TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus 2024: Which Keeps You Safer?

When looking at TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus, you’re comparing Aura's full cybersecurity bundle, which includes identity theft protection and credit monitoring, against TotalAV’s simple yet effective strategy. In this comparison, TotalAV comes out in the lead.

Regardless of which option you go with, protection against viruses and malware is crucial for keeping your data secure — so how do you choose the best antivirus software for your needs?

We’ll cover TotalAV and Aura’s features and pricing information below to help you choose between these two highly valuable options in the antivirus space.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus review at a glance

TotalAV is a good antivirus for anyone on a budget who wants online protection. If you have 3 to 8 devices you need to secure with real-time protection and don’t need tons of extras, TotalAV provides an affordable option.

Aura is a good antivirus program for users who want more than just a basic plan. All three subscriptions include a VPN, a Safe Browsing feature, and 24/7 customer support. It can also protect up to 10 devices.

• TotalAV: Best for users on a budget
• Aura Antivirus: Best for multi-faceted coverage

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus

Star rating	4.7 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.	4.3 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	Free or $29.00/yr (first year only)	Starts at $35.99/first yr
Max number of protected devices	8	10
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled	Manual
Real-time protection
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
24/7 customer support
Compatibility	Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS, Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera, Amazon Fire	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Learn more	Get TotalAV Read TotalAV Review	Get Aura Antivirus Read Aura Antivirus Review

TotalAV pros and cons

TotalAV has broad compatibility and can protect up to eight devices. It tested well against various types of malware and includes additional privacy features like a password manager. 

Aura Antivirus pros and cons

Aura has quite the offering: You can bundle a virtual private network (VPN), password manager, and identity theft protection with its antivirus. Aura does not include any parental controls in any of its plans.

Which antivirus is the better value?

TotalAV has slightly more competitive pricing, making it the better value.

	Our Pick
Price range	$29.00–$49.00/yr (first year only)	$35.99-$59.99/first yr
Best value plan	Total Security for $49.00/yr (first year only)	Antivirus Plus for $47.99/first yr
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 30 days	Yes — 60 days
Learn more	Get TotalAV Read TotalAV Review	Get Aura Antivirus Read Aura Antivirus Review

TotalAV has lower starting and ending prices than Aura. If you’re on a budget or not needing all the bells and whistles that may come with other products, TotalAV is a good choice — its antivirus protects you from malicious threats.

The starting cost of $29.00/yr (first year only) is reasonable, considering the features you get.

We chose the Total Security plan as its best value. It covers six devices and includes an ad blocker and password manager for ten dollars more per year than TotalAV’s Internet Security option. That is the mid-grade subscription offered.

Aura starts at a higher price than TotalAV at $35.99/first yr. The Ultimate plan, the highest tier, will run you $59.99/first yr, but you’ll get protection for up to ten devices.

Still, we think a better value for the money is the Aura Antivirus Plus option, which costs $47.99/first yr. It offers all the same features you get with the Aura Antivirus and Ultimate plans. The only difference is the number of devices covered. The Antivirus Plus subscription protects up to five.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus: Features

	Our Pick
Manual and scheduled scans		Manual only
Real-time protection		Yes, for Windows
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
Firewall
Parental controls
Password manager	Yes, with the Total Security plan
VPN	Yes, with Internet Security and Total Security plans
Ad blocker	Yes, with the Total Security plan	Yes, with Antivirus Plus and Ultimate plans
Device optimization tools
Learn more	Get TotalAV Read TotalAV Review	Get Aura Antivirus Read Aura Antivirus Review

When comparing TotalAV and Aura Antivirus’ features, you’ll find that there’s only some small differences. 

One of the biggest issues we noticed was that you can’t schedule scans with Aura Antivirus, so that can be troublesome for users who like the ease and convenience of that feature. TotalAV includes scheduled scanning in its features.

Aura’s real-time malware protection is also only available for PCs at this time, which could be a big drawback for macOS users who like Aura’s features but want the security of real-time scanning.

You’ll note some differences with other features, like a virtual private network (VPN). You need to get TotalAV’s Internet Security or Total Security plan for that option, but with Aura, the VPN comes standard with all plans.

Similarly, Aura includes a password manager with any subscription, but TotalAV has that only with the Total Security option. A password manager is a definite plus because it helps you stay safe online by keeping your online credentials safe; and with auto-login functionality, you won’t be tempted to use easy passwords that hackers could guess.

TotalAV does provide a junk cleaner, which can be beneficial for clearing out old files that take up space. This is not something that Aura offers at this time.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus: Test results

When we review antivirus products, we don’t only test them on our devices, but we also rely on third-party results. We want to know if an antivirus performs well and protects your device from malware.

Though Aura hasn’t been audited by AV-TEST, we were able to test how both it and TotalAV handled EICAR files.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus malware protection scores

	Our Pick
AV-TEST Windows score	17.5/18	N/A
AV-TEST macOS score	18/18	N/A
AV-TEST Android score	18/18	N/A
EICAR score	2/3	2/3
Learn more	Get TotalAV Read TotalAV Review	Get Aura Antivirus Read Aura Antivirus Review

For the EICAR scoring, both TotalAV and Aura had the same number of points. An interesting note is that they both failed the phishing page detection section, which could indicate that the products don’t hold up as well as expected when encountering phishing websites.

Though we can’t compare the AV-TEST scores, TotalAV did receive perfect results, except for Windows. The industry average for 0-day malware attack protection is 99.9%, but TotalAV scored 98.2% in January, putting it below average.

These scores represent email and web threats, so it’s a good measure of how an antivirus might perform in the real world. TotalAV scored 100% in February, so we don’t think it’s a serious mark against the product.

TotalAV vs. Aura antivirus: Compatibility and customer support

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Chrome, Edge, Safari, Opera	Chrome, Firefox, Edge
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Online guides, email, phone, chat	Online guides, email, phone
Learn more	Get TotalAV Read TotalAV Review	Get Aura Antivirus Read Aura Antivirus Review

Aura’s interface was easy to use, and we noticed no device issues when running scans. We opened multiple browser tabs to put it to test and it took only around 10 minutes for a full scan.

After scanning, we were notified that threats were discovered and the antivirus quarantined them for our review. Aura allows for a 7-day hold, or the threats can be deleted, which we think is best. Upon review, we realized these were not actual threats, but false positives.

TotalAV offers a solid antivirus program, but it isn’t without some flaws. Although the experience was easy while using the interface, we also noted that using the Password Vault caused our system to crash multiple times.

We had to enable protection in the dashboard. Afterward, the program asked for full disk access, but that had already been granted for other functions. We followed the steps listed, but nothing happened when pressing the Next button.

Otherwise, we were impressed with the scanning and other features, like the VPN, ad blocker, and the junk file cleaner.

When it comes to customer service, Aura has a much more accessible support team via phone, but has no chat option at this time.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus FAQs

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus: Which is better?

We think TotalAV is the better all-around choice for antivirus security at a lower first-year price. If you want an antivirus with high test scores and other beneficial options, like a VPN and ad blocker, TotalAV is one of the best antivirus programs this year.

If you like more identity protection with your antivirus, Aura is a great choice. You’ll get malware protection and a secure VPN with each plan. If you want to upgrade to the Ultimate plan, Aura provides $1,000,000 of identity theft insurance and transaction monitoring for more peace of mind.

TotalAV vs. Aura Antivirus alternatives

If neither of these antivirus systems fits your needs, one of these alternatives might have all the features you want:

• McAfee: This is a good antivirus solution for Windows and Android users who want premium features.

  Get McAfee | Read Our McAfee Review

• Bitdefender: Bitdefender is a good choice for families needing parental control features from a trusted antivirus brand.

  Get Bitdefender | Read Our Bitdefender Review

• AVG: AVG offers highly customizable options for users who want near-perfect protection scores.

  Get AVG | Read Our AVG Review