Avast Vs AVG Antivirus

Okey dokey – antivirus. You know it, you love it, and in some cases, you absolutely despise the effect it can have on your PC’s running speed and overall burden on the CPU. That’s probably why you’re here, right? Looking for a non-invasive alternative to some of the bigger names in the antivirus industry that tend to impose themselves onto your machine, making life more difficult in its day to day running (*COUGH* Norton *COUGH*).

Enter Avast and AVG antivirus. Two strong contenders that a lot of people turn to when they realize that the antivirus software that their machine came bundled with is actually more of a problem than some of the pieces of malware they are supposed to protect from.

Now, sure…there are more antivirus options out there. A whole host of them – but for today I’m going to focus on these two in particular as they seem to be part of a key decision lots of users get stuck with.

So, which is better? Which is trustworthy, and which is quicker? Let’s find out

Ok, before I kick off into a total Avast vs AVG battle, lets talk about what important features we need to look out for in antivirus software just that when we compare, we can declare a clear winner.

Firstly, let’s talk about virus’ themselves. Hackers are nasty but productive people, and you can bet that for every new Windows patch that irons out vulnerabilities that viruses have been exploiting, a whole host of new malware has taken its place – meaning that your computer is constantly under threat of being compromised.

And don’t think that this is limited to PC either. There has been a long-standing myth that Apple products can’t get Viruses – and this just isn’t true. Mac products like iMacs and Macbooks are all just as vulnerable when it comes to viruses if only targeted a little less. Just remember that the next time someone tells you that you don’t need virus protection simply because you are running an Apple product.

Basically, what you want from an antivirus is a product that doesn’t just protect you from known threats, but updates regularly to defend you from brand new and evolving viruses that emerge after you install the antivirus protection itself.

Also, you want a product that not only defends your PC, but makes sure that your digital footprint and identity is secure no matter how or where you browse, noting whether you have been compromised either on a phone, tablet or laptop no matter where your original install location was.

Also, you want your antivirus software to allow your PC to run smoothly, not interfering with the general running of your PC in any way other than regular scans and general defense as you use your computer – no slowdowns, start-up issues or blacklisting of trusted programs to worry about.

So, let’s see how Avast and AVG antivirus stack up against these parameters.

First up is the aptly named Avast, defending your PC against would-be pirates, identity thieves, and just run of the mill jerks who want to damage your PC for the sheer fun of it.

Avast comes in a free version and an ultimate protection version which can either protect one PC for around $70 a year, or ten devices for around $80 a year. Not bad, especially when you consider one of the things we look for in an antivirus is the ability to cover multiple devices at once – more on that later.

First, let’s talk about the most under-appreciated aspect of any antivirus – its subtlety. Avast is a great product if you are looking for an antivirus that sits in the background and doesn’t interfere heavily with any other program running at the same time. In fact, you can even set Avast to run in what they call ‘Passive mode’, which allows Avast to sit behind another antivirus program you might have installed and only initiate scans when you want it to – good stuff if you are the type who can never be too secure when it comes to their online habits.

Speaking of online habits, let us talk about Avast’s browser protection. A simple plugin that slots into your browser, this is probably one of the most important parts of any antivirus on the market today just because of how unpredictable and dangerous the web can be at times.

Apparently, the browser protection not only protects against popups and other different ads that might crop up on your screen as you browse but also against downloads being forced into your PC and even encrypts your data so that everything you type online stays secure – combined with anti-keylogger technology then, your going to be pretty secure from having your details recorded as you fill in different fields online.

An additional plus to the online browser functionality of Avast is that you can actually connect to a VPN as you run your Avast software, meaning that when you are browsing online your data is entirely secured so that neither the sites you visit nor your ISP are recording your data. In real terms, that means that paid advertising and other annoying cookies that follow you won’t be able to get a grasp on your identity, meaning that any information you choose to share online stays as private as it can be.

Let’s talk about one of the biggest features for any antivirus though, the actual scanning of your PC to detect any threats that could be present. Whilst it’s unlikely that any viruses are going to be getting to your machine through the Avast firewall, you can rest easy knowing that you can customize your Avast software to scan for malware as often or as little as you want to – a handy feature to have if you are concerned about regular scanning eating away at your CPU power.

Then you have the actual frequency of the updates to Avast’s library of known threats -its almost constant. You would expect this from any antivirus really, but it’s always good to know that you can set the frequency of both scans and updates so that theoretically you can have your Avast update, and immediately after launch a fresh scan of your PC daily.

Let’s talk more about that multi-device cover. Avast gives the user the option to set their antivirus up the way they like it, and share these settings across your different devices really simply. Want more protection on one device than another? Don’t worry, you can have it that way too, and Avast will conduct comprehensive scans of any Android, Mac or iOS device as comprehensively as it does on a PC – you just need to set it to your preferences.

Avast doesn’t alter the performance of your devices either in any noticeable way, making it just as seamless on a phone or tablet as it is on PC. What you do have to keep in mind though is that the ability to protect ten additional devices does come at a higher price than the standard Avast antivirus itself. It’s not much, but that price jump is there, so be aware of that in case it does cause an issue for you.

Outside of all of that, Avast does have some extra features that prove pretty useful in an antivirus. A secure password manager is available for those who want a safe space to keep all of their different passwords without having to worry about Google account tracking, and there is a driver monitoring software present as well, just to make sure that your PC performance is always top of the line, and you never become vulnerable or slowed due to lagging behind the most current drivers.

All in all, Avast is great antivirus software that offers an awful lot in the way of protection and features for a slightly higher price than its competition in this article. Plus it has ready support available through either live chat or ticket submission – good stuff if you have pressing questions regarding your protection. By and large though, a great antivirus to be using on your PC.

AVG is another titan in the antivirus game, with a software on the market to rival any other antivirus available, even Avast’s offering. What makes AVG so good though?

Firstly, its actual software is great. It has a high level of customizability when it comes to setting up different scans on whichever device it’s installed on, with both frequency and intensity both readily available to ramp up or down depending on your preference.

The AVG antivirus also comes with an internet browsing protection tool as well, similar to Avast in scope and performance with features like ransomware protection, webcam disabling, Wi-Fi guarding, an advanced firewall and a lot more. It also comes with a VPN for that untracked and secure browsing, so you know that both online and on desktop you’re going to be well protected from online viruses and threats just as you would be with the likes of Avast.

One area in which AVG surpasses Avast though is in its support of mobile devices. You can protect up to ten devices at a lower price than you can with Avast, so if protecting yourself across a range of devices is important to you, then this should defiantly come into play before you put any money down. AVG is easy to manage across these devices as well, with it possible to manage simultaneous scans and scheduling all from one menu, rather than having to fiddle with every different device in order to begin a scan.

AVG also offers its software in a more complete version too, with their ‘Ultimate’ protection including different features like battery life improvement, disk defragmentation and cleanup and even processing lag reduction – all handy features, but if your technically savvy and have a bit of know-how, I’m sure that you are perfectly able of managing these different areas yourself. So basically, a cool option – but possibly unnecessary.

All in all, AVG is a great antivirus that offers a lot of the same as what Avast does, with the trade-off being some features (like a dedicated gaming mode) being absent from AVGs offering, whilst a higher number of devices are available to support for a lower cost. The support system as well is a little behind AVG’s, but I can’t see that being the case much longer as big strides are happening within AVG to make sure that they are up to a competent level of transparency in the future, to keep up with the demand for support from customers.

Basically a great, manageable antivirus with a secure and easy to use interface, that falls down where Avast stands up – and vice verse. Which brings us to…

If you skipped to this part of the review without reading the other bits, I’m going to lead by saying that we are comparing the paid aspects of these antiviruses, rather than the free versions. If you are interested though, both Avast and AVG’s free versions are nearly identical, so you can’t miss.

When it comes to the paid versions though, there is a little more leeway in terms of performance – but not by much. If you are more concerned about having a standard and high level of protection across your devices, then both antiviruses are great performers, though AVG does offer their product a little cheaper than Avast do, with more devices covered for the price you are putting down.

So if price is a concern to you, then I would say go with AVG – it definitely performs well, and covers all of the requirements you might want from an antivirus well enough without sacrificing on integrity or security gaps.

However, Avast does have a little more going for it when it comes to product support, and they do offer just a few additional services that give Avast the performance pip in terms of a straight out antivirus, so if you are looking for an antivirus that offers the most in terms of features and services, then Avast is definitely the way to go.