AVG vs. Malwarebytes 2025: AVG Comes Out on Top

Malwarebytes and AVG regularly top the best antivirus lists, but we recommend AVG overall if you want an antivirus program that won’t interrupt your flow. It boasts a near-perfect protection rating in third-party testing, making it a top contender for trusted security protection.

While Malwarebytes is also a top-tier antivirus, you won’t get as much of a benefit if you’re an Apple user, as some features aren’t available for Macs or iPhones. Windows users will also miss out on a firewall with Malwarebytes — but we do like its 60-day money-back guarantee.

Both have free antivirus plans, so you can try out the product before you commit, giving you a chance to make sure your antivirus app of choice works with your operating system and provides the security you need.

Let’s look at the features and prices for Malwarebytes vs. AVG to help you narrow down your choice of the best cybersecurity product for you. Let’s get this dueling software party started.

Avg vs. Malwarebytes Overview

• AVG: Best full kit of security features
• Malwarebytes: Best for no-frills security

	Best Overall
Star rating	4.6 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.6 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Starting price	$31.20/first yr	$44.99/yr
Free version
Max number of protected devices	Up to 10	Up to 20
Real-time protection
Phishing protection		Yes, for Windows
Ransomware protection
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
24/7 customer support	Yes, with premium tech support
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Malwarebytes Read Malwarebytes Review

AVG pros and cons

As pricing goes, you’ll find both AVG Internet Security and AVG Ultimate reasonable — both come in at under $100 for the first year. The Internet Security subscription has fewer features but costs $31.20/first yr for one device, or almost $20.00 less per year than Ultimate, which costs $55.99/first yr for 10 devices.

AVG has a firewall, but only for Windows users. 

Malwarebytes pros and cons

Malwarebytes offers various options for a more à la carte selection. For example, the most affordable plan, Premium, covers one device for $44.99/yr, while the Premium + Privacy VPN option covers five devices and runs you $119.99/yr. Malwarebytes reports that it can coexist with other antivirus programs, which is not always the case with antivirus software. But Malwarebytes doesn’t come with a firewall.

Prices

Both offer a free version, but only AVG provides a complete free antivirus, along with robust premium packages.

	Our Pick
Price range	$31.20–$59.99/first yr	$44.99–$232.49/yr
Best value plan	Internet Security (10 devices) for $39.99/first yr	Premium + Privacy VPN for $239.99/2 yrs
Money-back guarantee	Yes, 30 days	Yes, 60 days
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Malwarebytes Read Malwarebytes Review

At a glance, the lowest prices don’t seem much different between these two products. For those prices, you get some of the things you’d expect the best antivirus programs to have, like real-time protection, ransomware, and phishing protection. Keep in mind these are the prices to protect one device. Also, Malwarebytes doesn’t include phishing protection for macOS, which is unfortunate for Apple users.

As you move up to multiple device protection and features, the products begin to differ. Currently, you can get AVG’s Internet Security plan that protects 10 devices for $39.99/first yr. What you won’t get for that cost is the AVG Secure VPN.

If you want privacy and device clean-up tools alongside your antivirus and VPN, AVG Ultimate costs about $20.00 extra each year.

You could also go with Malwarebytes since it includes a VPN app with the Premium + Privacy VPN plan for $239.99/2 yrs.

Malwarebytes also gives you a longer money-back guarantee than AVG. With the 60-day timeframe, you get twice the time to try the product. AVG only gives you 30 days to test the water.

Features

AVG offers more advanced security features and better extras.

Feature	Our Pick
Manual and scheduled scans
Real-time protection
Phishing protection		Yes, for Windows
Ransomware protection		Yes, for Windows
Firewall	Yes, for Windows
Device optimization tools	Yes, with Ultimate plan
Parental controls
Password manager
VPN
Wi-Fi security		Yes, with Privacy VPN
Browser security
Ad blocker
Extras	Sensitive Data Shield, webcam protection, AntiTrack, WiFi scanner	Identity theft protection
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Malwarebytes Read Malwarebytes Review

When searching for the best anti-malware tools, you want software that guards your data from malicious threats. That means the product you choose should protect against phishing, ransomware, spyware, and adware — and have real-time protection to secure your device at all times.

As you look at the features both AVG and Malwarebytes include, there are a few differences you should know. For one, AVG comes with a firewall, but it’s only accessible to Windows users. Malwarebytes doesn’t include a firewall at all.

Additionally, Malwarebytes' phishing protection is exclusive to Windows users. The same is true for its ransomware and zero-day exploit protection. These are some of the main reasons people buy antivirus software, so we’re disappointed to see them excluded from other operating systems.

AVG includes optimization tools with the Ultimate plan, but Malwarebytes doesn’t offer device optimization tools. This isn’t necessarily a make-or-break difference between these two, but device optimization tools can come in handy if you need to speed up your system performance.

AVG vs. Malwarebytes: test results

We don’t take our antivirus reviews lightly because we know data security is crucial. Not only do we test the products we write about, but we also look at third-party testing scores to get a clear picture of how an antivirus program performs under a microscope. For this review, we relied on AV-TEST to give us a bird’s eye view of each product under rigorous testing pressure.

AVG vs. Malwarebytes malware protection scores

	Our Pick
AV-TEST Windows score	17.5/18	17/18
AV-TEST macOS score	18/18	N/A
AV-TEST Android score	17/18	14/18
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Malwarebytes Read Malwarebytes Review

Unfortunately, AVG did not perform as well during recent third-party testing. Historically, AVG achieved perfect scores across the board for performance, protection, and usability. Even still, AVG clearly outperforms Malwarebytes, especially on Android. 

Compatibility and customer support

Both AVG and Malwarebytes offer comparable compatibility and support, but we preferred AVG's service.

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Opera	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari
24/7 customer support	Yes, with Premium Tech Support
Customer support options	Knowledge base articles, support tickets, phone support, social media, live chat	Knowledge base articles, support tickets, product guides, automated chat
Learn more	Get AVG Read AVG Review	Get Malwarebytes Read Malwarebytes Review

The compatibility of the two antivirus programs is similar. They work for any type of device and with most browser extensions. We didn’t see Opera listed for Malwarebytes, and AVG does work with that browser, so if Opera is your browser of choice, you may want to opt for AVG.

The interfaces for both were easy to use, and the scanning worked without any issues. Since Malwarebytes' full scan option is exclusive to Windows, we had to use the quick scan on our Mac.

We ran a deep scan using AVG on our MacBook and were pleased with the speed, which had no noticeable impact on the device’s performance. It scanned over one million files in just over 13 minutes.

The customer support options couldn’t be further apart, though. AVG provides a range of options to consider if you need assistance. The chat feature is live, allowing you to communicate directly with a person, rather than an automated chatbot like the one Malwarebytes offers. You can also choose to purchase Premium Tech Support, which covers both AVG and non-AVG issues, for $79.00–$119.00 per call or $199/yr.

AVG also offers another option for customer support through social media. If you’d like, you can reach out to its customer service team on Facebook or Twitter. The caveat we’d like to mention is that when we used the customer support phone number, we didn’t have great success with the representative. She was friendly and tried to be helpful, but couldn’t explain why we were missing a firewall.

AVG vs. Malwarebytes alternatives

We recommend AVG as one of the best antivirus providers for low-impact performance. It also achieves consistent results in third-party testing for performance, protection, and usability. But if you want a budget-friendly antivirus with some advanced features, unlimited device protection, or a top-of-the-line security suite, then we recommend these tested alternatives:

FAQs

AVG vs. Malwarebytes: Which is better?

If you're looking for the most comprehensive security features, we believe AVG is the superior choice between the two.

AVG offers fair prices, excellent third-party test scores, and numerous customer support choices. Plus, it proves to have a low impact on devices during third-party testing, and we had a good overall experience using the software during our in-house tests.