Avira Free Security Review

Avira Free Security is one of best free antivirus software programs out there for various reasons, the least of which is just because it's free. Our favorite feature is the wide range of malware threats that it protects you from. We also like how simple the interface is.

Avira Free Antivirus Features

Following are some noteworthy features:

• Protects you from viruses, adware, spyware, back-door programs, dialers, fraudulent software, phishing, and more.
• Run a quick, full, or custom scan. Scheduled scans can be run too; choose from full, quick, removable drive, active process, or system scan.
• You can start scans by right-clicking a folder, file, or drive that you want to check.
• The Threat categories screen lets you include or exclude specific types of threats to check for. These include backdoor clients, double-extension files, phishing, fraudulent software, potentially unwanted apps, games, jokes, dialers, and more.
• Pick which files are included in real-time scans by adding or removing to a list of file extensions. You can also manage allowed processes that won't be scanned for viruses.
• You can exclude specific files and folders from scans, and choose to check network drives and archives. Archive scanning can be really specific; limit the number of nest zip folders to any number of your choosing, limit the number of files in the archive to scan, and/or limit the total file size to scan.
• The firewall toggle lets you quickly open Windows Firewall.
• Automatic updates keep it fresh with the latest threat information.
• Supports over a dozen languages.
• Email monitoring is included in Smart scan results, and you can scan mailbox files.
• Use a 500 MB per month VPN to protect your online activity.
• A file shredder is built-in so you can securely erase files and folders.
• A privacy tool is included to prevent Windows and your apps from sharing your personal data.
• Mac and Windows (7 and later) are supported.

Thoughts on Avira Free Security 

Avira Free Security is an excellent free antivirus choice. While not our favorite, it certainly has its pluses.

As we mentioned above, the best things about it is the range of protection—everything from old-fashioned modem dialers that used to rack up the phone bill to the most advanced Trojans.

Compared to Avira Prime, you get protection for one device instead of five, and the VPN is limited to 500 MB /month instead of unlimited. Additionally, advanced online protection (the web protection and ransomware protection shields), automatic app updates, and unlimited device cleaning are features not available for free users.