Is Avira Safe? You May Be Have This Question In Your Mind If You Are The New User? Here We Discussed About Avira Security Tips & More Incuding Expert Review.
The latest version of the super lightweight & reliable antivirus solution from German security vendors Avira is out and it promises to help improve the overall performance of your PC without occupying too much hard drive space with unnecessary virus definition files.
Avira's product range includes both free and Pro versions, with each of them offering surprisingly adequate features which include real-time antivirus protection, a firewall, PC optimization, malicious URL filtering, VPN service, a game booster, and much more.
But is Avira safe? Is it really powerful enough to provide all-round protection for all your devices and private info against internet threats, or is it just a waste of your time and money?
We'll be sure to explore all the basics in our Avira antivirus review. Keep scrolling and pay attention to the details.
Features of Avira Security
With Avira, you have a lightweight antivirus solution that was designed to offer up an extensive and easy-to-use selection of tools for all major smart devices, including Windows and Mac PCs, as well as iOS and Android gadgets.
You can expect to find every essential security solution you need on this top antivirus suite offering the latest real-time web scanning & protection and ransomware attack prevention.
Avira has an impressive Smart scan that will quickly scan both your home and office PCs for viruses, online security threats, junk files, recommended privacy settings, etc.
The Avira Smart scan feature can be used to find potentially compromising data security issues in just a few minutes. It can also identify & display unnecessary location sharing app permissions and any unnecessary access granted to your data.
While sampling Avira, we were able to discover those apps that slowed down our PC's startup as well as any outdated apps in need of fresh updates.
You can even enable the recommended optimal settings with just one click. Other Avira functions include cleaning up unnecessary data, fixing privacy issues, virus remover and changing the startup apps on your PC.
So, is Avira safe for use on your PC and mobile gadgets? The direct answer is yes! In general, it can provide a quick and comprehensive method for optimizing both configuration and privacy settings on the foremost PCs and mobile devices.
Up next on our Avira antivirus review, we will take a closer look at some basic functions of this software tool.
1. Avira Antivirus Scanner
There's a reason why the Avira antivirus suite has ranked among the most popular antivirus solutions available out there so it was really hard trying to detect any flaws in its operation.
While sampling, Avira indeed proved to be one of the fastest and most advanced engines for virus protection out there.
The full Avira scan was able to provide a 100 percent detection rate for virus and malware samples on our devices. Its firewall also proved to be effective in real-time protection against malware and other forms of advanced ransomware.
Apart from the quick scan and full scan features, we were also impressed by the variety of user-specific scans available under the Manage scans section.
Other scans available for you to schedule and perform on Avira include the following:
- Local Drive Scans.
- Rootkit Scans.
- Active Process Scans.
- External Device Scans.
Moreover, the Avira antivirus scanner features a default Protection Cloud setting that offers up automatic cloud-based scans for suspicious files.
And because the Protection Cloud feature is updated constantly, it tends to offer a robust scanning engine.
And while other top antivirus solutions also come with cloud-based scanners, they aren't always integrated with real-time scanners hence the need for a separate cloud-based scan.
Avira's antivirus scan has an in-built cloud scanning for its real-time protection. So, is Avira safe for scanning all forms of malware, viruses, spyware, and ransomware?
Yes, Avira is overall one of the best antivirus scanners available in the industry. During sampling, it was able to detect different malware samples that could threaten your gadgets.
2. Avira Web Protection
Is Avira safe in terms of web protection? Let's find out.
Sadly, the Avira web protection feature turned out to be a bit disappointing during our sampling.
Even after disabling Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browser protection settings to ensure that only the Avira web protection service was active, Avira was still unable to detect or block any phishing websites we visited.
We were left feeling frustrated because even phishing websites that were created to impersonate popular domains like Facebook, Amazon, and LinkedIn, weren't detected or blocked.
However, it seemed to perform better when used to shop online but only after we installed a Google Chrome extension.
So, is Avira safe for real-time web protection? Not really. The truth is we would have preferred for its integrated web protection to be able to actually protect us from all kinds of malicious website threats without having to install any extensions.
3. Avira Device Optimization Tools
Is Avira safe when it comes to PC optimization? Let's find out.
Avast has a handy collection of device optimization tools such as:
- Startup Optimizer.
- PC Junk File Cleaner.
- Battery Usage Manager.
- Driver Updater.
While sampling, we discovered that the Avira antivirus software had a super-fast PC cleaner scan when compared to most other junk file scanners we've tested recently.
It was also able to flag those PC files & folders that required some maintenance while also giving you the option to delete them completely.
We were even further impressed by how Avira's startup optimizer was able to monitor our computer's load time and then display the data afterward in graphical form so you'll know whether your PC's startup time has indeed been optimized.
So, is Avira safe to use for optimizing your PC and mobile devices?
Yes, because overall it offers an advanced collection of antivirus tools for PC and mobile gadget optimization, and we were satisfied with its user-friendly features which can speed up your PC's performance better than lots of other antivirus alternatives.
4. Avira VPN
To be honest, in terms of speed, reliability, and functionality, the Phantom VPN feature on Avira doesn't quite measure up to other antiviruses we've sampled that come with a VPN included.
However, it did ensure that the network connection remained private while offering up a host of other decent features such as:
- Unlimited Browsing Data: This offer is for Prime users only.
- No-Logging User Policy: The Avira software program won't monitor or sell off your private browsing info to law enforcement, government bodies, or other third-parties.
- Multiple Server Locations: The Avira VPN service can boast of more than forty worldwide server locations including in the US.
Moreover, the Avira VPN service can be installed and used on a limitless number of devices, unlike most other VPN providers that tend to charge extra for covering multiple devices.
You even have the option to install and run the Avira VPN service on foremost entertainment devices such as smart TVs, and game consoles.
So, is Avira safe in terms of its VPN privacy policy? While it certainly represents a cost-effective option, since it comes along with the Avira Prime package, the truth is there are much better standalone VPN providers that also come with unlimited data and more features.
On the other hand, the Avira Phantom VPN service is easy-to-use and is perfect for people who are concerned about their online privacy. The software only requests for basic details like your email address and username, as opposed to accessing your browsing history.
5. Avira Password Manager
Avira has a strictly web-based password manager which might not be ideal for some users, but it does ensure that all your passwords have bank-grade encrypted protection.
Its dashboard can be navigated easily and you can input your credit card information effortlessly while saving your notes, and monitoring the security of your device.
The Avira data breach tool is also there to help you check to see if your account information may have been leaked online.
However, we found that Avira's password manager has a limited scope of functionality, as you can only access its password editing or note adding features through an extension.
Overall, we can conclude that Avira has a useful and worthwhile password manager.
Using Avira Safe Shopping
By clicking on the Browser Safety feature under the Privacy tab, you will be redirected to the Google Chrome online store from where you may proceed to install the Safe Shopping Avira browser extension.
This Safe Shopping extension is there to help you block any tracking links and annoying ads as well as help you to discover cheaper prices while shopping online.
The Safe Shopping extension is quite easy to install, user-friendly, and can effectively block unwanted websites looking to track your activity online.
Avira Plans & Pricing
The Avira antivirus suite represents a decent investment value especially when you use it to protect multiple gadgets and opt for any of the yearly packages.
The free Avira plan offers a similar antivirus engine to the Pro edition with equally powerful options - it can even boast of cloud-based scanning and protection technology.
The free version also provides adequate protection against ransomware; unlike other free antivirus solutions that require payment before accessing malware protection.
The Pro Avira Antivirus package comes with the entire free version tools as well as email and web protection.
The Takeaway
Here ends our Avira antivirus review. Overall, we can conclude by saying this popular security solution can offer decent security features at an affordable price.