Avast One Free Review: Top-Tier Antivirus and a Wealth of Free Security Tools (original) (raw)
Czech security firm Avast has offered free antivirus protection for well over 20 years. Avast One Free starts with the powerful virus-busting tech that has always been its forte and adds many and varied security components, some free and others requiring payment on a feature-by-feature basis. You can use it on all your Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices. This suite-level collection of features makes Avast One Free a clear Editors' Choice winner for free antivirus software, sharing the honor with AVG AntiVirus Free, which is a more typical—and simpler—standalone antivirus relying on the same excellent engine as Avast One Free. You can read a direct comparison between the two here.
Avast is a property of Gen Digital, as are AVG, Avira, and Norton. Gen’s developers combined the best features of antivirus engines from these apps to create a single, shared engine called the Gen Stack. At present, Avast, AVG, and Norton use this engine. I’m sure Avira will come along eventually.
The effect of using this shared resource is evident in my hands-on tests, particularly in the simple malware blocking test. Using the same set of samples, Avast, AVG, and Norton all returned identical results.
Five years ago, Avast revamped its product lineup and completely overhauled the user interface. All the products became variations on Avast One. The Essential edition, later called Basic, provided the most important security features at no cost. Avast One Silver and Gold fleshed out the feature set, bringing the protection of a full security suite. At the top tier, Avast One Platinum, you’d get all the security suite features, identity theft remediation, and concierge-level support for any tech issues.
Technically, there’s just one product, Avast One, and it’s free. However, you can add features one by one if you’re willing to pay for them. I’m identifying this review as Avast One Free to distinguish it from what you get with a paid subscription.
Out of the box, you get free-level antivirus protection and the free versions of Cleanup and BreachGuard. You can add a 60-day VPN trial or install the free versions of Driver Updater and Avast AntiTrack.
For 79.99peryear,youcanupgradetheantiviruscomponenttoPremium,unlockingadvancedfeatures.AbetterdealistheUltimatebundle,whichgivesyoupremiumversionsoftheantivirus,Antitrack,Cleanup,andVPNfor79.99 per year, you can upgrade the antivirus component to Premium, unlocking advanced features. A better deal is the Ultimate bundle, which gives you premium versions of the antivirus, Antitrack, Cleanup, and VPN for 79.99peryear,youcanupgradetheantiviruscomponenttoPremium,unlockingadvancedfeatures.AbetterdealistheUltimatebundle,whichgivesyoupremiumversionsoftheantivirus,Antitrack,Cleanup,andVPNfor109.99 per year. I’ll cover pricing in detail in my reviews of paid-for versions, and I’ll reserve discussion of the VPN as well, since it has no free tier.
With the shakeup five years ago, Avast’s appearance changed radically. It used to feature a dark gray, slightly textured background, with highlights of green and purple, plus the orange company logo. The new version was light, bright, and almost cartoonish. Every page had its own illustration in an airy line-drawing style, with dabs of pastel color. Happy people filled the larger images.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The latest remodel again uses a dark gray background, but the cartoon people and objects are still around. They’re more solid now, rather than being line drawings. The image above shows the current appearance in the center, with the old, blocky style on the left and the airy, line-drawing style on the right.
To get started with Avast One, simply download and install the free app. There’s no requirement to create an online account. From the start, the new style is highly evident, starting with the welcome screen. In testing, I found that the app installed quickly and prompted me to run a smart scan. I skipped that initial scan, thinking it would interfere with my standard malware blocking test.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
A banner at the bottom of the main window promised a lovely gift if I would only perform three tasks. The tasks included running a smart scan and viewing other Avast apps in the Avast store. When I eventually got to the point of running a smart scan, I discovered that the “gift” was a 7-day trial of Avast One Premium. I skipped that, since my aim is to review the free edition.
Rather than display one big security status banner, Avast has a status panel for Free Antivirus, Free Cleanup, and Free BreachGuard. If there are any problems with antivirus settings, you’ll see a notification in the corresponding panel. On the Free Cleanup panel, you see the number of items Avast’s background scan found for cleaning, and the Free BreachGuard panel invites you to check your email address for exposure. Another panel highlights additional Avast products, including a free VPN trial.
Down the left side, you’ll find a menu. The first four items are Home, Free Antivirus, Free Cleanup, and Free BreachGuard. Clearly, all of those are available to you. The next five icons are highlighted with an orange “attention” dot: SecureLine VPN, Driver Updater, AntiTrack, Secure Identity, and Secure Browser. Clicking one of these opens a descriptive page with an option to buy the feature or start a free trial. Once you’ve clicked one of these, its icon changes to a blue circle with a plus sign, indicating you can add the feature.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The Secure Browser item differs from the others in that you don’t have to pay to install it. Be sure to install the secure browser to get the most from Avast One. When you do so, the Secure Browser menu item moves into the upper section, just below Free BreachGuard.
Clicking the Free Antivirus menu choice opens up another menu that gives you access to a wealth of security features. These are: Status, Virus Scans, Core Shields, Quarantine, Ransomware Shield, Firewall, AI Agent Protection, Network Inspector, Software Updater, and Do Not Disturb Mode. The first time you select any security feature, you get a descriptive page explaining how it works. I’ll discuss all these in detail below.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
On this page, you’ll also find submenus titles Scam Guardian and Extra Protection. Under Scam Guardian, the Email Guard feature is locked, available only if you pay. But Web Guard, which helps you avoid dangerous sites and downloads, is fully enabled.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
There’s a lock icon on the Extra Protection submenu, meaning all the features within require a paid subscription. You can select any of the locked items to view a page with a brief explanation of its virtues. And each has a button to learn more, plus one to pay and become a premium user. When you pony up for Premium antivirus, you get all these features.
Just as many companies worldwide create and sell antivirus software, others test those programs rigorously. I follow five testing labs that regularly release public reports on their findings. Avast appears in results from all five labs and gets excellent scores.
The mere fact that all five labs put it to the test shows that Avast is a significant force in the market. Norton AntiVirus Plus is the only competitor that currently has scores from all five. Quite a few others have no lab scores or have results from just one lab. Avast’s scores aren’t merely plentiful; they’re impressively high.
Testing experts at AV-Test Institute rate each antivirus in three areas: protection against malware attacks, low impact on performance, and minimal false positives. A program can earn up to six points in each area for a maximum of 18. Avast is among the two-thirds of tested products that earned a perfect 18 points in this lab’s latest round of testing. Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows, McAfee AntiVirus, and Norton also took a perfect 18 points, as did F-Secure Internet Security, G Data Antivirus, Microsoft Defender Antivirus, and TotalAV Free Edition.
At AV-Comparatives, researchers don’t assign numeric scores. Any security tool that passes one of this lab’s many tests receives Standard certification. Those that exceed the minimum needed to pass can rate Advanced or even Advanced+. I follow three of the many tests from this lab’s reports. Like AVG, ESET NOD32 Antivirus, and Norton, Avast holds an Advanced+ rating in all three tests.
To evaluate an antivirus tool’s real-world protective capabilities, SE Labs testers use a capture-and-replay system to run the same web-based attacks against each antivirus. Contenders can earn certification at five levels: AAA, AA, A, B, and C. In the latest round of testing, Avast reached the AAA level, along with all of the other tested programs.
London-based MRG-Effitas is a tougher taskmaster than the rest. An antivirus that completely prevents every malware attack earns Level 1 certification. If the app initially lets some malware samples slip past but then wipes them out within 24 hours, that rates Level 2. Anything else is a great big fail.
In the latest run of this test, Avast, Bitdefender, and Microsoft reached Level 2. ESET, Malwarebytes Premium Security, and Norton reached Level 1.
AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation is the latest addition to my collection of independent testing labs. This lab simply reports the percentage of malware blocked in its tests. Most of the tested products, among them K7 AntiVirus Premium, Malwarebytes, and Webroot Essentials, reached 100%. Avast’s score of 99.76% was awfully close, but not quite 100%.
The five labs use different scoring methods, making comparison challenging. I’ve devised an algorithm to normalize all four to a 10-point scale and derive an aggregate lab score. Norton rules, with a perfect 10 points based on scores from all five labs. Avast, also tested by all five, earns an excellent 9.6 points. Looking at the antivirus apps tested by four labs, ESET is at the top with an impressive 9.8 points.
Once you’ve completed that initial full scan, real-time protection should handle any new attacks. Avast includes numerous layers of protection against malware weaseling in from the internet. It checks each downloaded file, checks any program before it executes, and (as I discovered) checks files that you copy to removable storage.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
To test Avast's malware-detection capabilities, I copied my malware sample folder to a thumb drive. Avast wiped out 85% of them over about five minutes. Next, I launched the remaining samples, one by one. Avast wiped out most of them so quickly that Windows displayed a “file not found” message.
Avast detected 97% of the samples and scored 9.7 of 10 possible points, precisely the same scores as Norton and AVG. I did mention that they use the same antivirus engine. Only Sophos Home Premium and Malwarebytes have done better against this collection of malware. Both detected 99%. Malwarebytes scored 9.8, and Sophos reached 9.9.
I maintain a second set of samples, created by tweaking the main samples to make them something no antivirus has ever encountered precisely. I append zeroes to change the file size, rename the files, and overwrite non-executable sections of the file. An antivirus using a too-rigid signature-based detection system will do poorly in this test. Like Norton, Avast did great, detecting 97% of the samples despite my machinations.
It takes me weeks to collect, analyze, and curate a new set of samples for my hands-on testing, so I end up using the same set for many months. I’m aware that, in the meantime, new and different samples are appearing online. To check how each antivirus handles the newest malware, I use a feed of the latest malware-hosting URLs discovered by researchers at MRG-Effitas. I attempt to launch each of the dangerous URLs, noting whether the antivirus diverts the browser from the page, eliminates the malware download, or sits on its thumbs doing nothing.
Avast handles such dangers below the browser level. There’s no browser extension needed, and it doesn’t matter which browser you use. This time around it blocked the connection to 44% of the dangerous URLs and wiped out another 49% during download. With a score of 93%, it’s doing decidedly better than the 75% it scored when last tested.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Avira Free Security is the big winner for protection against malware-hosting URLs, with a perfect 100% score in its latest test. Aura, Emsisoft Anti-Malware, Sophos, and UltraAV came close with 99%.
Immediately after installation, Avast asks to run a Smart Scan. This includes a quick malware scan, naturally, but it also checks your browser’s security and looks for junk files and other areas that need cleanup. I’ll cover those performance features below. If you accept Avast’s advice, it will run a Smart Scan once a month.
The Smart Scan should catch any blatant, active malware, but you really need to run a deep scan to root out any deep-seated malware. On my standard clean test system, this took an hour and 58 minutes, just a minute longer than the current average. That first scan may have performed some initial optimization steps, as a repeat scan finished 20 minutes faster. You should always run a full scan after installing a new antivirus. After that, the real-time protection system should theoretically prevent any future infestations.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
You can optionally run a targeted scan on a subset of files and folders or dig in for a Boot-Time Scan if the deep scan seems to leave some problems behind. The latter runs at the next system reboot, springing into action before Windows loads. That also means it runs before any malware can launch, thereby defeating any malware self-defense mechanisms.
Learning to code is a significant time investment, and writing malware that escapes security scans requires a high level of skill. Phishing fraudsters don’t bother with any of that fussy nonsense. Instead of looking for vulnerabilities in the operating system, they focus on the most vulnerable element—the unsuspecting user. They design websites that look like sensitive sites, such as PayPal or your bank. If you log in to the fake, the fraudsters steal your credentials and take over your account. Yes, highly observant folks can learn to recognize phishing frauds, but it’s nice to have some help for those days when you’re a little muzzy.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
It’s true that phishing fakes get caught and blocklisted constantly, but the perpetrators just grab their winnings and pop up a new fake site. For testing purposes, I make sure to include reported frauds too new for the blacklists. I scrape hundreds of reported phishing URLs and launch each in four browsers simultaneously. The antivirus under test protects one, of course, while the other three rely on phishing protection built into Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
I discard any URLs that don’t load properly in all four browsers or that don’t precisely fit the profile of a phishing fraud. For the rest, I record whether each tested protection system blocked the fraud or missed it. A handy program opens the URLs and automatically records my notes. Avast found the phishing test program itself to be suspicious but gave it a clean bill of health after examination.
As with its protection against dangerous websites, Avast blocks phishing fraud below the browser level. Instead of redirecting the browser to a warning page, it displays the now-familiar pop-up warning that it cut the connection to a site infected with phishing. I saw that pop-up a lot, as Avast blocked 100% of the verified fraudulent URLs in this test, beating all three browsers by 30 percentage points or more. Tested at the same time, Avast One Free for Mac scored precisely the same.
AVG and Avira also scored 100% in their latest anti-phishing tests, as did many other competitors.
For many years, Avast antivirus tools included a feature called Wi-Fi Inspector. In more recent versions, that feature is more accurately named Network Inspector, since it checks all networks, including Wi-Fi. Once you confirm that you’re authorized to scan all devices on the network, you can launch a scan that reports on just what devices connect to your home network.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The scan attempts to identify the name and type of each device found and to scan each device for security holes. If the scan comes up clean, there’s nothing more you need to do. However, I imagine most users will be curious enough to check out the list of devices. Depending on your skill level, you may even want to track down any unknown devices and add names and device types to their entries. You do need a modicum of networking skills, enough to identify a device based solely on its IP or MAC address.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
You’ll find another facet of this feature if you dig into Network Inspector’s settings page. At the bottom of the page, there’s a list of networks you’ve visited. By default, Avast re-scans networks periodically. More importantly, you can turn on “Join alerts,” which means you get an alert each time a new device connects. Previously, this feature required payment; apparently, it no longer does. Avast doesn’t let you block access for an unknown new device, but if an intruder shows up, you’ll at least know it’s time to change your Wi-Fi password.
If Avast missed a Trojan weaseling onto your PC on Thursday but wiped it out after an update on Friday, you’d suffer little harm. But if it was a ransomware attack on Thursday, no antivirus update is going to bring back your encrypted files on Friday. Since ransomware poses much greater potential for immediate, irreversible harm, many antivirus utilities add a layer of protection specifically designed to address it.
Some use a specialized behavioral analysis module fine-tuned to detect and prevent attacks by encrypting malware. Others tighten up access, denying any unauthorized programs that attempt to modify sensitive files. Avast falls in the latter camp.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
By default, Avast protects the Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Videos, and Music folders for all active Windows accounts. It’s easy enough to add protection for more folders belonging to your own Windows account. If you want to protect additional folders belonging to another account, you need to log in to that account.
Avast also limits its protection to specific file types: Archives, Audio, Database, Disc Images, Documents, Pictures, and Video. Hovering over any type reveals a daunting list of file extensions. If your work (or play) involves some unusual file type that’s not included, there’s a spot to add the appropriate extensions. You can also just secure all files in the protected folders, regardless of type.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Out of the box, Ransomware Shield runs in what’s called Smart Mode. In this mode, known and trusted apps (for example, Microsoft Office apps) can manipulate protected files, as can programs you’ve explicitly approved. The stricter Strict Mode blocks access for every program until you approve it.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
For a simple test of this feature, I turned to a tiny text editor I coded myself. This one-off program clearly won’t be on any predefined list of trusted programs. In fact, at first launch, it triggered Avast’s suspicious file examination (which it passed). When I tried to save a modified file, Avast asked me whether to block or allow the app. Only after I clicked Allow could I save the file.
For further testing, I first disabled Avast’s Core Shields, File Shield, Behavior Shield, and (for good measure) Mail Shield. I found that also had to dig in and disable Anti-Exploit Shield. That leaves just Ransomware Shield for protection. I cut the test virtual machine off from the internet and launched a collection of real-world ransomware samples.
Two of my samples work by encrypting (or wiping) the entire disk, but neither took destructive action. That happens. Of the dozen most common file-encrypting ransomware samples, three also did nothing and weren’t detected. Avast totally missed two of the samples, allowing them to encrypt files in the allegedly protected folders. Avast’s biggest success was a sample that only managed to encrypt two files and failed to delete the unencrypted originals.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
As for the rest, Avast detected and quarantined the ransomware, but it still managed to encrypt files in non-protected folders and even in protected folders whose file types weren’t protected. The affected files ranged from about 400 to more than 24,000. And three of them posted a big, scary ransomware note despite their lack of total success.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
It’s perfectly normal for this type of Ransomware Shield to miss unprotected files. I mean, they’re unprotected! But it’s uncommon for this type of Ransomware Shield to miss any samples; Avast missed two.
New in this latest version of Avast is AI Agent Protection. Its welcome page states that it “helps stop hidden threats, unsafe plugins, and risky actions” by your AI agents. This feature specifically works with Cursor, Claude Code, and OpenClaw. Note that it’s not really part of the antivirus. Clicking to set up protection takes you to an online project called Sage, which, like Avast, is owned by Gen Digital.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
I’m not the AI expert, so I checked in with colleagues who have more experience. PCMag's AI analyst, Ruben Circelli, notes that the problem of LLMs accessing dangerous URLs and performing dangerous actions is undoubtedly real. He did express concern that the protective layer might “burn a lot of tokens.” Other members of our AI team noted that CrowdStrike’s AIDR (AI Detection and Response) tool is similar, and that the field of security add-ons for agentic AI is growing.
If you’re just an average consumer, using AI for amusement more than production work, you’re not going to get anything out of this feature. And if you do work with agentic AI, you don’t have to install antivirus software to protect your agents with Sage. I imagine the purpose behind adding this feature to the antivirus is simply to get people thinking about the need for security with agentic AI.
Windows has built-in firewall protection designed to block unauthorized connections from the internet or the network you’re on. It’s good enough that you probably don’t need a dedicated third-party personal firewall. Firewall protection in the free Avast One Free doesn’t go much beyond the built-in. It checks when you connect to a new network and asks whether to treat it as public or trusted. If you choose public, the firewall blocks all unsolicited incoming network traffic and any attempts to connect with your device across the local network. Defining the network as trusted lifts the local restrictions. There’s a bit more to it, but those are the points users will notice.
Most third-party firewalls distinguish themselves from the built-in by controlling how programs use your network connection. Smart ones, like Norton's firewall, automatically configure permissions for known-good programs, terminate known-bad programs, and monitor unknown programs to ensure they don’t misuse the connection. At the other end of the spectrum, some personal firewalls ask you, the user, to decide on every new access attempt. RipYouOff.exe wants to access 2001:668:108:5095::2add on port 8080. Allow or deny? Once or always?
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Out of the box, Avast doesn’t pepper you with firewall queries. Its Smart Mode automatically handles permissions based on how trustworthy it rates each app. Changing most to Ask makes it behave as described above, prompting you to choose what to do for each new app that tries to access the network. Your main choice is to allow or block the connection, but you can also fine-tune it. You can tell it to apply your choice forever, making it a rule. You can make the choice a one-off. Or you can have it last temporarily, just until reboot. You can also choose to block all connections, just outgoing connections, or just connections to the current port. It’s a lot to process. Unless you’re a network wizard, just leave this feature alone.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The best protection in the world won’t help you if a malicious program can just turn it off. I determined Avast doesn’t expose any Registry settings that would allow this. Just as when I last tested Avast, I couldn’t terminate its running processes. When I tried, I just got an access-denied message—for all 16 of them.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
I also checked its nine essential Windows services. Trying to stop the firewall service got me a big confirmation warning, one that didn’t appear for any of the others. Two services were armored, so the option to stop them was unavailable. Of the rest, two weren’t running, and the rest yielded to a simple Stop command.
If you can’t stop an important service, how about seeing that it doesn’t start in the first place? I couldn’t set the startup type to Disabled for four services, including the antivirus and firewall; I just got an access denied error. But I managed that trick with the other five services. While a malicious program that got past real-time antivirus couldn’t disable firewall protection, it could wreak havoc on most other Avast services. As before, I’m left wondering why the designers didn’t just protect all the services.
Avast, AVG, and Norton all install a privacy-first Secure Browser alongside the main security app. It’s Chromium-based; hence, it closely resembles Chrome. What sets it apart is the Security & Privacy Center, a collection of special-purpose items.
The built-in Security & Privacy Center page has undergone a radical redesign since my previous review. The page is now divided into four regions: Browser Modes, Security Check, Settings, and Tools, plus a panel for Additional Security Tips. In between the regular browser mode and the private mode (equivalent to Incognito in Chrome or InPrivate in Edge), there’s a mode called Screen Sharing. This mode hides sensitive browser elements so you can share your screen without risking a privacy breach. Norton also boasts those three modes, but Avast adds a fourth, Bank Mode, which I’ll discuss below. As for Security Check, it reports statistics on blocked phishing sites and intercepted dangerous downloads.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Under Settings, you find Privacy Guard, Web Shield, Password Managers, Extension Guard, and Bank Mode Settings. The Tools panel contains Avast Antivirus, Privacy Cleaner, and Hack Check. Not all of these do much. The Password Managers option simply lets you choose whether to use the browser's built-in password manager. Clicking Avast Antivirus simply opens the antivirus. Privacy Cleaner invokes the browser’s dialog to clear browsing data, the same as if you pressed Shift+Ctrl+Del. You’re already using Web Shield to protect against dangerous and fraudulent sites; clicking its panel doesn't affect it.
Extension Guard is a bit different, promising to block untrusted browser extensions. Of course, these extensions would first have to get past the real-time antivirus. I didn’t find a way to test this feature. I thought Hack Check would duplicate the Dark Web Monitoring feature from the main app. It is, in a way, but it offers no detail beyond noting that “several accounts” have been hacked. That leaves Bank Mode and Privacy Guard for discussion.
Like Bitdefender’s Safepay, Bank Mode creates a separate desktop to isolate your financial transactions from interference by any other processes. It automatically offers its services whenever you visit a financial site in the Secure Browser. As with Safepay, you can switch back and forth between the isolated desktop and the regular desktop.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Privacy Guard is also significant. It’s an ad and tracker blocker with more flexibility than most. Out of the box, at its Basic level, it blocks items that “disrupt your browsing experience.” Notching up to the Balanced level ads blocking of more ads as well as social media ads. At the Strict level, it blocks ads, trackers, browser notifications, and browser fingerprinting.
Note that if you do select Strict blocking, the browser pops up a plea asking you to relent and not block “partners that fund us through…user-friendly ads.” This feature is both less flexible and less informative than what some competitors offer. For example, Bitdefender’s Anti-Tracker breaks down blocked ads by category and lets you choose its response at the category level. Tracker defense in the IronVest privacy tool shows which trackers it blocked and lets you exempt specific trackers or sites from its scrutiny.
On the free antivirus page, below the menu of antivirus features, there are two more sections, Scam Guardian and Extra Protection. The latter displays a lock icon, indicating that all its features are available only to paying customers. Under Scam Guardian, you see Avast Assistant, Web Guard, and Email Guard. Email Guard is a premium feature, and you’ve already seen that Web Guard is effective at detecting malicious and fraudulent pages. That leaves Avast Assistant.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The assistant is an AI chatbot designed to help you identify emails and texts that may be scams. You can paste in the text of the message, or a suspicious link, or even an image, and the assistant will evaluate it. It’s conversational—it may even ask you for additional information. And of course, you can ask for further information at any time.
Clicking the Free Cleanup icon in the main window’s left-side menu opens a page with almost a dozen options: Status, Browser Cleaner, Broken Shortcuts, Broken Registry Keys, Disk Cleaner, Sleep Mode, Uninstall Simulator, Ap Uninstaller, Software Updater, Data Recovery, and Undo Center.
That’s a lot to process, but most of these features require an upgrade. Free users get Status, Browser Cleaner, Broken Shortcuts, Software Updater, and Undo Center.
Several of the scan-type features run in the background and display a summary of their findings on the Status page. For example, on my test system, Avast reported junk files, broken Registry keys, and apps that needed updates, and also offered to put unused apps to sleep. But clicking the button to resolve all the issues just takes you to an upsell page for Cleanup Premium.
As a free user, you do get access to the browser cleaner, which, by observation, works on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera, as well as Avast’s own browser. The items managed differ by browser but include browser cache, temporary files, history, and cookies. In the Basic cleaning mode, Avast deletes only items that are definitely safe. For example, it deletes tracking cookies but not useful cookies, and clears your caches but not browsing history. You can choose Full mode to delete everything, or make your own choices.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
It’s disappointing to click an icon on your desktop and find that nothing happens. But if that icon is a shortcut and its target program has moved, you can experience exactly that. The Broken Shortcuts scan simply checks all shortcuts and reports those that no longer work. With a click of the Clean button, you can trash those useless shortcuts.
How often do you launch a program, see a notification that an update is available, and ignore it? That’s a bad habit. Quite often, the update is meant to fix a security hole. Avast’s Software Updater checks popular programs to see if any of them need an update. If so, all you need to do is click a button to install it, or just click the Update All button.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Paying customers stay updated with even less effort. There’s an option to download updates in the background, so they’re all ready when you choose to run the update. Or you can go fully automated, telling Avast to just keep your software up to date in the background.
Most of Avast’s cleanup activities should be strictly helpful, not harmful. But just in case, Avast makes a backup before resolving certain problems, and the Undo Center lets you reverse cleanup activities.
When your private information is exposed in a data breach, the consequences can be serious. Bad actors can use that information to gain access to your accounts, or even launch an identity theft campaign. Avast automatically runs your account email through a free BreachGuard scan to check for exposure. You can also check other addresses, one at a time.
The Risk Monitor page lists your found exposures (and there will be some) with an option to review details for each item. The detail page includes a description of what happened and when, as well as a Change Password button that takes you to the website for DIY password change.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Also on the Risk Monitor page is a tab called Password Checkup. It’s locked, available only for paid users, but you’re not missing much. All it does is check for weak passwords stored in your browsers. And we at PCMag always advise you to eschew the browser’s password storage and opt for a more secure password manager.
The Ads Opt-Out feature is an extension for Chrome, Edge, and Opera. When you install and enable it, it acts as a shield against trackers. It also sends an opt-out message to a dozen major ad brokers. And it links to your browser’s security checkup.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Those who’ve paid for Premium Antivirus get several more privacy components. Personal Info Remover, as the name suggests, removes your personal data from broker websites. Privacy Advisor links to lessons on managing your privacy online. And Identity Assist puts you directly in touch with Avast security specialists.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
We still haven’t exhausted all the features of this free mini-suite, but most of what’s left is locked away. Under More From Avast, you’ll find SecureLine VPN, Driver Updater, AntiTrack, and Secure Identity. All four do have a free element, but full access requires a Premium upgrade.
The free online privacy scan on the VPN page always finds privacy issues, because you’re not using a VPN. And the solution is always the same—upgrade.
In a similar fashion, the AntiTrack free scan always finds tracking issues. It doesn’t report anything specific; it just lists items like “You can be targeted with ads” or “More cookies are piling up.” Want to fix those problems? Open your wallet.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
A free Driver Updater scan could provide more useful information. As the Software Updater mentioned earlier, it finds outdated drivers that could be a security risk. All it does is report the number of outdated driers found, though. And of course, resolving the problems requires an upgrade. I wish it would at least list the problematic drivers so you could update them manually.
You can add Avast’s Secure Identity service to any Avast One account for $99.99 per year. The free edition just includes a scan for issues. As with the VPN and AntiTrack components, this scan just reports generalities such as “You could be the target of identity fraud.”
Avast One on macOS looks very similar to the Windows edition. While it lacks some features such as Bank Mode and Software Updater, it still goes well beyond a mere Mac antivirus. See my review of Avast One Free for Mac for all the gritty details. I’ll briefly summarize here.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Avast earns perfect test scores from both independent antivirus labs that evaluate macOS antivirus products. It also managed a perfect 100% detection in my hands-on phishing protection test. Features like BreachGuard, Avast Assistant, Ads Opt-Out, and Secure Browser work almost exactly as they do under Windows. As noted, it goes well beyond mere antivirus, though naturally, it doesn’t include every feature of the full for-pay suite.
When you install Avast One Free on an Android device, you get an impressive collection of security features. However, as you explore, you’ll find that quite a few require premium-level access. In fact, when you launch Avast after a quick installation, it appears you must choose a payment tier. Fear not. When you click away the payment page, and click away the desperate “better deal” page that follows, you’ve got a free installation.
Smart Scan: Malware, Junk Files, and “Issues” Again
As with the Windows and macOS editions, Avast’s Android app has undergone a significant makeover. The previous edition came decorated with whimsical line-drawing art of people, pets, and more. In the current edition, you find plenty of cartoon people, but they’re more solid. You’ll encounter quite a few friendly faces as you work through the permissions that Avast needs.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
As soon as you install the app, it asks you to run a Smart Scan. This includes checking the device for malware, but that’s not all. It also looks for junk files you can wipe to free up storage. The last step is a cheesy scan for “advanced issues” that just displays a long list of premium-only features.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
You can click the card labeled Smart Scan at the top of Avast’s screen to close it. Doing so reveals more advice cards suggesting you visit the Avast Academy online, check Avast’s blog, or upgrade to Premium.
With the advice cards gone, you see the whole app. At the top is a status banner and a button to run the Smart Scan. Four panels represent Network Inspector, Scam Guardian, VPN, and Junk Clean. You can ignore the VPN panel, as it does nothing without a premium VPN upgrade. Below those panels is an in-app advertising panel, and across the bottom, you find buttons for Home, Explore, Alerts, and Account.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Tapping Explore gets you a different view of Avast’s features. Four banners represent Scam Guardian, Security, Cleanup, and VPN. As with the main window, the VPN connection is nothing without an upgrade. I’ll discuss the rest below.
Independent Lab Scores: Perfect and Near-Perfect
I follow regular reports on the efficacy of Windows antivirus software from five labs worldwide. Three of the four also test Android security programs. Avast scores high in lab tests on Android, as it does on Windows and macOS.
As on other platforms, the experts at AV-Test rate Android security apps on Protection, Performance, and Usability, with a total of 6 points possible in each category. All the antiviruses I follow scored a perfect 18 points in the latest Android security test. Maybe the test should be tougher?
The AV-Comparatives Android test reports a malware protection percentage and also checks for features such as anti-theft, safe browsing, and application privacy audit. In the latest test, only Bitdefender managed a perfect 100%, but Avast, along with AVG, Avira, and Norton, came very close, with 99.9%. All but two of the apps tested by MRG-Effitas came in at 100%, including Avast.
Only Bitdefender currently holds the maximum possible score in all three tests. However, Avast, AVG, Avira, and Norton all have two perfect scores and one that’s sniffing distance from perfect.
Network Inspector: Limited Compared With Windows
When you run the Network Inspector on a Windows PC, you can choose to list all network devices, along with their security status. You can even get a warning when any new device connects—if that warning comes as a surprise, you may have an intruder.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The Network Inspector on Android is nothing like that. It took a while to scan my test Android device, which displayed numerous full-screen ads during the scan. And on completion, it simply reported that the Android is connected to a secure network.
Scam Guardian: Get AI Help for Scam Detection
With the free Avast app, your Scam Guardian protection includes Avast Assistant and Web Guard. The app encourages you to upgrade, thereby unlocking: SMS Guard (AI detection of scam texts); Email Guard (AI filtering of scam emails); Call Guard (block incoming scam calls); and Link Guard (check links for scams before opening). The first time you open Scam Guardian, it walks you through these options and encourages you to upgrade.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
As on other platforms, Avast Assistant serves as a scam-centric AI chatbot. You can paste in the text of an email or SMS message, copy in a link, or even take a screenshot of an interaction that seems suspicious. It may ask you for further information, and you can ask it to clarify anything about its analysis, or just ask it about privacy in general.
As on other platforms, Avast detects and blocks malicious or fraudulent websites before they appear in your browser. Web Guard also targets messages that are not just typical phishing scams.
Junk Clean: Not Much Value Here
On macOS or Windows, the Free Cleanup component wipes out browser traces that take up space and could reveal your browsing habits to a snooper. The Windows edition also checks for broken shortcuts and includes a full software updater.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
That’s not a lot of cleanup action, but the Android app’s Junk Clean feature does even less. It scans in the background and reports on unneeded files and on files for your review. In testing, I found the list of unneeded files a bit odd. It included Visible caches, Thumbnails, and Empty folders. It’s true, I don’t have things like Podcasts or Audibooks on this test Android, but what’s the consequence of deleting those empty folders if I ever do acquire some? The items needing review included downloads and screenshots.
Explore Page: Access to More Security Features
When you tap the Explore button at the bottom of the screen, it opens a screen with four expandable banners that provide access to security features. One is for the VPN—forget that, as it’s Premium-only. The one labeled Scam Guardian simply provides another avenue to access Avast Assistant and Web Guard (and drool over the locked-away scam protection features). And in the free edition, the Cleanup page has nothing active except Junk Cleaner, described above.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
When you tap to unroll the list of Security features, things get more interesting. App Insights checks permissions for all your apps and flags any that have potential security risks. Some of these apps really need all those permissions to function, but others may not. You can review the list to spot oddities like a game app that wants access to your contacts. There’s an option to enable pre-scanning apps right in the Play Store, before you download them, but naturally, that’s a premium feature.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Next up is an item that just opens Network Inspector. It’s followed by App Lock. As with many other Android security apps, this feature lets you set a secondary PIN code for certain sensitive apps. Now, when you hand your phone to a fussy baby, you don’t have to worry that they’ll accidentally send an email blast or make a merchandise order. Alas, App Lock is only for paying customers.
The Hack Alerts feature is the Android equivalent of BreachGuard, and more. On the Check Now tab, you can have it check any email address for exposures, just as with BreachGuard. But you can also set it to monitor for new breaches, something that the free BreachGuard won’t do.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
I’m not sure how important Photo Vault is, unless you’re someone who keeps a collection of naughty pictures. This feature lets you lock sensitive photos behind a second-level PIN. You can import existing photos or snap photos directly into the vault, bypassing the gallery. Users of the free edition can put 10 photos in the vault; premium users have no such limit. Don’t uninstall Avast without pulling your photos out of the vault, else you’ll lose them.
Opening the Privacy Advisor displays a list of short videos with privacy tips for popular apps such as Alexa, YouTube, and WhatsApp. And, as its name implies, Wi-Fi Speed Test measures your connection speed.
That’s it for Android security features. You may have noticed that there’s no anti-theft system. Like McAfee, Norton, and other Android security competitors, Avast has dropped anti-theft, figuring Android’s Find My Device does the job.
As is typical, iOS devices get the least protection. To be fair, that’s in large part because Apple’s built-in security gets in the way of both malware and malware fighters. But with Avast, you get quite a bit more than usual.
Installation and Setup: Smart Scan Right Away
Installation is quick and simple. After installation, an advice card at the top suggests you run a smart scan. Unlike on other platforms, this scan doesn’t check for malware. Rather, it checks whether you’ve got Avast’s protective features enabled and whether your OS is up to date. As on Android, a separate “advanced issues” page is just an upsell attempt, trying to get you to buy the Premium upgrade.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
When you’ve completed the Smart Scan, its advice card vanishes, revealing a few more stacked cards. On my test iPad, the next card advised me to review my alerts. These alerts consisted of a recap of advice to update my operating system and a suggestion to enable the Hack Alerts feature.
The next card advised turning on Wi-Fi Scanning, but it’s a trick. You can’t do that without upgrading to the paid version. Another card recommended installing the separate Avast Cleanup app, which I’ll describe below. Once I clicked away all the cards, the app kept insisting that I update my OS. Once I completed those important tasks, I finally saw the main app window with no advisory messages.
User Interface: Main Screen and Explore Page
The app’s appearance matches its Android edition as much as possible. The main window has a status banner at the top, with four panels below. On Android, there are panels for Network Inspector, Scam Guardian, and VPN. Where the Android edition has Junk Clean, the iPad replaces that with a panel for Hack Alerts. Across the bottom are icons for Home, Explore, Alerts, and Account, just as on Android.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
The Explore page features expanding banner titles: Scam Guardian, Security, Avast Cleanup, and VPN. VPN is not relevant in the free edition, and Scam Guardian offers precisely the same Avast Assistant and Web Guard features found on Android.
Security Features: Fewer Than for Android
In a departure from the usual style, the Security banner expands to display only features available to free users. These are: Device Security, Network Inspector, Hack Alerts, and Photo Vault.
Device Security on other platforms includes the expected antivirus scanning and real-time protection. As noted, you don’t get that on iOS, so Device Security is barely present. It warns if your iOS is out of date, or if you’ve failed to set a passcode or equivalent.
Network Inspector, running under Windows, scans your network, lists all devices, and flags any that have security problems. The iOS version simply checks that the network you’re using is properly encrypted and protected. There’s an option to run that simple security check on every network you use, but it’s only for paying customers.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Hack Alerts works just as it does on Android. By default, it checks your Avast account email to see if it was exposed in any data breaches. You can have it scan other email addresses, one at a time. Those paying for Premium antivirus can configure this feature for ongoing breach monitoring.
The Photo Vault feature lets you lock sensitive photos behind a second-level PIN. When you import photos, it offers to delete the originals. You can also snap photos directly into the vault, bypassing the gallery. Users of the free edition can put 40 photos in the vault; premium users have no such limit. The app warns that you absolutely must export your file from the Photo Vault before uninstalling Avast, or else you will lose it forever. You could use this feature to protect a secret stash of naughty images, I suppose, but I doubt many consumers will bother.
Avast Cleanup: Limited Unless You Pay
As noted, cleanup on iOS is handled by the separate Avast Cleanup app. Like the main Avast app, the cleanup tool introduces various of its features right after installation. Advice cards recommend you try deleting forgotten screenshots, stripping revealing metadata before sharing photos, streamlining your contacts, and more.
Once you’ve clicked away those advice cards, the app displays a scrolling main window with fast access to several features. It can help clean up your photos by identifying photos you might want to delete, such as duplicates and photos that are too dark to see. Except that if you look closely, you’ll find the duplicates and dark photos features are Premium-only. One tap sends you to organize your contacts, merging duplicates and flagging incomplete entries. And naturally, it suggests you upgrade to Premium to remove ads, enable advanced media cleanup, and more.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
Across the bottom of the app are five icons: Home, Trash, Swipe Clean, More Tools, and Settings. Home naturally brings you back to the home screen, and Trash holds any photos or other items you’ve deleted using other components. Swipe Clean is a different approach to that onerous task of cleaning up your photo gallery. Just as on a dating site, you flip through your collection, swiping left to trash an image or right to keep it.
Under More Tools, you can optimize videos or photos, which means Avast will reduce the storage required while leaving the video or photo visually unchanged. I have a ton of movies in my gallery, but Avast ignored all of them except one that happened to be in .MOV format. In any case, performing the optimization would require an upgrade.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
When you snap a photo, your phone records a good amount of metadata along with the picture. This includes the location, the date and time, and the device used, among other things. If you’re wary of your privacy, you may not want that metadata splashed all over the internet. The Clean Share feature creates a copy with that metadata stripped, so you can share the picture without giving away private information. And it is available for those using Avast’s free edition.
There’s no real point to the Secret Files media vault. It functions exactly like the Photo Vault in the main Avast app. And where the iOS Photo Vault lets free customers store 40 images, the media vault in the cleanup app limits you to 10.
(Credit: Avast/PCMag)
It’s easy to wind up with duplicates in your Contacts collection. Avast’s Contacts Cleaner makes short work of finding duplicate sets and merging each set into a single entry. It also flags incomplete contact entries, though fixing these requires significant effort. In my own contacts, it found over 800 that were incomplete, mostly because they lacked a phone number. A full fix would require me to find 800 phone numbers. The contacts system also backs up and restores your contacts.
There’s just not a lot of meat to Avast Clean on iOS, especially the free edition. Yes, it seems to do a good job de-duplicating your contacts and stripping metadata from photos for safe sharing. But most other features (and there aren’t many) are locked and available only with a Premium upgrade.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Avast)
Avast One Free
With Avast One Free, you get totally free protection for your Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices. Its antivirus protection earns numerous excellent lab scores and performed well in most of our hands-on tests. In addition, the app has a collection of other privacy and performance components. This impressive collection of effective security features makes Avast One Free an Editors’ Choice winner in the free antivirus realm. If you're looking for just a simple antivirus without cost, you might prefer our other Editors' Choice, AVG AntiVirus Free.
STILL ON THE FENCE?
About Our Expert
Neil J. Rubenking
Principal Writer, Security
Experience
When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.
Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.
In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.
Latest By Neil J. Rubenking