OVERVIEW: • Installation time of 1 minute and 50 seconds. • Virus scanner significantly slowed down the computer. • System Resource Usage was one of the worst we tested. • Below Average detection rates of Viruses and other malware. • Overall Rating: Average  |
AVG has long been one of the most popular free Antivirus programs, however, how does their paid version compare to the competition? See our AVG Review below to see if the paid version is indeed worth paying for...
1) Installation:
AVG AntiVirus 8.5 installed in 1 minute and 50 seconds, and required no reboots after installation. The AVG installation process was very smooth and allowed you to customize the settings at the end of the install process - asking if you want to install the optional AVG Toolbar, as well as asking for your Daily Scan preferences. Overall a very quick and thorough installation that also guides users through important customization options (which not all Antivirus programs do).
2) Features & Ease of Use: AVG has a nicely laid out user-interface. All AVG's components and their statuses are well laid out when you launch the user-interface. However, the usability is a little suspect - clicking one of the components like "Anti-Rootkit" gives a description, but one has to double-click to be able to adjust the Anti-Rootkit settings. This isn't clear from the way AVG presents the display screen. AVG Version 8+ also comes with 3 new components: Web Shield, Link Scanner and AVG Toolbar. These 3 components can be disabled and probably should as they can significantly slow down web browsing - although they do provide another layer of protection, but the cost in performance may be too high. AVG also provides the usual protection against Spyware, Rootkits, Email viruses, as well as several other options. 3) PERFORMANCE 3a) Virus Scanner:  AVG gives its users both the options to Scan the whole computer or Scan specific files or folders. Unfortunately AVG doesn't have a Quick Scan option like many other Antivirus programs - scanning the most vulnerable areas of your computer quickly. A full scan of our test computer with 70 GB of used space on its hard-drive took just over 81 minutes, this was one of the slowest scanning engines we tested this year. AVG's Scheduled Scans can be configured during installation or from the program options. When the scheduled scanner turns on it eats up system resources making it hard to use your computer while the scanner is running - a very obtrusive scanner indeed. Updates: Our testing showed that AVG updated its virus definition database on average 2.6 times per day. This is considerably less than industry leader Norton which updates its antivirus software on average 242 times per day. 3b) System Resource Usage:  AVG AntiVirus may be a popular free antivirus program, but even its paid version, which should be better than its free version, failed our System Resource Usage testing - finishing 3rd worst. View the results of the Antivirus tests we performed below...
3c) Effectiveness:
4) Help & Support:  AVG has several support options available. It has in-program help files, an extensive online FAQ section, and free Email support. We tested their Email support and were very impressed with a 4 minute response time - plus the response wasn't merely a canned response but was very helpful and on topic. AVG support also uses a file (called "runner.avgdx") which helps diagnose the software problem more easily. Our major problem with AVG support is that it doesn't have any free Phone support (only paid Phone support was available), nor did it have any Chat support which can be useful in certain circumstances. CONCLUSION: Overall, AVG failed to impress in every category we tested. AVG had suspect new add-ons (Web Shield, Link Scanner, & Toolbar) which significantly slowed down web browsing. Also, AVG has one of the slower virus-scanning engines we tested, and when running it was very obtrusive and slowed the computer down noticeably. In our System Resource Testing, AVG was one of the worst we tested this year (#8 of 10). On top of all the above shortcomings, AVG's Effectiveness in detecting Viruses and other malware was below average. Fittingly, we have awarded AVG an 'AVE' rating - average at best! We suggest reading our other Antivirus Reviews for a better alternative.
| |||||||||||
• 
AVG Software Description:
Integrated protection:• Anti-Virus: protection against viruses, worms and trojans
• Anti-Spyware: protection against spyware, adware and identity-theft
• Anti-Rootkit: protection against hidden threats (rootkits)
• Web Shield & LinkScanner: protection against malicious websites
Easy-to-use, automated protection:
Real-time protection, automatic updates, low-impact background scanning for on-line threats, and instant quarantining or removal of infected files ensures maximum protection. Every interaction between your computer and the Internet is monitored, so nothing can get onto your system without your knowledge. AVG scans in real time:
• All files including documents, pictures and applications
• E-mails (all major email clients supported)
• Instant messaging and P2P communications
• File downloads and online transactions such as shopping and banking
• Search results and any other links you click on
Internet use with peace of mind:
The new web shield checks every web page at the moment you click on the link to ensure you’re not hit by a stealthy drive-by download or any other exploits. All links on search results pages in Google, Yahoo, and MSN are analyzed and their current threat level is reported in real time before you click on the link and visit the site.
