Avast Antivirus – Review

Avast is a well-known brand in the antivirus environment, thanks to the popular free suite, appreciated over time by many PC users from all over the world. Relatively recently, the company has carried out a rebranding operation, creating Avast One , a complete paid suite, full of features, including a VPN and an online identity protection tool. In Italy, however, the naming has remained unchanged , so we have Avast Ultimate , which essentially offers the same features and functionality as Avast One, unlike Premium Security , a package more focused on basic antivirus features, without the various extras offered by another paid suite.

Avast Free Antivirus is one of the free antiviruses most loved by users, will Avast be able to convince them to upgrade to Ultimate with all the additional features included? Let's find out now!

Avast Antivirus – Plans and Prices

Premium Security : €35.99 per year for 1 device | €46.99 per year for 10 devices (timed offer) Avast Ultimate : €51.99 per year for 1 device | €60.99 per year | 10 devices (timed offer) It must be said immediately that Avast's prices are among the highest on the market, although the € 119.99 Ultimate plan includes 10 devices that can be activated. The 1 PC version costs €99.90. Norton AntiVirus costs slightly less (360 Premium from 10 devices), for comparison.

The price for the first year is the same for both Premium Security and Avast Ultimate, probably because the company wants to entice users to try the more complete package. Both include the Free version's excellent antivirus engine, but while the latter is limited to basic virus, malware and ransomware protection, the other two include phishing protection, malicious website blocking and email security verification. Wi-Fi networks and some other extras. The Ultimate package, on the other hand, includes SecureLine VPN , Cleanup Premium for cleaning and optimizing your PC and AntiTrack , for online identity protection.

An interesting aspect is that Avast has merged with AVG , however the two antiviruses have remained independent and separate . In any case, the exchange of information and data between the two companies has led to greater efficiency in threat protection, given that both databases have been enriched thanks to the 400 million users worldwide.

Click here to subscribe Avast Antivirus, starting from €28.99 per year

Avast Antivirus Free

As we said, Avast's free package has gained a certain reputation over time . AV-TEST scores are positive, so Avast's antivirus engine can also block attacks from unknown viruses.

Unlike Avast One Essentials , the free version of the Avast One package not yet available in Italy , Antivirus Free offers only basic protection against viruses, malware and ransomware, relegating anti-phishing tools, malicious URL blocking and other security features to paid packages. In any case, the protection system does its duty very well, although the excess of pop-ups inviting you to switch to the subscription versions and not always optimal performance could spoil the user experience a bit.

This package is compatible with Windows , Mac , Android and iOS .

Avast Premium Security

Avast Premium Security is Avast's "intermediate" package, available for 1 Windows PC or Mac only, or for 10 devices (Windows, Mac, Android and iOS). In addition to the basic features guaranteed by Avast Antivirus Free, Premium Security includes the protection of online banking operations, the blocking of malicious websites and the protection against phishing and remote attacks aimed at taking control of the device. The price difference between the 10-device bundle and the purchase for a single Mac or Windows PC is very small, with the advantage of being able to install Premium Security on different devices, such as your Windows laptop and an iPhone.

There are no other extras, and given that the price for the first year is identical to the most comprehensive plan, perhaps it makes sense to upgrade directly to Ultimate.

Avast Ultimate

SecureLine VPN Avast Ultimate is the most complete package offered by Avast. It includes everything that Avast Antivirus Free and Premium Security offers, adding three extra tools: a virtual private network known as SecureLine VPN , Cleanup Premium which allows you to maintain your PC in terms of cleaning and optimizing performance and AntiTrack , a tool for online identity protection that blocks advertisers, targeted advertising and makes browsing more anonymous thanks to anti-fingerprinting technology.

The cost, as we said, is identical to the previous package, at least for the first year, or € 59.99 for 10 devices, so you can install it on Windows PC, Mac and Android and iOS devices. While the antivirus engine and protection systems are the same as in previous packages, the included extras make for interesting additions.

SecureLine VPN

SecureLine VPN, included in the Ultimate package, is based on HideMyAss ! , a provider with a good reputation. Unfortunately, SecureLine proves to be quite lacking in terms of speed, so much so that this VPN is more suitable for occasional use, for example during business trips or when connecting to public networks at the airport, at shopping malls or in other locations that they offer a free access point, so forget about using it for streaming platforms like Netflix, although it can technically unblock them, unless you can stand slow loading and constant buffering interruptions.

On the other hand, on Windows the kill switch is effective, since it always blocks Internet access in the event of a VPN connection drop. In addition, the tool connects automatically in case of unsecured connections and warns the user to use the VPN when accessing sites such as home banking, to increase security. In addition, you can choose from 54 locations , without data traffic limits .

With all its speed limits, this is an interesting addition, which could help you ensure safety and anonymity when connecting from non-network networks. secure. While VPNs from other security suites do better, like Bitdefender, SecureLine VPN has potential. Too bad the speeds are way below average.

Cleanup Premium

Cleanup Premium is a cleaning tool that allows you to free up disk space, delete junk files, optimize the speed of system going to fix any registry issues and so on. A defragmentation tool is included , as well as one for analyzing superfluous programs installed on the system, which are also classified according to their reputation . This is a fairly basic tool, which doesn't go far beyond other well-known software, such as Ccleaner. All in all, this is also an interesting addition, but it by itself does not justify switching to Avast Ultimate at all.

AntiTrack

This tool is perhaps the most interesting of the three. By combining various anti-tracking technologies, it promises to guarantee maximum anonymity in browsing, going beyond what is offered by VPNs and anonymous modes. In fact, it acts by masking the "fingerprint", i.e. the unique details that advertisers use to identify the user. It is also able to detect and remove tracking cookies, to prevent access to user online searches. It is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer and Opera .

Conclusion

Avast's antivirus engine is effective , the Free package is very appreciated and popular, although it can be cumbersome and intrusive on the target System. Avast hasn't yet brought Avast One to Italy, and it's a shame because the package is more complete and interesting, especially if we consider that the app interface has been streamlined and optimized.

But basically, the antivirus protection and the extras are the same, albeit with some shortcomings compared to One.

Of course, the extras offered by Avast Ultimate can hardly justify the paid upgrade, especially if we consider that other suites like Bitdefender offer many plus extras. And although €59.99 for 10 devices can be considered reasonable overall, if you can do without a VPN that is not excellent in terms of speed and a cleaning tool that finds fierce competition even among free software, you we recommend staying on Avast Free Antivirus, perhaps waiting to be able to install a trial version of Avast One. If, on the other hand, you want to try the packages first-hand, both Premium Security and Ultimate are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Click here to subscribe to Avast Antivirus, starting at €35.99 per year