Jumpshot, in turn, has been selling this data to big-name clients like Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, and others. However, Avast was recently the subject of a major controversy as it was revealed that they had been selling user data to a subsidiary called Jumpshot. With over 400 million monthly users, Avast is one of the largest players in the consumer security scene.
In this Avast review, we’ll take an in-depth look at all the features and benefits that this renowned antivirus software offers. It’s also received numerous awards and recognitions, recently winning the 2020 Top Rated product award from AV-Comparatives. However, it also offers a complete suite of tools that covers everything from security and performance to privacy. Avast has shut down its Jumpshot market analytics subsidiary, which was found to be using data about Avast customers’ browsing habits as part of its product, but we’re nonetheless disinclined to recommend handing that information over.ĭespite that spot of dubious data handling, which has now been publicly resolved, Avast remains a lightweight and effective malware protection solution, especially for older PCs.Avast is most popular for its free antivirus software that often comes bundled with operating systems and other products. Neither of these is our preferred anti-tracking tool - uBlock Origin is a lightweight and effective alternative.
You do get access to a couple of extra tools in Avast’s Performance section: a software updater and a do not disturb button to keep your antivirus software from interrupting when you’re playing a game or watching a film at full screen.Īn optional anti-tracking and online reputation checking browser extension, Avast Online Security, is also available from Avast, as is the fully branded Chromium-based Avast Secure Browser. These restricted features include webcam protection, a dedicated firewall, a sandbox to run suspicious applications, and a few other tools and features that aren’t available to free users. Click on them, and you’ll be prompted to upgrade. Promotions for Chrome may also appear in Avast’s software updater if you don’t have it installed.Įlsewhere, features that are only available in the paid-for version of the software are marked with a lock symbol. A small “Go premium” button lurks at the bottom of the interface’s sidebar and a bottom bar prompts other avast products. Once you’re running Avast, you’ll encounter a few more promotional messages.
As far as partner promotions go, we were invited to install Google Chrome alongside Avast at installation.
However, if you do register, you can also sign up for free alerts if your email address is included in a breach.Īvast’s free product exists to support its paid-for software, both by sending back data about new viruses that users might encounter and by directly promoting products by Avast and its partners, but this isn’t particularly obtrusive. You don’t need to create an Avast account to use the free service. It also flagged only one benign file as a false positive.Īvast did well in AV-Test’s system performance impact tests, and had less of an impact on software install times than Microsoft Defender, particularly on low-spec systems, although it did slightly worse on website load times, launching software and copying files. However, it still aced the critical real-time protection test, which tests its ability to defend against malware as it might be encountered in the wild. Unusually, Avast’s performance slipped slightly in the latest (July - August 2021) tests by AV-Test, dropping to 99.9% protection against a reference collection of recent malware samples in August. You also get ransomware protection, which prevents unauthorised changes to selected directories. However, if you have a slower PC that might benefit from more streamlined software, or if you’re using an older version of Windows (such as 7 or 8.1) that’s no longer supported with updates from Microsoft, Avast is an excellent choice.Īs well as realtime virus detection and on-demand scanning, Avast includes dedicated protection against threats via the web, your local network, local files and attachments received via your desktop email client.
However, Avast provides a more polished interface and a particularly good range of features.įree third-party antivirus suites now primarily serve as an alternative to Microsoft Defender, which is extremely good at realtime malware defence and is built into Windows 10 and 11.
The company also owns erstwhile rival AVG, and the two product ranges share the same malware detection engine. Avast provides both free and paid-for security software under a variety of brands, but is best known for Avast Free Antivirus.