- Clamxav Vs Avast For Mac
- Sophos Vs Avast For Mac
- What Is Scanguard Software
- Scanguard For Mac Reviews
- Avast For Mac Free Download
- Mac anti-virus testing 2014 Published January 27th, 2014 at 8:49 AM EST, modified April 2nd, 2015 at 5:05 PM EST Update: Many people have completely ignored some of the cautionary information mentioned in the Scope section, and have erroneously assumed that the anti-virus apps at the top of the test results are the best to use overall.
- Vs ScanGuard - Which one best fits your needs? Side by side comparison helps you select the best Antivirus service.
(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.
Antivirus Software Comparison: Scanguard vs McAfee March 29, 2017 Whether you’re an occasional internet user or connected 24/7, these days a powerful antivirus package is an absolute necessity.
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.
Overall, Bitdefender is our #1 antivirus software for 2019 (and beyond), because of its excellent, flawless performance in all independent lab evaluations, particularly those conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.
Right now, we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package available in the market. Apart from providing excellent anti-malware protection, it offers all the advanced premium features and utilities that must be there in a high-end package -- and best of all, it offers excellent value for money. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with just one license.
If you need protection for more than five devices, we highly recommend Bitdefender Family Pack 2019. It will cover all the internet-capable devices in your household with the Total Security suite, so your family is protected no matter what goes wrong.
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.
We have reviewed and rated most (if not all) antivirus software packages out there, and we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package you can buy right now. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with a single license of this suite.
If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you.
If you're just looking for Mac-specific protection, we recommend Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 2019 for complete peace of mind.
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 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
Clamxav Vs Avast For Mac
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 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.
Avast Security Products | Prices |
---|---|
Avast Pro Antivirus | Check Price |
Avast Internet Security | Check Price |
Avast Premier | Check Price |
Avast Ultimate | Check Price |
Avast Security for Mac | Check Price |
Avast Business Products | Check Prices |
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.
Sophos Vs Avast For Mac
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.
Avira Security Products | Prices |
---|---|
Avira Antivirus Pro | Check Price |
Avira Internet Security | Check Price |
Avira Optimization Suite | Check Price |
Avira Total Security Suite | Check Price |
Avira Business Products | See Full Range |
What Is Scanguard Software
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
Plus, it comes with premium customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you.
Scanguard For Mac Reviews
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Price | $24.95 | $39.99 |
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Money back Guarantee | ||
Scanning | ||
Real-time Antivirus | ||
Manual Virus Scanning | ||
USB Virus Scan | ||
Registry Startup Scan | ||
Auto Virus Scanning | ||
Scheduled scan | ||
Anti-Spyware | ||
Anti-Worm | ||
Anti-Trojan | ||
Anti-Rootkit | ||
Anti-Phishing | ||
Anti-Spam | ||
Email Protection | ||
Chat/IM Protection | ||
Adware Prevention | ||
Compatibility | ||
Windows | ||
Mac | ||
Android | ||
IOS | ||
Easy of use | ||
Extra features | ||
Personal Firewall | ||
Parental Controls | ||
Gamer Mode | ||
VPN Service | ||
Smartphone Optimizer | ||
Device Tune-up | ||
Safe browser | ||
Live Help | ||
Phone support | ||
Email support | ||
Ticket support |