Avira Prime review: more expensive than it’s worth

In 2024, you want higher antivirus safety than your working system supplies free of charge. That doesn’t imply you must pay a excessive charge or join a long-term subscription.

The best antivirus software is affordable and offers reliable protection and good customer support. I not too long ago researched Avira’s antivirus options and reviewed Avira Prime to learn the way simple it’s to make use of and whether or not it gives good worth for the cash.

Tiers and pricing

Avira gives a month-to-month subscription plan, which is sort of uncommon for antivirus software program. Most require an annual subscription. As you may anticipate, a one-year plan is a a lot better deal.

Avira Web Safety for one laptop begins at $7 monthly, $35 for the primary yr (renewing at $71), or $126 for 2 years. That will increase to $10, $97, and $172, respectively, if you want to shield 5 Home windows PCs or Mac computer systems. You get real-time malware prevention and safety, a free password supervisor, a VPN with a 500MB monthly cap, and a software program and driver replace supervisor.

The free model has most of the similar options, however lacks browser safety and buyer help. Which means you received’t get alerted about contaminated file downloads. Stopping a virus is clearly higher than cleansing it up after your laptop has already been compromised. There are better free antivirus apps when you don’t have room within the price range for malware safety.

I examined Avira Prime, the premium model that helps cellular units, consists of a limiteless VPN, and has gadget optimization utilities. The worth begins at $10 month-to-month for 5 units, $60 for the primary yr (renewing at $110), or $205 for a two-year subscription. For households, there’s a 25-device plan for $13 monthly, $135 yearly, or $260 for 2 years.

Avira has a beneficiant 60-day money-back assure for all paid plans, so you’ll be able to attempt any plan risk-free to seek out out if it meets your wants.

Design

Avira’s Home windows app put in in underneath a minute and instantly supplied a whole system scan. It rapidly checked for privateness issues, efficiency points, and viruses.

After Avira started scanning for outdated apps, progress slowed and stopped for a couple of minute at 78%. I began to fret that one thing went unsuitable, however it ticked forward to 79 and 80%, then wrapped up with a community test in just a few seconds.

Avira discovered two outdated apps, 22 privateness settings to replace, and flagged 520 registry entries within the efficiency evaluate. I’d not too long ago installed Windows 11 on this check laptop, so I used to be shocked to see so many points.

Nonetheless, I selected the massive blue Repair points button. Home windows updates accounted for the outdated apps and many of the different points have been associated to default Microsoft settings as properly.

With my laptop safe, I began to discover the app. The default standing tab exhibits the inexperienced checkmark indicating my laptop is protected. On the safety tab, I can begin a virus scan, change safety choices, see quarantined recordsdata, and test the firewall. That was all in fine condition.

The privateness tab proved extra fascinating. That’s the place I discovered settings for the bundled VPN, password supervisor, and extra. The efficiency tab has PC cleanup and optimization utilities, however the preliminary system scan already took care of these.

I discovered the app to be easy and setup was quick, so I moved on to testing the options.

Options

The primary job of antivirus software program is to guard your laptop from malware. There are third-party cybersecurity labs that repeatedly consider the main antivirus options so we are able to check out how properly Avira performs.

Based on AV-Take a look at outcomes, Avira has a very good report, however it’s not so good as many different antivirus options. Whereas Norton has earned a perfect protection score since 2015, Avira missed some zero-day threats in exams carried out in July and August 2023 and had ongoing points from 2016 to 2021.

Avira’s malware safety has been extra dependable not too long ago, so I made a decision to spot-check it for myself. I visited Wicar.org, an internet site that hosts innocent recordsdata that you should use to check antivirus software program. Avira’s Protected Purchasing browser extension recognized the threats and blocked downloads.

I additionally examined the VPN by selecting a server in London and opening the BBC’s iPlayer web site. Sadly, it informed me I’ve to be within the U.Okay. to make use of iPlayer, suggesting the VPN wasn’t working. Avira Phantom VPN Professional additionally has a server in Manchester, so I attempted that one and it labored. Typically you must mess around with settings in a VPN to discover a connection that unlocks geo-blocking. Nonetheless, the best VPNs handle streaming better.

Like Norton and Bitdefender, Avira Prime features a password supervisor. I examined it out and autofill labored as anticipated. I additionally created a safe word that syncs throughout units.

Help

Avira’s help middle has a chat possibility, so I attempted it late within the night and an AI assistant named Mark instantly responded. It instructed just a few help paperwork, however none addressed my query. Mark supplied to create a help ticket since no reside brokers have been on-line, including {that a} response may take longer than ordinary because of a excessive quantity of requests.

I attempted once more the subsequent day throughout regular enterprise hours. AI Mark answered, however once I wanted extra assist, a human got here on and rapidly solved the problem.

General, Avira help is sweet, however many different antivirus options provide 24/7 help, which might make a distinction once you’re going through a severe laptop downside.

Privateness and safety

Avira states that it received’t promote or share your private knowledge. I didn’t even must dig by way of the privateness coverage to seek out that out, as a result of it’s on the Avira Free house web page. It’s additionally within the privateness coverage.

I couldn’t discover any information of Avira safety breaches or privateness issues. The corporate was based in 1986, in order that’s a protracted report of treating prospects with care.

Is Avira antivirus best for you?

Avira Web Safety and Avira Prime provide good malware safety, however can’t compete with the most effective antivirus software program on pricing or efficiency. McAfee and Norton have cheaper annual plans and higher antivirus information.

The month-to-month plans are distinctive, however costly. Should you knew you wanted additional safety for a short time period, it would make sense to get Avira for a month or two. Nonetheless, AVG Antivirus Free might be all you need.

There’s not something terribly unsuitable with Avira Web Safety or Avira Prime, however there are higher and lower-cost choices.