Is Avast still the best free antivirus?

_Kyle_

Well-Known Member
Well, it's an opinion based question but I use it and I think it is definitely a very good one, best in my opinion.
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
I use it and think its one of the better ones. Just make sure you choose to do a custom install and only check the first 3 boxes on the left.
 

Agent Smith

Well-Known Member
In the past I used Bitdefender Free which is lightweight and cloud-based to help catch polymorphic malware. I put it on all the computers I work with. It doesn't have loads of crap with it and it just works.

Definition-based anti-virus isn't a full prof solution though. You might want to read about Sandboxie for your browser. It's free for the browser, but after about 30 days when you use Sandboxie it will have a registration screen that counts down to 5 before the browser launches. Small price to pay for free.

Or skip anti-virus crap altogether and check out Faronics Anti-executable. I tossed malware at it and never got by.
 

DMGrier

VIP Member
I like Avast and they still have a pretty good standing in testing with av-comparatives.org. I personally use the free version of Sophos Home on all my computers and have been pretty happy with that product.
 
There is a "new" upcomer… Sophos… They used to focus on the business customers but has since a while been selling a HOME-version..

They have a, somewhat, limited version that is free, one registration gives you protection for 3 devices (PC or MAC)
The purchase version has more functions and support up to 10 devices (PC and MAC)..

Did you know that sophos actually seem to own and run HitmanPro?

Well they have been tested really well in the business tests (to new to be tested as home-version?)
Check it out here: http://home.sophos.com
 

Guster

New Member
There is no such thing as the "best" antivirus. No AV/Malware app will pick up everything everytime. Yes Avast has a good name but so does Bitdefender and Kaspersky. For what it's worth a good security system would be say Avast (or the other mentioned ones) and a second opinion scanner like Mlawrebytes free or Zemana to run ONLY ON DEMAND. Don't run more than one realtime security app at the same time though.
 

digzu

New Member
Didn’t Avast do something to CCleaner a while back (bundle crapware iirc), and also I always found Avast horribly difficult to uninstall anyway no matter what... always left traces somewhere.

So no, it never was, even before the CCleaner scandal...

Defender might not be the best (it’s pretty much just baseline) but it works if you use something called a brain, reasonably well. It also doesn’t seem to use a huge amount of excessive boot time and the like for no reason.
 
You should choose a antivirus that has ALL the safety features you need...
The first feature to demand is: DEEP LEARNING with AI, That can detect and block new, previously unseen malware before it is executed..

And to not have an actually WORKING anti ransomware protection could be very expensive..

It should also protect your banking, your privacy, protect your usernames\mailaccounts etc. and their locally stored passwords (like for the websites you have enabled automatic logon to) and have a properly working WEB SECURITY to block malware BEFORE it enters your computer, and who blocks unsafe websites.. (Windows defender and others CLAIM to have this but often it is proven not working as promised..)

Once you find this, you know what you need and what to get..
Tests by NSS and av-test and others are also to prove that the claimed functions actually work, "good name" antiviruses like Defender, mcafee, trend micro etc. has on many occasions failed.. so one has to check not only one "test" but several to notice a continuing trend of really high scores in the difficult parts.. like exploit protection, ransomware protection etc. So to only choose "good names" are no longer valid..

Remember that it takes time to build a "good name", but many of those has not adopted to new technics and new methods..
So those who once was an acceptable choice, are not automatically up to par today...

Its hard for non professionals, unless they keep track of this "long term high scores in difficult parts"
 

digzu

New Member
lol @ ever considering using a paid "big name" AV solution, they're memory hogs and always have been... and in some cases probably untrustable in the case of companies like Kaspersky who i seem to recall once logged a bunch of data on their own servers and shared it with russian intelligence

know any good recommendations yourself for an AV TRS, you didn't specifically link to or mention a specific recommendation of a product that does work to your satisfaction...
 
Anyone using Immunet?

No! And never would… not considering that the cons outnumber the Pro´s..

"The free version is robust, but you need to consider some of its drawbacks if you plan on using Immunet as your sole antivirus program.
- Doesn’t scan email databases.
- No automatic detection of viruses on USB drives.
- Doesn’t support scheduled or offline scanning.
- If you are looking to connect, their online presence feels disingenuous and scammy, and for an antivirus program, they should have a larger and more helpful social media presence.
- Doesn't always function correctly offline, and latent virus programs could be triggered when you disconnect from the internet.
- Shows large advertisements.
- When the program is running heavily it can be a real drag on processing speed, slowing down other demanding programs like those used for games or design." Source: https://www.lifewire.com/immunet-review-1356572
 
Since I found this the other day… AVAST has not been "the best free antivirus" for a long time, and still is not..
check out https://selabs.uk/en/reports/consumers and their latest comparison: https://selabs.uk/download/consumers/epp/2019/jul-sep-2019-home.pdf
You will notice that Avast is at best only 94% accurate in protection accuracy rating, so even MS Defender is better
Many other "Free" anti-malware softwares are in the same region (so! NO! its NOT worth using any Free malware protecion.. )
Note! That Every, BETTER, paid protection has a 100% protection accuracy rating.. Like Sophos home Premium, kaspersky and F-secure.. Where Sophos and kaspersky are in a League of its own, all the others has to many errors in handling the malware..

Note! Last time i checked every producer of security software found around 300.000 NEW malware EVERY 24Hr...
So a fail in detection of just 1% makes that your malware protection may miss to handle 3000 malwares EVERY DAY!
2% fail-rate equals in 6000 different malwares that your protection does not yet protect from... EVERY DAY!
It´s this "lag" in handling malware that causes so many malwares to still be "alive" on the internet, otherwise most malwares would be "killed" by now!?

So! Yes! It really is important to select one of the best anti-malwares... not Webroot, G-data, Comodo, trend, avira, avg, avast, defender etc...
 
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_Kyle_

Well-Known Member
@TheRealSwede Instead of spending a bunch of money on something you don't need, why not try using:
common+sense.jpg
 

bbudesa

Member
I use it and think its one of the better ones. Just make sure you choose to do a custom install and only check the first 3 boxes on the left.
Is there a way to do this AFTER it's been installed? I've used it for some time, am relatively happy with it, but just wanted to check.

thanks for all you (and others) do
 

voyagerfan99

Master of Turning Things Off and Back On Again
Staff member
Is there a way to do this AFTER it's been installed? I've used it for some time, am relatively happy with it, but just wanted to check.

thanks for all you (and others) do
Holy necro-bump....

Just uninstall and reinstall. It's not like it takes a long time.
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Is there a way to do this AFTER it's been installed? I've used it for some time, am relatively happy with it, but just wanted to check.

thanks for all you (and others) do
You can actually go into control panel, programs and features and highlight avast and click on the change button. Follow the prompts and it will allow you to modify the install to only choose those 3 options.

I don't actually use it anymore on my machine as it got to the point it was popping up many times a day to buy the software. Got tired of seeing and uninstalled it, now I'm trying the free version of bit defender.
 
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