Avira Free Antivirus Editor's Review

Keep your computer malware free with this platform independent scanning utility.

Keeping your PC free of malware – either a virus or something that invades your privacy and steals your personal information – is a difficult job. The amount of malware on the internet today is staggering. Its difficult to go anywhere or do anything without putting you, your information and your bank and credit accounts at risk. This is one of the reasons why I really suggest using some kind of malware scanner with your computer.  Its becoming a must have; and applications like Avira Free Antivirus are a good candidate for bringing safety and reliability to your computing experience.

Avira Free Antivirus offers effective protection against computer viruses on a single PC or Mac workstation. The app detects and removes more than 50,000 viruses.  An Internet-Update Wizard updates both app and virus definitions. Avira's built in resident Virus Guard monitors file movements automatically, for example, when downloading content from the internet. Heuristic scanning also provides Protection against previously unknown macro viruses.

Avira Free Antivirus runs silently in the background while stopping Internet attacks before they infect your computer. Its lightweight footprint means you’ll never have to choose between security and performance.  The app analyzes any file the system accesses and is completely configurable for on-demand searches for known viruses and malware when you suspect something isn't quite right.

When the app does find something that it doesn't like, the file is immediately quarantined, and offers you one-click repairs, if possible.  Avira Antivirus also has an integrated scheduler that will automate recurring tasks, like updates or scans to help insure that your computer stays bug free.

App Pro’s: Free, easy to use, set it and forget it

App Con’s: The paid versions are a bit pricey for a desktop app

Conclusion: I've been a serious computer user since 1995. Throughout the years, I've had maybe, one or two serious malware infections.  I mean, who hasn't been bitten at least once?  Most often the best course of action is to recover what you can and then blow your system and start over.  That... however can be problematic for many. Not everyone has the time, patience or skill to do that all the time.

When you don't, its good to have tools like Avira Antivirus.  I use both Mac and Windows systems for both my day job and my night job.  Its nice to have the same branded solution on both of the platforms that I use. That's a huge plus.  The biggest issue that you have though is cost.

On the Mac side, where there really isn't an AV scanner at the OS level, having something on your Mac is a great idea, and important if you frequent sites that are less than on the up and up.  On the Windows side, its getting harder and harder to justify any other malware scanner other than Windows Defender, as it is free, and integrated directly into the OS.  There has been a huge push on both platforms towards unpaid malware solutions since 2009 or so.

This app is great on the Mac side and good on the Windows side as well.  Paying for the app on either platform is a bit pricey.  At €30 or $34 USD, its pricey for a paid desktop app. However, the biggest question you have ask yourself is – if I don't have an antimalware app, is running without one worth saving $35 bucks?  The answer should be, "no;" but only you can answer that. The free version does a good job, and is worth using.