 days. But after that you'll have to pony up $1.99 per month.
Have you ever noticed those ads that seem to follow you from site to site? Advertisers track your web surfing and preferences, so you can't escape. Or can you? AntiTrack Premium apparently supplements the Do Not Track protection found in Avast Online Security. Unlike most of the other premium features, you don't even get a peek at what this one does until you subscribe.
Pro-Only Features
You've seen that some apparent features of the free antivirus aren't free; when you try to use them, you get a prompt to pay for an additional subscription. For quite a few other features, there's no confusion at all. The component's icon on the Protection or Privacy page displays a lock icon, and clicking any of those icons instructs you to update to Avast Internet Security.
On the Protection page, locked icons include: Firewall, to keep hackers out of your system; Sandbox, to run suspicious files without risk; Real Site, website confirmation beyond detection of phishing frauds; and Ransomware Shield. This last item deserves some explanation. Avast's regular behavior-based detection should catch ransomware just as it does other types of malware. On the off-chance it might slip up, Ransomware Shield bans unauthorized modification of your documents and other sensitive files.
There are also several Pro-only privacy features. You must upgrade to get the secure deletion Data Shredder (AVG gives you this feature at the free level). The Sensitive Data Shield scans your documents for sensitive data that could be vulnerable to exfiltration, and helps you protect it. And the Webcam Shield offers a degree of spyware protection by limiting webcam use to known, trusted programs. If these features seem intriguing, you may want to consider Avast's full security suite.
Avast Free Antivirus For Windows 10An Excellent Free Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus offers antivirus protection that earns good scores in my hands-on tests and very good scores from the independent testing labs. As for bonus features, it offers much more than many competing commercial products. Yes, some of the bonus features require a separate purchase, but that's a relatively minor point. Avast remains an Editors' Choice product for free antivirus.
The base antivirus engine in AVG Antivirus Free is exactly the same as Avast's, but AVG just doesn't offer the wealth of additional security features that you get with Avast. Go ahead and try it if you like, but we're no longer calling it an Editors' Choice.
Kaspersky Free is our other Editor's Choice free antivirus. Where Avast gets very good ratings from the four independent labs that I follow, Kaspersky gets the very best marks. It comes with a bandwidth-limited VPN, but not many other frills. The key with Kaspersky is getting antivirus protection loved by the labs without any cost.
Avast Free Antivirus
Bottom Line: Avast Free Antivirus combines an antivirus engine that scores very well in testing with a surprisingly extensive collection of bonus features.
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