While it does offer a free version, Avira is a great antivirus to pay for considering the features you get and the ease of use it offers. Some of the options you’ll get with Avira Internet Security are:

• Premium customer support
• Windows system startup optimizer
• Essential PC cleaning and speed optimization
• Advanced registry cleaner
• Advanced battery optimizer

We’ll give you a deeper look into Avira antivirus to help you decide whether it’s the antivirus software you need. Keep reading to learn about the features and how our test results figured into our stance.

Avira antivirus overview

Who is Avira best for?

• Recommended for people who want more from an antivirus product and don’t mind paying a little extra for premium features.

If you want a basic antivirus, Avira offers a free version with some of the same perks as the paid version. If you opt for the free version, you can expect:

• Online threat blocking
• Secure internet activities
• Cleanup tools
• Real-time antivirus protection

Now, if you need all the features Avira can offer, you may want to pay for its more premium options.

One of the paid features we found helpful was the premium customer support, which we used to see how easy it was to use and how quickly Avira responded. You also get an ad blocker for those annoying pop-ups and web trackers.

Avira Internet Security also comes with a password manager to generate and save strong passwords for you. You can use the free VPN if you only need 500 MB of data per month, and if you’re a registered user, you’ll get 1 GB. If you pay for the Avira Phantom VPN, you get unlimited data.

When deciding on antivirus software, the primary functions are to scan and block malware. No one wants a nasty computer virus. You want a product that’s thorough, and that’s what you’ll get with Avira.

Avira antivirus pros and cons

Avira antivirus features

We’ve mentioned the premium customer support you get with Avira, and if you’ve used other antivirus products, you may have noticed how limited some of them are when you need help. With our testing, we called the customer service line and spoke to a rep in fewer than five minutes.

The only nitpick we found in our testing was that the rep had some trouble hearing us at first. Phone calls may be touch and go based on the rep’s location. Still, that issue was resolved quickly, so it didn’t bother us much.

We also enjoyed using the quick scan and full scan options. We also like that you can install Avira and run it alongside other products, such as Windows Defender, without causing any software conflicts.

Malware and antivirus scan

Avira antivirus offers both automatic and manual scans for malware detection. You can schedule scans to run whenever you want or you can use manual scans when you have a need. You can also use the full scan option to do a deeper dive into your device.

We ran both the quick and full scans and found them to be useful in different ways. The quick scan was short and to the point, which is what we wanted at the time. The full scan took longer, but we expected that from a thorough search of our device.

The full scan completed 81% at the 42-minute mark, and the scan finished after just over 47 minutes. With the number of items scanned (about 929,000), that’s not bad at all.

If 45 minutes to an hour is too long for you to wait for your virus scan to complete, you might check out Bitdefender. Its highly regarded malware scan uses machine learning to detect malware, including Trojans, viruses, spyware, and more. Plus, it’s cloud-based, which means it won't cause your device to slow down during scans.

Phishing protection

The phishing protection you get with Avira’s free and paid versions includes email protection and also blocks annoying ads that may contain malware. There’s nothing special to do or set up with this feature, it’s part of the real-time protection that blocks viruses and malicious attachments.

If you only want anti-phishing protection, you can opt for the Avira Browser Safety extension. It works with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, and blocks phishing websites and browser hijackers.

We downloaded the browser extension and opened several different browser windows. We liked having web protection when using Malwarebytes, so we wanted to see how this security feature worked with Avira. None of our websites showed ads or trackers, so we were pleased with those results.

Firewall

Avira comes with a Windows firewall, but we’re disappointed to learn that Mac users don’t have the same benefit. To be sure we didn’t overlook anything, we called customer support to verify our findings. It was confirmed that the firewall is not included for macOS.

Real-time protection

When you want real-time protection, Avira doesn’t miss the mark. This feature is turned on by default, so there’s nothing for you to do. The Avira real-time protection scans any file you access to prevent malware from infecting files on your device.

The best part is that you won’t notice anything because it runs in the background. We had numerous browser tabs opened and didn’t notice any lags with real-time protection working.

Ransomware protection

Avira antivirus offers real-time ransomware protection that blocks malicious software from gaining control of your device.

If you decide to get the paid antivirus program, the ransomware protection uses a behavior-based approach that checks the actions of the code trigger. If actions are found that suggest ransomware, the software gets blocked.

It’s worth noting that a basic version of Avira’s ransomware protection is also offered with the free version. It works by comparing known ransomware types in the database to potential threats.

We didn’t get to see the ransomware protection in action; it blocks threats in real-time, and we didn’t get any alerts.

Bonus features

Avira comes with a VPN, a system speedup tool and software updater for Windows, a Mac optimizer, and a safe shopping browser extension, which we thought were nice bonuses.

With the free VPN, you’re limited to 500 MB of data per month. If you need more than that, you can register your email to get 1 GB per month or opt for the premium version to get unlimited data usage.

Avira also offers a password manager browser extension, which is easy to use and helps secure your online accounts. The password manager monitors for data breaches, which is needed for any decent password manager. You don’t get a password manager with all antivirus software, and we liked that it’s included with Avira’s security suite.

You also get a custom scan option that you may not have with other antivirus products. Avira’s custom scan allows you to browse specific documents or files you want to scan instead of running a quick or full scan on an entire drive. This type of scan could be faster than even a quick scan, depending on the number of documents you want to check.

Avira antivirus test results

When we test, we also like to see what third-party test sites find when reviewing products. AV-TEST evaluates security products to determine how they stand up against malware, false positives, and performance issues. The site uses the most current version of the products for testing, so you get up-to-date results. AV-TEST evaluates products based on a point system, and the highest number of points awarded is six.

When it came to Protection, Performance, and Usability, Avira’s scores were all perfect on every operating system[1],[2],[3] AV-TEST did report one false positive where Avira flagged legitimate software as a potential threat when testing on Windows 10.

Avira antivirus AV-TEST results

Our Avira antivirus experience

Our Avira antivirus experience was very positive. We used a MacBook Air running macOS Big Sur. The full scan took less than an hour, which we think is good considering it’s doing a deep dive checking for anything suspicious. The quick scan was much shorter, as usual. It only took about three minutes to scan more than 1,200 files.

We also liked the Junk Cleaner feature that looks for items to clean, shows you the file details, and gives you the option to clean things up if you’d like.

Avira didn’t find any viruses on our device, which is fortunate. If you want coverage for more devices, you might need to splurge for a premium version, but we found that we were able to do a lot with the Internet Security edition.

Using the premium customer support feature was a breeze. It wasn’t difficult, and we were impressed with how fast someone answered. The entire phone call from start to finish took fewer than five minutes. We know that isn’t always the case when reaching out to customer support reps.

Avira antivirus compatibility

When you’re shopping for an antivirus, you want one that works for all your devices. Many of us use several devices, and it’s best to get a product that covers them all. You’d be hard-pressed to find a device Avira isn’t compatible with.

If you have any of these, you can secure them all with Avira antivirus software and mobile apps:

• Windows
• macOS
• Android
• iOS

Avira’s password manager browser extension is available for all Windows and Mac devices, and mobile devices. To use it, you’ll need:

• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera
• Microsoft Edge

Avira customer support

We’ve reviewed other software, like AVG, where the customer support seemed a little lacking. That wasn’t the case with Avira.

We placed a call to support and were pleasantly surprised when a live person answered in less than five minutes. We were helped promptly, and the rep was courteous and knowledgeable about the product.

You can also search the knowledge base, email support, or use the chat feature. If you want to reach someone by phone, the hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central European Time (CET). You may want to compare your timezone before placing a call.

You should know, however, that only paid subscribers have access to phone and email support. But if you use the free version, you still get access to the knowledge base. When you go to the main support page, you can select your device and then have different options to choose from regarding your issue.

Avira antivirus cost

If cost is a factor, Avira offers different subscriptions to find one that may work for you. You can view the table below to see all the plans and the features they come with, including the free version.

We feel Avira Internet Security isn’t bad when considering other antivirus options. But other products, such as AVG antivirus, also include webcam protection. Avira is also a bit pricier than some antivirus software on the market, like Webroot. One of the standout options is that you can pay extra for Avira Prime and cover up to 25 devices at once, but some of us don’t have that many.

One feature we’d like to see Avira branch out with is the firewall option. Currently, that feature is only available for Windows users, so if you have a Mac like us, you won’t get the firewall included with your plan.

Is Avira worth the cost? All things considered, it depends on how many devices you want to cover and what you need.

If you’re looking for a basic antivirus that includes a firewall for Windows and uses real-time protection to secure your device, you might be happy with the free option. Even if you choose the Avira free plan, you still get the use of the VPN. Just be aware that your VPN use is limited to 500 MB each month on the free plan. So if you need more data than that, you’ll want to choose one of Avira’s paid subscriptions.

Otherwise, with all the features and plans Avira offers, we think you’d be happy with any of the paid subscriptions.

Avira plans and prices

Avira subscriptions come with a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can also get a free trial of the software for 30 days, so Avira makes it easy to try before you buy.

Avira Free antivirus

If you don’t want to buy antivirus software, you can opt for the free version of Avira. It’s compatible with Windows and Mac devices and will also work on Android and iOS smartphones.

We think the free version is great for those who want real-time protection with a free VPN and password manager.

If you need more than 500 MB of data per month and more advanced ransomware protection, you’ll want to go for a paid plan. If you want a VPN with a larger data cap, you can try products such as NordVPN or Surfshark. You can also choose to pair a password manager, such as LastPass or 1Password, with Avira Free. Just remember, you won’t get access to email or phone customer support with the free version.

Still, the free plan offers a lot. You also get device optimization and a file shredder plus a ton of the same features as the more premium versions. If you don’t need the extra features and are more budget-conscious, we can’t think of a reason you won’t like Avira Free Security.

Avira antivirus FAQs

Bottom line: Is Avira antivirus good?

Avira is a good antivirus software that has excellent malware protection scores. It also offers different paid plans according to your needs.

If you’re looking for a product with numerous features that are easy to use and knowledgeable customer support, you won’t go wrong with any of the Avira products.

But if you want a firewall, you’ll only get that if you use Windows. Mac users will want to keep that in mind when shopping for antivirus software — Norton 360 antivirus is one of the few antivirus products that includes a firewall for Mac. (And it comes with five no-limits VPN licenses.)

The best antivirus software should meet all your needs at a competitive price, so don’t be afraid to look at all your options before you decide. You may pay more for premium features, but a higher price usually adds extra protection and utility. (And often, you can catch sales that discount the cost.)

4.5

Learn More

On Avira's website

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Avira

• Advanced registry cleaner and VPN included
• Firewall feature for Windows
• Somewhat pricey

Author Details

Patti Croft

About the Author

Patti Croft is a freelance writer who specializes in all things technology. Her expertise includes antivirus software, online security strategies, and safety practices. She has a degree in Computer Information Systems and extensive experience working in the IT field. In her spare time, Patti is an avid reader and researcher, and loves spending time with her pets. She currently shares an office with her cat, Beau.