Compare Avast vs. Kaspersky. See pros and cons of Avast vs. Kaspersky and easily decide which antivirus software is right for you.

As we said, Avast security products are available for various platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone or iPad. That having said, dedicated antivirus suite is available only for Windows PC. For other platforms, you would get a free antivirus suite — along with additional apps such as SecureLine VPN and SecureMe. Kaspersky and Avast are two names we cannot ignore as long as we are in the digital security industry. Both the companies have established an unparalleled track-record of protection for a variety of devices, including Windows PC, Mac and Smartphone platforms like Android and iOS.

Millions of computers around the globe become victims of virus attacks. Your computer could also be one. Malware and virus can tamper with your sensitive information, spam your mailbox, reduce the speed of your system or cause it to crash completely. Rebuilding and restoring the functionality of a system after a malware attack can be big affair. So it’s always good to have a good anti-malware software installed on your system and protect it from malware attacks.

The innumerable choices available in the can overwhelm you because you won’t know which one is the best. As of now, the competition is Avast vs. Kaspersky, two of the top ten performers in the anti-virus domain. Although Kaspersky is the winner of the Silver Award for internet security, avast too is competing well.

So which anti-virus software should you buy? Well, here’s a comparison to help you choose between the two.

Avast Vs. Kaspersky Antivirus Software Comparison

Protection And Performance

When it comes to combating zero-day malware threats, Kaspersky, be it Internet Security, Total Security or Anti-virus, proves 100 percent effective. This implies the Kaspersky’s virus definitions are up-to-date, which prevents systems from being attacked by the latest malware. Even in the case of prevalent malware threats, the software seems to be highly effective. Not only this, the software doesn’t slow down your system like most other software do. It maintains the same speed even when you are opening heavy applications and features.

Kaspersky Internet Security has a huge list of features, including safe-surfing, two-way firewall, social media management tools, identity theft protection, geo-filter for threat blocking, and online banking mode. It also provides parental control options, which are very useful in creating and monitoring different user profiles.

But Avast anti-virus doesn’t seem to match up with Kaspersky Internet Security in terms of protection. If you consider prevalent and zero-day threats, Avast anti-virus showed a detection rate of only 99 percent. This implies that your system will still be a little vulnerable to certain threats. This is likely to occur even when you have the latest virus definitions installed.

When it comes to performance, Avast anti-virus lags behind to some extent. You may face some difficulty while launching certain websites on Google Chrome or using any heavy application. Nonetheless, certain positive aspects of Avast anti-virus shouldn’t be neglected. It provides a safe environment for playing free games, sandbox for using unsafe applications, and personal information management and identity protection systems.

The verdict for this round of Avast vs Kaspersky, the winner is certainly Kaspersky.

User Interface

User interface is something nobody would like to compromise with. But talking about the Avast vs. Kaspersky user interface, the comparison seems to be tough. Perhaps Kaspersky has the best user interface in the anti-virus domain. The features are placed systematically, and you won’t have any trouble finding them. The get the same seamless experience while navigating from one section to another. As such, Kaspersky products, be it Total Security, Anti-virus or Internet Security, outscores many other software in terms of user interface.

Avast anti-virus provides a glitch-free user interface, but it is not as good as the provided by Kaspersky products. The smoothness in navigation provided by Kaspersky is lacking in Avast anti-virus to some extent. UI elements and navigation in Avast anti-virus are not as intuitive as that of Kaspersky products. This is where Avast anti-virus falls short in ratings compared to Kaspersky products.

Avast For Mac Review

Security Packages And Pricing

The security packages and pricing are important factors to consider while buying an anti-virus software. Let’s check out the packages and pricing offered by both Kaspersky and Avast.

Kaspersky

The three major security plans offered by Kaspersky are:

• Kaspersky Anti-virus: This provides premium security for systems with Windows. It is priced at $39.95, by paying which you get Kaspersky algorithms, one PC license for a year, and quick system scanning speed.
• Kaspersky Internet Security: Although the price of this package is $59.95, you are likely to get a lot of features for that price. You have the same level of protection for Android and Mac. The best part: you just need a single subscription. It’s going to protect all your devices from virus attacks.
• Kaspersky Total Security: This is a multi-platform that provides protection for all operating systems– Android, Mac, Windows, and not the forget, iPhone also. The price of $79.95 is worth paying for such security features.

Avast

On the other hand, Avast anti-virus also provides three security plans, which are:

• Avast Pro Anti-virus: This is the basic security plan from Avast which is priced at $39.99. This plan provides sandboxing features and standard protection from offline viruses.
• Avast Internet Security: This is the dedicated security package for protecting against internet-based viruses and threats. From DNS Hijacking to Email Spam, this plan can protect your system against all sorts of online threats. You can get this package for $49.99 for your Windows PC.
• Avast Premier: This package provides the highest level of protection to systems. Packed with features such as Software Updater, Data Shredder and Avast Account, it is effective in fighting against both online and offline virus threats. You can get this package by paying $69.99.

Although both Avast and Kaspersky provide similar security packages, Kaspersky seems to be a better choice when it comes to features. It’s actually worth paying a little more and getting top-end security in return.

Avast Vs. Kaspersky: Final Verdict

Although both Kaspersky and Avast are good anti-malware software, their features seem to outperform each other. Avast is a much more affordable an option. But Kaspersky products seem to provide better features for a higher price. In addition, Kaspersky can be used on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS, thus ensuring protection for all devices in the family. It also doesn’t slow down your system and ruin your experience. After all, good malware-detection features and smooth user interface are all that you need. As such, in the Avast vs. Kaspersky comparison, Kaspersky seems to outperform Avast and becomes a better option as an anti-malware software.

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Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Avast Free Antivirus are two popular antivirus suites that offer a lot of special features, but how do they stack up in a one-on-one showdown?

At first glance, many customers will choose Avast because it's free, but that doesn't take into account each product’s malware-detection skills and system-performance impact. To figure out which antivirus solution might be best for you, we've evaluated these factors using our own in-house testing and experiences, as well as tests done by independent labs.

After six rounds of comparison, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (starting at $39.99 per year) comes out with the win, thanks to its multiple perfect malware-detection scores, low system impact and ease of use.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps

PC Protection

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Avast Free Antivirus both detect and stop most malware preying on PCs, but the former edges past the latter.

Total Av Vs Avast For Mac

In evaluations conducted by the Austrian testing lab AV-Comparatives from July to November of 2016, Bitdefender blocked an average of 99.9 percent of online malware, while Avast nipped at Bitdefender’s heels with a rate of 99.6 percent. Avast registered 13 false positives -- benign programs or files mistakenly flagged as malware -- while Bitdefender registered none.

A similar pattern showed up in evaluations done during the same period by the German lab AV-TEST, which measured how well Bitdefender and Avast performed at detecting both known widespread malware and unknown “zero-day” malware. In both fields, Bitdefender excelled by small margins.

(Note: Both labs’ tests were conducted using Bitdefender Internet Security instead of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. But as both use the same malware-detection engine, they would have earned the same scores.)

Bitdefender stopped 100 percent of both kinds of malware for Windows 10 and Windows 7. It dipped below perfection in only one round of Windows 8.1 tests, catching 98.7 percent of zero-day malware and 99.9 percent of widespread malware in December 2016. (It got them all in November.)

On Windows 10, Avast blocked all the zero-day malware in one round, but fell below that otherwise, stopping 98.8 percent of zero-day attacks in the previous round. It detected 99.9 percent of widespread malware in September 2016 and 99.8 percent in October. On Windows 8.1, Avast stopped 100 percent of zero-day malware in both rounds, while catching 99.8 percent of widespread malware in November and 99.7 percent in December.

Avast got its worst score on Windows 7, catching 97.5 percent of zero-day malware in August but 100 percent in July. Avast's Windows 7 widespread-malware scores were better, at 99.9 percent in July and 99.8 percent in August.

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. With zero false positives and the best detection, Bitdefender takes this round.

Mac Protection

When it comes to protecting Macs, your choice is a lot easier. AV-TEST's December 2016 test showed that Bitdefender detected 100 percent of malware attacking macOS Sierra, while Avast caught only 96.8 percent.

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. When it comes to antivirus protection, what matters isn’t how much gets stopped, but how much gets through.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software for Mac - Tom's Guide

Ease of Use and Installation

Avast Free Antivirus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus both make it easy to see messages saying that your system is safe, but they differ in the presentation. Bitdefender's home screen gives prominent placement to a toggle switch to enable Autopilot mode, which keeps a vigilant eye scanning your files. Avast places a 'Run Smart Scan' button in the middle of its home screen.

Bitdefender’s Quick-Scan button is also on its home page, but it’s jumbled among a bunch of other buttons and icons

MORE: Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

The installation processes for both programs are mostly the same, with one big difference: Avast will try to install the Google Toolbar into your default web browser and change your browser home page to Google. To avoid this, you'll need to uncheck two small boxes at the bottom left corner of the first Avast installation screen.

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. Avast needs to get its mitts off your default settings.

Special Features

Since you're actually paying for Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, it makes sense that it comes with features beyond superb malware detection. But you might be surprised how many freebies come with Avast's free offering.

The PC versions of Avast Free Antivirus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus each offer a password manager, a network security scanner, a secured web browser for banking and shopping, a rescue-disk option for severely infected machines (drive not included) and a game mode to keep from interrupting your frag count.

While we expect to see at least some of those features on a paid offering, they're a pleasant surprise in the Avast Free Antivirus package. In fact, the only features that Bitdefender Antivirus Plus can lord over Avast Free Antivirus are a virtual keyboard (for those worried about keylogging malware) and a file shredder.

MORE: The Best (and Worst) Identity Theft Protection

Avast For Mac Free Download

Bitdefender and Avast both make you pay more for a firewall, either as a part of Avast Pro Antivirus ($49.99 per year) or with Bitdefender Internet Security (starting at $44.99 per year). At that price, Bitdefender throws in parental controls for keeping a child out of places where he or she shouldn't be looking, while Avast doesn't offer such options at any price.

Over on the Mac, neither Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac nor Avast Free Mac Security offer much in the way of special features.

Winner: Tie. Bitdefender gives you a file shredder and virtual keyboard, but Avast offers a lot of goodies for free.

Avast For Mac 10.7.5

System Impact

Neither Bitdefender nor Avast will slow down your system much, but it might depend on the platform you use. When we tested both suites on an ASUS X555LA laptop running Windows 10, the Avast system exhibited a very light system impact, whereas the Bitdefender package created just a little more of a slowdown in performance.

MORE: Which Laptop CPU is Right for You?

In testing on a MacBook Pro, the reverse was true: While both Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Avast Free Mac Security had a small impact on performance, the system running Bitdefender ran slightly faster.

Winner: Tie. Avast caused less system drag on PCs, but Bitdefender evens the score on Macs.

Pricing

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus starts at a relatively low $39.99 per year for one PC, but Avast Free Antivirus is, well, free. For many buyers, that's going to be a first-round knockout. But since these products aren't quite the same, we can't stop there. Ultimately, it’s about what you’re getting for the money.

Winner: Avast! Free Antivirus. No price can beat free.

Verdict

While it offers a surprising amount of features for being a free product, Avast Free Antivirus trails behind Bitdefender Antivirus Plus in malware detection, which is what really counts.

The lack of a price tag on Avast Free Antivirus makes it an alluring choice for budget-minded consumers, and, yes, it is better than nothing (or Windows Defender). But Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the better choice for anyone looking to batten down the hatches with antivirus protection.