The mere fact that all four labs put it to the test shows that Avast is a significant product. Avast appears in results from all four labs and gets excellent scores, for the most part. I follow four testing labs that regularly release public reports on their findings. Just as many companies around the world create and sell antivirus software, other companies put those antivirus products through rigorous testing. Avast One Essential Gets Excellent Lab Results This page, much like the home page in other security products, offers access to all the program’s features, divided into Device Protection, Online Privacy, and Smooth Performance. The menu item titled Explore at left brings up a completely different page. A curly-tailed Scroll to Explore label brings up a page of shortcuts. For example, after a scan confirmed no malware present on my test system, it switched to reporting on programs potentially slowing down my PC. Rather, it focuses on what’s important at the moment. The Home page isn’t necessarily the spot to see all the features of the program. There’s one other significant difference in the user interface. The whole impression is less that of a fortress against malware and more like a partner to keep you, your devices, and your data safe and happy. Backgrounds are white with a very slight tint of color. Every page gets its own illustration, in an airy line-drawing style with dabs of pastel colors. The appearance of Avast One couldn’t be more different.įrom installation on, Avast One is light, bright, and almost cartoonish. Rectangular buttons served to launch scans, choose between protection areas, and so on. Long-time Avast users got used to a dark gray, slightly textured background, with highlights of green and purple, plus the orange company logo. Since you can get Avast One Essential for free, though, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to choose the older Avast Free Antivirus instead. All of Avast’s existing software remains available for download or purchase. However, the latest version, reviewed here, is strictly for the US for now. The Avast One software line is available in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

That makes Avast One Essential a clear Editors' Choice award winner for free antivirus software. You can use it on all your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It goes on to add many components from the full-featured (and not free) Avast One suite.

Avast One Essential starts with the powerful virus-busting tech that’s always been its forte. How do you follow an act like that? By offering more than basic antivirus while keeping the price at zero. If one of them is Avast, that's not surprising, given that the company has been offering free antivirus protection for more than 20 years. Quick, name three free antivirus products. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.

Avast for mac reviews