If you are planning to get an antivirus for your devices, then you might get confused with all the software available in the market. Avira Antivirus Software goes beyond other antivirus softwares with multiple security-related utilities. Here is everything you need to know about Avira Antivirus Software before you get the software.
What you will see?
Avira Antivirus Software
To protect all your devices you will need an Antivirus, be a free or paid version. If you want the best of a free version, Avira Free Security gives you the next-level security. With VPN, password management, ad blocking, and much more to enjoy. The upgraded version of Avira is more integrated and improved. It is more user-friendly with features for both free and paid versions.
Pros
- Features beyond basic antivirus
- Featured VPN
- Password manager
- Ransomware protection
- Intuitive user interface
- Browser extensions
- Extra mobile features
Cons
- Free version lacks web protection
- Delayed response times from customer support
- Poor scores in some tests
Features
Avira Free Security interface is easy to use with a greyscale background and large icons. The Status Scan tab scans for and removes unwanted files, which include cache folders and registry entries. The paid version can fix your privacy settings, speed up start-up times, and update outdated apps for you and much more. The Security tab allows you to run on-demand scans, verify quarantined files, search for outdated programs, access the Windows firewall, and enable and disable Avira’s protection modules. The free users can only access the real-time security module. This constantly monitors your PC and checks any potentially harmful program that tries to change its settings.
To access features like web, email, or ransomware protection, you will need to subscribe to Avira Prime. The Privacy tab just shows all the other Avira products. Avira’s Phantom VPN service gives you only 500MB of monthly data if you are a free user. This can be increased with Avira Prime subscription. In the free version, you can sync between devices with Avira’s Password Manager. Whereas with the paid version, you also get password security monitoring. A file shredder deletes data and overwrites them, making them unrecoverable, whereas the Privacy Settings tool allows you to change the settings of Windows and installed applications so that they don’t disclose more information than you desire.
The Performance tab has programs to discover and delete duplicate files, a performance optimizer, a driver update checker, and a tool for battery settings. The paid version also includes an interruption-free game/movie/fullscreen mode.
Security Features
The Security tab allows you to scan your computer for malware. Even though the free users cannot access all of the features, there’s still a lot to discover. You can start and schedule antivirus scans from the Security page. You can even customize the scans by scheduling fine-tuned options such as just checking for rootkits or just scanning the My Documents folder. In the Quarantine folder, you will find all of the malware that Avira has detected. You can permanently delete these threats or reinstall the apps that were false positive.
For the free users, only System protection is enabled. You can even get a 60-day Prime trial to get a test drive of the software. Note that Web protection is different from Browser Safety. When hackers find security flaws in apps, they use them to get access to your data. Thus, the security patches that come with the updates are thus important to install as soon as possible. The Software Updater helps you in these cases by examining your installed apps and alerts you about the updates.
The Firewall controls in Avira simply allow you to toggle Windows Firewall on or off. It also lets you adjust whether your network is treated as public or private. If you choose Advanced settings, you’ll be taken to the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security page, although this might seem confusing.
Privacy Features
You can install Browser Safety from the Privacy page. It works with Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera. It not only protects you from harmful and fraudulent websites but also looks for tracking ads and third-party trackers on a website. Furthermore, it then stops the as from tracking you. Moreover, it also disables advertisements in general. You can see the blocked items in a numeric overlay on the browser extension button. When you can click that button you will get a breakdown of the blocked items. You cannot opt out of specific trackers or ads. Moreover, you can block social media trackers with Avira. This setting is off by default. Safe Shopping keeps you from overpaying when you shop online. It appears on the sites with a pop-up collection of useful coupons.
Privacy Settings
The Privacy Settings let you can choose between suggested and custom privacy settings for your device. Thus, the apps and browsers can no longer be able to gather and use your personal information. By default, ad tracking and location tracking are disabled and your activity is made private. You can enable or disable these at any time. Moreover, you can change your Privacy Preferences. The Privacy Settings section is the most important part of the Privacy page. Many programs, if not configured properly, might possibly leak your personal information and internet activities.
Over 140 settings in 17 categories are controlled by Avira, also all of your settings can be aligned with Avira’s expert suggestions with just one click. Although, you can even customize the settings and adjust the parameters yourself. You can go to Custom settings and look through the options. You can see Avira’s recommended settings marked and additional settings that change when you switch to Enhanced in the Custom view.
Antivirus Scan
You can choose from Full scan and Fast scan. The full scan goes through your entire PC, even the most hidden parts, whereas the fast scan will only go through the most vulnerable areas. In Manage Scans, you can keep track of previous scans and schedule custom scans. You can choose the folders you want to scan for malware and schedule the scan for daily, weekly, or monthly intervals. Smart Scan looks for issues with privacy and performance. It does a rapid malware scan and looks for outdated apps and a network threat scan. Moreover, it only takes a few minutes to complete the process.
After the scan is finished, you can see a summary of the findings, divided into three categories: security, privacy, and performance. You can either examine detailed results or click to fix everything. Although, ‘fix everything’ only cleans up the Registry and frees up some disc space, if you are using the free version. To fix the rest, obsolete apps, privacy settings, and wasted disc space, you need to get the paid version.
Performance Features
Avira has a set of performance-enhancing features. The tab has five-button panels: Optimizer, Battery saver, Driver updater, Duplicate detector, and Advanced tools.
Optimizer
Optimizer cleans up your computer by finding and eliminating any unwanted files, incorrect registry data, and cookies. Thus, giving you a significantly quicker and efficient PC. which is especially beneficial if you’ve been putting off spring cleaning for a long time. The trash files are quickly removed with just a single click.
Battery Saver
With time it is common that devices’ battery life gets shorter. Avira’s Battery Saver can help you increase the life of your battery by changing a few settings. When you enable this feature, it dims the screen, dismisses unnecessary apps, inhibits updates, disables push notifications and location tracking. You can choose from five different modes, ranging from the most energy-efficient to the most powerful.
Driver Updater
An outdated driver could be used as an entry point by a hacker. To avoid this from happening, drivers need to be updated timely. Avira’s Driver Updater allows you to manually check each and every driver. Just click the Scan button, and Avira will show you the drivers that need an update. After that, you can update them all at once. Instead of looking for missing security patches, it analyses your system for outdated device drivers that could improve speed.
Duplicate Finder
Avira can even look for duplicate files on your computer and delete them. However, this tool is only for paid users, so you’ll have to upgrade to Avira Pro, Avira Internet Security, or Avira Prime to get access to it. Keeping unnecessary files, duplicate files and other trash on your hard disc takes up space. Avira efficiently identifies groupings of identical files, and on the free version, you will have to delete the files manually.
Advanced Tools
The features in this tab will help you speed up your computer’s startup by at least 25%. This is done by the tools Startup Guard, Startup Time Notifier, and Hyper Boost. When you click for Advanced tools, System Speedup will appear with the Startup optimizer page. Moreover, the program even identifies apps that may cause the device to slow down after a fast scan.
Real-time protection
Avira Antivirus provides real-time protection in all versions. This feature keeps track of all the files you access, copy, or interact with, and notifies you if they’re safe or infected. If it is a threat, Avira will prevent the suspicious file from doing changes on your device. Moreover, you will also get a notification about this. Even though there are three additional choices in the Security tab, but you can use them only if you have the paid version.
Web and Email protection
Web Protection guards against phishing, spam, and browser hackers. If Avira comes across something suspicious while you are browsing, it will immediately stop the threat. You should keep this option enabled at all times, as even seemingly safe websites can become contaminated at any time.
Email Protection protects you from viruses present in attachments. However, you should never open email attachments from strangers. Still, sometimes attachments sent by your friend can even contain viruses unintentionally.
Poor Malware Removal Scores
When conducted tests and evaluated, Avira began quarantining the malware it detected right away. Although, the test only rejected 66% of the samples, which is quite low. Other competitors scored higher in this test, and some even wiped out 86% of the samples. But the best part about Avira is that it removed every ransomware sample. In the test, the real-time protection showed a notification with a tiny progress meter, Luke Filewalker. It showed Avira’s work in cleaning up any malware traces on the system. In this, Avira discovered 87 percent of the samples which is a quite good score. The clean test system took about an hour to scan completely, which is significantly faster than the others. The quick scan took less than half a minute to complete.
Phishing Protection
Even though creating a program that escapes the antivirus software is difficult, phishing scammers just design a website that looks exactly like the real one. Sometimes they even manage to get a URL that is similar to the actual one. When you unknowingly enter and log in to this website, the scammers steal your user name and password, and you get ripped off. Avira can also detect and prevent phishing attempts. It works on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers. In the test conducted, Avira caught 91 percent of confirmed frauds, which is quite a good result.
Ransomware protection
Ransomware is a virus that encrypts your files and demands payment to decrypt them. It can come to your device through emails and chats via links and files, and also be downloaded from malicious websites. Avira Antivirus identifies ransomware and protects your device from being completely locked down. Avira has proven to be incredibly reliable against such attacks. This is because its virus database is continually updated.
Quarantine
When Avira detects a threat, it encrypts the file and sends it to the Quarantine folder. This protects your PC from the potentially infected file. You can then manually delete a file from this folder. If you don’t delete the file, Avira Antivirus will keep it there until you do. Moreover, you can even restore the file to its original location if know that the file is safe. You can even set it to be exempted in Avira’s next scan so that it is not targeted again.
Software updater
To use the Software Updater you will need the paid version. It will check your system for outdated apps and ask you to update them. Even if you are a free user, Avira will warn you about dangerous apps. Although, it will not upgrade existing apps, that you will need the paid version. Moreover, updating your programs reduces the chances of infection and security breaches.
Firewall
The firewall feature is available for both free and paid versions. However, it merely lets you manage your Windows firewall. Even though this feature might seem a little useless at first, but that is because Avira’s user interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use. With this feature, you won’t have to go through the Windows Security tab to find a way to disable or enable your firewall.
Bonus features
Phantom VPN
The free users get a free VPN, which is quick and easy to use. It allows you to connect to the nearest server with a single click. Although it only gives 500MB of data per month, that can come in handy in an emergency. So to get more data, you will need to upgrade your Avira program. Also, the free version does not allow you to select a server location instead connects you to the nearest one.
Password Manager
Avira Password Manager comes in handy if you are tired of remembering your login credentials for all of your accounts. All you have to remember is a single master password, and Avira will take care of the rest. Furthermore, it even creates strong, dependable passwords for new accounts and syncs your login information across all of your devices. You can even enable two-factor authentication. Although, remember that password manager will not help you to fill out forms. It is supported in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. The password manager is available as a browser extension for Windows or macOS and as mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Safe Shopping
Avira Safe Shopping helps you avoid fraudulent sites and trackers while online shopping. It is also an excellent tool for price comparison. It will show you the best current offers for the goods you wish to purchase. Although, it is only compatible with Google Chrome, Edge, and Opera.
File Shredder
When you delete a file, it just goes to the Recycle Bin. Even if you remove an important file from your PC, hackers can still recover it. Avira’s File Shredder prevents this from happening. This feature is available for both free and paid versions. You can drag and drop the file you wish to permanently delete into the shredder. Just note that this is a one-time operation and you will never be able to retrieve the deleted file, so be careful. When you use this feature on an SSD, the shredder starts the TRIM function to clear out old data. On a hard drive, Avira overwrites the data once before deletion.
Plans and pricing
You might feel that Avira is a bit pricy at first sight, but considering all of the extra features that come with it, it actually is worth it. Still, if you don’t want to pay that much, you can just utilize the free version. You get a password manager, a safe shopping extension, and a few basic functions that make your device more secure. But if you want unlimited VPN access, web security, ransomware protection, and premium mobile apps, you can go for the paid version.
Free Version
Here is what you get if with the free version of Avira Antivirus:
- Virus scans
- Real-time protection
- Phantom VPN with 500MB of monthly data
- File quarantine
- Avira Safe Shopping plug-in
- Avira Password Manager
- File shredder
Avira Free comes with a variety of extra features, including plug-ins and a VPN, to make your browsing experience more convenient. The best part is that it employs the same anti-malware detection procedures as for the paid versions.
Avira Antivirus Pro
Here is what you get if you buy the Avira Antivirus Pro in addition to the features of the free version:
- Internet protection
- Email protection
- Customer support
Avira Antivirus Pro is available for $44.99 per year or $4.99 per month. It includes both internet and email protection and real-time virus protection that scans all unencrypted emails and attachments. You can also contact customer service by email or phone if something goes wrong. If you buy a three-device membership it will cost you $57.99 per year, whereas a five-device subscription would cost $70.99 per year.
Avira Internet Security
In addition to the features that come with Avira Antivirus Pro, here is what you get with Avira Internet Security:
- Advanced Avira Password Manager
- Automatic driver updater
- Automatic software updater
This version focuses on your internet experience. Its Password Manager Pro auto-generates and stores passwords acts as an ad blocker, eliminates trackers, and automatically upgrades software and drivers. It will cost you $5.99 per month or $57.99 per year. A three-device subscription costs $70.99, whereas a five-device subscription costs $83.99.
Prime
With the features in the Avira Internet Security here is what you get with the Avira Prime subscription:
- Unlimited Phantom VPN
- VIP customer support
- Advanced PC optimization
This version is a full-featured solution that includes all the features Avira has to offer. It gives you unlimited VPN bandwidth with over 40 server locations, VIP customer service with a toll-free phone line, and premium mobile apps. Moreover, you can even access future Avira products with Avira Prime. It frees up your storage space and protects credit card payments. You get regular discount offers for Avira Prime. It will cost you $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. By default, this covers five devices. But if you want to use Avira on an infinite number of devices, it will cost you $129.99 each year. You can decide whether Avira Prime is worth the money. This version is recommended if you need to cover a large number of devices, as it will not only save you money but also give you an unlimited VPN.
Avira Antivirus Mobile App
Avira has you covered if you want to keep your mobile safe. The Avira Antivirus app is available on both Google Play and the App Store. You can either buy an Avira suite for multiple devices or just use the free version. Although the mobile version of Avira most of the same features as the desktop version, it has a few unique features too. The Anti-Theft feature tracks your device’s location and allows you to delete its data if it gets stolen or missing. It also allows you to encrypt apps using a PIN code to prevent unauthorized access.
You can even check the permissions granted to your phone’s apps with this. Moreover, you can use it to secure confidential apps and search your network for undesirable devices. There are two premium features: Microphone and Camera protection. These features allow you to control which apps have access to your camera and microphone.
Customer support
Customer support is a vital consideration when selecting antivirus software. Avira Free does not provide technical assistance, so you will have to google your issue and resolve it yourself. All Avira’s paid versions include customer support. You can either send them an email or directly call them. Calling the support team gives you a much quicker response, whereas you will need to wait a few days until you get an email reply from an agent. Moreover, the users of Avira Prime get the privilege of a toll-free number.
Conclusion
Avira Antivirus is a lightweight software and offers good malware detection rates. The only thing you need to decide is the version you want to use. Avira Antivirus Pro is good in terms of pricing, features, and functionality. Even though the free version uses the same malware detection software as the paid editions of Avira, it lacks secure browsing. So, to be protected from hackers while surfing, you should think about getting the paid version. The features available in the free version are unusually generous for a free anti-malware suite. Although, Avira is overflowing While with features and utilities, many features aren’t fully functional without payment.
