Like standard virus scanners, it works using antivirus definitions and looks throughout all storage drives to detect the presence of problems. The creators of malicious software have a great incentive to infect devices, and users have a great incentive to stop them. There’s no shortage of antivirus makers on the market, as software protection is in high demand. For premium users, there is also a direct phone line and 24/7 support for any potential antivirus issues you run into. You simply have to log into your account on the Avast website. There’s also a support forum and an intuitively organized support center, if you want to search for your answer on your own.
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- The user interface on PC and Mac has a very clean and simple design.
- Our review of Avast’s VPN service would be incomplete without the list of platforms that support Secureline.
- In addition to PC and Mac, the software also works on Linux while mobile platforms including Symbian and Windows Mobile have dedicated apps.
- Connecting to a recommended server takes a single click, and changing servers is also simple.
- The collapsable Preferences menu is where you can find most of the program’s settings.
While the system works fine, it is a function that not many general users will require. The antivirus program postpones scheduled scans and suspends most non-critical notifications when it is set in the Do Not Disturb mode. Avast even notices when you run a program in full-screen and offers to add it into the list to avoid being a disturbance itself.
Avast is generally a good antivirus software that can be relied on to protect your devices from various online threats. In fact, it was one of the best services available with no compromise a while back. However, Avast has started to demonstrate weaker results compared to other more advanced antivirus competitions in recent years. During installation, Avast also offers its Avast Secure Browser that is private, secure, and fast. It also automatically sets this as your default browser without your permission. Other than that, the installer also presents a full page of detailed explanation on how Avast uses your nonpersonal data, and how you can opt-out of it. Once you get out of the page, another pop up immediately comes after to offer you a free trial.
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It also gives you full control to adjust its sensitivity and customize its activities to match your wants and needs. Avast has a lot of features and gives fair protection for a free antivirus, but it’s not the best around. You’ll be safer with the commercial Avast products and, maybe, some of the top competition KMPlayer.
Despite all the strong features offered, friendly usability is something Avast does not come with. While it is understandable that antivirus companies need to earn money by having users subscribe to their paid plan, but Avast’s liberal use of dark-pattern UI makes it very frustrating to use their services. Other than the scanning features discussed above, Avast does not really offer much else. One of the extras included in the paid plan is a utility that helps to clean your computer’s hard drive. Avast also has a secure erase function that writes over a file that you want to delete many times to completely remove any traces of it from your computer.
Avast Pro Antivirus receives solid scores from independent testing labs, with very strong antiphishing protection and the same suite of additional security features that Avast Free Antivirus provides. It’s easy to use, has a variety of useful – and occasionally uncommon – protections , and doesn’t take up a ton of system memory to use. Many of the features available for Avast Pro Antivirus can also be found with the Avast Free Antivirus option, and Avast Pro Antivirus teases you with links to even more advanced options that you can only unlock through further upgrades. While the Real Site protection and Sandbox are useful, they may not justify the cost over the free version that’s available. Registration is required to use Avast beyond the 60-day trial period. Registering grants users a 14-month license key, after which users must register the software again to keep using it. This is a con compared to Avira‘s and AVG‘s free antivirus, which do not require registration.
Is The Avast Online Security Extension Worth Using?
Avast’s Wi-Fi Inspector scans your network, lists any connected devices and highlights any potential vulnerabilities. We opened a port on our router, and Wi-Fi Inspector spotted this and recommended we fix it. Solving this kind of network issue can be a challenge, even for experienced users, but that’s not Avast’s fault, and we’re glad to see Wi-Fi Inspector pick up on these problems. The Smart Scan is essentially a combination of a Quick Scan for malware and system-wide checks for unsafe settings and passwords, dubious browser add-ons and missing software patches.
However, this is not the only method that Avast employs to convince its users to subscribe. Avast also offers other very confusing and intrusive upsells throughout its software.
The Full Scan checks your entire system; the Targeted Scan examines specific files or folders; the Boot-Time Scan checks for threats before Windows starts. And, if that’s not enough, you can create custom scan types to do whatever you like. Avast is a great company in the security industry, and their boot scan feature is another testament to their commitment toward holistic computer protection. With more viruses looking to sneak into a computer’s boot files, having a tool like this as an option is something everyone should consider. As the name suggests, this tool is design to scan a device for malicious software.
This shouldn’t necessarily put Avast Ultimate at the top of your purchase list. Avira Prime also starts at $100, includes Avira’s own VPN, and protects more devices (five rather than Avast’s one). And we wouldn’t recommend choosing your security suite purely based on a bundled extra, either, no matter how valuable. The antivirus, firewall and other core features should come first.