10-second breakdown:
With near-perfect malware detection and a very light impact on your system’s performance, Avira is quick to set up and painless to run – making it a great choice for antivirus security. Not to mention the free version for personal use.
The good:
Avira has some of the highest test results from independent labs. After being ran through a tough series of qualifications like malware, malicious URL’s and multiple other factors; it came out as one of the top performers overall.
One of the best performing features is in the browser safety department. It’s better than what comes stock on many web browsers (e.g. Chrome, Safari). You don’t have to use it, but it’s so useful to block potentially problematic sites.
The software is completely free for personal use and it fairs way better than other free software on the market.
The bad:
The speed of your virus scans are going to be noticeably long, especially if you’ve used other products in the past.
Internet Explorer isn’t protected in the awesome browser features, a bummer for Microsoft fans.
How it works:
Avira Antivirus Pro covers all of the bases you would expect in a security program, in all of the independent tests Avira ranks either the very top or darn close to it. Avira catches nearly all malware either before it can even install, or just after before it does any real harm.
The difference between Avira and the competition really comes to light when you test them against malicious URLs. Avira scored unprecedented high 90 percent while the second best was low 80’s. If you have older or younger members of the family that often get into trouble by accidentally visiting bad websites, Avira can help fix that.
Avira also offers a few features that go more in depth than a lot of the competition. Most competitors offer some sort of anti-spam or email protection, but Avira steps it up and scans all incoming and outgoing mail. It’ll look for malicious attachments and quarantine any that it digs up. This is great for businesses, if one person opens up a malicious attachment it can spread to the entire system, Avira’s protection can shut it down before the entire business is affected.
Although Avira does offer a standard web browser plug-in to help protect you on the web, they also offer a neat little feature called ‘Web Protection.’ It works in conjunction with the plug-in to detect malicious URLs and alert you before it’s too late. The part worth writing home about though is that since it isn’t a plug-in, you’re free to use any browser you want. Although you’ll get the most protection from both the plug-in and Web Protection running at the same time, you don’t need both to feel secure. Want to try out one of the less popular browsers like Vivaldi? No problem, just be sure to activate Web Protection and you’re good to go.
Avira packs on one more layer of protection to ensure that you stay safe. They offer their own ‘Protection Cloud,’ it’s a network of servers that collects information from all Avira users and updates your malware library every hour or so. If your computer detects an unknown program, it’s sent off to be analyzed. Although it’s turned on by default, you can deactivate the Protection Cloud if you don’t want Avira watching over almost everything you do.
Two things to keep in mind before you make your decision, scans on Avira tend to take a little bit longer than the competition. The scan doesn’t take as many system resources, but just something to keep in mind that the scan may take a while. In addition, the browser protection plugin isn’t available on Internet Explorer. Although the other browsers are more secure, if you absolutely can’t switch you’re out of luck, you’ll have to stick with just the ‘Web Protection.’
Although there’s no free trial, there is a feature-lacking free version of Avira you can give a go if you want to get a lay of the land before you commit and there is a 30-day money back guarantee if you don’t absolutely love the software.
The first package Avira offers is the standard ‘Antivirus Pro,’ it costs $44.99 for one user for a one-year license and can be installed on either a PC or a Mac. It comes with all of the features you expect to keep you safe such as an antivirus scanner, locking up malware so it can’t change your system settings, browser protection and more. If you’re only looking for protection from viruses and malware, this is the right package for you.
Next up is Avira’s ‘Internet Security Suite,’ it costs $57.99 for one user for one-year. The Internet Security Suite comes with everything Antivirus Pro does but also includes a few extra tools to help speed up your Windows computer like a secure file shredder and a privacy cleaner that deletes your browsing history.
Last but not least is the ‘Total Security Suite,’ it comes to $109.99 for one user for a year. The Total Security Suite includes everything from the above two packages but throws in a one-year subscription to Avira’s ‘Phantom VPN Pro’ for PC, Mac, iOS and Android. The VPN encrypts everything you do on the internet, making it impossible for hackers to get in. If you spend time on public wifi in coffee shops or share the internet with shady house tenants this is a must – it’s very easy to snoop on web traffic if you and a potential hacker are sharing the same wifi connection.
Although the support may be a bit slow to respond, Avira offers a solid product that will definitely keep you safe and secure. If you’re willing to do a little digging in their knowledgebase and stick with them, you’re rewarded with safety and peace of mind matched by very few competitors.
For complete rankings of all antivirus software, go here.
http://authority.org/antivirus-software/avira/ http://authorityorg.tumblr.com/post/150113506442
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