Avast Antivirus Review – Read This Before You Buy It

Check out this review to learn how you can protect your device and stay secure. Make the wise decision just like I did!

Why You Need Antivirus Software on Your Computer

Here’s why having antivirus protection is essential.

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Protection Against Malware

Malware, short for malicious software, includes viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and adware. These programs are designed to infiltrate and damage your computer without your consent. Antivirus software actively scans for and removes these threats, preventing them from corrupting your system or stealing sensitive information.

Safeguarding Personal Information

Cybercriminals often target personal data such as passwords, credit card numbers, and social security numbers. Antivirus programs help protect this information by detecting phishing attempts and blocking malicious websites that try to trick you into revealing personal details.

Preventing Financial Loss

The financial impact of cyberattacks can be significant. Ransomware, for instance, locks you out of your computer or files until you pay a ransom. Antivirus software can detect and neutralize such threats before they cause harm, saving you from potential financial loss.

Maintaining System Performance

Malware can significantly slow down your computer by consuming system resources. Antivirus programs help maintain optimal performance by keeping your system free from infections that can hog memory and processing power.

Protecting Others

Viruses can spread from one computer to another through email attachments, shared networks, or removable media. By keeping your system clean with antivirus software, you also prevent the spread of malware to friends, family, or colleagues.

Peace of Mind

Knowing that you have a robust security system in place allows you to use your computer with confidence. Antivirus software runs in the background, providing real-time protection without requiring constant attention, so you can focus on your tasks without worrying about potential threats.

Regular Updates and Support

Antivirus programs are regularly updated to combat the latest threats. This ensures that your computer is protected against new types of malware that emerge daily. Many antivirus providers also offer customer support to help you deal with any security issues that arise.

Considering Avast for antivirus? Here’s what you should know before buying.

Avast review

Avast is trusted by more than 435 million active users globally to safeguard their devices from malware and online dangers. Its robust security features block over 1.5 billion threats each month, including real-time malware scanning and an antivirus database that is regularly updated to catch the latest risks.

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Avast Antivirus Plans

Avast offers a range of security solutions designed to protect your devices from online threats, tailored to meet different needs—from basic malware protection to advanced privacy and business-level security. Whether you’re an individual looking for comprehensive protection or a business seeking robust cybersecurity measures, Avast has a plan for you. Here’s a breakdown of the available plans and their features.

• Avast Free. Provides real-time malware protection, app monitoring, and a firewall.
• Avast One. Includes all features of the Free and Premium Security plans, plus SecureLine VPN, data breach monitoring, optimization tools, tracker blocker, and automatic driver updates.
• Avast Premium Security. Offers all features of the Free plan, with added protection for your webcam, against ransomware, and from malicious websites.
• Avast Business (Essential). Features an online management platform, plus protection against ransomware, phishing, and endpoint threats.

Avast is compatible with the following operating systems and devices:

• Microsoft Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions)
• macOS 10.11.x or later
• Android devices running Google Android 8.0 (Oreo) or higher
• iPhones and iPads with iOS 13.0 or higher

How Does Avast Antivirus Affect Our Devices?

Avast offers strong protection through continuous malware scanning, running in the background to detect threats as you open files or perform actions—this is known as on-access scanning. It also lets you run on-demand scans via the Smart Scan button in the app. The Smart Scan, which we also found in the AVG app, checks for a wide range of cyber threats, including:

• Various types of malware
• Spoofing
• Ransomware
• Spyware
• Dangerous downloads and websites
• Malicious email attachments
• Remote access attacks
• Intruders like hackers or spy programs
• Phishing
• Fake websites

Overall, Avast offers solid protection with multiple scanning options, but let’s explore further to see what else it has to offer.

Key features of Avast

Real-time protection

Avast provides comprehensive protection against viruses, malware, and other online threats, with real-time monitoring of your PC. The app constantly checks for unusual behavior from applications, scans files as they’re opened or added, screens emails for malicious attachments, and limits access to your webcam. It also protects your folders from ransomware by restricting access—if an app can’t reach a folder, it can’t encrypt your files.

You can customize which folders are shielded. On the web, Avast scans websites for malware and phishing attempts, blocking fake sites and monitoring your internet traffic for suspicious activity. It also safeguards your browser’s saved passwords and blocks any unauthorized remote connection attempts. Additionally, the software tracks your email address across the web and alerts you if it’s involved in a data breach.

Scan Options

Unlike many security programs, Avast doesn’t automatically set up scheduled scans during installation, leaving you to configure them manually. To create a schedule, you’ll need to set up a custom scan, choosing between one-time, daily, weekly, or monthly runs. You can also select the scan depth: Full Virus Scan for a complete system check, Targeted Scan for specific files or folders, or Quick Scan for a fast check of critical areas. Custom scans can be further adjusted beyond these options to suit your needs.

When running scans manually, you have several options: Smart Scan (similar to Quick Scan), Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, Boot-Time Scan (which checks for threats before Windows starts), and any custom scans you’ve set up. These scans can be fine-tuned for sensitivity, specific areas of your PC to target, and the level of thoroughness. You can also adjust how quarantine is handled.

Phishing protection

Phishing is a common tactic where scammers use emails with malicious links or attachments to trick you into visiting fake websites and steal your information. Avast’s paid plans include the Email Guardian feature, which scans your inbox for suspicious emails and flags potential threats. In addition, Avast checks websites to ensure you’re visiting legitimate sites, not fraudulent ones designed to look authentic.

This adds an extra layer of security when using your financial details for online shopping or banking, often providing more protection than the default security in Chrome and Firefox. The Avast Online Security & Privacy browser extension further enhances this protection.

Firewall

Avast’s firewall replaces the default Windows defenses, offering enhanced control over the traffic to and from your PC. The default settings are typically sufficient for most users, allowing trusted apps to access the internet while requiring permission for others.

However, you can adjust the firewall’s restrictions if needed, though loosening them is not recommended. In general, the firewall runs quietly in the background, only alerting you if a potentially malicious or compromised program attempts to connect online. Its key strength is its clear display of which apps and services are currently online and which ones have requested internet access.

Ransomware Shield

Avast’s Ransomware Shield provides added protection for folders commonly targeted by ransomware, preventing untrusted apps from modifying or deleting files in those locations. Even if malware manages to bypass other defenses, it won’t be able to cause damage.

By default, Premium Security monitors the Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Videos, and Music folders in Windows, restricting access to certain types of files. You can expand protection to additional folders or file types, or even protect all files. The shield also lets you switch between Smart Mode, which automatically grants access to well-known apps, and Strict Mode, where only specifically approved apps can alter or delete protected files.

Anti-fraud protection

Avast doesn’t offer dedicated anti-fraud features until you upgrade to the Avast One Platinum plan. With this plan, you can monitor credit activity across all three major bureaus and receive alerts for any changes. Otherwise, Avast lacks specific anti-fraud protections.

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Additional features

Bank Mode

One of Avast’s unique features is Bank Mode, which lets you use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox in a virtualized environment. Your web browsing is thus isolated from the rest of your computer, so that the other apps on your PC can’t spy on your activity. 

It behaves like a desktop environment—you can use Chrome, Edge, 
and Firefox simultaneously within it, if all those apps are already installed on your computer. You can also pin shortcuts for each app to a taskbar, just like in Windows. You also don’t get any prompts from Avast to use Bank Mode when visiting a bank website in the normal way. You have to remember to launch it yourself.

Browser extensions

From within the Avast app, you can install the Avast Online Security & Privacy extension. It adds visual badges to search results in Google and Bing, letting you know which sites are safe.

The extension also provides anti-tracking, blocks a handful of ad networks, and automatically requests only necessary cookies from sites. The last feature is genuinely exciting—you get far fewer pop-ups asking you to tell the site your preferences.

Data Shredder

This utility securely wipes files, folders, or entire drives by overwriting them with other data. You can choose between three different algorithms as well as a generous maximum of 100 passes. Selecting a file or folder can feel clunky—it’s done through a file tree, and you have to check either folders or individual files to select them for reaping.

Used on a hard-drive disk (HDD), Data Shredder can be a useful tool. But you shouldn’t use it on a solid-state drive, which most modern laptops and desktop PCs have. Not only is this method of secure deletion not as effective, but it can shorten the length of your SSD.

Sandbox

This feature lets you run apps in an isolated environment—a way to keep the rest of your system safe if you don’t entirely trust the program in question. Its purpose is opposite that of Bank Mode, which instead isolates your browsers so nothing can peek in. Sandbox isolates an app so it can’t peek out—nor interact widely with your system as a whole.

Sensitive Data Shield

If you have files on your PC with sensitive information (like your paycheck info, passwords, banking details, or social security number), you can use Sensitive Data Shield to find them. Once discovered, other programs on your PC will then have restricted access to those documents, in order to keep malicious apps from discovering and extracting that data. You can manually add files to the list of protected docs, as well as block or allow specific apps.

Bonus Features

Avast includes several valuable add-ons to enhance your protection:

• Stay Safe Virus Guarantee:
  • Available if you auto-renew your subscription.
  • If your device gets infected with a virus Avast can’t remove, you’ll receive a refund.
• Remote Assistance for Malware Removal:
  • Provides support for removing stubborn infections that regular scans can’t clear.
• File Shredder:
  • Securely deletes sensitive files to ensure they can’t be recovered.
• Network Inspector (formerly Wi-Fi Inspector):
  • Prompts you to run a scan when connecting to a new network.
  • Helps protect against malware from unsecured networks.

Avast SecureLine VPN and Additional Tools

Avast SecureLine VPN is included with all Avast One tiers, providing encryption for your internet connection to keep you safe while browsing. It also features data breach monitoring, alerting you if any of your passwords are compromised online. In addition, Avast Secure Browser, available as a free download, enhances your online security by blocking malicious websites and downloads, protecting your keystrokes from prying eyes, and offering a banking mode to keep your financial information secure.

Avast Customer Support

Avast offers robust customer support, including live chat, phone, and email options for users with a paid subscription. In addition to direct support, Avast offers a knowledge base for both technical and non-technical issues and a forum where users can discuss problems and solutions. For more personalized help, you can also use the contact page on their website.

Avast provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, making it simple to get a refund if you’re not satisfied.

Avast offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for its premium subscriptions, and I appreciate how easy it is to request a refund if you’re not happy with the service.

Avast Antivirus delivers robust protection with a wide range of features designed to keep your devices safe from a variety of online threats. From real-time malware scanning to phishing protection and ransomware defense, Avast offers comprehensive security for both individuals and businesses. Its additional tools, like the firewall, data breach monitoring, and VPN, provide an extra layer of privacy and security.

While the support experience could be more streamlined, Avast’s extensive knowledge base and user community offer valuable resources for troubleshooting. Overall, Avast is a reliable choice for anyone looking for a solid antivirus solution that combines powerful features with user-friendly options. Whether you’re a casual user or someone who needs advanced protection, Avast offers flexible plans to suit your needs.

In conclusion, I can confidently say that Avast is a reliable and top-tier security solution that will protect your data. Click the link below to grab a product license at a discounted price!

>>Click here to buy an Avast Antivirus license from the official website and safeguard your device.