Avast vs Avira

[shadowpr]

This isn't a thread to ask which is best, but a thread to let others know what my personal experiences have been using both of these highly recommended anti-virus programs. I will compare both programs on a number of qualities, which include size, appearance, updates, ease of use, speed, settings, and my overall opinion. For just a comparrison of detection, there are numerous sites which compare. This is just one example: http://www.av-comparatives.org/

Size

Once installed, both programs use less than 100mb. On my computer Avira had the smaller folder with 58.5mb while Avast had a folder of 74.4mb. They also differ in the ammount of processes they each run, and the amount of ram that they take. Avira has 3 processes running with a total of about 12.5mb while Avast has 5 processes running with a total of 10.6 to 25.4mb (depending on the number of open browser windows). Winner is Avira. Less processes and less folder size.

Appearance

As for appearance, this is strictly subjective. Avast comes with two skins with the typical install. I personally do not like the silver media player looking one that is uses by default. I switched to the bigger blue one. More can be downloaded, but I didn't bother with that. The Blue skin has several icon type buttons on the bottom that you have to hover over to see what they do if you're not familiar with the program. Avira comes in a nice looking package. It might have skins, but I didn't bother looking (doubt it does) since the default view was impressive. It made navigation easy, and had all the important information right on the main screen. Everything is clearly labeled. Winner is Avira.

Updates

For testing purposes I left it on auto updates. Both programs do a good job at that, and will auto update even though the programs are free. I personally like to manually update myself, but that's another issue. Avira will update and have a little window open up on the top right of yopur screen. It will update and then that window has a little countdown where it will close itself. I really like that idea. What I do not like is the big popup window that it will open after it finishes updating. It opens in the middle of your screen and tries to get you to pay for the program. That's a big no-no for me. Avast will pop up a little square window on the bottom right of your screen, and will notify you if an update is available, or if you have it set to autoupdate, it will notify you that it has updated. The window popsup, and then disappears. It is also set by default to sound a file that says it was updated. The voice could be prettier, and as such, I usually choose to disable it. As for frequency of updates, I didn't notice Avira having more than one per day, while Avast can have several throughout the day. I might only know this since I do it manually though. Winner is Avast.

Ease of Use

Avira makes things very simple. Everything you need to know seems to be displayed right on the front of the program. One press and you can be scanning for the bad stuff. The menus are clear. It would seem to come pretty much set up for use as soon as it's installed. Would be easy for non-computer enthusiast to use. Avast is easy to use, but the menus and front of the program might be a bit confusing for some. It wouldn't take long to learn, but could make the novice confused. Winner is Avira.

Speed

I didn't time the programs, cause I jus forgot. This is going off of memory and nothing else. I have used both programs to scan my entire system, which includes ove a 150gb over 2 drives. I believe that Avast was quicker. I might be wrong, but that's what it seemed like. Winner is Avast.

Settings

This is one area that I value. I like to play around with settings. I want a program to do what I want, and not what they think. Avira has the standard settings, but nothing too in depth. There is no individual settings for the background scanner, or email scanner. There is just one basic setting. Avast has several settings. The initial menu could confuse novices, but once you go through it, it seems like a good set of options. Part of the reason it has ore processes running than Avira is because it has different processes for it's different scanners. It has standard shield, web shiel, email, Im shiled, p2p shield, and a few others. Each one can be adjusted to be either strict or relaxed. You can even choose to turn one off without turning the other off. I find this handy when playing a game or ripping discs. I would turn off the standard shield, and still leave the others on to protect my system. Winner Avast.

Overall Opinion

My overall opinion is based on the above criteria. I didn't include detection rates cause there are plenty of reviews of that for both programs. I would feel confident that my system would be safe with either program, so that's not my objective with this review. In looking beyond detection rates, I was looking for something that would statisfy my personal level of expectations. I will say that I'm also thinking about what I would use for other people that just want to have something, and never worry about it. For the novice, or occasional user I liked Avira, except for that popup that tries to sell the program. If not for that, I would switch to using Avira on other peoples computers. For me personally, I am sticking with Avast. The options and settings available make it a clear winner for me along with being a bit quicker than Avira. Winner is Avast.

I hope you enjoyed that review, and please feel free to add to it. I'm curently back to using Avast after using Avira for about 3 weeks. I'm typing all this and going off of my memory about Avira, so somethings might not be exact. Of course, your milage may vary, I suggest giving each a try with an open mind.

ShadowPR

[not important]

I've used both and I prefer Avira. I HATE that big popup window but I can live with it.
Avira has proven better at preventing intrusions for me.

[juppy]

Nice review, shadowpr.

I've never used Avira, but I've always figured if something happens to Avast, I'll likely end up trying Avira. The front end is the one thing that I can see people having a legitimate gripe about, because yeah, it's NOT real straightforward to the point that it's "newbie-friendly" and has buttons that you know exactly what they're for just by looking at them. Once I went through the help file though, everything was easy and I've been quite pleased with Avast for over a couple years now.

One thing I've always felt Avast *could* tone down a little bit is the alert when it does catch a virus coming into your system from a certain webpage. I mean, the yellow and black radioactivity symbol is bad enough popping up when you don't expect it, but if you've got your speakers on, that siren that goes "WHOOOOOP!!!!" will scare the hell out of you every time because you're not expecting it. That's a minor gripe though, for a program that does a good job otherwise.

[Bambo]

One thing that count for Avast is they have improved malware/spyware detection a lot lately. Avira has all that disabled in free version, also no Web shield. Avast Home is close to a full unlimited "pro" version.

So if numbers are only parameters Avast look quite good at sites like AV-Comparatives, only one i trust because they declare conditions for testing. AVs like Avira would drop big time if free/personal version was used, Avast would not. Among free versions, Avast might even win number contest overall.

Why I would choose Avast as best free AV is because of decent, and improving, detection, but also because Ive used it 6-7 years and never had bsod, never problems with updating. Stable and non-intrusive. Developers also seem eager to improve, good support forum. Avast have been chasing programs like AVG for years so how to promote one self? The no nagging is clever, cost nothing and stands out as a cool feature.

The popup nonsense from Avira can be "fixed" btw. How-to is even mentioned on their forum. No crack needed. I guess they figure most dont bother to "fix" so to avoid nagging they look the other way AVGs can also vanish.

If you untick "Enable skins for Simple User Interface" in Avast settings, "Common" you get a generic one, boring but no noise.
Sounds can be replaced, see wav files in Avast4/English folder.

I see Avast Home as valid alternative to some payware AVs, clear winner among free versions.

[shadowpr]

I will say that when I'm installing on other peoples computers, I find myself wanting to put Avast on, and just set it up so they don't have to do anything.

I have also used AVG on others computers, but that's just because it comes with anti-spyware as well, and seems straight forward. I have not actually spent time using it to know for sure.

[glc]

How about trying AVG for us and adding that to the review? Comparing all 3 would really be best. I'm going to copy this thread to the software reviews forum.

[shadowpr]

I'll give it a download and use it for a few days, then will add to this thread.

[EzyStvy]

I switched to Avira a couple months ago and really like it.

[ConLog]

I posted in another thread recently about a virus/trojan which I could not rid from my system no matter what I did (AVG seen the threat but was hopeless at removing it).

I had a PC magazine cover disc with an anti-virus program on it called AVIRA. I had never heard of it but thought I'd give it a try and hopefully it would succeed where AVG failed.

Sure enough, AVIRA seen the problem and after repeatedly zapping away I eventually cleansed my system of the nasty!

Top marks from me for AVIRA!

[glc]

Avira does not have a real-time E-mail scanner unless you purchase it. I also do not like the popup that it shoves in your face every time it updates trying to sell you the enhanced package. Its background protection is as good as anyone's though, and its footprint is considerably smaller than either Avast or AVG's.

[uytrerp]

There is no problem if you install both.

[shadowpr]

It's not a good idea to have 2 active scanners at the same time.

If you want more than one antivirus installed, I would recommend setting one as just a manual scanner, and leaving only one as an active scanner.

[shadowpr]

I never saw avira do that before. If it did that on your computer, I would definately feel like something is wrong.

In my opinion, and antivirus that becomes un-usable when there is a virus sort of fails my checklist as far as being worthy of having. Kind of like having a car with a great engine, but no wheels. Makes the engine sort of pointless.

But i do believe that is not the norm with avira.

[chuck4456]

AVG 7.5 worked well for me and I always used it on every system back in the day.
AVG 8.0 was nuttin' but trouble for me.
AVIRA is amazing - it has some quick detection.
Saved my butt 3 times.
I despise the pop up (as well) but I can learn to live with it.

[RalphCaffery]

So y'all would recommend Avast or Avira both over anything else? My parents have this thing called Stopzilla and it makes their computer hella slow, but my dad is so dumb he won't get rid of it. I know a virus protection program isn't supposed to make your computer unbearably slow.

Are these programs better or just as good as ones you pay for in the store?

[glc]

Ralph, you should find an existing thread in the Security forum or post your own - this is the Reviews section and not for getting advice. Thanks!

[rm810]

Thanks for your detailed review of the two anti-virus programs. I am thinking about getting a new netbook and that's why I am also looking for a cheap but secure anti-virus software. I have already used Avira but Avast also seems to be an interesting option that is worth checking out.

[nocturnx]

I switched from AVG to Avira recenty. I was having problems with AVG, it would start running at the worst times even though I scheduled it at a different time, when it would scan it would bog down the system to the point of being unable to watch video, annoying pop-up ad, very lacking in settings. Installed Avira and everything is great, I couldn't be happier. I don't think I've ever tried Avast but Avira meets all my needs at the moment.

[David M]

I do scans with both...plus a few other anti-malware packages. They have both found malware on my son's computer. You cannot rely on any one anti-malware package. None of them get all of the bad stuff and neither do all of them combined. Its just that running some is better than running one.

[gangte]

I can say is a specialized research and antivirus software I use avira antivirus software will be better than Avast, it is something you can not deny

[David M]

Try both, they are both initially free. One is trialware and the other is freeware...forgot which is which.

[juppy]

The home version of Avast is totally free. You just have to register for a license key once a year. Couldn't tell you about Avira though....never used it. I thought Avira was free too though, but that you just had to put up with an annoying "Want to buy it now?!" popup ad every so often. Just what I've heard.

[mknabster]

I have been using Avast for over 7 1/2 years now, and it has never faltered for me. I use it in conjunction with Zonealarm firewall, and the 2 together work in perfect harmony.

[AnotherMuggle]

I used AVG for many years, trusted it and recommended it to others. Around a year or two ago I started getting weird updating issues, on a few different machines. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, others it was just really slow to download.

I tried Avira but had similar problems with updating. Often the update would sit for ages and then it would complain that it had failed to download the update.

I have since been using Avast, I've had no problems so far, and its my new recommendation to others who seek a free anti-virus program.

[EzyStvy]

There are many reviews like the following to help make decissions:

The Final Scores If we left spyware/adware removal out of the mix and focused only on the scanner's ability to detect traditional virus threats, out of a possible 125.6 points, Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic scored 94, AVAST 4 Home Edition scored 89, and AVG Free Edition scored 66. However, when we included adware/spyware removal in the judging, the results were dismal, with AVAST scoring highest at 66 points, AntiVir following at 58, and AVG with only 30. Of course, these particular antivirus scanners don't claim to have adware and spyware removal capabilities, so it would be unfair to judge them harshly if they do not. Still, if you are looking for a standalone antivirus scanner that can also offer spyware or adware protection, you'll have to shell out a few dollars to get it. http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivi...a/freeav_2.htm

[David M]

Originally Posted by juppy The home version of Avast is totally free. You just have to register for a license key once a year. Couldn't tell you about Avira though....never used it. I thought Avira was free too though, but that you just had to put up with an annoying "Want to buy it now?!" popup ad every so often. Just what I've heard.

One is definitely trialware....I have had both. If I am going to pay for it then it had better be damn good. So far though, the best of the anti-malware freeware is as good as the subscription software in my experience. This is also what many computer magazine and online comparisons say as well. It's interesting to note that some of those that advertise Norton also rate Norton as highest.

The bottom line as I see it is that it makes no sense to pay for anti-malware.

[glc]

Originally Posted by EzyStvy There are many reviews like the following to help make decissions:

That review is 5 years old and is not valid for today's versions of those packages.

[EzyStvy]

I didn't see a date before or now but will take your word for it

[Mac*Girl]

I use Avire AntiVir and I like it very much.
I have no problems with viruses at all.

[thetvstop]

I used to use Avast and liked it. However, my new laptop came with Norton 2010, so I just kept it. haha