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Avast Antivirus review


Avast is one of the biggest names in the entire antivirus industry. Its appeal lies in excellent overall protection against online threats. It not only scans your devices but also inspects your online network, protects your webcam, as well as blocks suspicious activities and downloads. On top of that, it even gives you a VPN service for safe browsing.

However, in late 2019 and early 2020, Avast made headlines for collecting user data. They sent it to their analytics business called Jumpshot. Later, Avast’s CEO Ondrej Vicek shut it down.

Well, as part of our review, we’ve taken a close look at Avast’s security measures to help you decide whether it’s worth installing the software. Spoiler alert: while Avast is a solid virus removal tool for basic protection, we’ve tested much better antivirus products in terms of protection, privacy, and reputation, such as TotalAV.

Best alternative to Avast
TotalAV is one of the best antivirus products on the market, offering excellent virus detection rates, great user interface and one of the best prices amongst competitors.
cybernews® score
4.6 /5

Having this in mind, can Avast antivirus still be trusted? Read on as we put its features, online protection, and security to a test and find out!

TOP Choice
TotalAVAvast Antivirus
⭐ Rating:
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🥇 Overall rank:#3 out of #25#16 out of #25
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💵 Price:from $19.00/year, 3 devicesFrom $29.99/year
✂️ Free version:YesYes
🖥️ Platforms:Windows, Mac, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
Best Avast alternatives:

Avast Antivirus pros and cons

Visit Avast to read more about its features

How safe is Avast Antivirus?

Naturally, if you’re looking for good antivirus software, you’re probably quite security conscious. And considering Avast was forced to admit to selling user data last year, it’s reasonable to wonder just how safe Avast actually is.

What did we find out during our Avast research? We had a look at the security features and independent lab test results – and there are some interesting things worth noting.

Independent Avast antivirus testing

AwardBlocked threats
AV-TestTop Product100%
AV-ComparativesAdvanced+99.6%
SE LabsAAA99%

Like a lot of industry-leading antivirus providers, Avast pays to have its products included in tests done by independent labs. And the results are surprisingly great.

The German institution AV-TEST, which is researching cybersecurity products, has tested both Avast’s free and paid versions. Luckily, the results were identical and the May-June 2022 test showed that the antivirus detected 100% of both 0-day and older malware threats. Thus, it earned the highest possible “Top product” certificate.

Moving on, AV-Comparatives also tested the free version of Avast. In its latest real-world protection report dated February-May 2022, Avast blocked 99.6% of the widespread malicious samples used in the test. And although this sounds pretty near flawless, there were several antivirus providers that did better. Avira, Norton, and Trend Micro managed to block 100% of the malware tested.

Avast AV-Comparatives results

And in its Malware protection test dated March 2022, AV-Comparatives found that Avast managed to protect against 99.98% of online threats. It also yielded 10 false alarms which isn’t fantastic, but a lot better than the staggering 96 flagged by Panda.

As for SE Labs, it’s another cybersecurity product testing laboratory that evaluated Avast’s free version. While Avast managed to block 99% of threats, it still snatched the highest “AAA” award.

Overall, while there’s room for improvement with false positives, Avast is definitely among the best antiviruses in terms of malware detection. Not to mention that the free version is as safe as paid ones.

Avast Antivirus features

Avast has a wide range of features and tools meant to help your online security. However, keep in mind that what you get depends on the plan you purchase. The biggest difference, of course, will be between Avast free and premium antivirus plans.

Let's take a look at what they offer – and what features each plan will give you.

Avast FreeAvast OneAvast Premium Security
Malware protection
Real-time protection
App monitoring
Firewall
Webcam protection
Malicious website protection
Ransomware shield
SecureLine VPN
Data breach monitoring
Automatic driver updates
Tracker blocker
Optimization tools

Unsurprisingly, the paid plans are much more feature-loaded. However, it’s very refreshing to see such a generous free version that even includes a firewall. Not to mention that its malware detection rates are as good as with paid plans.

However, for all-rounded protection, Avast One is a great option. You get to protect either 5 or 30 devices and you get various kinds of security, including real-time, webcam, malicious website, ransomware, and tracking protection.

It’s also important to note that whichever subscription you choose – free or paid – it’s available on all popular operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

Continue reading to find more in-depth explanations of various Avast features below.

Virus scans

Jumping straight to the main stuff – scanning options. Avast’s scans are simple to find, and there are plenty for you to choose from, including Smart, Full, Targeted, Custom, Boot-time, and Network Inspector scans. Our research team tested each of the scans themselves with 10 malicious file samples on the computer, so let’s jump into the results.

Avast scan center

Smart scan – it’s meant to identify malware, network threats, and outdated software. It took 40 seconds to finish and none of the planted malware was found. In terms of system resources, the CPU load was around 20-30%.

Full scan, which is an in-depth scan of your system – took 6 minutes and 50 seconds to complete and found 10 out of 10 malicious files. Plus, the CPU load was relatively light, around 30%, but there were several spikes of more than 80%.

Avast scan results

While such results are great, at the same time, the full scan did detect a false positive. Since we’ve previously had Ivacy VPN installed, Avast mistook it for a threat and blocked it.

However, in such cases, you can just click on the “Send for analysis” button to help improve Avast’s malware detection.

Targeted scan – you can use it when you suspect threats in a certain destination. We checked the C: disk which took around 3 minutes to complete and… it found all 10 malicious files that we tested it with!

Custom scan – it fits great if you’re in a hurry or just want a quick checkup. It checks the surface of the system. It took about 1 minute and 10 seconds to finish.

Boot-time scan is meant for finding types of malware that activates on system startup.

Network Inspector – if you want to scan your network, it helps find hidden vulnerabilities to prevent hackers from stealing your sensitive information. Unfortunately, during our test, it didn’t find anything and took only 30 seconds.

So, while Avast is capable of detecting most if not all malicious threats, it could improve in terms of false positives and simple surface scanning options.

Malware protection

Malware protection is hardly anything revolutionary for a literal malware removal tool, but it’s still important to cover. After all, not all antivirus products offer the same things.

Here’s what you can expect from Avast packages:

  • Real-time protection that runs silently in the background to block threats as they appear in an unobtrusive yet effective way. This feature is even available in the free version, which is rare to see.
  • Complete malware detection that stops you from sharing infected files with other users.
  • In-depth scans of your entire machine or device that’s designed to root out hidden malware.
  • External storage scans to check external drives, such as CDs, DVDs, USB sticks, etc. for viruses.
  • Scheduled scans so it can check for malware while you’re away from your desk.
  • Security reports that provide you with personalised updates every 30 days.
  • Real-time security updates and new features which are updated automatically.

Email Shield

The Email Shield feature provides you with a decent level of email security and is even available with the free version. The way it works is it alerts you about unsafe websites, blocks suspicious downloads, prevents dangerous email attachments, and stops intrusive web tracking.

To put it simply, it prevents PuPs (potentially unwanted programs) and scans secure connections. Such scans are only applied to ingoing or outgoing emails of popular mail management software, such as Mail or Outlook.

Ransomware shield

Another important feature included in the Premium plan is the ransomware shield. To put it briefly – it protects your files and photos from ransomware attacks. Once enabled, the feature doesn’t let untrusted applications access your sensitive files.

Avast ransomware protection

There are two ransomware shield modes: smart and strict. The former is the default setting which refers to a list of trustworthy apps to determine which ones have the ability to modify your files. If anything outside this list tries to touch your secured documents, you’ll be instantly notified and nothing will be done without your permission.

As for the strict mode, you’re notified and asked for permission every single time that any app tries to access your secured files. That is, except for those that you’ve already allowed (or didn’t allow).

Avast firewall

A firewall is an essential part of an antivirus package, and Avast provides both free and paid users with one.

To put it simply – a firewall protects your network from unauthorized intrusions. With Avast, you can block internet access to specific apps yourself.

avast firewall

However, paid users also get more advanced network security. First off, you can enable or disable hiding potentially sensitive information from other network devices. Also, you can be notified about open ports and ARP spoofing attacks.

Pro tip

When picking an antivirus, security features, malware detection rates, and affordable pricing are important factors to consider – and they should come with guaranteed privacy and a scandal-free reputation.

Get TotalAV

Avast SecureLine VPN

Getting the Avast One bundle will also give you the Avast SecureLine VPN (which you can also buy separately). Even though it might not be as good as, say, NordVPN, the service is pretty decent, especially when you know that it comes from an antivirus developer.

Free Avast users can also use the VPN, however, it’s limited to 5GB per week, which tends to use up fast, especially if you’re streaming content.

Avast one secureline vpn

So, there are quite a few things it can do. Avast SecureLine VPN unblocks Netflix libraries (US, Canada), as well as everything you need on YouTube. Also, the service supports torrenting and offers decent download speeds.

There’s also a feature called a Password leak checker that will tell you whether your email has been compromised. And Additionally, Android users will get the split tunneling feature as well. Avast SecureLine VPN now offers WireGuard protocol for Windows and Android users, which can improve your online experience.

When it comes to cons, I’d mention a humble tunneling protocol selection, as well as a relatively short list of available countries. In case you want to know more about this tool, you can read our comprehensive Avast SecureLine VPN review.

Overall, although the SecureLine VPN is good for basic security, we wouldn’t recommend getting it separately as it’s very limited. Plus, it’s much more expensive than market-leading VPNs, such as NordVPN and Surfshark.

Avast for business features

Avast’s business plans come with a range of solutions depending on the size and needs of your business. Need help deciding whether one of these plans might be right for you? Here’s a breakdown of Avast’s business offerings.

Avast’s Small Office plan features

As you might expect from the name, Avast’s Small Office plan is ideal for all manner of small businesses. Avast lets you customize your plan so you’re getting the protection that best suits your business needs for up to 10 devices.

The Small Office plan has some similarities to Avast One in terms of features. Both plans include ransomware, email, file, web, and webcam shields, a customizable firewall, and the Network Inspector.

Here are all the features included in the Small Office plan:

  • Business-grade customer support offers 24-hour help from trained engineers who can assist you via email, chat, or phone.
  • Remote access shield blocks unwanted remote connections.
  • Wifi inspector looks for weaknesses in your network that might be putting you at risk and fixes them for you.
  • Real site keeps you and your employees safe from fake sites designed to steal sensitive data.
  • The sandbox provides a safe environment to test new programs and files in an area that’s completely separated from the rest of your PC.
  • Sensitive data shield stops spyware from accessing sensitive documents on your computer.
  • Data shredder permanently deletes any confidential files that contain financial or customer data you wouldn’t want recovered.
  • Phishing net uses Avast’s cloud database to protect your business from even the most recent phishing sites.

Avast Business Security features

If the Small Office plan isn’t big enough for you, Avast’s Business Security plans might be a better option for you and your company. There are 3 available Business Security plans – Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.

Each plan includes:

  • Online management platform, which lets you easily manage your subscription and add/set up/monitor all of your devices in one place.
  • Avast antivirus with all advanced protection measures included.
  • Data protection – to keep your personal, business, and even customer data secure from cyber felons.
  • IT support – 24/5 email, live chat, or phone support from experienced engineers.
  • Identity protection, or password and webcam protection.

The only difference is that the Premium plan also includes the unlimited VPN for each device and USB protection.

As for the Ultimate plan, on top of the things you get with other business plans, you also receive patch management. It monitors your device and fixes vulnerabilities automatically.

One thing to keep in mind is that identity protection, unlimited VPN, USB protection, and patch management are unavailable for macOS users.

Avast’s Advanced protection plan for MSSPs and resellers

If you’re looking for comprehensive antivirus software for a reseller or a managed security service provider (MSSP), Avast’s all-in-one solution has a lot to offer.

The main attraction here is CloudCare, which, as you might imagine, delivers all of Avast’s security features through the cloud on a user-friendly platform.

Here’s what CloudCare does:

  • Lets you grow your MSSP while increasing your revenue and building your business. Avast’s CloudCare solution gives MSSPs a simple way to scale business, add new services, and deploy security remotely to new customers.
  • Fills the gaps in your security with CloudCare’s essential layers of security to defend your business from threats.
  • Manages multiple networks easily by viewing threats, updates, and reports for your customers in one central place.
  • Helps you avoid rising costs and upkeep for clients, which helps you reduce onsite client visits to save you money and time.

How much does Avast Antivirus package cost?

Considering that Avast has a free version available, its pricing strategy is pretty reasonable. You can get all the basic security features for free, which is much more generous than many other free antivirus services.

Yet, the Avast One package is the optimal choice – with webcam, malicious website, and tracking protection, you’re secured from virtually all threats. Not to mention that you also get a VPN which is great for online anonymity and streaming.

It’s also worth noting that Avast uses regional price discrimination. The pricing given here applies to US users but might not apply elsewhere. For example, the prices are significantly higher in the UK.

VersionFeaturesPrice
Avast FreeReal-time malware protection, app monitoring, firewall$0.00
Avast OneEverything in the free and Premium Security plans, plus SecureLine VPN, data breach monitoring, optimization tools, tracker blocker, and automatic driver updates$29.99 (1st year)
Avast Premium SecurityEverything in the free plan, plus webcam protection, ransomware and malicious website protection$29.99 (1st year)

If you’re looking for basic protection for your home PC or smartphone, Avast Free is a solid option as it even offers real-time protection and a firewall. Meanwhile, the Premium Security plan ensures you’re also protected from malicious websites and ransomware, as well as webcam intruders.

Yet, considering that you can get Avast One cheaper than Premium Security ($29.99/year), the One package offers the best value for your money. After all, you even get a VPN service that you can use not only for security but to unblock Netflix libraries as well.

Avast business pricing

In terms of business users, the prices are a bit more complex. There are plenty of different options to choose from, depending on what you need.

First, there’s the Small Office plan that you can buy for $139.99/year. It’s a great fit for a small business and covers 10 devices.

Then, there’s also three other plans for business security – Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. The Essential plan costs $36.99/year for 1 user, is great for basic business protection, and is recommended for mac users.

Meanwhile, the Premium Business security plan protects every user with a VPN and costs $46.99/year for 1 device. Lastly, the Ultimate subscription includes patch management and costs $56.99/year per 1 user.

If you’re looking to sign up for Avast’s all-in-one security services for MSSPs, you’ll need to get in touch with them directly to discuss your security requirements. The team will then come up with a pricing package based on your needs.

Avast Secure Browser

Avast’s secure browser used to be a paid-for service until 2016 when the security company began bundling it with the free version of its antivirus software.

Avast Secure browser

The browser is incredibly easy to set up and use and comes with a lot of great features, including:

  • Ad-free browsing that blocks online ads by default. This can significantly improve website loading times.
  • Built-in privacy lets you browse, shop, and bank safely online.
  • Blocks malicious websites and downloads to protect your device from potential threats.
  • Blocks online tracking to stop third parties seeing your online activity.
  • Masks your digital identity so websites can’t identify you based on your unique browser profile.
  • Monitors your email address to make sure your passwords haven’t been leaked online.

Avast’s secure browser takes seconds to download and has a lovely clean interface that’s very similar to Google Chrome. It even has Google open by default. So you can complete searches just as quickly and easily as you would if you were using Chrome.

What’s more, because it automatically blocks ads, browsing the Internet feels cleaner and quicker than it does on less secure browsers. And the steps Avast has taken to mask the identities of its users gives you added peace of mind when you’re surfing the web.

Ease of use

Downloading and setting Avast antivirus up is pretty simple on any device.Yet, it takes quite some time to install it.

Whether you’re a Windows or a macOS user – the interface is basically identical. I loved the fact that you’re suggested to create an account but you don’t have to.

I tried navigating and scanning with both antiviruses, and let me tell you the app looks very modern. There are four sections – Home, Explore, Messages, and Account.

The “Home” section lets you know if there are any issues and lets you run a smart scan. The only thing I would personally prefer is that all of the scanning options would be present on the main window.

Avast one interface

If you do want to find all of the scanning options, you’ll have to navigate to the “Scan center” in the “Explore” section. However, I have to hand it to Avast – the fact that you can find all features under one window is very convenient.

Speaking of scans, if Avast identifies a threat, you can simply click to resolve them. However, if the free version identifies any advanced issues, the Resolve button will redirect you to a payment screen so you can upgrade to the Premium plan. Which feels a little sneaky. Still, it still offers more than adequate protection for a free service.

How to install Avast antivirus

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced person, installing Avast will be an effortless task. All you have to do is follow this step-by-step guide:

  1. Go to the official website of Avast.
  2. Depending if you’re getting the free or the paid plan, click the “Download” or the “Buy now” button. For premium plans, make sure you choose the correct device count.
avast-pricing-plans1
  1. While free users can continue following the installation instructions, premium version users will be asked to insert payment details.
Avast payment options
  1. Download the file and follow the installation instructions.

Customer support

Live chat support✅ (24/7 with paid only)
Phone support✅ (24/7 with paid only)
Email support✅ (24/7 with paid only)
Knowledge database

Avast offers a basic level of customer service, including an extensive area of helpful FAQs to help users resolve their own issues.

If you go to Avast’s website in need of support, the website is going to ask you a few questions before navigating you to human support. Free users can choose between phone service or email support.

However, if you want more than that, you’re going to have to subscribe to Avast Care, which costs $39.99/year. With it, you get 24/7 phone, live chat, email, and remote access support. They promise to fix any issue you may have.

Bottom line

Avast’s past actions regarding selling user data raises privacy concerns even if the company has shut down such operations. Despite this incident, it’s an independent-laboratory approved antivirus service that is capable of protecting you from various kinds of threats, including ransomware, network intruders, PUPs, and others.

However, the antivirus market has more trustworthy options to consider that provide you with high levels of protection and have a great reputation.

The pricing plans of Avast are confusing, especially business subscriptions. Not to mention that they’re also more expensive. Plus, while malware detection rates are great, Avast tends to find quite a few false positives.

Speaking of setting the antivirus up, it takes a while compared to other antivirus products. And while there’s a variety of features available, most of them you get only with the more expensive plans.

At the end of the day, Avast’s past data sharing scandal aside, it’s a decent antivirus. Yet again, there are much better security products that can live up to your protection expectations on top of having a clean reputation.

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FAQ

Comments

Sean Carroll
prefix 1 year ago
Recently purchase an Avast Package for my mobile. It is not helping, I am getting several betting websites cropping up on my google chrome & have no confidence in the Avast package I purchased.

It looks like I will have no option but to wipe my phone & suffer the losses.
Andy
prefix 1 year ago
Excellent article, but...
I've been using the free version of Avast and surprised me a lot, much better and more stable than AVG, Avira and so on. Ransomware protection, firewall and a great engine against malware are the highlights here. Paired with Malwarebytes Browser Guard and sometimes protonvpn free substantially increase the protection of most home users, also power users. After I started using Avast the amount of malware detections and phishing increased a lot, that's when Malwarebytes came in and now I have no more problems.
Peggy
prefix 1 year ago
I have Avast free version on my old computer which worked great. I now have a new one that already has Windows Security and Windows Defender firewall installed.
Are both needed?
Which does antiviral & anti-malware?
Do they both do real-time protection?
I see Windows Security is scheduled to do maintenance once a day - this leads me to think it does not do real-time protection (yes or no?). If this is the case - I want to put Avast free on the new computer - I know I would have to remove Windows Security but do I also need to remove Windows Defender?
Cybernews Team
prefix 1 year ago
Hi!

Windows Defender is part of Windows Security, which also includes other features such as the firewall, performance optimization, etc. It also comes built-in with any Windows OS, and is an integral part of it, so you won't be able to remove it, only disable it.

Windows Security (or Windows Defender) offers protection from viruses and malware. There are scheduled scans which check your computer periodically, and then there is the Windows Defender Firewall, which protects your device in real-time.

If you do end up getting Avast on you current computer, you won't need to (and won't be able to) remove Windows Security. If you like, you can disable it completely, and rely only on Avast for protection. That said, free antiviruses and free versions are pretty limited in general, so our advice for maximum security would be to get the premium version of Avast.

However, if you decide that free version is enough, then keep in mind that both Windows Security and Avast free version offer pretty much the same kind of protection.
Joff
prefix 1 year ago
The free Avast version totally sucks but like i get it i guess. Took a plunge and upgraded to premium and it's significantly better. Not better enough that i wouldn't be reading reviews to learn the features, but better. Might stick around if i figure everything out in the next 27 days.
aHakansson
prefix 1 year ago
if you want daily ads via email and pop-ups to commit to additional Avast modules and hourly pop-ups to re-subscribe to existing subscriptions and a completely disinterested support line by all means subscribe. no refunds after 30 days.
lenjin
prefix 1 year ago
I have used 7 antiviruses so far and I can say that Avast is among the top four (Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast). I use Avast ultimate and I am very positively surprised by the user interface which is very clear and concise. Also, the add-ons that antivirus offers are excellent and functional (antitrack, cleanup, VPN). I don't use Avast VPN because there are better ones but it is also useful. Many of the functions that antivirus offers are excellent, especially: two-way firewall, file protection - application - web e-mail, authentic site, sandbox, permanent data deletion). The automatic software update and network inspector features are very useful. I think that Avast with the functions of protective shields is the best of all other antiviruses. The "system recovery disk" feature is something great and I haven't noticed a similar feature with other antiviruses. Congratulations. Scans are fast and efficient. I don't notice any slowing down of the computer while the antivirus scans the system (unlike Mcafee which slowed down the system while I was using it). I did not notice false positive system or web scan results. I am very satisfied. Congratulations to Avast on his success.
Heydi
prefix 1 year ago
Hi 2 months ago I was using avg internet security. Avg gives the opportunity through sensitive data agent to choose which file to protect. Then, I bought avast premium security from their partner avast-tn.com. But i didn´t find the sensitive data agent. Are my data protected against hacking ?
Robert Lewis
prefix 1 year ago
I’ve been trying now for over two months to get my 85 year old mother’s Premium AVAST protection account put on her new PC after the old one broke. She does actually pay for usage on up to 10 computers.
All they keep doing is fobbing me off, saying it’s been escalated to their senior team!
Absolutely shambolic, not a customer service that I could ever recommend.
Definitely time to change over to a different provider, give AVAST the elbow.
Kari
prefix 1 year ago
I loaded this on my PC and immediately regretted it. Everything was slow. Firefox didn't work. And, it took a system restore to get it off my PC!
rajeff
prefix 1 year ago
So, as an individual, what is the total cost to use all the offered features from Avast? It seems every time I turn around, Avast is telling me I have some issue that requires some different additional subscription. What plan do they offer that will protect my laptop from the many issues Avast keeps telling me I have?
Deborah L Thompson
prefix 1 year ago
Let me start off by saying the only reason Avast was on my laptop was because the guy put it on when he fixed my computer. It was the free edition. Well, after the first year Avast decided to take $74.71 right out of my account. I called them and threw a fit and told them I never ordered it. They put the $ back into my account and promised me it would NEVER happen again. Well, they again charged my account $74.71 making my bank account overdrawn. So now I'm furious! Spent almost 2 hours getting it straightened out hopefully. If it happens again, I will sue the pants off this company!!!
B.D
prefix 1 year ago
I was expecting some in
voice info so I went to email and saw that indeed I had an email discussing an invoice.
Tried to view it but couldn't unless I downloaded it.
Up pops an announcement stating that $396 was going to be removed from my account for a computer
security plan.
I do not own a computer.
I tried a few searches.
First to the BBB of Georgia.
No results. Then the Google search and there they were being accused of stealing and selling peoples personal data.
They haven't been shut down? This is obviously a scam if the " invoice" says that I need not do anything further , that They will subtract the nearly $400 from my account.
Has anyone else had this problem with this company and if so did they extract money from your bank, was the court involved and what was the outcome? I am Livid.
I need advice also as to which steps are best to stop this from happening and how to resolve this if in fact it has taken place before I can advise the bank.

Joyce Causey
prefix 1 year ago
My husband has Avast Security VPN but didn’t bother telling me about it. Can I be added on his account?
CyberNews Team
prefix 1 year ago
Hello, Avast VPN includes 10 simultaneous connections, so it is possible to share an account.
Anne
prefix 2 years ago
They keep charging my credit card for products that I can’t activate. Getting in touch with anyone who can help me is nearly impossible.
richard fresco
prefix 2 years ago
Just say you didnt autherise it ti your cc company and usually they will refund you
Karen Carroll
prefix 2 years ago
I have been using the premium version of Avast for several years. My last payment was 2 years ago at 79.99 USD for 2 years. They automatically set you up on an auto-renewal and they just tried to charge my credit card for 79.99 for only 1 year (as per their followup email). The auto-renewal was denied because my credit card has changed. This means the price has doubled. Not happy about this. I guess I will be reverting to the free version until I can find an equivalent more reasonably priced product.
Infromthevoid
prefix 2 years ago
The most irritating thin about avast is that they constantly spam you about adding other services you might not want or need. You can’t even do a scan without “skipping” and “confirming” that you don’t want the other crap over and over again.

It is the reason why I am looking for a different program.
Felix
prefix 1 year ago
Agree with this. Avast also has this tendency of interrupting you on what you are doing just to announce that it has finished a background scan and found nothing. The new UI is also made by a dyslexic person that preferred the X button to be in the middle part of the screen. I am just completing my paid subscription and moving to a less intrusive and more intuitive anti virus. And don't get me started on the push products (VPN, driver updater, etc.)
Marj
prefix 2 years ago
You made a mistake here:
*The free version comes with lots of features, although it doesn’t protect against ransomware.*

Avast Free Antivirus does indeed protect against Ransomware as im using it right now.
Matthias
prefix 2 years ago
Deeply disappointed. I recently bought an Avast-Ab for 1 Year for 69,99 Euro. When I want to activate it I always get the MSG: Licence expired’. The support E-Mail does not work, it seems difficult to get in contact with Avast. Extremely frustrated. The have been quick to deduct the money. But that was it. No more response, no help at all.
Ams
prefix 2 years ago
Hi there, If you happen to be looking up for problems with your computer with Avast antivirus installed in your system than I pray remove it immediately from your pc. I have just been scammed by Avast to upgrade when out of the blue my computer windows and emails were locked and a warning on my screen to upgrade to resolve some present highly critical issues. I thought for a while and was really pissed of because I’ve never had problems until I installed Avast. The moment Avast was uninstalled everything was back to normal. I mean if they want to scam a customer than they have some stupid programmers who work for them because I could spot immediately the scam..🤣🤣🤣🤣 Anyway I lost 1 year subsciption…damn😢
Samy2
prefix 2 years ago
True because, It don't even ask permission to do things. I mean one time I was just playing and a notification popped up by showing my IP address. The message was " Your ip address is unprocted bla bla" Plus, deleting this antivirus is a pain. I litterly had wasted time just to uninstall this antivirus.
Len
prefix 2 years ago
I have a very important question to ask : do i need microsoft security essentials if i have avast ? My friend assures my that it will be like a combo in protection and by having 2 apps, it will detect 100% of all possible malware.
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
It would be best if you stuck with only one of them: MSE or Avast. Running multiple antiviruses at the same time provides interference and clashing, which usually does more hard than good.
Thomas E. Yeager
prefix 2 years ago
I was billed for your software on 2/1/21 through my Mastercard account but I no longer use it. How to I get a refund?
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
pisapisa
prefix 2 years ago
get a refund from your card provider. take photos of the money being debit from your account, BUT just cos u stop using a product, but didn’t cancel/unsubscribe your membership/account, it may not happen. take pics of email bank statements to your bank/contact your provider,,,, very hard here in Melbourne right now, we’ve zero covid cases, but banks have used that to close their stores+ sack staff. remaining staff working from home… I’ve had many issues with HSBC online account, they say they’ll get back to me in two working days, more like two week s, yet no covid here. big business is using the pandemic to give you extra crappier customer “service”, than you’ve seen before. the word “service” should be replaced with non interested bots… wanting you to love their brand/product, but they all have “a non reply email” do if you say something truthful, a human will never read it, its gets auto deleted
Eugeniy
prefix 2 years ago
what is a boot time scan avast has ? i really hope that it’s a so-called timer, where you can set the time you want to run the scan. last time it took me round 5 hours to run the full scan, and I couldn’t do anything else
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
The boot-time scan is actually one that you can run to start antivirus as your PC boots up. This enables you to remove nastier malware types that dig deeper into your system files.
Liam James
prefix 2 years ago
I have no idea on how to block a program from accessing the internet on avast. I have a couple of games that do not need access to the internet, however, each time they ask for permission. It’s really frustrating as it pops up each time I open the game. I can’t find this option in avast.
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
You can set up application rules. They will block any app from accessing the Internet. Here’s how to do it: https://support.avast.com/en-gb/article/Antivirus-Firewall-Application-Rules/
Eric V
prefix 2 years ago
Enjoy using AVAST, it does the job quickly of scanning my device and alerting me. Really like the boot scan option.
Audrey
prefix 2 years ago
how to speed up avast antivirus while it’s on full/deep scanning mode? it takes like 5-6 hours and I can barely do something meanwhile, as every app i try to run instantly is not responding. it’s really frustrating, since I don’t want to switch to other antivirus. 
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
There isn’t much that you can do to speed up the process, really. You could probably kill other processes and give the biggest priority for the app in your task manager, but that’s about it.
zadin
prefix 2 years ago
Very detailed review of avast . I really like the comparison table with offline and online protection among other providers. However, I didn’t find any information on what country is avast from. I think it’s very important, because of data retention laws and many other specifics. Please, could you update this info.
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
Avast is a Czech company based in Prague. This puts them in one of the EU countries.
Linda Longacre
prefix 2 years ago
I used a free version of avast and when it reminded me 7 days before it was up there was no place for me to cancel it. Why is that? I do not like not being able to cancel so now I’m receiving a message that my license expires today when I didn’t apply for one. It’s so confusing to me. There should be a box to cancel. I don’t use my computer as a business–my way of keeping in touch with family and friends since I can’t get out.
donnie
prefix 2 years ago
avast paid version is 100% amazing: lots of features, more deep scans, and so on. however, i found it unnecessary for my needs, so using avast how to go back to the free version?
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
You can wait till your subscription ends, then it will automatically be converted to a free plan.
indy
prefix 2 years ago
on average i have an internet speed of around 45 Mbps. recently i’ve noticed “huge” drops, down to 25 Mbps. i’ve recently installed antivirus and i wonder does avast slow down the internet, or there is another explanation for this. i contacted my isp, however, they assured me, that everything is fine from their side. any ideas?
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
Yes, Avast can contribute to the slowing down of your internet. If you set the scans to be frequent, Avast may overuse your resources and throttle your Internet bandwidth till it finished checking files
Nora
prefix 2 years ago
i’m searching for a secure and easy to use browser. i’ve tried many different browsers starting from chrome and finishing with duckduckgo. i’ve installed avast safe zone last year, and OMG, I can’t delete it now! every time i try to remove it, it says “access denied” even though, i can delete any other app on my PC. how to remove avast safe zone from pc, guys?
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
You can find all about it in their customer support portal: https://support.avast.com/en-gb/article/Uninstall-Secure-Browser/
zao
prefix 2 years ago
Hey there! Need some help. I recently installed avast antivirus, as it seems that I got some viruses. Every day my PC has new apps installed, and the performance decreased a lot. I ran avast like 4 times with a full, deep scan, however, it seems, that no viruses being detected. Where are avast logs? I want to take a look, and maybe understand why it’s not detecting any viruses.
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
On PC, you can find logs here C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\report
darrell blue
prefix 2 years ago
As a potential user, I really hate when apps do not have free trials. Money refunding is a time-consuming process. Laso, free trials must be at least 7 days. I really need to test and try the product I may potentially buy. I didn’t notice any info on how long does avast free antivirus last. Maybe you can answer me?
CyberNews Team
prefix 2 years ago
Avast free antivirus is valid for one year, but you’ll have to register your account.
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