AVG Web Safety evaluate: Dependable, budget-friendly antivirus software program

Finest Costs At present: AVG Web Safety

AVG is finest recognized for its glorious free antivirus software program—so why pay a premium for the AVG Web Safety suite? In a phrase: comfort.

With safety software program, the extra you pay, the extra complete your safety turns into. That may be invaluable in case you discover maintaining with on-line threats too overwhelming or time consuming. There’s one thing to be mentioned for a program that may deal with the most important components for you. And that’s what AVG Web Safety, the corporate’s entry-level model of its paid antivirus software program, offers.

By transferring as much as a paid subscription, you get extra options that preserve you safer throughout your off days. No antivirus program is bulletproof, in fact, however this one hits the most important factors whereas not overloading you with extras you gained’t use. Whether or not it’s best for you depends upon how a lot you prioritize simplicity.

Observe: This evaluate is a part of our finest antivirus roundup. Go there for particulars about competing merchandise and the way we examined them.

How a lot does AVG Web Safety price?

First, the fundamentals—let’s discuss price. If bought instantly from AVG, leaping from the free plan to the corporate’s Web Safety package deal is cheaper for the primary yr, after which reverts to the complete worth thereafter.

Single-device plan (1 PC)

• $47 for the primary yr
• $78 per yr thereafter

10-device plan (A number of gadgets)

• $60 for the primary yr
• $100 per yr thereafter

AVG doesn’t provide household plans, however if you buy a multi-device plan (which helps PC, Mac, Android, and iOS), you’ll be able to share the machine quota with members of the family. Even in case you’re flying solo, the additional money for multi-device protection could be price it—today it’s widespread to personal no less than a pc and telephone, and infrequently a pill as properly.

In comparison with the competitors, AVG prioritizes extra gadgets reasonably than additional options. Take for instance Norton—its closest equal plan contains VPN entry, however you’ll be able to solely use it throughout 5 gadgets. Additionally stunning: Avast, which really owns AVG, expenses extra for the same plan and fewer lined gadgets.

For extra financial savings, you should buy a license for AVG Web Safety by means of retailers like Newegg and even PCWorld’s personal software program retailer, which provide multi-year plans in addition to ones with fewer gadgets—so you will get a subscription appropriately sized to your scenario, in case you choose.

What does AVG Web Safety embrace?

AVG Web Safety provides 5 extra options to the free plan’s antivirus, firewall, net and e-mail risk, and community safety. You get safeguards for the passwords saved to your browsers; webcam takeovers; unknown entry to information with delicate knowledge; malicious redirects for web sites you’re attempting to go to (aka DNS hijacking); and assaults carried out by means of Home windows’ distant desktop protocol.

This explicit plan doesn’t embrace entry to a VPN. (You’ll want an Final subscription, or subscribe to AVG Safe VPN individually.) AVG additionally doesn’t have its personal password supervisor or parental controls, so you’ll be able to’t get these by altering your subscription.

Key options of AVG Web Safety

Set up and person interface

To put in AVG Web Safety, both obtain the free model after which improve, or first purchase the paid subscription and set up afterward.

AVG’s dashboard is clear and logical, although doubtlessly gloomy to those that choose light-themed apps. The practically black background is punctuated with vivid inexperienced textual content to cue you in to necessary info. Each your PC’s standing and key options are clearly highlighted within the dashboard.

PCWorld

Beginning a scan from the dashboard is simple—for a fast scan, you press the Run Good Scan button towards the underside of the display. You may select a distinct sort of scan by clicking the textual content that claims Run different scans. Your choices are deep scan, file or folder scan, boot-time scan, USB/DVD scan, and a efficiency scan. Utilizing the efficiency scan requires a separate subscription to AVG TuneUp, or an additional improve to an AVG Final plan.

Above the scan choices are the dashboard tiles. You’ll discover 4 tiles associated to the software program’s options—Pc, Net & E-mail, Hacker Assaults, and Private Information. Click on on any of those buttons, and also you’ll see explanations for every software program part. You can too broadly customise your settings, both by toggling off a characteristic or fidgeting with the defaults. For the very best safety, most individuals ought to depart all the things on after which additional add gadgets for cover the place relevant.

PCWorld

Nonetheless, in case you run into conflicts or annoyances that require somewhat fine-tuning, AVG does present extra granular management. To entry, you’ll click on on the Menu hamburger icon on the high proper, then select Settings. This dropdown menu provides entry to options like the information shredder, subscription information, browser extensions, and help as properly.

These detailed settings are a boon for software program nerds, by the way—notably these of us who function tech help for family members. You may tweak a good variety of issues, together with privateness settings (you’ll be able to choose out from knowledge sharing proper from the app), and even set a password to maintain others from altering settings.

The one actual challenge with AVG’s app is the continued upsells for its different merchandise. Paying for AVG reduces the move, however doesn’t cease all of it collectively.

Virus, malware, and risk safety

Actual-time safety

AVG Web Safety protects your PC in opposition to real-time threats in a number of methods. In your PC, the software program scans information you add or open, checks apps for uncommon conduct, and controls entry to pick folders typically focused by ransomware. Ransomware safety is customizable, so you’ll be able to add extra folders to the default listing. E-mail downloaded to your PC is screened for harmful attachments and malicious hyperlinks, too.

Whenever you’re on the net, AVG Web Safety scans the information transmitted to your pc for malware and for any sneaky DNS redirections to pretend web sites. It additionally displays visitors going to and from apps, and locks down the passwords saved to your browsers. You get safety from distant entry assaults, too—AVG blocks distant connection makes an attempt from unknown sources, and it restricts entry to your webcam and microphone.

As a small safety in opposition to being caught unawares from knowledge breaches, AVG Web Safety retains tabs in your e-mail tackle. If it’s noticed in a leak, you’ll get a notification within the app.

PCWorld

Scheduled and handbook scans

By default, a sensible scan (the equal of a fast scan in different antivirus software program) is scheduled for as soon as a month. You may regulate this timing and depth of scan, in addition to add extra scans to the listing. You have got 4 sorts to select from: Deep Scan, File or Folder Scan, Boot-time Scan, and USB/DVD Scan.

Every sort of scan is customizable in settings—for instance, Deep Scan usually scans for information which might be susceptible to malware, and just for widespread set up apps. However you may make it dig additional and have it scan all information, in case you like. You can too change how this system handles contaminated information.

Further options

Browser extensions

For those who set up AVG’s browser extension, you’ll be able to add an additional layer of safety whereas visiting web sites. AVG On-line Safety will flag unknown websites and in addition add standing badges to Google and Bing search outcomes. In my expertise, I discovered it barely overzealous at first—it threw up a warning after I navigated on to www.google.com—but it surely appeared to relax after that.

PCWorld

Information shredder

Previously often called File Shredder, this characteristic helps you to securely delete information, folders, or complete drives by overwriting them with different knowledge. On the face of it, this feels like a great characteristic—and it may be, if you wish to clear knowledge from a tough disk drive (HDD). 

Nonetheless, most fashionable computer systems have strong state drives (SSD), which save knowledge another way than mechanical drives. At finest, you gained’t really securely overwrite the information utilizing this methodology, and at worst, you’ll be able to shorten the lifetime of your SSD. (You’ll wish to use this methodology as a substitute.)

Buyer help

Except for AVG’s help pages and boards, you’ll be able to contact technical help by means of a web based chat or by means of a telephone name. The help pages are finest for fast overviews and/or walkthroughs of varied options, whereas the boards may help with troubleshooting—supplied you’re keen to dig by means of a number of threads.

Updates and upkeep 

Updates for each virus definitions and the app itself run robotically within the background, although you’ll be able to change these to solely remind you when an replace is obtainable or go full handbook (which isn’t suggested). If you wish to manually set off the replace your self, there’s additionally a button to test for updates. You will discover this by heading to Settings > Normal > Replace.

Efficiency

AVG typically will get extraordinarily excessive marks for antivirus and malware safety from main organizations that consider safety software program. In AV-Take a look at’s zero-day assault and malware exams for August 2024 (probably the most present outcomes launched), AVG Web Safety detected 100% of the threats. When confronted with 302 zero-day assault samples (together with net and e-mail threats) and 17,663 samples of lately widespread and prevalent malware, AVG blocked all of them.

AV-Comparatives

Equally, in AV-Comparatives’ real-world safety check for July by means of August 2024, AVG’s antivirus engine caught 99.6 % of the 237 check circumstances, with 15 false positives. Meaning in case your PC encounters malicious net addresses, exploits (like drive-by downloads), or URLs that hyperlink on to malware whereas on the net, AVG ought to do a wonderful job of noticing and holding you from hurt. AVG additionally hit excessive marks in AV-Comparatives’ September 2024 malware safety check, scoring a 94.3 % offline detection price, 95.8 % on-line detection price, and 99.92 % on-line safety price, with 4 false positives.

AVG falters somewhat when coping with extra subtle, focused threats, like malicious scripts and fileless assaults. It caught 12 of the 15 check circumstances in AV-Comparatives’ October 2024 Superior Risk Safety Take a look at. Nonetheless, AVG did detect samples missed by greater performing rivals.

AV-Comparatives

Throughout my {hardware} efficiency exams on a modest Acer Aspire 3 laptop computer with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor, a 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and Home windows 11 House, AVG had no tangible impression on most common duties carried out on a PC, as simulated by PCMark 10—e.g., video chatting, net looking, gaming, picture and doc enhancing in free apps like GIMP and LibreOffice. Surprisingly, it additionally had little impact on our Handbrake encoding check, too.

Nonetheless, working the identical deep scan whereas utilizing Microsoft Workplace (as simulated by UL Procyon) did trigger a dip in efficiency on our funds laptop computer—an virtually 20 % drop. Meaning in case you’re on a less expensive PC and slinging bigger knowledge units in Excel, you’re finest served scheduling your system scans for off-hours. The hit was a extra palatable 8 % lower when AVG was left to idle within the background, holding real-time look ahead to threats.

As for options, Delicate Information Defend (which helps you to scan your system for information containing high-risk items of private info) was a bit hit and miss. For instance, one bill was flagged, however not one other comparable doc that lacked the phrase “invoice.”

Different protections aren’t really accessible with the Web Safety plan—although the interface is designed to make you suppose it’s till the final second. E.g.: Operating a Efficiency Scan will show motion gadgets. However in case you click on on the button to resolve all of them, you get a display asking you to pay for AVG TuneUp, as proven above.

The truth that this upselling is baked right into a paid subscription is a bit off-putting—it makes the app really feel incomplete, although you’ve received a subscription already.

Conclusion

AVG Web Safety is a unbelievable possibility for folks in search of to be extra hands-off with on-line safety with out paying a ton for the comfort. In actual fact, it’s strong sufficient to nonetheless earn a suggestion regardless of how robust the free model is by itself. (And regardless of the continued upsells, that are annoying to see in a paid product.) It provides nice efficiency and an easy-to-understand interface together with a number of useful safety features.

Editor’s notice: As a result of on-line companies are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this evaluate is topic to alter so as to precisely mirror the present state of the service.