All Internet users need reliable antivirus protection. And we are not talking about built-in system protection – it does not correspond to effective third-party solutions. Fortunately, you can get advanced threat protection without paying a dollar. AVG AntiVirus Free (2017) is slightly different from the previous version and includes several new security technologies. The commercial version of AVG Antivirus, due to the AVG Online Shield add-on and priority updates, should provide more reliable protection than AVG Antivirus Free Edition.
Last year AVG was acquired by Avast Software, but still both product lines will exist independently. The reason for the company to get the competitor with similar characteristics is quite clear. Both of them are rather popular. The combined company will allow it to reach a global scale.
AVG benefits from the purchase of a paid, and it is definitely comprehensive antivirus solution. When installing the version, additional paid components are also offered, but in a light, unobtrusive form. For the users there is free version and payable with additional options. You do not need to enter your bank card details; at the end of the test period the free version will be automatically returned. During installation, AVG offers to install extensions for installed browsers and replace the default home page and search engine. Browser plugins provide many additional security features.
Antivirus protection
In AVG Internet Security are presented all AVG antivirus features. This review of the free antivirus gives an in-depth look at common features.
Product installation is done with the use of special AVG Zen control panel. It is a very important component of this comprehensive antivirus.
Web TuneUp extension
It installs in browsers and offers several security features. The component displays the rating of visited sites, warns about visiting a dangerous resource, actively blocks ad modules, and other elements to track activity. Web TuneUp can remove traces of browser activity such as cached files or browsing history. Microsoft Edge is not supported.
Data store
AVG offers to create several encrypted storage zones called “Data Warehouse”. It’s rather convenient option for users. When the vault is unlocked, it is displayed as a regular local disk, but during the lock, access to the data cannot be obtained, all its contents will be encrypted using the AES-256 algorithm.
Creating a new vault is very simple – you just need to enter a name and password. By default, a 2GB storage will be created, but the user can change this value in the advanced settings. When you hover your mouse over the question icon, AVG will give you a rough estimate of how many photos, documents, or hours of video the vault can hold.
AVG has undergone major internal and external changes since its purchase by Avast. Indeed, the product did moderately well in blocking malicious links but managed to outperform most of the competition. Weak phishing protection can be argued that it is not a core component of basic anti-virus protection.