Rating Avast vs Avira, we give 4/5 to Avast due to its free version and user interface, Avira on the other hand gets a 3/5 due to its not so fine user interface, paid version and heavy system requirements. Avira’s Free Antivirus for Mac delivers “first-rate protection for free.” It provides a great level of protection against all kinds of online threats, including viruses, rootkits, spyware, and adware, but doesn’t offer a lot of extra utility tools like its free Windows counterpart. Now, let’s talk about the Avast suites that are compatible with Mac platform Avast Security and Avast Security Pro are two plans that Avast offers for macOS users.

1. Avira Or Avast For Mac
2. Avast Download For Mac
3. Avira Or Avast
4. Avast Security For Mac Download
5. Avast
6. Avira For Mac

I have tried both Avira and Avast but I prefer Avast because I feel Avira kind of slows down the system and hence I have started to use the free version of Avast for the past 7 years and suggested it to a lot of my friends. And finally when I started my own business I have even become the Re-seller of Avast.

(Last updated on August 28th, 2019)

Avira or Avast, which antivirus software is a better option in 2019?

Read this ultimate Avira versus Avast comparison to make a wise decision.

These days, malware attacks are insidious and everywhere on the internet, which is why having a robust antivirus program for all your internet-capable devices is a great idea.

According to new research, a record high of 10.5 billion malware attacks occurred last year. Ransomware, which is one of the most dangerous types of malware, grew by 120% over the previous year. Mobile malware attacks also doubled during the same period.

And it’s not just the volume of malware that’s increasing, the methods and tactics employed by hackers are also evolving and becoming more complex with time.

So, it’s clear that you need solid antivirus protection for all your devices, including Macs and smartphones.

But which antivirus software is right for you? We’ll help you with that!

Most free or low-end antivirus software out there aren’t capable of protecting you against sophisticated digital threats; their defenses aren’t strong enough, and their definitions aren’t updated regularly. Also, all security companies reserve their best features and utilities for their top-tier security packages.

So, investing in a premium security solution is the way to go if you want complete anti-malware protection and peace of mind.

In this guide, we’ll compare two top dogs in the antivirus market, Avira and Avast, in a head-to-head battle. We’ll show you where both software excel and where they falter so you can determine the best software for your needs.

In a hurry? Check out the quick rundown below that shows you the winner in each category.

A Quick Rundown of Winners in Each Category

1. Features
Winner: Avast. Avast offers a comprehensive, more diverse feature-set as part of its premium security suites.

2. Malware Protection
Winner: Avira. Overall, Avira is slightly better than Avast when it comes to anti-malware defense, as evidenced by recent independent evaluations.

3. System Performance
Winner: Avast. Avast fared better than Avira in both independent performance tests we considered.

4. User-Friendliness
Winner: Avast. Avast’s user interface is simpler and more intuitive than Avira’s.

5. Pricing
Winner: Avira. You can protect more devices for less money through Avira than through Avast.

6. Customer Satisfaction
Winner: Avast. Avast has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), while Avira has a C.

Short Verdict

Avast is better than Avira as it not only offers more security-related features and extra utilities in its security suites but also puts a minimal impact on system performance. However, Avira is slightly ahead of Avast in terms of malware detection.

Now, let’s dig into the details.

1. Features

The features of an antivirus software suite help dictate its overall value for money. The best antivirus software suite won’t just protect you; it will also have several advanced security-related features and tools that bolster your digital security and provide extra utility.

First, let’s see what Avast offers in terms of features.

Avast Free Antivirus is the company’s freemium offering for PCs. It only has basic anti-malware defenses and doesn’t offer much value in terms of advanced features. It’s better than having no protection at all, but Avast’s paid offerings are much better.

Next up is Avast Internet Security, the company’s entry-level premium offering. It’s a much better pick right off the bat. Besides offering top-notch protection against all kinds of malware, this software boasts several advanced features such as a comprehensive two-way firewall that defends your network against attacks, a junk email filter that keeps your inbox clean, and the WiFi Inspector; this tool finds weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your network.

The Sandbox feature is also part of the suite; it lets you separate a small portion of your computer to run suspicious programs or potentially dangerous files, so the rest of your computer remains unaffected by malware. It’s a handy feature if you receive a lot of files or run different programs.

Another level up is the more advanced Avast Premier. It comes with everything that we previously mentioned, plus the Data Shredder utility that lets you securely delete your sensitive data and the Automatic Software Updater tool that keeps your apps and software up to date, making you less vulnerable to malware infections.

Protection against webcam spying is also incorporated into the Premier suite.

Next up is Avast Ultimate, the company’s full-fledged bundled offering. This package has everything that’s found in the Premier suite, plus you get a full suite of performance optimization tools that improve the overall health of your computer.

The SecureLine VPN utility is also jammed into the suite; you can use it to anonymously browse the internet and access content that isn’t available in your region.

For macOS, there’s Avast Security for Mac. The Premium version of this suite offers excellent anti-malware security along with several advanced security-enhancing features and tools, such as WiFi Inspector, while the freeware only offers “essential protection.”

Interested in Avast’s business security solutions?Click here for more information.

Now, let’s see what Avira offers in terms of features.

Avira Free Antivirus (works on PCs only) is the first offering from the company. You can use it for free, forever, but it offers little to no value in terms of advanced features and utilities. However, it does protect against different types of common malware threats.

Next up is the company’s entry-level premium package, called Avira Pro Antivirus (which works on both PCs and Macs). Apart from top-notch anti-malware security, the package includes a bunch of advanced features and tools such as the HomeGuard utility (identifies problems and checks for vulnerabilities in your network), an email filter to stop junk/phishing emails, and a smart firewall that protects against a variety of digital threats

Advanced ransomware protection and web protection features are also jammed into the suite.

Another level up is Avira Internet Security, another product that works on both PCs and Macs. In addition to everything that’s part of the previous product, this suite offers a full-blown password manager and an automatic software/driver updater tool.

Finally, there’s Avira Prime, the company’s top-of-the-line, all-inclusive security product. The Prime offers all the features and utilities that are found in the previous suites, along with a full suite of optimization tools and an advanced VPN utility.

The Prime subscription grants you the ability to use Avira’s mobile apps, as well as all the upcoming Avira products.

If you’re interested in Avira’s business solutions?Follow this link for more information.

Winner: Avast. Avast has a slight edge in this category as it offers a more advanced feature-set with its premium products, especially the high-end ones.

2. Malware Protection

Malware defense is one of the most important factors you should consider when purchasing antivirus software. After all, the primary job of any security product is to protect your computer against all sorts of digital threats.

To find out which software has better anti-malware capabilities, let’s see how both Avira and Avast performed in the recent lab evaluations conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives – two well-known independent laboratories with a reputation for excellence.

AV-Test’s most recent evaluations were conducted in April 2019. In the Protection category of these evaluations, Avira successfully detected all almost all kinds of malware it encountered, earning a perfect 6 out of 6 score.

Avast got a 5.5 out of 6 in these evaluations, due to its imperfect malware detection rates during the examinations.

Now, let’s see how both products fared in AV-Comparatives’ evaluations.

The recent Real-World Protection test report released by AV-Comparatives shows summarized results five comprehensive real-world anti-malware tests that were conducted between July and November last year. Overall, both Avira and Avast got the highest ADVANCED+ award in these evaluations, showing excellent anti-malware capabilities.

Winner: Avira. It’s a close call, but Avira wins this round of comparison as it got a better score in the AV-Test examinations.

3. System Performance

Let’s also take a look at the performance impact that both Avira and Avast put on systems while they run in the background.

In the Performance category of AV-Test’s recent evaluations, Avast scored a perfect 6 out of 6, showing it puts a minimal (almost negligible) impact on system performance.

Avira Or Avast For Mac

Avira got a 5.5 out of 6 in terms of system performance, which is still a good score but could be improved.

The experts at AV-Comparatives also conduct a similar examination, called Performance Test. In the April 2019 version of this test, Avast earned the highest ADVANCED+ award with an excellent impact score 6.2, which is almost perfect. Avira, on the other hand, received the second-best ADVANCED award in the study, due to its heavier impact score rating.

Winner: Avast. Independent evaluations prove that Avast is better than Avira in terms of system performance.

4. User-Friendliness

The user interface of antivirus software is another important factor that has to be considered. After all, you have to be able to understand and use your software effectively for it to be worthwhile.

Let’s see which of these two software is more user-friendly.

Avast comes with a dark and modern-styled user interface. When you open the interface, you’ll probably see a large green checkmark in the center, which means your system is secure. The status will change if there’s an issue. Right beneath this icon is a quick scan button that you can use to begin a scan of your computer immediately.

Everything is easily reachable and identifiable thanks to the left-hand rail, which organizes all of the functions into major categories like privacy, status, and protection. It’s a very intuitive design, and most people will be able to understand it within a few seconds.

You can also add a little customization to your experience if you’re a more advanced computer user. You can turn tools off and on or adjust their user settings with a few clicks. Also, you can schedule automatic scans based on your schedule and preferences. Overall, the interface is a good pick for both beginners and computer experts.

Now, let’s see how Avira compares to Avast in terms of user-friendliness.

Avira’s user interface is bright and airy, in colors of green and gray. A checkmark at the top of it screen lets you know if everything is fine, and it’ll quickly change to red exclamation point if there’s something that requires your attention.

Most of the major operations and functions, like web and mail protections or firewall controls, can be turned on or off with a single click and can be accessed right from the main screen. You can also find records of previous scans within just a couple of clicks. You can organize or modify the software’s scanning behavior around your schedule.

Winner: Tie. Both Avira and Avast offer a simple, easy-to-use user interface.

5. Pricing

The price of software will have a major impact on your decision.

Let’s compare Avast and Avira’s pricing plans directly.

Avast Download For Mac

Avast Free doesn’t cost anything, but it offers limited value. Avast Internet security, the first paid option from the company, costs $59.99 per year for 1 PC, with the option to add more devices. For $10 more, at $69.99 per year for 1 PC, comes Avast Premium.

Avast Ultimate, the highest tier from this company, covers 1 PC for a whopping $119.99 per year.

Finally, Avast Security for Mac, the company’s macOS product, protects 1 Mac for $59.99 per year.

Now, let’s see what Avira costs.

Avira’s free pick is free, but it offers limited value in return. Avira Antivirus Pro, the entry-level premium offering, costs $44.99 per year for 1 device. Avira Internet Security Suite, which works on both Windows and macOS, costs $57.99 per year.

Avira Prime, the company’s all-inclusive bundled offering, provides you with five universal licenses that can be used for PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, for $99.99 per year. This comes with all of the advanced features and functions, as well as Avira’s other products.

Winner: Avira. You can get more licenses for less money through Avira.

6. Customer Satisfaction

One final metric to examine is customer satisfaction. This will let us know what the actual customers of both companies think of their products.

Consumeraffairs.org takes all kinds of customer feedback and averages them out into a 1 to 5-star score for easy understanding. Avast only has a 3-star rating, which is an average score. Avira has a slightly better 3.5-star rating from the same source.

We can also look at the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is another review collection and user feedback site. Avast has an excellent A+ rating from the BBB, while Avira could only get a C rating.

Winner: Avast. It’s close, but Avast has an edge in this category because of its excellent BBB rating.

Final Thoughts

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When it comes to free antivirus for Windows computer, your friends will mostly recommend you either Avast Free Antivirus 2019, AVG AntiVirus FREE 2019, or Avira Free Antivirus 2019. But which one of them is the best? All are completely for free and offers plenty of advanced features. We’ll take a look at details on Avast and AVG.

Two biggest competitors, Avast and AVG, are today a single company. In October 2016 Avast acquired AVG company for $1.3B. From the end-user point of view, there is no change, both brands continue to coexist together. However, they use the same engine and technology in the background – the one from Avast. Feature-wise there are small differences, let’s take a closer look.

Feature Comparison Table – Does AVG Offer More Than Avast?

Both Avast and AVG are offering solid protection against viruses, spyware, malware, rootkits and even ransomware which is a big topic now. Plus you will be secured while browsing online, chatting on Facebook, or watching videos on YouTube. Also, they will protect and scan your incoming and outgoing e-mails if you are using an e-mail client like Outlook or Thunderbird. If you’re a gamer, you can relax – both antivirus solutions offer smart gaming mode and keep themselves silent.

With Avast you will get some cool features like Wi-Fi Inspector (formerly called Home Network Security), which scans your home network, Wi-Fi connection, and routers. An easy-to-use tool called Browser Cleanup for removing unwanted toolbars from your browser. Software Updater for monitoring the up-to-date status of the other software like browser, Java, Adobe Reader, etc. And you can ask your IT friend to fix your computer via the secured remote connection.

However, there are some differences. AVG offers spying and data theft protection controlling what kind of data you are sharing with the other applications, and File Shredder which can permanently delete your sensitive information, so they can’t be restored. A similar feature called Data Shredder is available also in Avast, but only in the top-tier product Avast Premier, not in the free one.

A big plus for AVG is that you don’t need to register or give out any personal information. You can just download, install, and keep using it. With Avast you have to activate the product within the first 30 days, and then once a year.

Impact on the System Resources – Which Product is Lighter?

We have measured the impact on the system resources using two ways:

1. How long does the computer to boot into Windows desktop while the AVG or Avast is installed
2. How does the computer perform in various areas (CPU, Graphics, Memory and Disk operations) while the AVG or Avast is installed

In the boot time test where less is better, it took only 28 seconds (on average) to load Windows desktop when Avast Free Antivirus was installed. The same operation took 33 seconds (on average) when AVG AntiVirus FREE was installed. Default boot-time without any antivirus solution in place took 20 seconds. So according to our testing, Windows loads faster with Avast.

In the second area, we have tested computer performance in various areas and impact of the AVG or Avast on the results. Test results (higher is better) were practically the same for both products, 2,116 points for Avast and 2,115 points for AVG. The default performance without any antivirus installed was 2,150 points. So the overall impact on the system performance is really low for both products.

Need premium Mac antivirus protection? Say hello to Avast Security Pro. Avast Security Pro includes all the malware-crushing moves of its free little brother, along with premium defenses against Wi-Fi intruders and ransomware.

Final performance test results are highlighted in the chart below. You can clearly see the difference between no antivirus and Avast or AVG present. Please note the vertical axis ‘Performance Score‘ is not starting from 0, but from 2,110 to clearly show the small differences.

Avast vs. AVG – Performance Test Results

You can find more details about how we tested in the ‘Additional Notes‘ section at the end of the article.

User Interface – Is Avast Easier to use Than AVG?

Avast user interface is really nice and clear. There is only one main action leading to the Smart Scan, which runs all seven Avast scans: compatibility, viruses, outdated software, browser add-ons, router issues, performance, and weak passwords. The green button ‘UPGRADE‘ (or ‘ACTIVATE‘) leads to a comparison table of Avast Free Antivirus and Avast premium product (Avast Internet Security).

The status is also indicated by color when green obviously means ‘You are protected’ (note AVG is using the exact same term). Also, you are assured that ‘Everything is up-to-date‘. The top menu is easy to navigate and structured in fours groups – Scan, Tools, Passwords, and Store. What is pretty annoying is the top menu disappears every time you go from the home screen and you need to click on ‘Menu‘ to get it back.

Same as AVG, also Avast is using the bottom space for the up-sell offers.

AVG user interface is quite busy compared to Avast. When everything is fine, you will see green tick marks with the message ‘You are protected‘. The interface will go red if there will be some issue. What is nice is when some of the shields are disabled, you will see immediately which ones as they will also turn in red.

AVG AntiVirus FREE 2019 – User Interface

The main tiles show you the status of the specific shield protection. If you are looking for a scan, it’s the less visible button ‘Scan now‘. The ‘Fix performance’ button sounds pretty interesting, but you need to download other product (AVG PC TuneUp) to actually fix the performance. The last button is for checking if the program is up-to-date, of course, the virus definitions are updated automatically. ‘Join us on Facebook‘ link at the top bar is very visible and somehow distracting.

Bottom of the interface is used as an offer space to buy or try for free the paid-for version.

Localizations/Translations – Is The Product Available in my Language?

Both Avast and AVG are available in plenty of languages, of course for free. But Avast offers many more.

Avast languages (46): Arabic, Belorussian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (United States/United Kingdom), Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Pirate talk, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil/Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese

AVG languages (22): Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Turkish.

Popularity – Which is the Most Popular Free Antivirus? Avast or AVG?

The better product is, the most users it has. It’s simple as that. However, it’s not easy to say which is the most popular antivirus, if Avast or AVG. For expressing popularity we are using several, publicly accessible methods.

Avira Or Avast

1. Official Sources

According to the official website, Avast is protecting more than 400 million users worldwide, but that probably includes also AVG users. The last publicly available number was 230 million users. AVG doesn’t state anymore how many users are using their products, however using simple math it’s around 170 million (400 – 230 = 170). Therefore we believe it’s safe to claim Avast has more users than AVG.

2. Antivirus Vendor Market Share by OPSWAT

OPSWAT is regularly releasing reports about the antivirus market share. Data are based on the OPSWAT GEARS software installed on the client machines. According to the latest report from November 2017, Avast is dominating the worldwide market with 18.48%. Followed by ESET with 13.97%. AVG is still reported as a separate company and didn’t make it into top 10 for June 2017, however, AVG’s share was around 4% in the last few months. It is also important to mention Microsoft for some reason is not included at all.

Avast vs. AVG – Market Share Report November 2017 by OPSWAT

3. CNET Download.com Ranking

Download.com by CNET is the World’s most popular download portal. According to its popularity rankings, AVG has more total downloads – almost 564 million, while Avast has ‘only’ 406 million. However, the recent trend shows Avast is slightly more popular, as it leads the last week downloads number.

Avast vs. AVG – Number of Downloads & Rating on CNET Download.com June 2017

Avast has higher editor’s rating– 4 stars (meaning excellent), while AVG has 3.5 stars (meaning very good). The user/community rating is also better for Avast – 4.5 stars, while AVG has 4 stars.

4. Number of Fans on Social Media Networks

Another way how to measure product/company popularity is the number of fans/followers on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Avast is leading on Facebook with 4.1 million fans vs. AVG’s 3.1 million. On Twitter, the leader is AVG with 216k followers vs. Avast’s 181k.

Avast vs. AVG – Number of Fans/Followers on Facebook and Twitter

Independent Labs Test Results – Will AVG Protect You Better Than Avast?

If you are looking for a more advanced comparison of antivirus protection, the best resources are the independent test labs. These labs are regularly performing various tests like how many viruses will get through the antivirus software, or which vendor offers better performance.

Selection of the most important and relevant test results is below:

• AV-Comparatives Real Word Protection Test Results (November 2017)
• AV-Comparatives Performance Test Results (October 2017)
• AV-TEST Avast Results (October 2017)
• AV-TEST AVG Results (October 2017)

As we mentioned the antivirus engine is the same for both products and that’s also visible in tests. In the latest AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection Test from May 2017, both Avast and AVG got 100% detection rate with 0 false-positives. Both products also scored the same score on the latest Performance Test.

Respected computer magazine PCMag gives both products the same rating of 4,5 stars in their comprehensive comparison of free antivirus solutions written by security expert Neil J. Rubenking. Actually, both Avast and AVG are their #1 recommendation for the free antivirus software.

Our current Editors’ Choice products for free antivirus utility are Avast Free Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free. Both get very good scores from the independent labs, and in our own tests as well. Both include some useful bonus features.

Avast Security For Mac Download

Neil J. Rubenking for PCMag

System Requirements & Compatibility – Will the Product Run on my Computer?

Both products will run on a majority of today’s computers as there are no special requirements. In fact, the system requirements are identical since the antivirus engine is the same. You just need to run a newer Windows than 2000, so at least Windows XP with Service Pack 3. Both Avast and AVG are also fully compatible with the latest Windows 10.

System Requirements for Avast Free Antivirus 2019

• Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 SP1 or higher / Vista / XP SP3 or higher (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64 or above
• Memory: 256 MB RAM or above
• Space: 2 GB of free hard disk space
• Please note that Avast Free Antivirus 2019 won’t work on Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / Server, or any other operating system which isn’t specified above

System Requirements for AVG AntiVirus FREE 2019

Avast

• Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP SP2 or higher (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64 or above
• Memory: 256 MB RAM for Windows XP or 1024 MB RAM for Windows Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista
• Space: 2 GB of free hard disk space
• Please note that AVG AntiVirus FREE 2019 won’t work on Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / Server, or any other operating system which isn’t specified above

Test Conclusion – Both Avast and AVG are Worth of Trying!

Both products have their pros and cons. We don’t want to recommend only one of them, instead, we would like to encourage you to try both, and see if Avast or AVG will suit you better. Even they are offered completely for free, the level of protection you will get is comparable with the paid-for antivirus solutions. The download links are below.

From official AVG website

If you are looking for premium protection, check out our Internet Security suites comparison including Avast, AVG, Avira, ESET, and Norton (Symantec).

Avira For Mac

Additional Notes

Information about the product features has been obtained from the official websites of each vendor. If you believe we have stated something not correct, please let us know, and we’ll fix it immediately. Our intention is to offer a fair and fact-based comparison of each product.

For measuring the boot time we have used a free tool called BootRacer. We have tested AVG AntiVirus FREE 2016 (2016.0.7163) and Avast Free Antivirus 2016 (2016.10.2.2215) released on March 23, 2015. Both tests were performed on a Windows 7 Professional x64 computer with CPU Intel Core i7 @ 2.70GHz and 8 GB RAM.

For measuring the overall PC performance we have used a free tool called PassMark PerformanceTest which tests various areas including CPU, graphics, disk, and memory.