Avast vs. Avira: Which Is the Better Antivirus?

Viruses, hackers, and Trojans: Danger lurks around every corner of the net and it's up to you to protect your virtual identity. Antivirus programs are popular all-in-one solutions to most of these problems. Not only do they guard against viruses and other kinds of malware, but they also remove what they find, and proactively defend you and your system. But which program is the best?

To answer that question, we analyzed 15 leading antivirus programs from top to bottom in our comprehensive antivirus software evaluation. Our winner was Bitdefender, which came in first owing to its excellent security standards, easy-to-use interface, and wide range of features.

Avast and Avira, two formidable antivirus solutions missed out on the winner's podium, but they're still highly popular and have dedicated user bases. On top of that, they're also part of Norton LifeLock, which makes comparing them even more interesting. In this head-to-head duel, we'll show you which edges out the other.

Avast Antivirus sets the bar high owing to its ease of use, well-thought-out interface, and bags of conveniently packaged features. The last of these don't require much searching to find either, with all of the most important features and information never more than a click away. The practical search bar integrated into the menu makes an already simple process even easier. We also didn't encounter any bloatware issues with Avast.

In the past, Avira's user interface seemed cluttered and overly focused on marketing the developer's software portfolio. Avira seems to have taken our criticism to heart: Its new antivirus dashboard is sleek and intuitive, with all important features logically arranged and accessible with just a few clicks.

Since Avira overhauled its user interface, it's become difficult for us to declare a winner in this category. Both antivirus programs now offer elegant and intuitive dashboards.

Winner: Draw

Both Avira and Avast offer good protection, reserving most of their advanced security features for paying subscribers. In addition to scans and real-time protection, the two offer a firewall, as well as ransomware and web protection.

Webcam protection is only offered by Avast, however, Avira includes a password manager Higher-level subscribers of both get a VPN, even though neither can compete with the stand-alone services we assessed. Avast comes with a dedicated firewall, while Avira provides a control center for Windows Firewall. Beyond that, in Avast, you can open questionable files or apps in the secure "Sandbox" without jeopardizing your system.

The mobile versions of both programs are centered on anti-theft measures, in addition to their standard roles as antivirus platforms. Users can remotely control their devices or GPS locate them. Here too, most features are reserved for premium subscribers: For Avira, these include camera and microphone protection; for Avast, 'App Locking', allows you to enhance app security by protecting access with an additional PIN, pattern, or fingerprint.

Even though each provider offers similar features, Avast has the edge since it offers several that Avira doesn't have an analog for.

Winner: Avast Antivirus

To assess the performance and security of all antivirus programs featured in our sample, we relied on results from two independent testing labs, AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.

Avira Antivirus received the following scores:

The testing labs scored Avast Antivirus as follows:

As can be seen, Avast received higher security and performance scores than Avira. Particularly in the first area, we hope that Avira quickly rectifies the security issues that the testing labs found.

Winner: Avast Antivirus

Avast does well in support owing to its DIY resources: These are provided in an informative support center, which also features a helpful Academy for Online Threats and a forum. For live support, the provider is a bit more stingy: Free users can't even file a support ticket, and paying subscribers only get an email address where they can send questions. During testing, we waited around nine hours for an answer to our query.

Avira finally takes a round! Only paying customers can directly contact support, however, both email and hotline assistance is offered. Using the latter, we quickly reached a staffer and didn't have to wait several hours for a typed answer. The service's support center is also well-stocked, featuring FAQs, video guides, and a virus lab where you can read up on current and past threats.

Winner: Avira Antivirus

The basic versions of both programs are free, but paid subscriptions are required to unlock all features.

These are Avira Antivirus Pro, Avira Internet Security, and Avira Prime. With Avast, these are Premium and Ultimate.

Overall, Avira's packages are cheaper, however, to get access to all features, you'll pay more than with Avast.

Winner: Draw

A detailed price list for both providers can be found below:

In terms of customer ratings, Avast reasserts its dominance. Many reviewers praised its ease of use, even though several payment and billing issues were highlighted on Trustpilot. Avira's users also rate the service positively, but criticize its support.

Winner: Avast Antivirus

Avast Antivirus carried three of the six rounds thanks to its more well-rounded package of features, better security & performance scores, and more positive user reviews. Avira took one round owing to its superior support. In terms of pricing and user-friendliness, there was simply too little separating the two similarly named services.

As a result, Avast Antivirus is the clear winner. Taking the most important category, security & performance, is reason enough to choose the service over Avira. You can check out full reviews of all other 13 programs from our sample in our comprehensive antivirus software evaluation.