Is Avast For Mac Any Good
Avast makes quite a thing about its free antivirus offering, giving a good breakdown of its feature set and companion programs online, as well as, naturally, offering a range of upgrades to. Avast offers a range of different support options, including phone support around the clock. The company is well-known as an antivirus provider, so they do have good infrastructure for support. Product Testing. Secureline VPN Now. Avast Secureline really doesn’t have much in the way of a client compared to other providers. Any Good Antivirus For Mac: Antivirus is the must have app for MAC. Due to the increased number of different viruses and hacking techniques, your personal data is always at the risk. Hacker can use your personal data for any type of illegal activities and you will found yourself in trouble soon.
Original review: Nov. 24, 2018Since 2005 I have utilised Avast antivirus free version and later paid, and despite being free, it has protected my computer from virus, malware and recently stopped countless of ransomware attacks that have been going haywire on the Internet line in my area. Reading countless of the negative reviews of this program I can without a doubt say these people have no idea what they are doing, it surprises me they even know how to turn a computer on.
Avast unlike many other AV software I have tested, has successfully managed to isolate viruses and malware even in archived files surprisingly. Another astonishing feature with Avast subsequently missing from vast majority of other AV programs is customisation in the installer letting you decide exactly what you want included and what you want excluded.
Avast AV also gives you good control of settings, all the annoying features can be easily turned off, Avast has always had a good interface which really helps navigating through the various advanced features. Avast not only lets you quick scan but also do complete scans, Avast also includes a boot scan option which will scan your computer before Windows boots, extremely helpful in removing very dangerous threats.
Despite this, Avast will not compromise in safety even on the free version and will constantly give you offers on the paid variant, there no reason not to accept. Avast is also one of the extremely few that STILL supports Windows XP and Vista to this day letting you safely use older computers with Internet connection. As someone who still has to rely on old systems for crucial software support, this is a Godsent gift to not having to worry about ransomware attacking old systems thanks to Avast.
All my clients really like Avast except the annoying pop-up reminding them to buy the software but people having previously had their computers attacked by virus has never had issues after I installed Avast free Antivirus on their systems afterwards. It can without a doubt be said that Avast tops all charts in review sites for best protection, features, user friendliness, and excellent customer service willing to help. It is hard to understand why Avast themselves receive such harsh critique when they are just trying to help, but in reality there is no helping the helpless.
View moreAvast Antivirus response
Hi, Johnnew:
Thanks for your feedback and for being an awesome Avast customer! We're thrilled to hear you've been pleased with our software!
-Avast Team
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Original review: Nov. 29, 2018I've been using Avast FREE version for over 10 years, it help me block off harmful popups and ads, even a little suspicious connection they can handle it quickly and clean, virus scanning work really good and my computer is totally virus/malware/ransom free now. To those who rated 0.5, I'm pretty sure they are hired by other companies or are 'smart' people who get their laptop from Best Buy or Walmart.
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, Testa:
Thanks for being a loyal customer for more than a decade! We're thrilled to hear you've been pleased with our software's ability to keep you and your information safe!
-Avast Team
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We value your privacy. Unsubscribe easily.Paweł of Poland Verified Reviewer
Original review: Feb. 1, 2019I'm using free Avast Protection. Recently, Avast has interfered with my computer by replacing Adobe Reader with its Avast Browser for reading PDF files. It has made it impossible to use any other programmes for reading PDF files, preventing me for installing Adobe Reader again and actually making Adobe disappear as an option for reading PDF files. I wonder if it is the company's policy?
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, Pawel:
Thank you for reaching out! Our software would not have replaced your existing product with our browser without your permission. There would have been a option when installing our browser to include PDF documents. Please check your default programs list in Windows for the option to switch it back. If this does not resolve the issue, please contact us privately for further assistance and we'll be happy to help!
-Avast Team
6 people found this review helpful
Gloria of Coos Bay, OR Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
Original review: April 15, 2019I have Avast Premier, Cleanup and SecureLine. SecureLine is working normally. Premier and Cleanup have both been completely out of service for 2 days, starting April 3, 2019. Cleanup simply will not open. Trying to open Premier gets a black square on-screen that says, 'UI failed to load. This is embarrassing. Your protection is running, but the UI is having a really bad day.' Well, this is the 3rd day. What's happening with Avast? Can't find any news stories related to problems at Avast. Is it just me?
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, Gloria:
Thanks for reaching out! We'd recommend running a repair to try to resolve the issue. Instructions for this can be found in our website.
If this does not resolve the issue, please contact us privately with your name, Avast account information, and your preferred contact email address so we can work with you directly.
-Avast Team
3 people found this review helpful
Original review: April 21, 2019I have installed Avast after malware got onto my computer, and I had to do a full restart of Windows 10. I already have Mcafee, which costs money just to protect you from a virus.>:( I shouldn't have to pay just to be protected. If the company believes in the customer and wants to actively be there for the customer, not just to get money, they would make this aspect free. I understand the other aspects, but you should be protected from malware on your computer. I was going to originally install Norton, because I've used that Anti-virus protection before, and, I like Norton, but I also know they make you pay, for literally everything, so I decided to try a new Anti-Virus. I found Avast upon my search. It looked good from the logo and the website.
I installed it and immediately was impressed with the user-interface. When I got re-directed somehow to another website, it protected me immediately, and even buzzed letting me know. Not only that, it told me what drivers to update, (although I only have free version so I cannot install this), but I can install the drivers manually myself, now that I know what drivers to install. I also swear my computer was speedier since this app install! This protects me from what I need to be protected, without money-costing me, because they care about me, not just my money.
I just love this product so much! Everything is perfect with this! I am going to stick with this Anti-virus forever! I love this Anti-virus so much, that I decided I am going to upgrade so It'll install drivers for me and do lots more! This program has so many features versus Mcafee, (which I also have but won't do anything because not paid!), and so much more than what other virus-protection services have. It also has good Anti-virus tests to prove it! Thank you so much Avast, you have changed my life for the better. Definitely will recommend!!
View moreAvast Antivirus response
Hi, Sophia:
Thanks for your feedback and for choosing Avast for your security needs!
-Avast Team
2 people found this review helpful
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Original review: Aug. 15, 2019I signed up for a free trial and within an hour, they had upgraded me to a full subscription and charged my card $86. I called and cancelled subscription they added without authorization and got my money back. Took a while. Then on August 13th, I got two (2) $86.59 charges back to back that came out of nowhere. I called and talked with someone I couldn't understand well, but was told one of the charges would be refunded. It hasn't happened yet. Disputing with bank and Avast. It's a slow process. When this gets taken care, I will cancel my card. I was actually asked if I wanted to cancel my subscription!!?? Do not trust them.
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, Monica:
We apologize for the inconvenience and would like to investigate what happened and get this resolved for you! Please contact us privately with your full name, contact email address, the charges that were placed on your card, support ticket information (if you received an email), and the number you dialed so we can ensure you spoke with genuine Avast Support.
-Avast Team
3 people found this review helpful
Hunter of Rancho Cucamonga, CA Verified Reviewer
Original review: Aug. 26, 2019Avast installed without permission from me and without knowing which is an automatic one star from me. They also force you to use their uninstall software instead of having control panel delete it. It constantly sent me notifications that I have a virus, I have done multiple full scans with Windows Defender and it said nothing. And I also got this in an Adobe Flash scam, so they paid people to put something I don't want on my computer and wasting my time.
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, Hunter:
Thanks for reaching out! We can assure you we would never install our software without your permission. There would have been a box to opt-out during the installation of your other program. If you have any additional questions, we would be happy to help you directly.
-Avast Team
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V of Other, Other Verified Reviewer
Original review: Aug. 31, 2019I subscribed to the Avast Antivirus software. I'm not sure how good the software is, but it occasionally tells me it's spotted or blocked something. The problem is that I am paying much more than I intended. I was led to believe it was an annual fee, yet I've been charged four times within 12 months - each time the amount increases ($49.99, $49.99, $59.99, $79.99). Back in March I asked PayPal to stop letting them withdraw funds from my account and PayPal agreed. Since then the company has used disposable account information to withdraw funds. I'm now clamping down on my PayPal account so the processing company (Digital River) can't take money from me anymore.
Avast Antivirus response
Hi, V:
Thanks for reaching out! We'd like to investigate further to see what's happening as we do charge annually for each product. Please contact us privately with your full name, email address, and the dates and amounts of the charges and we'll be happy to sort it out for you!
-Avast Team
2 people found this review helpful
Original review: Sept. 1, 2019While it works ok as a free version, Avast has become Adware. It constantly harasses with ads asking for paid upgrade. Which should be ok if it wasn't for the following. It has an insidious and sneaky way of making you go for a free trial of the paid version in an advert that makes you think you are updating the virus database. This method is only seen in predatory tactics of Adware.
Another disgusting Adware characteristic is lying and scaring the user into thinking they are being watched and followed and they need protection. Which Avast does it plenty. Mum called me horrified to tell me she's being watched and needs protection. I thought she's gone mad, but no. It was an Avast ad. Finally it does the same scaremongering as fake registry cleaners. Avast will tell you you need to upgrade to its paid version in order to clean your computer of unused programs and free your drive space. Avast kindly go ** yourself, I'm finally going for a paid version of ESET. Go cry in a bucket.
View moreAvast Antivirus response
Hi, I:
Thanks for your feedback. While we do occasionally notify our customers of our other great products and features, they are not meant to cause any undue stress and we do offer the ability to add/remove features that may or may not fit our customers' specific needs by clicking Menu>Settings>General>Troubleshooting>Add/Remove Components. Additionally, Silent Mode is located under the Notifications tab.
-Avast Team
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Allison of Smithfield, VA Verified Reviewer
Original review: Sept. 3, 2019I cancelled my service in 2017 with Avast because I was paying for 3 computers and I was down to one. They said they cancelled and refunded my money that year. The next year 2018, they charged me again (but changed the name of the service) and I missed it because I did not have the email that I had used anymore and I didn't check my Credit card statement. This year, 2019, I am charged again, but this time I see it and check with my CC company to find I was charged in 2018 also. Avast refunded my 2019 charge but keeps telling me that I never cancelled this new service (they changed the name and kept saying I had both, though I was never charged for both at one time and the new named service was also for 3 computers).
After they give me all the generic responses I try to reason with them that Why would I order a new service for 3 computers when I was down to 1. They changed the name, never cancelled me, charged me (stole from me) and refuse to refund my $60 from 2018 because it is beyond their refund time. I was able to get the order numbers so that I had proof of the charges but I have been given the runaround over and over with them trying to tell me that I ordered this and I never did. Be very careful.
View moreAvast Antivirus response
Hi, Allison:
Thanks for reaching out! We'd like to help find out what occurred and get this resolved for you. Please contact us privately with your full name and the subscribed email address (as well as your current email address if that one is no longer being used) so we can further assist you.
Avast For Mac 10.7.5
-Avast Team
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Today's best Avast Free Antivirus 2018 deals
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Avast's Free Antivirus costs nothing, but it does an excellent imitation of a security suite, tossing in a password manager, a hardened browser, a gaming mode and a Wi-Fi scanner. It also works with all recent Windows versions and lets you customize the program to suit your computing style.
On the downside, Avast's malware defenses are a rung below the best, and you'll have to suffer through long scans and deal with its complicated interface. It also collects and sells your search and browsing history to third parties — although you can opt out to some extent — and shows you ads for other Avast products.
If you want better protection and don't need extra features, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition and Kaspersky Free Antivirus offer nearly perfect malware detection with little impact on system performance.
MORE: Best Free Antivirus Software
What's Covered and Upgrade Options
Avast Free Antivirus works with all Windows releases from Windows XP (with Service Pack 3) to Windows 10.
It's almost a free security suite, what with the extra features we've already mentioned. But if you want a firewall, file encryption or a file shredder, you'll need to upgrade to a paid product.
Avast Internet Security provides a firewall and extra ransomware protection that automatically duplicates key files during an attack. It starts at $60 per year for a single system and goes up to $500 for 10 PCs for three years.
MORE: How to Buy Antivirus Software
With the Premier edition, which starts at $70 per year, Avast throws in protection against webcam spying as well as a file shredder to make confidential or embarrassing items disappear.
Ultimate is a bundle that packages Premier with an unlimited subscription to Avast's SecureLine VPN service (provided by Avast subsidiary Hide My Ass) as well as its system optimizer and a premium password manager that includes some identity-protection features.
At $120 for a single Windows PC, Ultimate is rather expensive. For the same price, Bitdefender Total Security Family Pack offers unlimited device coverage, including software for Macs and Android devices, with similar features and better malware protection.
Antivirus Protection
Avast's first defensive layer is traditional signature-based scanning that compares files to known malware. The second layer monitors activity and code snippets to look for indications of a malware attack. Finally, anything suspicious gets sent to Avast's cloud lab for analysis, and if it is confirmed as malicious, a new malware signature is sent out to the company's 400 million users.
Avast Free Antivirus includes browser add-ons for Chrome and Firefox that steer you away from dangerous pages. It also scans email attachments for dangerous software.
Antivirus Performance
Avast's malware-detection engine is shared by all Avast Windows antivirus products as well as those of its corporate sibling AVG. The engine does a decent but unspectacular job, according to three of the four testing labs whose results we use.
Our own lab in Utah measures how well antivirus products protect against and block malicious websites, and it gave Avast Free Antivirus a 98 percent rating in tests during the first half of 2018. That matched the ratings of Kaspersky Anti-Virus and beat Avira Free Security Suite, Panda Dome Essential and even AVG AntiVirus Free, though it was a point behind Bitdefender Antivirus Plus.
The AV-Test lab in Germany measures protection against 'zero-day' malware that's previously unseen and can't be detected by signature scanning alone, as well as against widespread malware whose signatures are known.
Avast Free Antivirus did well on Windows 7, catching 100 percent of both kinds of malware in January and February 2018, but racked up seven 'false positives' — exactly the same as AVG Internet Security.
Avast didn't do as well on Windows 10. In March and April 2018, it stopped only 99.0 and 98.8 percent of zero-day malware, while Avira, Bitdefender and Kaspersky stopped it all. Avast fared better with widespread malware, detecting 100 percent in March and 99.9 percent in April with three false positives.
Another round of Windows 10 tests showed a partial improvement by Avast, as its program detected all zero-day and widespread malware in May 2018, and all widespread malware in June, though it blocked only 99.2 percent of zero-day malware in that month. Avast registered one false positive during both months.
Avast had its ups and downs in tests conducted by Austrian lab AV-Comparatives. Over six monthly tests, its software averaged 99.4 percent detection of online malware, but the actual scores ranged from 100 percent in June to 98.6 percent in March. Avast got 10 false positives over six months. Bitdefender led the way here, with an average detection rate of 99.8 percent, while Windows Defender trailed with 98.4 percent.
MORE: 12 Computer Security Mistakes You're Probably Making
But Avast did poorly on tests conducted by Britain's SE Labs, which checks not only detection rates but also how antivirus products treat malware after detection and if they can handle sophisticated attacks that target politicians, journalists and dissidents.
Avast Free Antivirus got an accuracy rating of only 91 percent in SE Labs' early-2018 evaluations. That was behind the ratings of most of the other free antivirus brands. Avast failed to spot five out of 100 attacks, and couldn't stop four more, leading to nine infections overall.
Even AVG did better, tying Avira at 94 percent. Kaspersky led the free pack with 99 percent.
Security and Privacy Features
Avast's SafeZone secure browser, part of Free Antivirus, can keep your wallet secure by limiting add-ons while blocking ads and suspicious sites. Its Bank Mode isolates the browser from the rest of the system to thwart nosy malware.
But Avast's Privacy Policy notes that if you search for items in the Secure Browser, 'you consent to having your search query and history transmitted to third-party search providers and to being redirected to third-party sites.'
The password manager stores an unlimited number of credentials locally; it works with Firefox, Chrome and Avast's SafeZone browser.
The Wi-Fi Inspector scans your local network for flaws such as weak passwords, incorrect settings or outdated firmware. There's a seven-day unlimited-data trial of Avast's SecureLine VPN service, but after that, SecureLine costs $20 a year for a smartphone, $60 a year for a PC or Mac, or $80 for five varied devices. By contrast, Panda Free Antivirus gives you 150MB of free VPN data a day.
Should your PC get bogged down with malware, Avast's Rescue Disk software can help. Just load the software onto a CD or USB drive and restart the system.
Performance and System Impact
Avast's Free Antivirus tended to use too many of our system's resources during active scans, which took a long time.
To check system performance, we used our custom benchmark test, which times how long it takes the CPU to match 20,000 names and 20,000 addresses in an OpenOffice spreadsheet. Our testbed was an Asus X555LA notebook with a 2GHz Core i3 processor, 6GB of RAM and 117GB of files on a 500GB hard drive, running Windows 10 with the latest updates.
Before we installed Avast Free Antivirus, we established a baseline of an average of 6 minutes and 54 seconds to finish the OpenOffice benchmark. Completion time rose to an average of 7:21 with the Avast software loaded, but without any active scanning taking place, indicating a 6.5 percent passive decline in performance.
That's a little worse than AVG and Bitdefender's 5 percent declines, but better than Panda and especially Avira, whose 9.8 percent hit brought up the rear. Kaspersky was the champion, slowing the Asus by only 2.6 percent.
During Avast's full scan, the OpenOffice completion time stretched to 8:47, 27 percent slower than the baseline and 19 percent slower than Avast's background load. Only Avira Free Antivirus did worse, with a full-scan slowdown of a whopping 35 percent. AVG AntiVirus Free was the overall winner, slowing down the system by only 11 percent.
Smart Scan, Avast's term for a quick scan, put less stress on the system, letting the OpenOffice task finish in 8:24, 22 percent slower than the baseline and 14 percent slower than without an active scan. But that system mpact was still heavier than all except Avira. AVG and Panda tied for best with quick-scan impacts of 7.4 percent.
MORE: Antivirus Software - Reviews of Free and Paid Versions
Avast Free Antivirus took an average of 1 hour and 42 minutes to look at 795,601 files on our Asus. That wasn't as long as Bitdefender's initial 2-hour-and-15-minute scan, but Avast's scan times didn't decline with subsequent runs.
Interface
Avast's main interface window has the standard green check mark next to the words 'You're Protected.' If something's amiss, the check mark changes to a red X.
There's a button to start a Smart Scan, which checks for malware, weak passwords and vulnerable software as well as network and performance problems. Three clicks away are the Protection settings, which let you start a full scan, scan specific folders or run a boot-up or custom scan. You can scan any single item by right-clicking it in Windows Explorer. You can schedule scans to run daily, weekly or monthly.
Avast For Mac Review
Avast's interface is both complex and customizable. You can turn off or adjust just about every tool, from web shields to Browser Cleanup. The more you dig, the more opportunities there are for personalization.
If the program becomes too intrusive, you can adjust the aggressiveness of the scanning or try Avast's Game Mode. Avast's Task Tray icon lets you update the software, temporarily disable protection, peek into the quarantine area or switch to the secure browser.
Installation and Support
Installing Avast Free Antivirus took a little over 7 minutes. We got to choose from 48 languages, including Pirate Talk; whether to make SafeZone our default browser; and whether to install the Avast app on an Android device.
By default, Avast Free Antivirus collects data about your browsing behavior and sells it to third parties. The Privacy Policy states that Avast shares 'statistical data that has been anonymized and aggregated geographically and so, cannot be used to identify individuals, with third parties for trend analytics.'
You can't opt out of this during installation, but you can at the bottom of the Settings Privacy section. While there, you might want to turn off Avast's pop-up ads as well; you'll still get ads for upgrades on the program's main page, though. You'll find more information and more ways to opt out at Avast's Privacy Portal.
There's no need to set up an online Avast account, but if you do, you can remotely control some aspects of the company's mobile apps and also use the Privacy Portal.
Avast Free Antivirus' users get neither phone nor email support. You'll need to check the company's forums, FAQs, installation tips and knowledge base to fix any problem.
Avast Security For Mac Download
Bottom Line
Avast Free Antivirus offers more features than other free AV products and comes close to a full security suite. Its protection is OK, but it's a step behind the best. In addition, Avast's program can slow the system a bit more than necessary, and its privacy policies leave something to be desired.
If you can do without the bells and whistles that Avast offers, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition and Kaspersky Free Antivirus each provide better malware protection and system performance.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Is Avast For Mac Totally Free
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