- Written by: Osama Zahid Cybersecurity Specialist
Avast Antivirus Overview
While Avast previously violated the people’s trust by selling user data, it’s since shut down its data-selling subsidiary and has been redeeming itself. To see if it’s truly a trustworthy and secure option now, I extensively tested Avast and its various security features .
During my tests, I found that Avast is a solid antivirus with strong malware detection scores and many useful protection tools. Plus, the new Avast One app offers all its key security features in a redesigned and beginner-friendly package.
While the app’s security is quite strong on paper, and the company is taking steps to redeem itself after the data-selling scandal, I can’t fully trust Avast yet. Thankfully, trustworthy alternatives like Norton provide even better security . Also, you get better value for money with Norton, and its 60-day money-back guarantee lets you try the app without risk.
Try Norton risk-free for 60 days
In a Rush? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary
- Excellent security but some past privacy concerns. Despite the impressive malware detection scores, Avast still hasn’t fully gained its reputation since the data-selling scandal. Jump to read more about its security .
- Multiple useful features. There are many features to enhance your overall safety and privacy. Learn more about all its features .
- Intuitive apps. Avast has beginner-friendly apps for desktops and mobile devices. Get more details about Avast’s various apps .
- Somewhat slow support. There are multiple support channels, but the support isn’t as good as it can be. Read about my experience with the app’s support .
- Multiple subscriptions. Its plans aren’t the cheapest, but Avast provides multiple subscriptions to pick from. Discover more details about the various plans .
Security
While its protection is good, Avast was caught secretly selling user data via Jumpshot , its subsidiary company. The data included sensitive information like browsing history, search history, and more. Also, the data wasn’t anonymized, meaning anyone who bought it could figure out who it belonged to.
Virus Scan — Many Scans and an Impressive Malware Detection Score
Avast offers multiple virus scans to check your system for threats. During my tests, Avast’s scans found of the malware samples I hid on my system. However, it also flagged a lot more false positives, so the results are a little unreliable. In contrast, Norton found all threats without highlighting any false positives when I tested it .
You’ll get the following scans with Avast:
- Smart Scan — scans for malware, outdated apps, and other vulnerabilities.
- Quick Scan — checks all vulnerable parts of your system for threats.
- Full Virus Scan — does a system-wide scan to find malware.
- Boot-Time Scan — detects hidden threats by scanning your system before the operating system loads.
- Targeted Scan — lets you specify what folders or files to scan.
- Custom Scan — creates a custom scan with parameters you set.
