Is Avast Bad For Mac

• Now, let’s see the Avast’s plans that are compatible with Mac platform. Avast Security is the company’s free offering for macOS users. Besides providing great protection against different kinds of malware threats, it has a WiFi security scanner (checks your network and connected devices for vulnerabilities), a web shield (protects you from online threats), and an email shield (blocks junk/phishing emails).
• Avast Security for Mac. Think different about Mac security. Download Free. Essential security. Premium security. 30-day money-back guarantee. Avast Security for Mac. Download Free Buy Pro. Your Mac is not immune to threats — yet. Our free Mac antivirus protects on 3 fronts.

• Avast Download For Mac
• Avast For Mac
• Avast Mac Security Free
• Avast Free Mac Security Reviews
• Is Avast Bad For Mac Good

Not to mention, if you will look at Avast for Mac reviews and compare it to MacKeeper reviews, they get a better list of pros than their rivals. With the good, you also have the bad As with any program you will have both good and bad things. Seeing a potentially growing market for security products for the Mac operating system, Avast has decided to released a free version of antivirus for Mac. In view of its growing popularity, Mac has been in the news recently for the growing number of scareware and malware attacks that its users have faced.

Besides AVG AntiVirus FREE, another solid free security option for Windows is Avira Free Antivirus (sometimes also “misspelled” as Advira) from Germany. How does it compare to Avast Free Antivirus? Both products are very similar to great sets of features. However, Avira is scoring lately as #1 antivirus in the independent tests, especially in the virus and malware detection and a low number of false positives.

On the other hand, Avira is much more aggressive in terms of up-selling to paid versions and the pop-up offers are extremely annoying. Of course, Avast is using them too, but not that frequently. Anyway, let’s take a closer look at both products and see which one is the best.

Download Avast antivirus and anti-spyware protection for your PC, Mac and Android. In order to view this page correctly, you must have a JavaScript-enabled browser and have JavaScript turned on. We apologize for any inconvenience. Avast Free Mac Security is free. It supports Macs running any version of OS X, as long as they have 128MB of RAM and 750MB of available disk space. Avast Free Mac Security keeps Macs free of.

Avira has also recently started pushing a new product called Avira Free Security Suite which combines all Avira free products – Antivirus, Phantom VPN (500 MB/month), Password Manager, System Speedup, Scout (browser) and Software Updater. Obviously, the whole free suite requires much more system resources, so we recommend staying with the basic Free Antivirus and adding the components you need.

Feature Comparison Table – Does Avira Offer More Than Avast?

Avast definitely offers more in terms of advanced features and tools like Home Network Security for scanning router vulnerabilities, Browser Cleanup for scanning browser extensions, or Software Updater for scanning outdated software in your system. Avira is purely an antivirus, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Both products offer an option to create a bootable disc with the latest antivirus version to clean your system when it doesn’t start.

Avast Free Antivirus 2019	Avira Free Antivirus 2019

Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware & Anti-Malware & Anti-Rootkit
Bootable Rescue Disc
Web Browsing Protection	(via extension)
E-mail Client Protection
Silent/Gaming Mode
Home Network and Router Security
Unwanted Browser Plugins Cleanup
Outdated Software Scanner
Windows Firewall Management
Free To Use Without Personal Registration
Windows Boot-time	30 sec.	28 sec.
Performance Test Score	2,138 pts.	2,147 pts.
Size of Installer	5 MB	5 MB
Price	Free ($0.00)	Free ($0.00)

The only feature which has Avira on top of Avast is the Firewall management. It’s not a built-in Firewall, it’s just providing front-end management for the default Windows Firewall. What is nice about Avira is that it doesn’t require a user to register/activate the product (as Avast does). So you can install and use the product for free forever.

Impact on the System Resources – Which Product is Lighter?

We have measured the impact on the system resources using two ways:

1. How long does the computer to boot into Windows desktop while the Avira or Avast is installed
2. How does the computer perform in various areas (CPU, Graphics, Memory and Disk operations) while the Avira or Avast is installed

In the boot time test where less is better, it took only 28 seconds (on average) to load Windows desktop when Avira Free Antivirus was installed. The same operation took 30 seconds (in average) when Avast Free Antivirus was installed. Default boot-time without any antivirus solution in place took 28 seconds. So according to our testing, Windows loads faster with Avira. Actually, Avira has no delay or impact on the system startup.

Avast vs. Avira – Performance Test Results

In the second area, we have tested computer performance in various areas and impact of the Avira or Avast on the results. Avast scored 2,138 points and Avira got even slightly more –2,147 points. The default performance without any antivirus installed was 2,156 points. So the overall impact on the system performance is really low for both products, but again Avira is the winner here.

Final performance test results are highlighted in the chart below. You can clearly see the difference between no antivirus and Avast or Avira present. Please note the vertical axis ‘Performance Score‘ is not starting from 0, but from 2,116 to clearly show the small differences.

You can find more details about how we tested in the ‘Additional Notes‘ section at the end of the article.

User Interface – Is Avast Easier to use Than Avira?

Avast user interface is really nice and clear. There is only one main action leading to Smart Scan, which runs all seven Avast scans: compatibility, viruses, outdated software, browser add-ons, router issues, performance, and weak passwords. The green button ‘UPGRADE‘ (or ‘ACTIVATE‘) leads to a comparison table of Avast Free Antivirus and Avast premium product (Avast Internet Security).

The status is also indicated by color when green obviously means ‘You’re protected’. The left menu is easy to navigate and structured in four groups – Status (home screen), Protection, Privacy, and Performance. At the bottom part, there is usually an up-sell banner which is quite soft and does blend nicely within the Avast interface.

The whole Avast interface is quite large (1010 x 674 pixels) and will not work on 800 x 600 pixels screens. On 1024 x 768 pixel screens it takes almost whole monitor space.

Avira user interface was completely redesigned in the 2019 version and looks so much better compared to the old one. Although it is much nicer, it is definitely not better in terms of user experience. It kind of lacks the main call-to-action to lead user – there are several different elements which attract user attention (‘Get Pro’ and ‘Register’ buttons in the header, almost invisible button for a quick scan, and a bottom banner promoting mobile security).

The left menu is quite straightforward and allows a user to open quarantine (virus chest), schedule a scan or disable specific protection modules (real-time protection, firewall).

Avira Free Antivirus 2019 User Interface

Similar to Avast the status is also indicated by green colors and the message ‘Your computer is secure‘. The components ‘Web Protection‘ and ‘Mail Protection‘ are available only in the paid versions. Game Mode is no longer available in the 2019 version, not sure why it has been removed. What is nice about the interface is that there is no up-sell banner in the whole user interface. The only way to up-sell within the interface is the green ‘Upgrade Now‘ button.

You can start system scan or update directly from the main page although it’s not much visible. Settings are accessible through the cog wheel in left-bottom part of the user interface. Unfortunately, you can’t change program language using the settings.

Localizations/Translations – Is The Product Available in my Language?

Both Avast and Avira are available in plenty of languages, of course for free. But Avast offers many more.

Avast languages (46): Arabic, Belorussian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (United States/United Kingdom), Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Pirate talk, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil/Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese

Avira languages (12): English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)

What is really annoying is that you can’t change the language manually within the Avira product. It’s somehow automatically detected based on the system settings.

Popularity – Which is the Most Popular Free Antivirus? Avast or Avira?

The better product is, the most users it has. It’s simple as that. However, it’s not easy to say which is the most popular antivirus, if Avast or Avira. For expressing popularity we are using several, publicly accessible methods: official websites, OPSWAT reports, CNET Download.com ratings and social media.

1. Official Sources

According to the official website, Avast is protecting more than 400 million users worldwide, but that also includes AVG products. Last publicly available number was 230 million users before the AVG acquisition. Avira is not stating user numbers publicly anymore before they usually claimed to have over 100 million users. In the recent tweet, Avira stated over 500 million users are protected by their technology. Based on these reliable claims, Avast has at least twice more users than Avira.

2. Antivirus Vendor Market Share by OPSWAT

OPSWAT is regularly releasing reports about the antivirus market share. Data are based on the OPSWAT GEARS software installed on the client machines. According to the latest report from December 2017, Avast is dominating the worldwide market with 19%. Followed by ESET with 14.03% and Malwarebytes with 12.73%. Avira is in the eighth position with 5.81%. It is also important to mention Microsoft for some reason is not included at all.

Avast vs. Avira – Market Share Report December 2017 by OPSWAT

3. CNET Download.com Ranking

Download.com by CNET is the World’s most popular download portal. According to its popularity rankings, Avast has more total downloads – more than 406 million, while Avira has ‘only’ 147 million. Avast is also leading the most popular downloads list for the recent week, while Avira is not even in the top 20.

However, these stats are influenced by each vendor download model. Avast is sending visitors from Avast.com to Download.com while Avira is downloaded from their own internal servers which are not counted to Download.com statistics.

Avast vs. Avira – Number of Downloads & Rating on CNET Download.com June 2017

Both vendors have great editor’s rating of 4 stars (meaning excellent), but Avast has better user/community rating of 4.5 stars versus Avira’s 4 stars.

4. Number of Fans on Social Media Networks

Another way how to measure product/company popularity is by the number of fans/followers on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Avast is leading on Facebook with 4.1 million fans vs. Avira’s only 1.2 million. On Twitter, the difference is even bigger. Avast has 181 thousand followers and Avira only 19 thousand.

Avast vs. Avira – Number of Fans/Followers on Facebook and Twitter

Independent Labs Test Results – Will Avira Protect You Better Than Avast?

If you are looking for a more advanced comparison of antivirus protection, the best resources are the independent test labs. These labs are regularly performing various tests like how many viruses will get through the antivirus software, or which vendor offers better performance.

In most of the independence tests, the winner is Avira, whether it’s the Real Word Protection Test or Performance Test. Avast is usually in the top 3. However, Avira usually sends their paid product (Avira Antivirus Pro) for testing while Avast is being tested on the free version.

Selection of the most important and relevant test results is below:

• AV-Comparatives Real Word Protection Test Results (November 2017)
• AV-Comparatives Performance Test Results (October 2017)

Respected computer magazine PCMag gave Avast rating of 4,5 stars and Editor’s Pick award in their comprehensive comparison of free antivirus solutions written by security expert Neil J. Rubenking. Avira got only 3,5 stars.

Our current Editors’ Choice products for free antivirus utility are Avast Free Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free. Both get very good scores from the independent labs, and in our own tests as well. Both include some useful bonus features.

Neil J. Rubenking for PCMag

System Requirements & Compatibility – Will the Product Run on my Computer?

Both products will run on a majority of today’s computers as there are no special requirements. The major difference is that Avira is not supporting older versions of Windows (XP or Vista), but it will probably run there too. Both Avast and Avira are also fully compatible with the latest Windows 10.

System Requirements for Avast Free Antivirus 2019

• Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 SP1 or higher / Vista / XP SP2 or higher (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64 or above
• Memory: 256 MB RAM or above
• Space: 2 GB of free hard disk space
• Please note that Avast Free Antivirus 2019 won’t work on Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / Server, or any other operating system which isn’t specified above

System Requirements for Avira Free Antivirus 2019

• Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 (any Edition, 32-bit or 64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64 or above
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Space: 2 GB of free hard disk space
• Please note that Avira Free Antivirus 2019 is not officially supported on Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / Server, or any other operating system which isn’t specified above

Test Conclusion – Both Avast and Avira are Worth of Trying!

Both products have their pros and cons. Avira is definitely more straightforward product with simple features but a better level of protection. Avast offers great protection and lots of extra features on top.

We don’t want to recommend only one of them, instead, we would like to encourage you to try both, and see if Avast or Avira will suit you better. Even they are offered completely for free, the level of protection you will get is comparable with the paid-for antivirus solutions. The download links are below.

If you are looking for premium protection, check out our Internet Security suites comparison including Avast, AVG, Avira, ESET, and Norton (Symantec).

Additional Notes

Information about the product features has been obtained from the official websites of each vendor. If you believe we have stated something not correct, please let us know, and we’ll fix it immediately. Our intention is to offer a fair and fact-based comparison of each product.

For measuring the boot time we have used a free tool called BootRacer. We have tested Avira Free Antivirus 2016 (2016.0.7163) and Avast Free Antivirus 2016 (2016.11.1.2253) released on February 3, 2016. Both tests were performed on a Windows 7 Professional x64 computer with CPU Intel Core i7 @ 2.70GHz and 8 GB RAM.

For measuring the overall PC performance we have used a free tool called PassMark PerformanceTest which tests various areas including CPU, graphics, disk, and memory.

Avast Download For Mac

Download and installation

What are the system requirements for Avast Security?

The system requirements for Avast Security and Avast Premium Security are:

• Apple macOS 10.14.x (Mojave), Apple macOS 10.13.x (High Sierra), Apple macOS 10.12.x (Sierra), Apple Mac OS X 10.11.x (El Capitan), Apple Mac OS X 10.10.x (Yosemite).
• Intel based Mac computer with 64-bit processor.
• 512 MB RAM or above (1 GB RAM or higher preferred).
• 256 MB minimum hard disk free space.
• Internet connection (to download and register the product, for automatic updates of the program and virus database).
• Optimally standard screen resolution not less than 1024 x 768 pixels.

Avast Security does not run properly if you have any other antivirus software installed.

How do I download and install Avast Security?

To download and install Avast Security or Avast Premium Security:

1. Click the link below to download the Avast Security setup file:
2. Double-click the downloaded file avast_security_online.dmg.
3. In the dialog that appears, double-click the Avast Security icon and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. When installation is complete, click Close.

For detailed installation instructions, refer to the following article:

If you have purchased Avast Premium Security, activate your subscription by going to ☰ Menu ▸ Activate paid features and entering your activation code.

Do I need a subscription to use Avast Security?

No, a subscription is not necessary for the free version of Avast Security. After installation, Avast Security is ready to use. You can connect Avast Security to your Avast Account to benefit from the device management feature.

For additional features, upgrade to a paid subscription of Avast Premium Security. You must activate this product with a valid activation code.

Avast For Mac

How do I upgrade from Avast Security to Avast Premium Security?

To upgrade to Avast Premium Security:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Click Upgrade on the main Avast Security screen.
3. Follow the on-screen purchase instructions.

After purchase, Avast Premium Security automatically activates. If necessary, you can manually activate the product by going to ☰ Menu ▸ Activate paid features and entering your activation code.

How do I activate Avast Premium Security?

To manually activate Avast Premium Security:

1. Open the order confirmation email you received after purchasing Avast Premium Security.
2. Locate and copy the activation code from the confirmation email.
3. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
4. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Activate paid features.
5. Type or paste your activation code into the text box, then click Activate.

To view the duration of your subscription, go to ☰ Menu ▸ My subscriptions. For detailed activation instructions, refer to the following article:

How do I connect Avast Security to my Avast Account?

After you download and install Avast Security, you can connect the product to your Avast Account to benefit from the device management feature.

To connect Avast Security to your Avast Account:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Log in to Avast account.
3. Enter your Avast Account credentials, then click Log In.

For detailed instructions, refer to the following article:

What is the difference between Avast Security and Avast Premium Security?

Avast Security is a free product that does not require a paid subscription to use.

Avast Premium Security includes additional features and requires a paid subscription. The additional features include Ransomware Shield and Wi-Fi Inspector.

Features

What is File Shield?

File Shield is the main layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans programs and files saved on your Mac for malicious threats in real-time before allowing them to be opened, run, modified, or saved. If malware is detected, File Shield prevents the program or file from infecting your Mac.

What is Web Shield?

Web Shield is an additional layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans data that is transferred when you browse the internet in real-time to prevent malware, such as malicious scripts, from being downloaded and run on your Mac.

What is Email Shield?

Email Shield is an additional layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans your incoming and outgoing email messages in real-time for malicious content such as viruses. Scanning applies only to messages sent or received using a mail management software (email clients, such as Mail, Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird). If you access your web based email account via an internet browser, your Mac is protected by other Avast Security shields.

What is Ransomware Shield?

Ransomware Shield, available in Avast Premium Security, secures your personal photos, documents, and files from being modified, deleted, or encrypted by ransomware attacks. This feature automatically secures your Pictures and Documents folders and allows you to specify which other folders you want to protect from untrusted applications. Additionally, you can specify which applications are allowed to modify the files in your protected folders.

What is Wi-Fi Inspector?

Wi-Fi Inspector, available in Avast Premium Security, is an active protection component which continuously monitors your network and connected devices for threats.

What is the Virus Chest?

The Virus Chest is a safe place for storing potentially harmful files, completely isolated from the rest of the operating system. Files inside the Virus Chest are not accessible to any outside process, software application, or virus.

For more information about the Virus Chest including how to send files to the Avast Threat Labs, refer to the following article:

How do I run a scan?

To run an Avast Security scan:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Click … (three dots) next to Run Mac Scan.
3. Click Run Mac Scan or Scan Now on the tile of the scan you want to run.

You can run a quick scan of the most vulnerable areas of your Mac, or a thorough scan of the whole system, or quickly scan a particular folder or removable drive, or create and schedule your own scans.

Avast Mac Security Free

For more information about each type of scan as well as scan settings, refer to the following article:

General settings

How do I check which version of Avast Security is installed?

To check which version of Avast Security is installed on your Mac, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings and select the General tab. The version number is displayed at the top of the screen.

How do I exclude files or websites from scanning by the Core Shields?

To set an exclusion for a Core Shield:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings and select the Core Shields tab.
3. Click Add Exceptions under the shield you want to set an exclusion for.
4. If you are adding an exclusion for File Shield, select the file and click Open. For Web Shield and Email Shield, specify the server and service, then click Add.

For detailed instructions on how to set exclusions for Core Shields, refer to the following article:

How do I exclude files or folders from the pre-defined scans?

To set an exclusion for one of the pre-defined scans:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings and select the Scans tab.
3. Click Add Exceptions under the scan you want to set an exclusion for.
4. Select a file or folder, then click Open.

For detailed instructions on how to set exclusions for the pre-defined scans, refer to the following article:

Troubleshooting

What does the status message 'Unable to scan' mean in scan results?

The status message 'Unable to scan' means that the file could not be scanned, possibly due to an encrypted ZIP archive or because the files are currently in use. The status does not mean that there is anything wrong with the file, only that it is not available for scanning.

What does the status message 'You are in passive mode' mean?

If you see the status You are in passive mode, you need to manually allow Avast Software extensions on your Mac. For detailed instructions, refer to the following article:

What should I do if I'm unable to browse the web or use other software on my Mac?

Avast Security shields detect and block suspicious files, dangerous websites, and unauthorized connections. In some cases, a Core Shield may cause connectivity issues. If you are unable to use online software or browse certain sites, use the troubleshooting steps below to determine if a shield is causing the issue:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Click Core Shields.
3. Click the ON (green) slider above File Shield and perform your original action (for example, if you were unable to access a certain site, try to access the site again).
4. If the connectivity issue persists, click the OFF (red) slider to turn the shield on again, then repeat the above steps for each shield.

When you determine which shield is causing the connectivity issue, you can set an exclusion for a certain file, site, or mail server by using the steps in the following article:

How do I uninstall Avast Security?

Avast Security cannot be fully uninstalled by dragging the application to the Trash. To uninstall Avast Security:

1. In your Applications folder, double-click the Avast icon to open the application.
2. Click Avast in the menu bar, then select Uninstall Avast Security from the context menu.
3. Click Uninstall.

For detailed uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article:

Avast Free Mac Security Reviews

• Avast Security 14.x for Mac
• Avast Premium Security 14.x for Mac

Is Avast Bad For Mac Good

• Apple macOS 10.14.x (Mojave)
• Apple macOS 10.13.x (High Sierra)
• Apple macOS 10.12.x (Sierra)
• Apple Mac OS X 10.11.x (El Capitan)
• Apple Mac OS X 10.10.x (Yosemite)