Avira Free Security Review

Everything you get in this free antivirus program

by
Stacy Fisher
Stacy is a freelancer with over 18 years experience writing about technology and personal finance. She has published hundreds of articles and co-authored a book.
our editorial process
Stacy Fisher
Updated on June 16, 2021

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.

Status page in Avira Free Security
What We Like

  • Protects from many types of malware, not just traditional viruses.

  • Contains advanced heuristic tools.

  • Virus definition updates are automatic.

What We Don't Like

  • Only home use allowed.

  • Configuration wizard could be intimidating.

  • The download portion of the installation process took longer than with other programs.

  • Tries to automatically install browser extensions.

  • No email protection.

Features

  • Protects you from viruses, adware, spyware, back-door programs, dialers, fraudulent software, phishing, and more.
  • An ability to choose when to start the antivirus program during the boot process is a valuable addition that we haven't seen elsewhere.
  • It has an advanced heuristic engine (detects malware that it's not already aware of) which is a feature not always seen in free antivirus tools.
  • Automatic updates keep it fresh with the latest threat information.
  • Switch to other languages in the settings.
  • Browser extensions will install automatically (unless you deny them) that help protect web browser activity by blocking trackers and ads.
  • 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.

While this might seem odd to mention, the configuration wizard, which we listed as a con, is actually quite handy as long as you know what you're selecting. For example, one option allows you to choose whether to start the program early in the Windows boot process, giving you greater protection, or later in the process, providing a bit less protection but speeding up your boot. Options are always good, right?

There's a Prime version you can pay for that has additional features like email file attachment protection, blackmail protection, and file cleaning.

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