As far as the most user-friendly, intuitive, and affordable antivirus products go, Avast is right there among the leaders. If you’re not looking for the most advanced solution, but an antivirus that will keep you safe on a budget, this might be the best choice. Plus, Avast Free is arguably the best free edition on the market right now, with impressive lab test results and a limited, yet decent set of features.
However, you’ll need to be ready for a constant flow of adds that will never go away. To get rid of them, the users will have to upgrade to a premium-level package. But, the same is true for almost every other leading antivirus, and, as mentioned, Avast isn’t very expensive, and the upgrade won’t cost you much.
Pros:
- Compatible with Win, Mac, iOS, and Android
- Extremely lightweight, works with older devices
- The available plans are quite affordable
- Do Not Disturb mode is perfect for gamers
- Decent independent lab test results
Cons:
- The free edition is rather limited
- Not as feature-packed as Kaspersky and Bitdefender
- Privacy and Security
AV-Test, one of the most respected third-party testers, gave Avast the perfect 6/6 score. Antivirus detected and eliminated 99% of the planted threats. In the AV-Comparatives tests, Avast detected 99.5% of the malicious files, but that only landed it on the 12th spot in the overall rating. In the MRG-Effitas tests, it was similarly effective.
Plus, every single Avast review on the Internet praises its protection against ransomware and phishing. Even the free edition is well equipped to keep ransomware at bay. Against phishing, it uses an AI system that’s proven to be highly effective against modern-day threats.
Ease of Use
As mentioned in the beginning, Avast is among the most hassle-free antiviruses of our time. All you’ll need to install it is pick a package, download the installer, follow the instructions, and that’s it! This is that kind of software that doesn’t require the user to continually change something or keep his/her eye on it. You can just install Avast and forget about it.
Everything is right there in front of you on the main dashboard. And, all the important menus are located on the left side. You can check the current status of the OS, change the Protection settings, configure the Privacy, and improve Performance with one single click.
Pricing, Money-Back Guarantee, Free Trial
Here are the available packages and their prices:
- Premium Security (Single-Device): $59.99/year
- Premium Security (Multi-Device): $79.99/year
- Avast Ultimate: $99.99/year
As the names suggest, if you want protection for multiple devices, you’ll have to upgrade to Multi-Device. Ultimate, in turn, adds Cleanup Premium, SecureLine (the company’s own VPN service), and Passwords Premium. This is important: while both single- and multi-device editions of Premium Security offer a 30-day free trial (60 days for Mac users), you won’t get it with Ultimate.
Money-Back Guarantee, on the other hand, is available with all three packages. Overall, Avast’s pricing policy deserves the highest praise. First of all, they offer affordable prices for their products. Secondly, the free trial and the MBG allow potential clients to take the antivirus “for a spin” and see how it works on their devices.
Customer Service
Sadly, Live Chat is not available, even though it is the fastest and most effective way to get in contact with support. On the bright side, the users do get to call the agents and send them emails. And, of course, there’s also a knowledge base and a FAQ section where you’ll be able to solve problems on your own. The Avast customer service is fast and helpful, which can’t be said about all the competing products.