AVG is well-known throughout the world in large part because of its well-liked free antivirus product. AVG estimates that the business has 200 million users worldwide. 100 million users of mobile devices are included in this.
What Is AVG Antivirus? AVG promises to safeguard your computer from numerous viral dangers and conduct 24/7 device lock scans to find malware before it has a chance to damage it. The malware scanner is utilized in a number of PC, Mac, mobile, and business software products.
It consistently obtains positive feedback from reputable antivirus avg review comparison websites in avg antivirus review, ranking highly in AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, both of which will be taken into account in my review along with my own malware tests in avg protection.
The biggest concern is avg VPN whether AVG lives up to the company’s claims and the impressive test results. I’ll be looking at AVG’s three consumer-grade options in this review, which include a free option, a basic paid option, and a premium paid one with extra features.
After looking at its programs, we’ll assess how effectively they run and decide which is most likely to be the best choice for the typical PC user. Additionally, I’ll discuss how AVG stacks up against other top best antivirus providers, how it differs from them, and which best alternatives you should also take into account.
Pros:
- High ranking on independent AV testing websites
- Low impact on PC performance based on our testing
- Incredibly sophisticated real-time AV software
- Tools that are useful for both privacy and security
Cons:
- There is no phone help number and only online support is available.
AVG Free Antivirus Review | Tested vs Malware
WHAT HAS THE LATEST VERSION OF AVG BEEN ADDED?
To keep your device Microsoft windows secure, AVG is constantly updated with the most recent malware signatures. Make sure to keep your program updated to the most recent version because regular upgrades to tools and features are also provided as they become available.
What Is AVG Antivirus
A new feature avg technology called Remote Access Shield has been added to the most recent version of the secure browser. This is AVG’s defense against Remote Desktop flaws.
By allowing you to choose who can use Remote Desktop to remotely access the computer while preventing all other connection attempts, Remote Access Shield protects your personal data.
Additionally, the functionality automatically disallows connections from high-risk IP addresses, disallows connections that seek to employ Remote Desktop exploits, and blocks any brute-force attempts.
How effective is AVG AntiVirus?
The free version of AVG AntiVirus is the entry-level offering from the company. The free version, which has some built-in safety measures, is available here: Protects against malware such as viruses, ransomware, spyware, and more. Prevents access to malicious websites, files, and email attachments.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE SOFTWARE’S VERSIONS?
Free Tools
AVG has a well-known free antivirus program that you may use to safeguard your PC against viruses in addition to the two consumer-level software packages that are paid for.
Free AVG Antivirus
AVG’s free antivirus program, dubbed AVG AntiVirus Free, makes the promise that it offers a lifetime of effective and necessary free antivirus protection. Mobile devices running iOS, Android, and Mac can all access the free version. This can be updated to paid versions that give extra functionality, the same as the PC version on mobile devices.
You already have some pretty nice features even without upgrading. Along with email shields, phishing prevention, and real-time updates for the most recent malware threats, AVG’s real-time virus protection can fight viruses, spyware, and malware.
Internet security from AVG
AVG Internet Security has more sophisticated ransomware prevention and fights viruses and malware.
With web and email protection, it can safeguard your emails, as well as your personal data and passwords. Additionally, there is webcam protection, safer banking, and a data shredder that completely destroys all traces of personal data.
Additionally, this version has a turbo scan function that enables AVG to quickly finish a check and minimize disruption to your workday by skipping over files it already knows are secure.
AVG Premium
AVG Ultimate is the top-tier antivirus product offered by AVG. It comes with an antivirus scanner, maintenance tools, and VPN all in one.
Thanks to its real-time threat detection, ransomware and camera protection avg secure browser, remote access shield, and improved firewall, AVG says that this is award-winning security, privacy, and performance for you and your family.
The performance tuneup tools are made to make your smartphone faster, clear away unnecessary data, and extend battery life.
Additionally, it will maintain your programs current so that problems don’t arise when they become old, vulnerable, and problematic.
A VPN is also a part of AVG Ultimate, which helps you stay safe and anonymous online. With 256-bit encryption and more than 50 server locations, you may hide your IP address, keep your online activities private, and access your preferred online content.
CAN MALWARE BE PREVENTED BY AVG Antivirus?
Results of EICAR Simulation
How successfully does AVG safeguard users from the most harmful malware threats?
I’ll use a range of malware, virus, trojan, and adware samples to test the AVG scanner’s speed and efficacy at thwarting attacks.
I will first evaluate AVG’s effectiveness using four malware test files from the European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research (EICAR). The samples are various hazards that a regular PC user can run into.
I’ll be seeing how AVG secures the device and whether it successfully stops the malware sample.
The table above demonstrates how AVG’s real-time scanner prevented the download of the first two EICAR files. The second pair of tested EICAR files were included in zipped folders. Although AVG permitted me to download the zip files, it immediately stopped these files when I tried to extract them from the zipped folder.
The virus in the zip file is detected by some of the other malware scanners I tested, however, AVG blocked all malware files and prevented their opening on the computer.
Live Malware Samples
I utilized three distinct live malware files to further test AVG and observe how the real-time scanner performed.
One sample of adware and two trojans were used in the test. Adware infects your computer with revenue-generating advertisements, while Trojans can be used to steal personal information or encrypt your data. Keep both varieties of malware off your computer at all costs!
AVG was quite effective in preventing all three of these risky files from opening. The following table displays how well AVG protected users from the malware that was downloaded:
In both of my malware tests, AVG produced outstanding overall results; the full scan detected every piece of malware and Eicar samples.
Results of AV-Comparatives
I examined the outcomes from two separate antivirus testing labs, which are able to test applications with a significantly higher number of files, to make sure my own findings were correct.
First, I looked at AV-Comparatives’ most current test results for AVG on two key tests: the Real-World Protection Test and the Malware Protection Test.
How antivirus software handles samples from external disks and USBs is measured by the malware protection test. The Real-World Prevention Test measures online dangers, therefore in addition to the antivirus scanner, other tools like phishing protection are used.
The most recent Real-World Protection for consumer PC devices was tested with 362 different malware test cases between February and March 2022.
In this test, AVG performed quite well, blocking 99.4% of the test cases it encountered and registering just two false positives. With a 100% rate, applications like Avira, Norton, Trend Micro, and Panda performed better, but each of these programs also found many more false positives.
The most current Malware Protection Test by AV-Comparatives was run in March 2022, and 10040 test cases were presented to antivirus software.
During this test, AVG detected online threats 99.5 percent of the time, offline threats 94.2 percent of the time, and protected online threats 99.98 percent of the time, with ten false alarms. Overall, these findings rank AVG as one of the tested antivirus programs with the best overall performance.
The results of these tests, coupled with those of my own malware test, indicate that AVG is on the right track. I looked at some tests from AV-Test, an additional independent lab, as the last check.
AV-Test Findings
AVG’s performance against sample threats in March and April is demonstrated in the most recent set of AV-Test findings for Windows consumer products, which were published in April 2022.
Here, we should focus on two key tests.
The initial line of defense against web and email threats as well as 0-day malware attacks. Zero-day attacks are brand-new dangers that target Windows flaws that haven’t yet been patched.
It is crucial to have an antivirus that guards against these threats because it often takes five days for these vulnerabilities to be addressed. 400 samples were utilized in this test, and the antivirus software is constantly updated and has a full Internet connection.
For this test, AVG obtained flawless results with a 100% protection rate in both March and April.
The second test evaluates how AVG responds to the discovery of pervasive malware discovered in the previous four weeks. 21,784 samples total were used in this test.
WHAT ELSE ARE THE AVAILABLE SPECIAL FEATURES?
1. AVG Secure VPN
A VPN feature is part of AVG Ultimate, which improves security and privacy online. This keeps your wifi connections secure wherever you are. Your browsing, banking, and personal information will be kept secure by the VPN thanks to an encrypted connection.
This implies that in addition to being safe from hackers, your information is also safeguarded from other spies, such as the government and your internet service provider.
Additionally, you can establish a connection to local servers in several nations throughout the globe, providing you access to news and other online materials as though you were there.
The 256-bit AES encryption used by AVG Secure VPN is military-grade and is practically impenetrable. You can choose from 50 different server locations and link up to 10 different devices to the VPN at once. Overall, the VPN is effective and a useful complement to the security tools available online.
2. Tools For Privacy
AVG comes with a variety of privacy options to prevent snoops from watching you.
3. Webcam security
A webcam protection function guards against hacking and compromising of your webcam. Untrusted apps are required to request permission to access your webcam by using the tool.
Protecting your webcam is usually a smart idea because hackers can utilize it for a variety of purposes. Even if you don’t find the view from your webcam to be particularly appealing, it can increase a hacker’s access or enable other types of attacks.
By hacking webcams, cybercriminals can also invade your privacy and listen in on private conversations.
4. A data destroyer
Similar to a paper shredder for physical documents, a data shredder securely and permanently deletes digital files and renders them unrecoverable. Because of this, erasing digital files is significantly safer and more secure.
On a computer, moving a file to the recycle bin does not actually remove the data. On the hard drive, that area still contains data.
Programs can be used by hackers to recover these files. A file is “shredded” by running it through a computer that repeatedly overwrites it with new data until the old data is completely obscured.
IS IT SIMPLE TO USE THE INTERFACE?
After your program has been successfully installed, you will see the AVG main dashboard.
The user interface of AVG is sleek and up-to-date. Recognizable headlines and images make it easy for you to immediately initiate a scan and access other important features. Everything is quite intuitive to use, and the design and color palette is pleasing to the eye. Although customization is limited by the straightforward design, it is not actually essential.
AVG gives you confidence that your devices are secure by displaying a very obvious warning at the top of the window when it first launches. You can also see if you are secured across online, email, privacy, and payments in a message in the bottom panel.
The interface also provides the date that your most recent virus scan was finished and serves as a reminder should you need to do a manual scan. Quick access to more functions is provided by the menu. I enjoy the way the AVG interface looks and feels overall.
AVG’s customer support
A forum and an online support form are available on the AVG website for you to use when contacting customer service.
You can read articles addressing the most frequent problems customers encounter or receive support from other AVG users through the vast support hub provided by AVG, which includes FAQs, a how-to section, and community advice.
Internet security from AVG
Depending on your needs, AVG internet security can be used to protect a variety of different devices.
One PC or Mac will cost $75.99 per year to be covered under the basic plan, which is a fair price for just one device. To make it more enticing, AVG offers a 39 percent discount for the first year of subscription, which brings the price down to $46.68 for the first year of security.
There is an alternate option that can cover up to 10 devices if you need to cover more than one. This costs $98.99 a year, but, like before, the first year is discounted. This time, the discount is a little larger at 40% off the regular price, making the first year’s subscription only $59.88.
AVG Premium
There is only one subscription plan available for AVG Ultimate, and it covers 10 devices. The average annual cost is $127.99. Users can receive a discount of 53% for the first year, bringing the price down to $59.88 for the first year’s subscription.
BEST OPTIONS FOR AVG
AVG has excellent added features, a user-friendly interface, and very high protection rates. However, it’s not the only effective antivirus program on the market. Along with AVG, there are a few more services you might want to look at. View the substitute antivirus programs I’ve chosen below.
Bitdefender: Bitdefender offers outstanding security and a wide range of extra security features. Additionally, there are privacy tools to safeguard your private information, all of which operate in the background without slowing down your device.
Norton: Norton is a market leader in personal antivirus software. It consistently achieved 100% protection rates, showing that the results of its malware protection are excellent. Other features that are particularly helpful are camera protection and a VPN.
McAfee: McAfee is a good option because of its high protection ratings against viruses, adware, trojans, and protection against phishing schemes. To permanently overwrite sensitive data, there are additional helpful tools like a file shredder.
CONCLUSION
AVG offers a fairly complete bundle that has options for everyone. The packages offer good value, whether you choose the free edition, the most basic premium version, or the Ultimate suite with VPN.
AVG offers superior virus protection, as demonstrated by my own tests, and does so with a little negative impact on computer performance.
For individuals who cherish their privacy, additional tools, such as the data shredder, remote access barrier, and webcam protection, are more valuable.
References:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antivirus&hl=en&gl=US
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/avg-antivirus-free
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AVG good antivirus?
In conclusion. AVG is one of the most reputable names in antivirus for good reason, with a 99.8% malware detection rate. Strong antivirus protection is now more important than ever for the well-being and security of any Internet-connected device.
Do you need AVG AntiVirus?
Is AVG a reliable antivirus program? AVG Antivirus is a decent option if you’re seeking antivirus software, yes. It provides real-time protection by identifying questionable downloads, links, and items that can endanger your machine. It’s a great option for security-conscious customers because it offers superb all-around protection.
Is AVG antivirus free a virus?
Thanks to our cutting-edge virus and malware removal technology, our capacity to find and eliminate unwanted spyware without affecting the performance of your PC, and our potent Trojan scanner and removal tools, AVG AntiVirus FREE is among the finest free antivirus solutions.
