Avira Antivirus Expert Review

Avira Overview

Owned and operated by a German IT Security company, Avira has a range of security, privacy, and performance tools. The company has been around for almost 30 years and has been highly ranked by independent labs.

The antivirus, no doubt, has a great security engine, but we don’t think there’s much of a difference between the Free and the Paid (Antivirus Pro) plan. 

The pricing is another sweet feature of the product. It has unbeatable pricing when it comes to 5+ devices, but for 5 or lower devices, we think competitors like Bitdefender offer a lot more features at a similar price.

However, if you opt for Avira Prime, it’s one of the best deals available on antiviruses.

Setting Up and Uninstalling Avira

Avira has made it extremely simple and straightforward to install the product. Before installing, make sure that you get rid of any existing antivirus. Once handled, complete the following steps:

1)    Go to the official website and download the file.

2)    Run the installer and choose the installation type (Express or Custom).

3)    Enable/disable the rest of the choices as they show up on your screen.

4)    Click Accept and Install.

5)    Restart the system when prompted and double click on the icon from the desktop to get started.

To uninstall the product from your Windows device, you can open Apps and Features, then select the program, and click on Uninstall.

Alternatively, you can also download a third-party uninstaller and let the tool do it for you.

Features

Avira Prime packs all of the features you get with other plans alongside a no-capping VPN. Some of the outstanding features of the product are real-time protection against malware and online threats, PC Cleaner, password manager, unlimited VPN, software update manager, privacy settings optimizer.

You won’t get a lot of add-on features, but you’ll surely get enhanced security and privacy with this antivirus.

General

Threat Protection

Scanning

Generally speaking, Avira provides several advanced settings that can be used to test specific types of apps and programs. While most users might not want to go that far, the antivirus gives you unmatched customization options for setting up unique scans to meet your device’s needs. 

A quick scan took us almost 32 minutes, which is at par with industry leaders like Kaspersky. With most products, a custom scan is limited to just folders, but Avira offers an array of options, including active process scan, removable drive scan, startup and registry scan, and more.

Pricing

Discount

We found Avira to be one of the most cost-effective products if you need protection for 10+ devices. The pricing tier is simple and built around the Antivirus Pro plan.

For instance, a 1-device subscription to this plan for a month is $2.54, and $23.51 for a year. The same plan for 3-devices for a year is $30.22 and for 5-devices is $36.97.

On the other hand, if you choose the top-tier (Avira Prime) plan for 5 devices, you pay just $51.58/year. This is way economical compared to the 10-device plan (Total Protection) by Avast.

Privacy and Security

Privacy

The product has 3 modules dedicated to providing maximum privacy round the clock. You get a private VPN without any data capping, which is one of the reasons we chose this product over McAfee.

One of the good things about the company is that unlike most security vendors, they do not track your online activity or share your data with 3rd parties like ad networks or the government.

Besides, the firewall and password manager alongside the highly-awarded core antivirus engine adds extra privacy against ransomware and/or infected flash drives.

We think the product has a robust privacy feature, however, it lacks essential features like a Safe Browser and a virtual keyboard.

Security

AV-Comparatives awarded Avira the Top Product certificate in the December 2019 test. It scored an impressive 17.5 on 18, beating the likes of Total AV and Trend Micro.

No doubt, we were not surprised when it was able to detect 100% of the samples we tested.

Though the browser extension is limited to Chrome and Firefox, it does an exemplary job of detecting and blocking phishing sites and other malicious URLs in real-time.

Additionally, the heuristic core antivirus engine is updated continuously, hence, it is able to detect even the newest threats. 

Performance and Protection

Compared to other antiviruses in the same league, we found Avira to be lighter on the system. It doesn’t occupy much of the system’s resources and is able to switch between modes depending on usage.

In the October 2019 Performance Test organized by AV-Test, Avira battled it out with 15 other products and received the ADVANCED+ rating with an impressive impact score of 3.6, leaving behind competitors like Panda, and F-Secure.

Malware Protection

We cannot complain about this product’s malware protection. The real-time detection is unmatchable. With frequent virus database updates and cloud monitoring technology, it ensures the removal of even the newest type of threats.

Additional tools like registry startup and USB scanner also make sure that nothing gets into your system without being checked first.

The company has received an ADVANCED+ rating with a 99.6% malware detection rate in the September 2019 Malware Protection Test by AV-Test.

Ransomware Detection

The premium anti-ransomware feature detects the behavioral clues and stops all sorts of attacks before they happen. With real-time and multi-layered protection, you can rest assured that your files will be safe.

From our tests, we conclude that it does an outstanding job of keeping ransomware away from the system and offers comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, and Trojans. It also blocks malicious URLs and infected attachments/software.

Moreover, the AV-Comparatives 2019 Gold certificate that the product received underlines its sheer quality.

Phishing Detection

Another good feature of the Avira security suite, the monitor detects and blocks malicious URLs and attachments in real-time. The Browser Safety is a stable extension available for Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. It blocks phishing websites, pop-ups and ads to make sure you don’t end up losing data.

It’s an AV-Comparatives APPROVED anti-phishing product of 2019 with an 88% protection rate (509 samples).

We were a bit disappointed with missing features like a dedicated safe browser and secure payments, but the no-capping private VPN balances the deal.

Spyware Detection

It does a decent job of blocking spyware. The add-on feature called Spyware Cleaner works simultaneously with the real-time monitor to analyze and quarantine any malicious files or downloads that might have bypassed the preliminary scan.

The company is known to maintain an excellent independent lab score in detecting spyware and other types of malware. In the Nov-Dec 2019 AV-Test for detection of widespread and prevalent malware, Avira was able to detect 100% of 20,428 samples used, quite similar to industry leaders like Bullguard and Norton. 

Firewall Protection

Firewall Protection – You get a basic firewall with this antivirus. It’s just an extension of the Windows Firewall but with some added functionalities. We didn’t like the fact that the firewall module doesn’t come pre-installed. We had to add it from the Apps and Features screen, then restart the system to use this feature.

Even after doing so much, all we had were a few network management options that stand no chance against the advanced firewall features offered by Intego or 360 Total Security.

Lab Test Results

Avira has a long list of successful independent lab tests and certifications. We’re considering the most-recent lab test results to check how this antivirus stands against the competitors. In 2019, Avira was a part of Windows 10

Tests alongside 18 other products where it was able to detect 100% of 25,933 widespread and prevalent malware samples tested between September to October and 20,428 samples from November to December.

This outstanding performance earned the company an AV-Test Certified Windows Top Product, thus placing it on the same platform as industry leaders like Avast and AVG. 

AV-Comparatives also updated its 2019 Summary Report for all the existing antivirus suites wherein Avira won five ADVANCED+ ratings and 1 ADVANCED rating. It also received GOLD certifications for Malware and Real-World Protection Tests, and a SILVER certification for a low number of False Positives. 

Other than Windows, the software performs equally well on Mac too. In the AV-Comparatives June 2019 Mac Security Test and Review, Avira was able to detect 99.8% of 585 samples.

There has always been a concern about the product’s impact on the system, and the 2019 Performance Test cleared all doubts as the product received an ADVANCED+ rating with a total impact score of 3.6 (lower the better). ESET topped the chart with a score of 1.3.

Ease of Use and Interface

We appreciated the sleek and easy-to-understand interface. Avira has made sure to not cram everything into the dashboard, and this makes it easier for first-timers to get used to the application.

The main screen tells you what key defenses you have allowed, including security against ransomware and phishing. There is a big button for running a quick scan, too.

Check the "scan" tab in the left-hand panel for more search choices. The product provides three main types of scans: Complete, Quick, and Custom. The custom scans come with presets and an active process and rootkit scans.

You can also add as many custom scans as you need and save them within the application.

Under the modules menu, there are additional features like real-time protection, ransomware protection, firewall, etc. You will find more settings under the gear icon.

Overall, we think Avira has a well-segregated and clean interface that allows you to use it as is or customize on deeper levels – a feature most premium antiviruses overlook.

A direct feedback option is a nice touch, and we appreciate the minimal-click approach throughout the design.

Customer Support

Avira has a good support segment consisting of an in-depth knowledge base and a YouTube channel, alongside quick email and phone support. However, direct assistance is only available for customers who have the Prime subscription.

Nonetheless, online resources are well-managed and detailed. They’ve been properly grouped, making them easier to find, but there’s no direct way to navigate through topics. Additionally, you can search for questions and resolved answers under the FAQ section.

Video tutorials that are available on YouTube also seem a bit inconsistent but get the job done. They’re lengthy and well-detailed which is a great choice if you have less experience in installing and customizing antiviruses.

We tried checking deeper to see existing customer satisfaction scores, but Avira doesn’t have Better Business Bureau accreditation. The company has claimed their Trustpilot profile, receiving a 4.5/5 rating based on 19,558 reviews.