It came close in performance, with 5.5 points. AVG took six points for usability, meaning it didn't erroneously flag valid programs or websites as malicious, and six more points for malware protection. With six points possible in each category, the maximum score is 18 points. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, ESET, G Data, and Kaspersky also took Advanced+ in all three tests.ĪV-Test Institute (Opens in a new window) reports on antivirus capabilities in three areas: protection, performance, and usability. Products that achieve the necessary minimum scores receive a Standard rating, while those that show advanced features and capabilities can rate Advanced or Advanced+.ĪVG and Avast both received Advanced+ ratings in all three tests. The analysts at AV-Comparatives (Opens in a new window) perform a variety of security tests, of which we follow four. Three of them include AVG in their latest reports, and all four include its cousin Avast. We follow four independent testing labs that regularly release reports on their results. With a free antivirus that doesn't bring in any income, a company might be tempted to avoid the expense of testing. The company does benefit a high score gives it bragging rights, while if the score is poor, the lab helps the company work through what went wrong. You might not realize this, but in most cases antivirus companies pay for the privilege of having products tested by the independent labs. Other products, among them Avira Free Security, lean harder on you to upgrade. When you install the free antivirus, there’s some minor pressure to upgrade, or at least start a 30-day free trial with all the premium features. AVG only makes money when customers pay for the premium security suite.

That global reach gets AVG plenty of mindshare, but mindshare doesn’t pay the bills. The combined company has a worldwide reach. Why does the company keep them both? AVG and Avast Free Antivirus both have huge followings, but globally each is strong in different areas. Both product lines continue their separate existence, but the underlying antivirus protection engine is identical, as evidenced by the results from our tests and independent lab tests. In our own tests and tests by the independent labs, it earned excellent scores. AVG AntiVirus Free has millions of users around the world. But you can get better protection than the built-in without laying out any extra cash. Microsoft agrees-if Windows detects no third-party antivirus it insists on enabling its own Windows Defender.

How to Set Up Two-Factor AuthenticationĮverybody needs antivirus protection.

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