Avira Antivirus Review – Read This Before You Buy It

Avira Antivirus Review - Read This Before You Buy It

Check out this review to discover how you can protect your device and keep yourself secure. Make the wise choice just like I did!

Why Antivirus Software Is Essential for Your Computer

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Discover why installing an antivirus system is crucial for protecting your digital life.
Here are some reasons why you should install antivirus software on your computer.

  • Protection Against Malware: antivirus software defends your system from viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and other malicious programs that can damage your computer or steal your data.
  • Real-Time Threat Detection: it monitors your system in real-time to detect and neutralize threats as they emerge, preventing potential harm before it occurs.
  • Safe Browsing and Email Security: antivirus programs can block malicious websites and scan email attachments, protecting you from phishing attempts and spam.
  • Firewall Integration: many antivirus solutions include a firewall that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic, adding an extra layer of security against unauthorized access.
  • Prevention of Identity Theft: by safeguarding your personal information from spyware and keyloggers, antivirus software helps prevent identity theft and financial fraud.
  • System Performance Optimization: some antivirus tools offer system optimization features that remove unnecessary files and fix vulnerabilities, enhancing your computer’s performance.
  • Protection for Connected Devices: if you connect external devices like USB drives, antivirus software scans them to prevent the transfer of infected files.
  • Compliance with Security Standards: for businesses, having antivirus software is often necessary to meet industry regulations and protect client data.
  • Peace of Mind: knowing that your computer is protected allows you to use it confidently without worrying about potential cyber threats.
  • Cost Savings: preventing security breaches can save you from costly repairs, data recovery, and the financial impact of stolen information.

Thinking about choosing Avira for your antivirus needs? Here’s what you should know before making your purchase.

Avira review

Avira Antivirus is among the top antivirus software available. It delivers outstanding anti-malware protection without affecting your PC’s performance, includes all the essential security features, and comes with an excellent design.

Avira’s Plans

Avira offers four antivirus products, each enhancing the tools and features.

While they all provide the same level of security and employ real-time protection to keep malware from infecting your computer, there are notable differences among them. It’s important to examine each option carefully to ensure the Avira antivirus solution you choose aligns with your specific needs.

Avira Free Security

Avira’s free plan includes:

  • Antivirus scanner
  • Real-time protection
  • Ransomware protection
  • Phantom VPN (with 500 MB of free data per month)
  • Password manager (separate download)
  • Basic device optimization
  • Basic software and driver updater
  • Safe Shopping and Browser Safety extensions
  • File shredder

Avira Free Security protects against all types of malware, including ransomware—unlike some other free antivirus programs that require a premium upgrade for ransomware protection. Overall, Avira Free Security is one of the best free antivirus options on the market but lacks many features found in Avira’s paid plans, such as unlimited VPN data and advanced password manager tools. Also, users of the free version do not have access to email or phone customer support.

Avira Antivirus Pro

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Avira Antivirus Pro provides all the features included in the free plan, plus additional benefits:

  • Email protection
  • Web protection
  • Firewall
  • Email and phone customer support
  • Enhanced ransomware protection

The ransomware protection in the Pro version uses behavior-based analysis, whereas the free plan relies solely on signature-based analysis.

Avira Internet Security

Avira’s Internet Security package offers all the tools included in Antivirus Pro, plus:

  • Password Manager Pro
  • Advanced software and driver updater

I appreciate Avira’s premium password manager, which features data breach monitoring and password vault auditing, though it doesn’t quite match up to premium options like Dashlane and Keeper. I also find Avira’s updater tool to be a useful internet security feature, and this package includes customer support via phone and email.

Avira Prime

Avira Prime includes all the features mentioned earlier, plus:
  • Phantom VPN Pro
  • Junk file cleanup
  • PC performance optimizer
  • VIP customer support
  • Gaming mode
  • Coverage for 5 devices

Avira allows you to extend coverage to up to 25 devices for an additional fee, making it an excellent option for larger families.

Avira Antivirus Compatibility

When choosing an antivirus, it’s essential to find one that works across all your devices. Since many of us use multiple gadgets, having a product that covers them all is ideal. Avira is highly compatible, and it’s rare to find a device it doesn’t support.
You can protect all of these devices with Avira’s antivirus software and mobile apps:

  • Windows 7 and later
  • macOS 10.15 and later
  • Android 8 and later
  • iOS 14 and later

Avira Browser Security is also available for the following browsers:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Opera

Installing

Getting started with Avira is straightforward. The software guides you through the entire download and installation process. After installation, there are a few steps to ensure all the necessary tools are enabled. If you’re tech-savvy, you’ll find it quite intuitive, and if you’re new to antivirus software, Avira provides prompts to help you locate and activate the features you need. Real-time protection is enabled by default, so you’re safeguarded the moment Avira is installed.
The software immediately begins a deep scan of your system, searching for any existing malware and identifying potential vulnerabilities. The comprehensive report will highlight outdated software, unnecessary junk files, and remnants of deleted applications that can be removed to enhance your computer’s performance.
To enhance your protection, you’ll need to enable the Avira browser extension in the browsers you use. When you open a browser for the first time after installing Avira, you’ll receive a prompt encouraging you to activate the extension. This helps prevent malware files from downloading onto your computer and also blocks you from visiting dangerous websites known to harbor threats, including phishing schemes.

Avira Antivirus Features

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Avira is packed with an abundance of features. Every section of the application offers a multitude of new options to speed up your computer, scan for malware, or even update your drivers. Not only does it bring a host of premium features to the table—like a built-in virtual private network—but it also makes managing your computer generally convenient and easy.

Malware and Antivirus Scanning

Avira Antivirus provides both automatic and manual scanning options for malware detection. You can schedule scans to run at specific times, or initiate manual scans whenever you need them. There’s also a full scan option for a more in-depth examination of your device.
Moreover, you have access to a custom scan option that you might not find in other antivirus products. Avira’s custom scan allows you to select specific documents or files to scan, rather than performing a quick or full scan on the entire drive. Depending on the number of files you choose to check, this scan could be faster than a quick scan.

Avira’s Scan

Avira offers a robust cloud-based antivirus scanner that checks files against an extensive malware directory and utilizes heuristics to detect zero-day threats. By offloading the CPU-intensive file analysis to cloud servers, Avira employs advanced scanning tools without slowing down user devices. Owing to its effectiveness against all types of malware, Avira’s scanning technology has been licensed to numerous other antivirus vendors.
I really appreciate the variety of scans that Avira offers, allowing users to schedule shorter scans for specific areas of interest. In addition to a full system scan and a quick scan, Avira provides the following scan options:

  • Smart Scan
  • Rootkit
  • Local drive
  • External device
  • My Documents
  • Hard drive

Avira’s Smart Scan is particularly useful, as it searches for malware, network security issues, outdated software, privacy vulnerabilities, and device performance concerns—essentially serving as an all-in-one malware scanner, system optimizer, and network security monitor.

Phishing Protection

Avira offers Web Protection to keep you safe from web content like phishing links, malware, spam, and fraud. There’s no need to configure or set up this feature—it’s part of the real-time protection that blocks viruses and malicious attachments automatically.

In addition, Avira provides the Browser Safety extension, which blocks ads and trackers. This extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browsers.

Firewall

Avira’s Windows program includes a built-in firewall that is automatically enabled upon installation. Users have the option to customize app rules and intrusion protection settings to suit their preferences.
Unfortunately, the macOS version does not offer a firewall feature.

Real-Time Protection

If you’re looking for real-time protection, Avira delivers flawlessly. This feature is enabled by default, so there’s nothing you need to do. Avira’s real-time protection scans every file you access to prevent malware from infecting your device.
The best part is that you won’t notice any difference because it operates silently in the background.

Ransomware Protection

Avira antivirus provides real-time ransomware protection that stops malicious software from taking control of your device.
The ransomware protection utilizes a behavior-based approach that monitors code actions. When actions indicative of ransomware are detected, the software is blocked.
It’s important to note that a basic version of Avira’s ransomware protection is also available in the free version. It works by comparing potential threats against a database of known ransomware types.

Bonus Features

Avira includes additional features like a VPN, performance optimization tools, a password manager, and a safe shopping browser extension, which we found to be valuable extras. The free VPN limits you to 500 MB of data per month, but if you upgrade to Avira Prime, you’ll enjoy unlimited VPN data.

Avira also offers a password manager browser extension that is easy to use and enhances the security of your online accounts. It monitors for data breaches, a crucial feature for any reliable password manager. Not all antivirus software provides a password manager, so we appreciated that it’s included in Avira’s security suite.

  • Device Optimization Tools. After delving into Avira’s device optimization tools, we came away impressed. The junk file cleaner alone reclaimed over 1GB of space on our test systems, and it allows you to review flagged files before deleting them.
    The optimizer reduces boot times by managing startup programs and even offers a Hyper Boost feature for those struggling with slow startups.
  • Driver Updater. The driver updater scans your software, prompting you to install updates for improved security and performance.
  • Game Booster. For gamers, Avira’s game booster is effective in reducing lag and enhancing CPU performance.
  • Battery Manager. The battery manager is quite basic, offering only a low-power mode. It would benefit from a feature to identify power-hungry apps or processes, which it currently lacks.

Mobile App

We tested Avira’s mobile applications on both Android and iOS devices and were generally pleased with the experience. The antivirus scan on Android was quick, completing in under five minutes, and impressively detected 100% of our test malware. Feature-wise, the app is comprehensive—it offers everything from web protection and call blocking to a full-fledged VPN, and even includes Siri protection for iOS users.

System Speedup

All of these features are bundled under the “system speedup” tools, which aren’t security-related but generally enhance how you use your computer.
One of the standout features is “hyper boost.” This function takes several hours to complete but will fully optimize your startup process, allowing you to go from rebooting your computer to using it as quickly as possible.
After optimizing with hyper boost, you can adjust individual settings to enable any programs you want to launch at startup, and there’s also a built-in timer to monitor your startup time.
In addition to these convenience features, Avira offers more traditional tools. This includes popular options like a file shredder and the Phantom VPN.

Privacy Settings

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Avira allows you to adjust your privacy settings across your entire computer. It gathers every setting that might leak data and enables you to modify them directly within the program. This includes settings for built-in operating system applications like Microsoft Edge on Windows.
The performance-focused features that Avira offers aim to make your computer as fast as possible. This includes a disk cleaner that removes temporary files, cache files, and other space-consuming items that can slow down your system.
Although these are not strictly security features, this is where the antivirus truly shines. Avira provides so many helpful tools that your computer will be improved in every aspect after you utilize them.
Once you’ve done that, you can optimize your performance profiles if you’re using a laptop. This is a setting that already exists on your computer, but—like the privacy settings—Avira consolidates it into one place. There’s even a feature to organize your desktop for maximum productivity.

User-Friendliness

Avira is extremely easy to use. Despite offering a multitude of features, they are surprisingly well-organized and accessible. While the scans did slow down our test computer noticeably, they were fast enough that it wasn’t a significant issue.
The installation process is quick, easy, and unobtrusive. During installation, Avira minimizes itself to a small notification, allowing you to continue using your computer while keeping an eye on its progress.

Avira Customer Support

To get in touch with an Avira customer support agent, you can call, email, or use the live chat option. If you prefer phone assistance, support is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Central European Time (CET).
You also have the option to search the knowledge base to troubleshoot issues on your own.
Please note that only paid subscribers have access to phone and email support. However, if you’re using the free version, you still have access to the knowledge base. On the main support page, you can select your device and then choose from various options related to your issue.

Who Is Avira Best Suited For?

Avira is ideal for individuals seeking substantial antivirus protection but requiring minimal device coverage.
If you’re in need of a basic antivirus solution, Avira’s free version offers some of the same benefits as the paid plans. By choosing the free version, you can expect:

  • Real-time antivirus protection
  • Online threat blocking
  • Secure internet activities
  • Cleanup tools

However, if you require additional features like performance optimization tools, a password manager, and a virtual private network (VPN), it’s advisable to opt for a paid Avira plan.

Avira provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, making it easy to obtain a refund

Avira grants a 30-day money-back guarantee on its premium subscriptions. I particularly appreciate how effortless it is to request a refund if you’re not satisfied with their service.

Avira is an excellent antivirus software with outstanding malware protection scores. It also provides a range of paid plans to suit your needs.
If you’re looking for a product that offers numerous easy-to-use features and knowledgeable customer support, you can’t go wrong with any of Avira’s offerings.

In summary, I can confidently state that Avira is a reliable and high-quality security solution that will protect your data. Follow the link below to purchase a product license at a discounted price!

>>Click here and ensure your protection by purchasing a Avira Antivirus license directly from the official website.

Kate Zarr – Expert IT Consultant

Hello, I’m Kate Zarr, an IT consultant with over 10 years of expertise. IT isn’t just my profession—it’s also my greatest passion and hobby.
I utilize a comprehensive approach to IT consulting, fully immersing myself in each project and dedicating my knowledge to your success.