Avira Free Security Suite Review – Avira Free Security Suite – An awful lot of tools for nothing.
BEST FREE WINDOWS SECURITY SUITE FREE
“In a free package it provides anti-malware system tune-up, cloud-based password manager, secure browser, volume-limited VPN, web and search filter, and a software update checker.”
It used to be the case that, if you wanted a free suite, you had to DIY it together from various free apps.
Not anymore.
Of the suites available, Avira is currently our top pick. In a free package, it provides anti-malware, system tune-up, cloud-based password manager, secure browsing, volume-limited VPN (with 1GB/month), web and search filter, and a software update checker. You can manage multiple devices from a single desktop as well. It’s a pretty comprehensive package.
It will not, however, rival a commercial suite. It’s good, but it’s not up to par with the likes of Symantec, BitDefender and Kaspersky. It has no firewall — it uses Windows firewall — and a number of the deeper features you might find in those suites are missing. There’s no ransomware locker, nor webcam monitor or application sandbox. The tune-up tools are restricted in the free version, and there are no backup tools or parental controls.
What is there, though, is pretty good. Avira’s antimalware engine received a perfect overall score in AV-Test’s benchmarks, being both effective and light on system resources. It cleans a system well, and the extra tools are useful. The VPN is particularly convenient, and the Scout secure browser is excellent.
There is some annoying upsell, though. You’re reminded that the VPN is limited to only 1GB per month, while the paid version offers unlimited access. The software update checker and system optimisation tools are also a little crippled, with the full set of features only available in the paid version.
The suite isn’t difficult to use, though it is a little scattershot and not terribly well integrated. It’s chattier than something like Symantec or BitDefender in autopilot mode, but straightforward and comprehensible for both beginners and advanced users. Avira Connect lets you manage multiple devices from a single PC. It’s more than just monitoring alerts: you can see the status of components, as well as trigger remote scans.
While not as good as a $100-per-year commercial suite, for free, it offers an awful lot — including some things that commercial suites don’t. If you’re not going to pay for a suite, this is definitely the next best thing.
Verdict
A suite that would have cost $100 several years ago. Not bad, for something that’s free.
Avast Free Antivirus – The best free antivirus app.
Although it’s not marketed as a ‘suite’, Avast Free Antivirus is more than just an anti-malware application.
It includes a pretty good password manager, secure browser and a modest set of utilities for monitoring Wi-Fi security and identity theft.
It’s very easy to use, and has excellent antivirus detection rates from AV-Test’s results.
It’s not anywhere near the kind of full suite that you’ll get in a commercial product, but for an advanced user who is careful and doesn’t need a lot of the hand-holding that a full suite provides it can be more than enough.
Avira Free Security Suite
ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T RIVAL A PAID SUITE. YOU GET STILL GET GOOD PROTECTION FOR THE TOTAL PRICE OF ZIP.
ONCE UPON A time, if you wanted a free security solution, you had to cobble it together from various free apps. You don’t need to do that anymore. Avira, Qihoo, Comodo,
Outpost and Panda among others offer full suites, completely free. Of course, you can still roll your own if you really want to, but why would you when a single, streamlined solution is so much easier?
When it comes to free suites, none offers more than Avira. It provides anti-malware, system tune-up, a cloud-based password manager, a secure browser, a volume-limited VPN (with 1 GB/month), a web and search filter, and a software update checker. You can manage multiple devices from a single desktop as well. It’s a pretty comprehensive package for something that costs nothing.
It will not, however, completely rival a commercial suite. It’s good, but it’s not up to par with the likes of Symantec, Bitdefender and Kaspersky. It has no firewall — it uses Window’s firewall — and a number of the deeper features you might find in those suites are missing. There’s no ransomware locker, for example, and no webcam monitor or application sandbox. The tune-up tools are restricted in the free version, and there are no backup tools or parental controls.
On the other hand, what is there is pretty’ good. Avira’s anti-malware engine received an overall score of 17.5 out of 18 in AV-Test’s benchmarks, being both effective and light on system resources. It cleans a system well, and the extra tools are useful across the board. The VPN is particularly convenient, and the Scout secure browser is excellent for both banking and general usage.
As you might expect, there is some upsell built into the app. You’re reminded, for example, that the VPN is limited to only 1GB per month, while the paid version offers unlimited access. The software update checker and system optimisation tools are likewise a little crippled, with the full set of features only available in the paid version of the suite.
The suite isn’t difficult to use, though it is a little scattershot and not terribly well integrated. It’s chattier than something like Symantec, but for the most part, it’s straightforward and comprehensible for both beginners and advanced users.
Avira Connect is a particular high point.
This lets you manage multiple devices from a single PC It’s more than just monitoring alerts: you can see the status of components as well as trigger remote scans. Nobody should install Avira Free Security Suite thinking that it’s going to be just as good as a $100-per-year commercial suite. It’s most definitely not.
But for the price of $0, it offers an awful lot, even including some things that commercial suites don’t, like VPN support. If you’re not going to pay for a suite, this is definitely the next best thing.
Verdict 4/5
AVIRA FREE SECURITY SUITE
Free
CRITICAL SPECS
Anti-malware, secure browser, system cleanup, version checking, password manager, website fitter, remote monitoring, VPN
RUNNER-UP
Avast Free Antivirus
Although it’s not marketed as a ‘suite’. Avast Free Antivirus is more than Just an anti-malware application. It also includes a (pretty good!) password manager, secure browser, and a modest set of utilities for monitoring Wi-Fi security and identity theft It’s very easy to use and has excellent antivirus detection rates.
It’s not anywhere near the kind of full suite that you’ll get in a commercial product, but for an advanced user who is careful and doesn’t need a lot of the hand holding that a full suite provides, it can be more than enough.
