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Best for Multiple Devices
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Award-winning antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection for up to 10 devices
Includes webcam protection, safe browsing and email, automatic updates, and 24/7 protection
Suite of protection benefits including a secure VPN, anti-tracking capabilities, safeguards against phishing sites, and more
Best for Complete Online Security
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High antivirus test scores
Ransomware protection
The right antivirus solution protects you from online threats and can detect malware. Antivirus programs scan your computer or phone for viruses and alert you of malicious websites or suspicious files. Even free antivirus programs can offer solid basic protection. We compared Avast and AVG’s antivirus features, and both solutions effectively keep your devices safe.
If AVG and Avast products seem unusually similar, that’s likely because Avast acquired AVG in 2016. From our testing, both AVG and Avast are reliable antivirus solutions. The tried-and-true freemium AVG offers more expansive device coverage. The award-winning Avast offers a few additional online safety features, including credit monitoring, identity theft reimbursement, and social media monitoring.
Check out how Avast and AVG compare.
If you’re comparing AVG and Avast, you’re going to find a lot of similarities. The free plan for both solutions can help you minimize malware and ransomware risks, and as you go into the paid plans, you’ll see many additional features to help protect you even more online.
One notable difference is that Avast provides a VPN solution with its free plan. Whether you’re looking for a paid or free solution, you should use antivirus software to help protect your information.
We recommend Avast for someone looking for a complete online security solution. With the Avast One Platinum plan, you get access to additional features like identity theft protection, which includes up to $2 million in reimbursement.
When it comes to AVG, you get a lot of the same benefits that Avast offers. However, AVG allows you to use the service on up to 10 devices with its internet security plan. And if you only need protection on one device, you can get an even better price.
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| Starting price | $46.68/first yr for 1 device | $35.88/first yr |
| Free version | ||
| Max number of protected devices | 10 devices | 5 devices |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | Mac, PC, Android, iPhone | Mac, PC, Android, iPhone |
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Learn more | Get AVG | Get Avast |
Our Pick |
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| Price range | $24.99–$59.88/first yr | $34.68-$119.88/first yr |
| Best value plan | AVG Ultimate plan for $59.88/first yr for 10 devices | Avast One Individual for $49.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days |
| Learn more | Get AVG | Get Avast |
In addition to Avast Antivirus Free, Avast offers a comprehensive suite of products from individual and family plans to platinum coverage. The five plans under the Avast One umbrella include Avast One Essential (free), Avast One Premium Security, Avast One Individual, Avast One Family, and Avast One Premium.
AVG Antivirus offers three plans: AVG Antivirus Free, AVG Internet Security, and AVG Ultimate. When you compare the mid-tier Avast One Individual and AVG Internet Security, you can see the plans are very similar.
However, AVG stands out because the company offers a more significant discount for its AVG Ultimate plan, which boasts additional features, including AVG Tuneup, AVG Secure VPN, and AVG AntiTrack. For year one, we picked the AVG Ultimate plan as the best value.
Premium Avast One plans give you access to additional features like data breach monitoring and more robust VPN functionality, and Avast One Individual offers full coverage at the most affordable rate. If you’re looking for total protection, the higher-tier Avast One Platinum plan gives you access to identity theft protection, a feature that AVG does not offer on any plan.
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| Manual and scheduled scans | ||
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Firewall | ||
| Parental controls | ||
| Password manager | ||
| VPN | ||
| Ad blocker | ||
| Device optimization tools | ||
| Learn more | Get AVG | Get Avast |
You won’t find much of a difference between the two solutions when it comes to features. They’re both equally robust, though neither service offers parental controls. Avast and AVG also discontinued their password managers, so you won’t find that feature for new subscribers either. Still, AVG and Avast are some of the best antivirus software available.
Avast and AVG’s free plans both offer malware and ransomware protection. However, Avast’s free plan will also scan and monitor your email inbox for dangerous attachments. You can minimize what behavior advertisers can track with Avast, and you can also scan data breaches for one of your email addresses to see if you’ve been a victim of a breach.
When you move up to one of Avast’s paid plans, you gain access to a few more features to help you keep your device operating at its best. Avast will scan your computer for unused apps, browser caches, and junk files and remove them from your device for more storage.
AVG offers similar features as part of its AVG Ultimate plan but doesn’t do a great job of describing them like Avast does.
When evaluating antivirus solutions, one way to compare them is through third-party testing, which can give you additional information on how well the antivirus software performs. We looked at testing on both AVG and Avast through AV-Test, an independent IT security company.
AV-Test scores each antivirus solution in three categories: protection, performance, and usability. Test results are available for macOS, Windows, and Android. Avast and AVG had recent test results from October (Windows), November (Android), and December (macOS) 2023.
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Our Pick
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| AV-Test Windows score | 17.5/18 | 18/18 |
| AV-Test macOS score | 18/18 | 18/18 |
| AV-Test Android score | 18/18 | 18/18 |
| Learn more | Get AVG | Get Avast |
*Test results as of October through December 2023.
Based on the AV-Test results, both solutions are highly rated. AVG scored slightly lower when it came to performance on Windows devices. This means that the AVG solution may affect internet speeds. AVG slowed down the launch of popular websites. The industry standard was 21%, while AVG had a 34% slowdown rate.
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Our Pick |
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| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome | Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Chat, support community, FAQs, web form | Chat, online guides, phone, forums, email |
| Learn more | Get AVG | Get Avast |
Avast and AVG have very similar interfaces and are easy to set up on your device. From a customer support perspective, they offer similar ways to connect, but overall, Avast’s options were easier to navigate. The Avast chat widget is also on the homepage, but it takes some effort to find AVG’s support options.
Avast also offers a few more options for browser extensions, while AVG limits this capability to only Chrome.
Yes, Avast purchased a major stake in AVG in October 2016.
You can’t use two antivirus solutions at the same time. Two enabled programs running simultaneously can overload your system and potentially cause your operating system to crash. AVG and Avast both offer similar protection and functionality, so be sure to disable your current antivirus software before installing a new one.
Some of AVG’s disadvantages are that the solution offers only a Chrome browser extension and asks users to use its secure browser instead. AVG also does not offer parental control options.
One disadvantage of Avast is that the antivirus software does not offer any parental controls.
Yes, Avast does have a free version. With Avast Antivirus Free, you can scan your device for viruses and reduce malware and phishing attempts. You could also check for network security weaknesses, though you’d need a premium subscription to lock out hackers with advanced firewall protection.
If you’re looking for a solid free antivirus solution, we’d recommend Avast. Avast offers more robust features on the free plan compared to AVG. Regarding paid plans, both AVG and Avast offer comprehensive security features.
However, we’d recommend the Avast One Platinum plan overall. For only a few additional dollars per month, you get access to identity theft monitoring and up to $2 million in identity theft reimbursement. Plus, Avast offers better customer support access.
But if you're more interested in the most cost-efficient solution, then AVG is likely better for you.
Both AVG and Avast offer a 30-day free trial with no money down, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee on select plans. This means you can potentially try both free antivirus programs risk-free for up to 60 days.
If you’re still looking for a few other options, we’ve also evaluated these antivirus products:
High antivirus test scores
Ransomware protection
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