Avast Free Antivirus review
Our Verdict
Avast Gratuitous Antivirus offers a ton of features for a gratuitous antivirus program simply has mediocre malware protection and a heavy arrangement load.
For
- Wi-Fi scanner, password manager
- Customizable protection
Against
- Tedious scans
- Mediocre defenses
- Heavy organization impact during scans
Tom's Guide Verdict
Avast Free Antivirus offers a ton of features for a free antivirus programme just has mediocre malware protection and a heavy system load.
Pros
- +
Wi-Fi scanner, password managing director
- +
Customizable protection
Cons
- -
Slow scans
- -
Mediocre defenses
- -
Heavy system impact during scans
Updated with add-on of Avast'south Ransomware Shield. This review was originally published May 4, 2020.
Closer to a mini security suite than a basic gratis antivirus program, Avast Free Antivirus includes an unlimited password manager, a Wi-Fi network scanner and a silent gaming way. It besides gives you full control to accommodate its sensitivity and customize its activities to friction match your wants and needs.
Avast Free Antivirus specs
Malware protection: Then-so
System impact, background: Light
System impact, scans: Heavy
Windows compatibility: 7 through 10
E-mail scans: Yeah, every bit a divide free tool
File shredder: No
Game/silent mode: Yes
Hardened/secure browser: Yes, equally a dissever costless tool
Password manager: Yes
Operation scanner: Aye
Ransomware file reversal: Shield simply
Rescue disk: ISO congenital-in
Browse scheduler: Yes
Support options: FAQs, forums
URL screener: Yes, every bit a separate free tool
Upsell nag factor: Omnipresent
Merely be warned: Avast takes a long time to scan a computer and slows down the organization during scans, and the plan provides mediocre malware protection that'due south arguably worse than that of the born Microsoft Windows Defender. At least the visitor says it has stopped collecting and sharing anonymized data about how y'all use your PC.
Kaspersky Security Free Antivirus offers nearly every bit many extra features, summit-notch malware protection and a nearly nonexistent organization-functioning impact. It's our choice for the best free antivirus software. If you can do without the extra features and would rather just "set it and forget it" with your antivirus software, and then Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition may be best for y'all.
Read on for the residual of our Avast Gratuitous Antivirus review.
Avast Free Antivirus: What'due south covered and upgrade options
Avast Free Antivirus supports only Windows 7, eight.1 and 10. For Windows XP or Vista, you tin install an older version of Avast that might not have the latest features but will take the latest malware signatures.
Think of Avast Free Antivirus equally a security suite on the cheap. It includes features you don't normally notice with free antivirus software, such as a password director, a Wi-Fi network scanner, a gaming/flick mode to minimize interruptions, a limited functioning scanner and, every bit of Baronial 2020, a ransomware shield that prevents designated files from being contradistinct.
Kaspersky Security Cloud Complimentary too has a password manager, but it's limited to 15 entries before you lot have to pay for it.
Avast also sells paid antivirus programs. The cheapest is Avast Premium Security, which costs $60 a year for a single calculator, or $80 for up to 10 devices (Windows, Mac or Android). It adds a firewall, a file shredder, an automated software updater, webcam protection, defenses against spam and a secure binder that can protect key files in a ransomware attack.
Avast's Ultimate plan costs $100 yearly for a single PC. It includes unlimited versions of Avast'southward Cleanup, Passwords and SecureLine VPN programs, which would cost a total $130 if purchased separately.
Avast Gratis Antivirus: Antivirus protection
Avast Complimentary Antivirus' malware scanner compares files and programs to a database of known malware and looks for telltale signs of an infection. Suspicious items are uploaded to Avast's lab for analysis, and new malware signatures are pushed out to Avast's 400 1000000 users every few hours. Avast Free Antivirus also scans USB flash drives for malware.
The Avast Online Security extensions for Chrome and Firefox cake known malicious websites and web trackers and examine webmail attachments, but the extensions must be downloaded on their own.
Avast Free Antivirus: Antivirus performance
Avast shares its malware-scanning technology with its sister company, AVG. Third-party lab tests reveal that both deliver acceptable but mediocre malware protection.
In all 26 monthly tests carried out in 2018, 2019 and the beginning two months of 2020 by the German lab AV-Test, Avast (and AVG) spotted 100% of both "widespread" known malware and "zilch-day" unknown malware 14 times, which is laudable.
But it failed to detect at least 99.5% of zero-twenty-four hour period threats nine times over those two years, which means that a significant amount of the worst kind of malware sailed right by Avast's defenses.
By comparing, Windows Defender missed more 99.v% of nothing-day malware only five times in those ii-plus years. Bitdefender did so only twice. And Kaspersky detected 100% of both kinds of malware in all 26 tests.
Avast's results on evaluations conducted past Austrian lab AV-Comparatives were also meh. Its average detection rate of "real-earth" online malware from February through May of 2019 was 99.ii%, well short of Kaspersky'south 100% and Bitdefender's 99.9%, and less than the 99.6% scored by Microsoft.
In July through November 2019, Avast got an average of 99.3%, ahead of Kaspersky's 99.i% and tied with Microsoft (and AVG, naturally), simply behind Bitdefender'due south 99.9%.
In February-March 2020, Avast stopped 99.vii% of threats, again tying AVG and Microsoft. Bitdefender was backside with 99.5%, but Kaspersky aced it.
AV-Comparatives' tests elicited more false positives than AV-Test's, and Avast performed fairly, racking up only five in the first half of 2019, eight in the second half and v in Feb-March 2020.
In each half of 2019, Microsoft got 74 and 58, respectively, but suffered just v in February-March 2020 subsequently AV-Comparatives turned off Microsoft's Smart Screen feature. On the other end of the spectrum, Kaspersky consistently got cipher, indicating a very well-tuned detection engine.
Finally, Avast scored 98% overall in both of the terminal ii quarterly rounds of 2019 evaluations by London-based SE Labs, which factors in simulated positives and how malware is handled after detection. Microsoft got 99% and 100% in those two rounds, while Kaspersky garnered 100% both times.
For SE Labs' January-March 2020 tests, Avast got 98%, same as AVG, while Microsoft got 99% and Kaspersky 100%. Bitdefender was not tested.
Avast Free Antivirus: Security and privacy features
Avast's Secure Browser is intended for online shopping or banking, just you'll demand to download it separately. Based on Google's Chromium code, Avast's browser forces sites to constitute a secure HTTPS connection if possible and doesn't allow extensions.
Avast'south Passwords password director holds an unlimited number of entries and works with Chrome, Firefox and Avast'south Secure Browser. Passwords Premium costs an extra $20 (or comes with the Avast Ultimate paid package) and adds a data-breach monitor and fingerprint logins.
Avast's Wi-Fi Inspector examines your home network to compile a list of continued devices and ferret out old firmware, insecure passwords and incorrect settings. Merely Avast's SecureLine VPN client software, once congenital into Avast Free Antivirus, is now a dissever download. It costs $60 a year; there's no more express free choice, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If a Windows computer is hopelessly infected, Avast Free Antivirus contains software to create a rescue deejay on a flash drive or DVD that will boot the system into a secure Linux surround for scanning and repairs.
Avast Complimentary Antivirus: Application-usage information drove
Until a few months ago, Avast and AVG notified you when you first launched the software that, with your permission, it would "collect anonymous data almost your figurer, network and the websites you visit" and that Avast "may share this data with 3rd parties for analytics purposes." You could opt out of that collection.
That was a long-standing practice, but a couple of media reports in January 2020 about where that collected data went generated a public outcry. Avast'due south stock price tanked, the company said it would end the practice, and the data-collection notification window no longer appears when you first launch Avast Gratis Antivirus.
However, there are a couple of new items buried in the "Personal Privacy" part of the Settings. Yous tin now choose whether to share threat data with Avast; to share awarding-usage data with Avast to "assistance us with new product development"; to share application-usage data with 3rd-party analytics tools; and to share awarding-usage data with Avast "so that we may offering yous 3rd-political party products."
Those final two items sound rather like what Avast said it would no longer do. An Avast spokeswoman antiseptic to us that Avast no longer shares user information with tertiary parties for purposes of analyzing broader trends in business and marketing, rather than for specifically analyzing the performance and use of Avast'south own software.
We realize that Avast Free Antivirus offers a lot for gratuitous, but we recommend turning off anything that would result in your data being shared with third parties, even if that information is aggregated and anonymized.
Avast Free Antivirus: Operation and system impact
Avast'south Costless Antivirus is not but one of the most resource-hungry AV programs we've encountered only is likewise i of the slowest to scan a drive.
To check arrangement performance, nosotros used our custom benchmark test, which measures how long the CPU takes to match 20,000 names and addresses in an Excel spreadsheet. We used an Asus X555LA notebook with a 2GHz Cadre i3-5005U processor, 6GB of RAM, 59.5GB of files on a 500GB difficult drive and the latest version of Windows ten.
Before loading Avast Free Antivirus, nosotros established a baseline score by measuring the benchmark's completion time at an average of 13.7 seconds. After we installed the programme, but without an active browse running, the completion time slowed to 14.3 seconds, indicating a 4.three% groundwork turn down in performance.
Agile scans verbal a heavier toll. Our benchmark'south average completion time was 17.vii seconds during Avast's total scans, a drop in functioning of 24% from the background level, and 29% from the baseline earlier Avast was installed.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition's scan caused a 26% drop from the background level; AVG AntiVirus Free'southward scan acquired only a 7% performance refuse.
If that weren't bad plenty, the criterion time for Avast Smart Scan was 21.0 seconds, a 47% functioning drop from the background levels, and a 53% drop from the preinstallation levels. That'due south four times the performance hit of Kaspersky Free Antivirus.
It took Avast an boilerplate of i 60 minutes, 22 minutes and 44 seconds to consummate a Total Browse, slightly longer than AVG AntiVirus Gratis's Deep Scan result. Of the 5 free antivirus programs we looked at, just Microsoft Defender took longer. Avast'southward total-scan times also didn't shorten over time, unlike other programs that learn what to ignore and what to focus on.
Avast Free Antivirus took 3 minutes and 9 seconds to run a Smart Scan, the equivalent of a quick scan that checks the most likely sectors to be infected. That'southward more than than twice every bit long every bit AVG AntiVirus Free's similar Computer Scan.
AV-Comparatives' Impact Score has a unlike take, with a score for Avast of 6.2. That ties its corporate cousin AVG for the best amongst the five programs we looked at. Microsoft Defender was the worst at 27.3.
Avast Complimentary Antivirus: Interface
The interface for Avast Free Antivirus has a dark blue Status page with bright, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-read text proverb "You're Protected" when everything is correct. When you lot need to address an effect, that turns to a red "Ten."
On the left is a cavalcade of major security activities, including categories for Protection (scanning, quarantine and Wi-Fi Inspector), Privacy (Passwords) and Software (updater and Do Not Disturb mode).
The Performance department has links for the Exercise Not Disturb mode, the Software and Driver Updater applets as well every bit what Avast calls Cleanup Premium. These features, nevertheless, only identify problems — you'll demand to either pay for the downloadable applets, or become Avast's Premium packet, to make changes.
The Status screen also has a Bill of fare link and a powerful Settings screen. In that, you lot can whitelist rubber items and change the interface language; Avast still honors the seafaring with a Pirate Talk pick.
Avast Free Antivirus lets you conform its scanning sensitivity, plow major components on and off, customize its activities and opt out of having information collected from your system. If all you want to do is run Smart Scans, the Start button is part of the Status page. All other scans are ii clicks away.
Avast Free Antivirus: Installation and support
Avast Free Antivirus' installation starts with a 223KB installer file that downloads the rest of the program, but be careful because it will besides install the Google Toolbar in your spider web browser unless you opt out. All told, it took a lilliputian under seven minutes to get and install the program.
You don't need to set an Avast online account to use Avast Free Antivirus, merely information technology'due south a good idea considering then you lot can monitor the status of all your systems running Avast software.
Like other free security programs, except for Microsoft Defender, Avast Free Antivirus offers no telephone tech support. Simply in that location are a lot of online resource, including installation help, tips and FAQs and a direct link from the plan to the company's support pages.
Avast Free Antivirus: Bottom line
Avast Complimentary Antivirus includes a total-featured password manager, a gaming mode and a Wi-Fi network scanner, which is great. But the software ultimately falls short on protection and performance.
Kaspersky Security Cloud Free offers meliorate protection, a much lower performance hit, lots of customization and about equally many extra features as Avast.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/avast-free-antivirus
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