If you’re looking for an effective malware-hunting companion, Avast Free Antivirus might not sound very promising. It’s the most basic product in the Avast range, a cut-down version of its free Avast One Essential security suite with most of the privacy tools stripped out; you’ll surely need more than that, won’t you?
Well, maybe not. AV-Comparatives is an independent lab that regularly runs in-depth tests of all the best antivirus software. Most vendors submit their full-featured paid security suites to be sure they get good results, but Avast sends this edition, Avast Free Antivirus. That shows huge confidence, but it’s easy to see why: this app, its most basic free version, regularly wipes the floor with almost all the paid competition.
Protection rates aren’t the only factor in choosing an antivirus, but they’re a very good start. Keep reading and we’ll dig into the detail, run our own tests, and find out more about whether Avast Free Antivirus could be the right malware hunter for you.
Avast Free Antivirus: Features
Avast Free Antivirus can’t quite match the likes of Avira Free Security in the length of its feature list, but there’s a very good reason for that: it’s focused almost entirely on core antivirus functionality, and doesn’t waste your time with bonus extras you may never use.
Avast Free doesn’t have a VPN or a password manager, for instance, unlike Avira Free Security. But Avira’s free VPN is horribly limited, with a 500MB data limit a month and no ability to change location, and although its password works, it’s extremely basic and no match for market leaders like Dashlane.
Avast Free does have a few bonus tools. The Network Inspector checks your network for vulnerabilities and finds all its connected devices; the Software Updater looks out for missing security patches, and Avast's Ransomware Shield prevents untrusted apps from modifying files.
Where Avast Free wins out, though, is with its core protection engines. It has full system-wide web protection to block phishing and other malicious websites, for instance; Avira doesn’t include full web protection in the free edition (the best you can do is install extensions for specific browsers.)
Avast Free Antivirus: Getting Started
If you’re the type of person who runs an app installer and accepts every default setting, then Avast Free Antivirus could cause you a problem. It also installs Avast Secure Browser and sets it as your default browser unless you notice the warning (in suspiciously tiny print) and clear the checkboxes. We’ve no problem with a provider offering extras like this, but they shouldn’t be installed unless you specifically select them.
The Avast Free Antivirus app looks great. The screens are a subdued gray and white, but they’re brought to life with eye-catching splashes of green and orange. Icons are large, and you’re never left wondering what they mean because they all have a text caption. And with animations everywhere - panels moving in from the left, highlights fading up and down as you move the mouse cursor over them - the app feels more like a polished modern website than the usual dull static Windows app.
There are neat usability touches everywhere. Many free apps don’t highlight which functions you can use and which you can’t, so you’re regularly choosing an option and getting a ‘CAN’T DO THAT UNLESS YOU PAY!!’ screen. Avast makes it instantly clear with an icon at the top right of each button: a padlock means you can’t use it, a down arrow means you can use it but there’s something to install first, and no icon means it’s all yours.
When you click any option for the first time, Avast displays a help page quickly and clearly explaining what the feature does and how to use it. It’s another neat touch which avoids confusion and helps you feel at home right away.
Avast Free Antivirus: Protection
We track the performance of all the top antivirus apps as reported by independent testing labs including AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, MRG Effitas and SE Labs. Most providers submit their full-featured paid versions for testing, but Avast sends its free edition, which shows a lot of confidence in its power.
That confidence seems fully justified, too. We keep an aggregate score of antivirus performance across nine major tests, and currently Avast Free Antivirus is equal first with Bitdefender and McAfee. (ESET, F-Secure and Norton are equal fourth, and Avira follows in seventh place.)
Lab results are important, but we’re always keen to run further tests of our own. We began by attempting to access 50 of the latest phishing URLs, as collected by experts at OpenPhish. Avast did a good job, blocking 86% immediately. Bitdefender Antivirus Free was relatively disappointing at 64%. Avira Security Free scored a little better in recent tests with a 90% protection rate, but that was with a browser extension only. Avast Free wins overall because it has system-wide browsing protection which protects every browser and app on your device.
We switched to our malware test, and tried to download some very dangerous files from 50 brand new links. Avast Free did an excellent job, blocking 94% of threats either at the URL level, or when the files hit our hard drive. That couldn’t match Bitdefender Antivirus Free, which blocked 100% of our test threats, but was just ahead of Avira Free’s 90%.
These results can vary significantly depending on the files and links we use, but, on balance, we think they match the independent lab reports: Avast and Bitdefender Free are too closely matched to call, and Avira is just a fraction behind.
Avast Free Antivirus: Comprehensive Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus automatically monitors your device to detect malicious files as they appear, but if you want to run a manual check, it has more scan types than anyone else, even paid products.
The Smart Scan runs a quick antivirus scan in under a minute, for instance, and also looks for poorly configured system settings which might compromise your security. Bitdefender’s Vulnerability Scan tries to do something similar, but we found Avast spotted more relevant issues and gave better advice.
The catch? Smart Scan also checks for a bunch of performance and other issues which can’t be fixed with the free version, and repeatedly prompts you to upgrade to fix them all (it took us an extra four clicks to get rid of the upselling attempts and return to the dashboard.) It’s a little annoying, and more pushy than most of the competition, but no surprise: you’re getting leading-edge antivirus for free, of course Avast is going to try to sell you an upgrade.
If you’re looking for something more thorough, the Full System Scan checks your entire device for threats. This can take a very time, perhaps hours, but Avast Scans are faster the second time around.
That’s good, but it’s only the beginning. Avast Free can also run custom scans of whatever files, folders or drives you need, either from the app or the Explorer right-click menu. A Boot-Time scan can remove stealthy threats by checking your system before Windows loads. If that doesn’t work, Avast Free can even create a bootable USB key to scan your device without Windows running, helping catch stealthy threats that you couldn’t remove otherwise. Bitdefender Antivirus Free isn’t nearly as generous, leaving its own Rescue Environment and all but the most essential scan types for paying customers only.
While everyone likes free extras, we much prefer the Avast Free focus on its core antivirus protection. You probably don’t need a horribly limited VPN, but we’ll bet you do need comprehensive malware protection, and that’s where Avast Free Antivirus excels.
Avast Free antivirus: Final verdict
Most top free antivirus apps leave out at least some key features to try and persuade you to upgrade (Avira Free leaves out web protection, Bitdefender Free drops most of its advanced scap types), but not Avast Free Antivirus. It has all the real-time and web filtering technologies you need, and they block more malware than just about anyone else.
If you’re looking for more functionality, though, don’t rule out Avast One Essential. It has the same excellent protection, and includes extras like a free VPN. (Sure, it’s a very limited VPN - no kill switch, can’t change location - but with 5GB of free data a week, it might work for basic browsing.)
