Avast review: our verdict

This Avast review looks at one of the most widely installed security brands in the world and asks whether its antivirus, now delivered through the Avast One app, deserves a place on your computer and phone. The short answer is yes for most home users. Avast pairs a malware engine that independent labs keep rating at or near the top with a free edition that is unusually complete, and a paid tier that adds scam protection for email, text messages and calls. Coverage reaches Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, and the larger paid plan stretches to ten devices.

There are honest reservations. Avast has a regulatory history over how it once handled browsing data, which anyone who cares about privacy should understand before installing it. There is no password manager in any plan, several extras are sold as separate products, and the introductory pricing gives way to a noticeably higher renewal. Even so, for people who want strong protection that is easy to live with, Avast is a sound choice and a natural upgrade path from its own free version.

NerdBible did not carry out its own hands-on trial for this review. It is an editorial assessment built from Avast's product pages, independent lab results reported by Avast and by the press, a regulator's published order, and the findings of independent review outlets, all credited and linked below.

What is Avast and who is it for?

Avast is a consumer security company whose free antivirus has been a default download for years. Today the protection lives inside a single app called Avast One. According to the Avast free antivirus page, the same app runs on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone or iPad, and you unlock paid features inside it rather than installing a different program.

Avast suits three kinds of buyer particularly well:

  • People who want free protection that is more than a scanner. The free edition includes a firewall, ransomware protection, email attachment scanning and a home network scanner, which is more than many rivals give away.
  • Households worried about scams rather than classic viruses. The paid Premium Security tier is built around checking suspicious emails, texts, calls and shopping sites.
  • Mixed-device families. One subscription can cover up to ten devices across computers and phones.

It is a weaker fit for people who want a single bundle that includes a password manager, parental controls and cloud backup, and for anyone who will not use software from a company that has faced action from a privacy regulator.

Key features

Layered malware protection

The free antivirus page lists the core shields that every edition carries: Smart Scan for hidden weaknesses, File Shield for anything opened or added to the PC, Behavior Shield for apps that start acting suspiciously, a quarantine that can send samples to Avast Threat Labs, and a Rescue Disk that boots the computer from a USB drive to clean stubborn infections. These are the building blocks the labs test, and they are not held back for paying customers.

Firewall, network checks and ransomware defence

Avast includes a firewall that watches traffic between the PC and the internet, and Network Inspector, which looks for weak settings and unknown devices on your Wi-Fi. Ransomware Shield stops untrusted apps from changing, deleting or encrypting the folders you choose, a sensible second line of defence if something slips through.

Avast Assistant and Web Guard

The newer emphasis is scams. Avast Assistant is an AI chat feature you can ask whether a message or offer looks like a scam, and Web Guard blocks suspected scam websites, phishing links in email and dangerous downloads. Both are listed on the free page, so the basic scam checks do not require a subscription.

Email, text and call protection on Premium

The Premium Security page describes Email Guard, which connects to up to five email accounts and flags suspicious messages and infected attachments in the inbox itself, plus mobile protection that labels scam calls and filters scam texts. It also adds a check on shopping and banking sites, deepfake video detection on Windows, a Remote Access Shield that blocks brute-force attacks on Windows Remote Desktop, webcam protection, a sandbox for opening risky files, a file shredder and an automatic app updater.

Data leak and hack alerts

Even the free edition warns you when a password tied to your email address appears in a known leak. The free page also offers BreachGuard-style dark web scanning and a basic cleanup tool. Paid editions, according to TechRadar, monitor for new breaches automatically rather than waiting for you to run a check.

How much does Avast cost? Plans and pricing structure

Current prices for your region appear in our comparison above. Here is how the range is structured, according to Avast's own pages:

  • Free Antivirus: the core malware shields, firewall, ransomware protection, Web Guard, Avast Assistant, network scanning and leak alerts. The free page currently pairs it with a time-limited trial of the SecureLine VPN, and says that trial needs a payment method and bills at the end unless you cancel.
  • Premium Security: sold either for one computer with one mobile device included, or for up to ten devices. The page offers a free trial on Windows and Mac before you pay and a money-back guarantee on purchases.
  • Ultimate: the Avast Ultimate page describes it as a bundle of Premium Security, Premium VPN, Cleanup Premium and AntiTrack, again in single-computer and ten-device versions.

Subscriptions are annual. The plans pages show a discounted first year and state the higher renewal amount that applies afterwards, so check what you will pay in year two before you commit. Tom's Guide also points out that you can add individual extras such as AntiTrack inside the app, rather than buying a large bundle you will only partly use.

Is Avast safe? Privacy and security

On protection, the evidence is strong. Avast's free page cites results from AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST and SE Labs, and PCMag reports that Avast earned perfect or near-perfect scores from all three labs, which is more lab coverage than many competitors have at all. TechRadar notes top marks for protection, performance and usability in AV-TEST's Windows reports.

On privacy, buyers deserve the full picture. The US Federal Trade Commission finalised an order against Avast after alleging that the company collected browsing information through its browser extensions and antivirus software and sold it through its subsidiary Jumpshot without adequate notice or consent. The order bans Avast from selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising, required a payment for consumer redress, required deletion of the data passed to Jumpshot and requires a comprehensive privacy programme.

What that means in practice is a judgement call. The order now places binding limits on what Avast can do with browsing data, which is more legal assurance than most antivirus buyers get from any vendor. But if a company's past conduct rules it out for you, that is a reasonable position, and the alternatives below are worth a look.

What could be better

  • No password manager. TechRadar and PCWorld both flag this. Avast protects passwords saved in your browser, but it does not manage them for you.
  • Extras sold separately. PCMag's verdict is that many of the extra tools stay locked unless you buy them on top of Premium Security.
  • Thin protection on iPhone. PCMag notes that protection is limited on Android and more so on iOS, which is true of most iPhone security apps because of how the platform works.
  • Renewal pricing. The first-year discount is steep and the renewal is higher, a pattern common across the category but worth planning for.
  • Scan impact on some tasks. PCWorld saw full scans slow its PC while working in Microsoft Office apps, even though other outlets measured little overall slowdown.

Who should choose something else?

If you want one subscription that includes a password manager, parental controls and cloud backup, a suite that bundles all three, such as Norton 360, is a more complete package. If you are on a Windows PC, browse carefully and keep the system updated, Microsoft Defender, which is built into Windows, is a capable free baseline and may be all you need. And if Avast's privacy history is a deal-breaker for you, look at providers with a cleaner record on data handling.

Business users should also look elsewhere for this product: Tom's Guide notes that Avast One is consumer software, and Avast sells separate business security plans.

Is Avast worth it? The bottom line

Avast earns its place near the top of our antivirus ranking on the strength of its detection results, the breadth of its free edition and a paid tier that tackles the scams people actually encounter today. The free version alone is a genuine option for budget-conscious users. Pay for Premium Security if you want inbox and phone scam filtering, or Ultimate if you also want a VPN and cleanup tools, and set a reminder for the renewal date. If you need a password manager in the same bundle, or cannot set aside the FTC case, choose a rival instead.

What other reviewers found

  • PCMag credited Avast with excellent lab scores and a perfect result in its phishing protection test, but its bottom line was that many extra features stay locked unless you pay separately.
  • PCMag's review of the free edition praised free protection on all four major platforms and a near-perfect phishing score, while noting limited iOS protection and missing advanced firewall features.
  • Tom's Guide liked the clean interface, the AI scam assistant and round-the-clock support, measured almost no effect on game frame rates during scans, and listed the ten-device cap and lack of cloud backup as drawbacks.
  • TechRadar called its malware protection near perfect with no noticeable effect on performance, judged the free package enough for many home users, and marked it down for having no password manager or browser extensions.
  • PCWorld found the app polished and the protection excellent, but said full scans slowed Office work and that rivals offer similar protection for less with a password manager and parental controls included.

Where they agree, where they differ, and what it means for you

Every outlet agrees on the fundamentals: Avast's malware detection is excellent, its phishing defence is among the best, and the interface is easy to use. They also agree that the free edition is unusually generous, which is a point in Avast's favour and, as PCMag hints, a reason some buyers will never need to pay.

They differ on two things. On performance, Tom's Guide and TechRadar saw little or no slowdown while PCWorld noticed it during full scans in Office apps, which suggests the impact depends on what you are doing when a scan runs; scheduling deep scans for idle time solves most of it. On value, Tom's Guide likes the ability to add extras one at a time, while PCMag and PCWorld see the same structure as paying more for things rivals include. For a buyer, the takeaway is simple: Avast is a safe bet on protection, and the question is whether its bundle matches the extras you actually want.

Frequently asked questions

Is Avast Free Antivirus really free?

Yes. Avast's free antivirus, delivered through the Avast One app, includes real-time malware shields, a firewall, ransomware protection, Web Guard and leak alerts at no cost on Windows, with free versions for Mac, Android and iPhone too. Some features are trials or paid add-ons, and the VPN trial offered alongside it needs a payment method and bills at the end unless you cancel, so read each offer before you accept it.

Is Avast safe to use after the FTC case?

Avast's protection is rated highly by independent labs. Separately, the FTC finalised an order that bans Avast from selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising and requires a comprehensive privacy programme, after alleging it sold browsing data through its subsidiary Jumpshot. Whether that history matters is a personal decision; the order now places legally binding limits on how Avast can use browsing data.

How many devices does Avast cover?

Avast Premium Security and Ultimate are sold in two sizes: one computer with one mobile device included, or a plan for up to ten devices. The ten-device plan can mix Windows PCs, Macs, Android phones and iPhones or iPads. Tom's Guide points out that ten is the maximum on consumer plans, so very large households may need two subscriptions or a different provider.

Does Avast include a VPN or password manager?

A full VPN comes with the Ultimate bundle as Avast Premium VPN, and the free edition currently offers a time-limited VPN trial. There is no password manager in any Avast One plan, which TechRadar and PCWorld both list as a drawback. Avast does protect passwords saved in supported browsers and warns you when an email password appears in a leak, but you will need a separate password manager.

Will Avast slow down my computer?

Most reviewers found little effect. TechRadar reported no noticeable impact on device performance and Tom's Guide measured almost no change in game frame rates while scans ran. PCWorld did see full scans slow its PC while working in Microsoft Office apps. Scheduling deep scans for times you are away from the computer avoids most of that slowdown.

Sources