AVG AntiVirus Free review

Our Verdict

AVG AntiVirus Free is browbeaten in features by its more than glamorous sibling Avast Free Antivirus and beaten in malware protection by everything else.

For

File shredder
Lots of customization options

Confronting

Middling malware protection
Irksome full-organization scans
Almost no extra features

Tom's Guide Verdict

AVG AntiVirus Free is beaten in features by its more glamorous sibling Avast Free Antivirus and beaten in malware protection by everything else.

Pros

+
File shredder
+
Lots of customization options

Cons

-
Middling malware protection
-
Slow full-system scans
-
Almost no extra features

Updated with latest lab-exam results. This review was originally published May 4, 2020.

AVG AntiVirus Free offers easy-to-use software and the ability to customize information technology to run the fashion yous want it to. It doesn't slow downward a figurer too much and offers a versatile file shredder.

AVG AntiVirus specs

Malware protection: And then-so
System impact, background: Moderate
System bear on, scans: Moderate
Windows compatibility: 7 through 10
Email scans: Yes
File shredder: Yes
Game/silent mode: Yes
Hardened/secure browser: No
Password manager: No
Functioning scanner: No
Ransomware file reversal: No
Rescue disk: Free download
Scan scheduler: Yeah
Support options: FAQs, forums
URL screener: Yes, as a separate free tool
Upsell nag factor: Inescapable

But AVG lacks other major features. Its Deep Scan (aka total scan) option is among the slowest nosotros've seen. Its malware protection is no ameliorate, and sometimes worse, than that of the congenital-in Windows Defender.

If you want a more complete approach to free security software, AVG'south corporate sibling Avast Costless Antivirus offers the most extra features, although it has the same middling malware defenses equally AVG.

Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition offers better protection in a bare-basic format, merely the real free champion is Kaspersky Security Cloud Complimentary, which combines first-class malware protection, a generous number of extra features and a very small system-performance touch, and is our meridian choice among the best free antivirus programs.

AVG's parent company, Avast, was in the news in early 2020 for collecting and selling the anonymized behavioral histories of Avast and AVG software users. Avast had always made clear what it was doing and let users opt out, merely the bad publicity forced an end to the practice.

Read on for the rest of our AVG AntiVirus Free review.

AVG AntiVirus Free: What's covered and upgrade options

AVG AntiVirus Gratis uses the same malware-scanning technology as its stablemate Avast Free Antivirus. The software works with Windows seven, 8.1 and 10; there's an older version for Windows XP and Vista.

AVG AntiVirus Free review — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

AVG AntiVirus Free has extensive and customizable protection, tin block malicious websites and has a file shredder and a trial functioning scanner.

AVG's paid antivirus programs include AVG Internet Security, which costs $eighty per year for upwards to x PCs, Macs and Android devices. On Windows, it augments AVG AntiVirus Costless's Windows protections with a firewall, webcam protection, an encrypted file vault, secure folders to protect files from ransomware and a hardened spider web browser.

There'due south too AVG Ultimate, which costs $100 a year for unlimited devices and includes the company's TuneUp performance optimizer. Beyond Windows, both programs piece of work with Mac Bone 10 ten.x and Android five.0 Lollipop or afterwards.

AVG AntiVirus Free: Antivirus protection

AVG's underlying malware protection, shared among all AVG and Avast Windows antivirus programs, scans files and memory for known malware and looks for the early indications of an attack by unknown malware, such as the encryption of primal files.

Anything suspicious is uploaded to AVG'south labs for analysis. Malware-definition updates go out several times daily to 200 million Avast/AVG software users.

The program ferrets out spyware, spam and phishing attempts; examines electronic mail attachments; and blocks known malicious websites. AVG calls its total-organisation scans "Deep Scans" and its quick scans "Figurer Scans," and either tin can be started two clicks from the master interface window.

The scans go pretty quickly, but when they're done, they present you lot with all sorts of "avant-garde issues" with your PC, including "sensitive items" that are "prime targets for attack," a vulnerable webcam, a weak firewall then on. There's a button to "Resolve Now," which tries to get you to sign upwards for paid AVG antivirus programs.

Likewise, the interface tells you that your computer is slowing downwardly. How could you possibly speed it back up? Past subscribing to AVG TuneUp, of form.

AVG AntiVirus Free: Antivirus performance

AVG's malware engine provides adequate, but inconsistent, protection. In 26 monthly tests carried out by German language lab AV-Test in 2018, 2019 and the beginning of 2020, AVG detected all malware 12 times. That'southward adept. Merely it besides detected less than 99.5% of unknown "zero-day" malware nine times over those 2-plus years, which is bad.

By comparison, Kaspersky, which also makes complimentary antivirus software, and Norton, which doesn't, got perfect 100% detection rates against both forms of malware in each of the 26 tests.

Among other makers of gratuitous antivirus software, Bitdefender missed the 100% mark only iii out of 26 times. Windows Defender's scores were more mixed, just with xvi perfect months, it still did improve than AVG. As for Avast, its detection rates were almost identical to AVG'south.

In tests by the Austrian lab AV-Comparatives from February through May 2019, AVG (and Avast) detected an average of 99.2% of "existent-life" online malware, behind Kaspersky (100%), Bitdefender (99.nine%) and Microsoft Windows Defender (99.six%).

From July to October 2019, Kaspersky stumbled, with an average of only 99.1%, letting AVG, Avast and Windows Defender border past with 99.three%. Bitdefender led the pack with a 99.7% detection charge per unit.

In February-March 2020, AVG, Avast and Microsoft all tied at 99.seven% Bitdefender was the one taking a swoop this time, with 99.five%, while Kaspersky got 100%.

London-based SE Labs' scores are more than nuanced and have business relationship of how an antivirus program handles a piece of malware after detection.

While AVG's most recent results are improve than previous ones, both AVG and Avast have but simply caught upwards to Microsoft, with 98% total accurateness, and 94% or 95% protection accuracy, in both the July-September and the October-December 2019 quarterly rounds.

In Jan-March 2020, the corporate siblings' path diverged, with AVG getting 100% protection accurateness and Avast only 95%. But because AVG had a few more than false positives, both ended up with the same 98% total accurateness score. Microsoft got 99% full accurateness.

Kaspersky got 100% in both total and protection accurateness in all three rounds. (Bitdefender was not tested.)

AVG AntiVirus Gratuitous: Security and privacy features

While it lacks Bitdefender Antivirus Costless Edition'south webcam protection, Avast's password managing director and Kaspersky Security Deject Free's on-screen keyboard, AVG AntiVirus Free includes a powerful file shredder.

All the same that'due south about information technology. Otherwise, AVG AntiVirus Gratuitous is pretty bare-bones, and its sibling Avast Free Antivirus seems to get all the expert stuff.

AVG AntiVirus Free: Performance and organization impact

To check AVG AntiVirus Free's impact on organisation performance, we used our custom criterion test, which measures how long a CPU takes to friction match xx,000 names and addresses in an Excel spreadsheet.

We used an Asus X555LA notebook with a two-GHz Cadre i3-5005U processor, 6GB of RAM and 59.5GB of files on a 500GB hard drive, running Windows ten with the latest updates.

Before we installed AntiVirus Free, the computer finished the criterion job in 13.3 seconds. That completion time rose to 14 seconds later on AVG was installed only earlier a scan was run. That equals a passive performance loss of v.iii%, which is not as good as Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition's two.1% loss (or the 0.nine% speed boost that Kaspersky provided) but something you lot'd be hard-pressed to even detect.

At that place are no full scans per se with AVG AntiVirus Gratis, but the Asus laptop took 1 hour and 23 minutes to run the closest thing, AVG's Deep Browse. This makes AVG one of the slowest scanners among free antivirus products. Worse all the same, that scan time doesn't decrease as the program gets to know your system over time.

CPU functioning slowed past 7.1% from the groundwork load during a Deep Browse and 13% from the preinstallation baseline, according to the Excel criterion test, which finished in 15 seconds.

That'southward the second-smallest full-scan impact of all five costless programs we examined, after Kaspersky Security Deject Free's 5.7%. The worst were Bitdefender Antivirus Costless Edition's and Avast Complimentary Antivirus' matching 29% performance decreases from the baseline.

AVG'south Reckoner Scan is like to a quick scan. It took 1 minute and 36 seconds to end, making information technology ane of the fastest in the gratis-antivirus group.

Information technology took our benchmark examination 16.7 seconds to complete while running AVG'south Estimator Scan. That'due south 19% longer than when AVG was running in the background and 26% longer than the preinstallation baseline.

That's a lot more than Kaspersky Security Cloud Free's i.1% bear on simply nonetheless a lot less than Avast's 53% operation hit. (Window Defender'southward quick-scan impact was 13%; Bitdefender Gratis has no quick scan.)

AVG AntiVirus Free: Interface

AVG AntiVirus Free's interface is nighttime with bright-green elements that stand up out well from the blackness background. When everything's OK, there's a white check mark at the top of the primary interface window. Also prominent is a Scan Reckoner button that you lot tin customize and schedule.

Operation Scan checks for junk files and potential problems, only you need to pay for and install a separate program, AVG TuneUp, to actually fix anything.

Across the center of the main window are boxes for the program's main defenses, simply you lot're express to Computer and Web & Email. The grayed-out Hacker Attacks and Privacy and Payments features are for paying customers just.

In that location are links to My AVG, which is mostly upgrade pitches; a Carte du jour link to open Settings, the Do Not Disturb mode, and the Quarantine and File Shredder features. The Assist department links direct to tech back up.

The Settings section offers an first-class array of customization options, including a scan-sensitivity slider and toggle switches for the Behavior Shield, File Shield, Web Shield and Email Shield.

AVG AntiVirus Free can scan or shred a file if you lot correct-click the file in Windows Explorer, and information technology tin scan and block any auto-run programs on a USB flash drive.

The Exercise Non Disturb mode reduces interruptions during gameplay or movie watching, and the Arrangement Tray icon tin can turn protection on or off and start a browse.

AVG AntiVirus Gratis: Installation and support

AVG AntiVirus Free'due south installation process starts with a 263KB installer app that downloads the main program. The whole process took us a piffling more than seven minutes. (Be certain to uncheck the box that installs the Google Toolbar in your default browser.)

AVG no longer updates the AVG Rescue CD, which had been a user-friendly mode to clean a organisation overloaded with malware. The disk'due south malware definitions appointment from mid-2016; utilize the gratuitous Norton Bootable Recovery Tool instead.

You don't demand an online business relationship with the visitor to use AVG AntiVirus Free, but the account lets you lot monitor malware operations and add coverage to other systems.

Like many free antivirus programs, AVG'southward tech support is minimalist, without email or phone assistance. All help comes via the online forums.

AVG AntiVirus Free review: Lesser line

AVG AntiVirus Costless can be customized in just about every aspect: how it works, what it scans for and whether yous want to be interrupted. Yet its luxury items are few and far between, except for a powerful file shredder and a performance scanner.

AVG's sibling Avast Complimentary Antivirus has more goodies, although it shares AVG's so-so malware engine, which doesn't even lucifer upwardly to the Windows Defender antivirus protection congenital into Windows.

If you don't want to manage antivirus software but you still want to do amend than Microsoft Defender, endeavor Bitdefender Antivirus Costless Edition. Otherwise, Kaspersky Security Cloud Gratis offers unbeatable malware protection and a feature listing nearly as long equally Avast's.

Brian Nadel is a freelance author and editor who specializes in engineering reporting and reviewing. He works out of the suburban New York Metropolis area and has covered topics from nuclear power plants and Wi-Fi routers to cars and tablets. The onetime editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing and Communications, Nadel is the recipient of the TransPacific Writing Accolade.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/avg-free-antivirus

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