AVG Antivirus Review
AVG’s malware scan employs machine learning, heuristics and an online malware database to detect new threats. It scored high in our tests, with outstanding sophisticated scanning and deep scan performance. However, it falls behind some competitors in its ability to detect new and unknown “zero-day” malware.
After installation it launches its “Smart Scan” that performs an overall scan of your computer’s security to find potential threats and malware. It takes around 35 minutes check 430,167 files on our test system. This is lower than other tools, but it’s still an enormous amount of files.
The program’s modern and clean interface allows you to easily launch the scan or explore the other features. It is recognizable with thumbnails as well as headings, along with other elements to assist you in understanding the purpose of each feature. Its settings menu is also well organized and offers some choices for customization, including the ability to alter the level of sensitiveness a deep scan is or configure a data shredder, which adds a choice to Windows the right-click menu.
Premium subscribers have access to a couple of additional features that aren’t included in the free version. These include “Webcam Protection”, which blocks access to your webcam, making video chats more secure, and “Sensitive Data Shield” which secures your private data. Fancy extras like the password manager or performance tuning aren’t available, however, since AVG has paid software in its portfolio that provide these features.
AVG’s mobile app offers a variety of features, including the option to remotely lock an Android device or wipe it (Android only) and a photo vault which allows you to safely share files. The most popular mobile feature, however, is its anti-theft function, which can help you locate a lost phone or tablet and can even sound an alarm to make it appear to be in danger.