Aura Antivirus Review 2024: The Ultimate Cybersecurity Suite

Aura Antivirus offers simple antivirus protection that's enhanced by its additional features. Depending on your plan, Aura Antivirus offers a password manager, ad blocking, financial transaction monitoring, credit protection, and even comprehensive identity theft protection. Aura's Ultimate antivirus plan includes up to $1 million of identity theft insurance, and all plans include 24/7 customer support.

With annual plans starting at $35.99/first yr, we think Aura is packed with solutions to make your life simpler and safer.

Aura Antivirus review at a glance

Price	$35.99-$59.99/first yr
Free plan	No
# of devices protected	3 - 10
Malware scans	Yes
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	2/3
Firewall	No
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android
Extras	VPN, password manager, ad blocker, identity protection
24/7 customer support	Yes
Learn more	Get Aura Antivirus

Our experience

We tested Aura Antivirus on a Lenovo laptop running Windows 11. Signing up only took a few minutes, and downloading the application was fast and easy. The interface was simple to use, and we didn’t notice any lag time when running scans, even having numerous browser tabs open simultaneously.

It took a little under six minutes to run a full scan and check over 230,000 files. Aura found some threats and immediately quarantined them. Afterward, we could review and delete them or leave them in quarantine for up to seven days.

The scanning was easy, and we had no issues navigating the interface. Again, you won’t be able to schedule a scan with Aura antivirus, but you can run a manual scan anytime you want. Fortunately, there's real-time protection running in the background to check for any malicious software.

All the antivirus options are turned on by default, so there’s not much for you to do. You can toggle on Online Security from the main dashboard for virtual private network (VPN) protection. 

It was also nice to have the dark web monitoring and data broker removal features ready when we logged into the Aura dashboard.

We did notice it got a couple of things wrong, though. For one, Aura also alerted us during testing that it found two malware threats. Upon further investigation, we found that it was an application that wasn't harmful, but we didn’t find a way to notify Aura of the false positive.

Also, Aura mixed up the street address and city of our location. It showed a car title from a car owned in 2000 but nothing that was more recent. Neither of these were cause for great alarm, though. They were simply errors we noticed with the software.

Who is Aura Antivirus best for?

• Recommended for users who want basic antivirus coverage along with additional cybersecurity tools.

Aura is great for users who want options, whether you need antivirus protection as an individual or want something to protect your entire household. There are three different security plans to fit various needs. The Ultimate plan comes with $1 million identity theft insurance.

The most economical plans are billed annually, so keep that in mind when you select the best option for you. Since Aura has many standard features, we think this cybersecurity suite may check all those security boxes for most people.

Aura Antivirus cost

Aura has three plans to accommodate most needs: Antivirus, Antivirus Plus, and Ultimate. The Antivirus plan starts at $35.99/first yr, the Antivirus Plus plan starts at $47.99/first yr, and the Ultimate plan starts at $59.99/first yr. These are all billed annually, so it’s something to be aware of before purchasing.

The starting prices are a bit high if you compare them to the well-established antivirus services.

• Norton 360: Starts at $29.99/first yr. 
• TotalAV: Starts at $29.00/yr (first year only).

• McAfee: Starts at $39.99/first 2 yrs.

But these also have much higher end prices:

• Norton 360: Most expensive plan is $99.99/first yr.
• TotalAV: Most expensive plan is $49.00/yr (first year only).
• McAfee: Most expensive plan is $249.99/first yr.

For those who may be more on the fence and don’t mind spending a bit extra, you can choose the monthly option. Just note that paying for an entire year of antivirus protection upfront may be off-putting, but the savings and peace of mind can be worth the price.

	Antivirus	Antivirus Plus	Ultimate
Monthly price (billed annually)	$35.99/first yr	$47.99/first yr	$59.99/first yr
# devices supported	3	5	10
Compatible with	Windows, macOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Android
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Real-time protection
Ransomware protection
VPN
Parental controls
Firewall
Performance optimization tools
Learn more	View plan	View plan	View plan

Security features

Aura comes standard with most features you’d want from a security suite. It focuses on being an all-in-one software, giving you antivirus protection, a VPN, a password manager, as well as identity and financial fraud protection. 

The password manager offers safe storage and retrieval for online credentials, and the financial fraud protection gives users more peace of mind when shopping or banking online.

Malware and antivirus scan

Aura's antivirus protection offers manual and real-time scans that run in the background to keep your device safe. You won’t be able to schedule a scan, but you can choose from the following options:

• Quick scan: Scans folders where threats are commonly found. 
• Full scan: Scans all files and folders on your hard drive. 
• Custom scan: Scan the files you specify or a USB drive.

We had no issues running Aura’s antivirus scan on our PC laptop. It checked over 230,000 files in around six minutes and notified us of threats placed in quarantine.

Phishing protection

Aura offers the Safe Browsing feature to automatically block suspicious websites and prevent you from accessing harmful phishing websites. It's a browser extension available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

Once you've downloaded the extension, the toggle to block malicious sites will already be on. From there, Aura will notify you when it has stopped a potentially malicious download and explain why.

Real-time protection

Aura’s real-time protection scans every file you attempt to add to your computer. That means that before you can download new software, Aura will ensure it’s safe. The Safe Browsing extension can also block ads and trackers.

The caveat is that it’s only available for PCs, so if you’re a macOS user, you won’t have this feature. Since we were testing this software on our Macbook Air, we couldn’t verify its potential.

Ransomware protection

One of the ways hackers try to steal your data is with the use of ransomware. Much like the name implies, these cybercriminals hold your data for ransom until you pay them whatever fee they request. 

Aura checks for all kinds of malware, including ransomware. The threat will be isolated and quarantined to keep your device secure if anything is detected. After seven days, the files are automatically deleted. There's no setting to enable this protection, so it’s ready to work when you set up your account.

Anti-fraud protection

Aura's Ultimate antivirus plan comes with a variety of fraud and identity protection tools. You'll get one-bureau credit monitoring, credit lokc, bank fraud monitoring, and financial transaction monitoring. The adult on the plan also gets $1 million in insurance that covers fees and losses resulting from identity theft. 

There's also a U.S.-based team to help resolve these issues and mitigate the damages. Aura makes the process simple if you have the misfortune of needing the service, with a few easy steps to follow to get help.

Bonus features

This antivirus comes with extra features that enhance your online security. Some of these may persuade you to pay for Aura’s all-inclusive cybersecurity solution.

Spam call and message protection

Aura uses AI to scan for unknown calls and messages before your phone even rings. If you’re bothered by annoying spam calls and messages throughout the day, this feature adds the layer of protection you need to keep those communication attempts at bay.

VPN

When using public Wi-Fi, everyone needs a secure network for better online protection. Aura’s VPN is easy to set up, and you can choose when to use it.

Privacy assistant

To help users stay safe online, Aura helps remove your private information from data brokers and search listings. These sites can sell your data, increasing the chances of placing it into the hands of scammers.

Password manager

Aura’s password manager is another protection layer that helps you store your online credentials in a secure location. You can access passwords across devices, and it’s built into the software, so there’s nothing for you to do. You can even import accounts from another password manager if needed.

Aura Antivirus test results

To confirm Aura's claim, we put its scanning and malware protection capabilities to the test. First, we conduct antivirus scans and measure how long it takes. Aura proved to be among the speediest antiviruses we've tested.

We also conduct EICAR (European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) testing. This allows us to test how well an antivirus can detect and block threats using fake malware and phishing files. Aura caught the malware with ease, but failed to block phishing.

We typically rely on third-party testing sites to help give an accurate illustration of how the program performs. However, Aura has not yet submitted its antivirus product for third-party testing. We hope to see how Aura performs next to antivirus giants in the future.

Scan speed

• Result: Fast

Aura Antivirus has three types of scans available: a quick scan, a full scan, and a custom scan. 

The quick scan was finished in an instant, taking almost no time. The full scan was also incredibly fast, taking well under 10 minutes to go over 230,000 files. Just note that there were two false positives, with Aura flagging Turbo VPN and AVG Antivirus in our downloads. 

Scan type	Time spent
Quick scan	2 seconds
Full scan	5 minutes, 48 seconds

EICAR test results

• Result: 2/3

The three EICAR tests we ran were for malware detection, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing page detection. Aura easily caught and quarantined the two EICAR malware files. 

However, Aura couldn't block the fake phishing link with the Online Security tool. We downloaded the Safe Browsing extension, which has a toggle for malicious site blocking. Unfortunately, the EICAR link still slipped past Aura.  

Test	Aura score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Fail

Aura Antivirus compatibility

When searching for the best antivirus protection for your family, you may need compatibility for various devices. Aura works with almost any device, making it easy for multiple users who share a plan. 

These are the devices you can use Aura antivirus on:

• Windows
• macOS
• Android

The Aura Safe Browsing extension is available for the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Aura Antivirus customer support

During testing, we didn’t need to contact customer support, but if you do, there are some options for service. If you’d rather investigate an issue yourself, Aura has a Help Center that contains numerous categories with corresponding online guides for assistance.

You can also use the 24/7 phone support option or chat with a specialist from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. 

We reached out to Aura's chat support with a question about the Safe Browsing extension. There were seven people ahead of us in the queue, and it took about 15 minutes to reach our agent. 

Once we connected with our agent, they were friendly and quick to reply. 

Top alternatives

One of the hardest parts of finding the right antivirus is sorting through the availability. Many of them have similar features, but sometimes prices and compatibility can vary, among other options. 

If Aura doesn’t fit your needs, here are some alternatives you might like more.

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Aura Antivirus good?

Overall, Aura Antivirus is solid. It scanned our device in record time, blocked malware downloads, and includes lots of features to keep your identity safe and your device more secure.

Unfortunately, Aura failed our phishing protection test, even after we downloaded the Safe Browsing extension. And if the price is too high for your needs, see how Aura compares to our top alternatives:

• Aura Antivirus vs. McAfee
• Aura Antivirus vs. TotalAV
• Aura Antivirus vs. Norton
• Aura Antivirus vs. Avast
• Aura Antivirus vs. AVG