Avira vs. Avast

When you're looking for paid or free antivirus software, you might come across two applications with very similar names and features. On closer inspection of the differences between Avira vs. Avast, though, you'll see that one is clearly better than the other in a number of categories.

Both antivirus software applications have real-time and on-demand scanning, but if you want software that doesn't drag down your computer's performance, Avast is the clear choice. Under a wide range of situations, including during system scans, Avira tends to require more CPU resources, active computer usage and application launches than Avast does.

While it doesn't win in terms of computer performance, some users report that Avira is less obtrusive than Avast is. Avira does have an option that allows you to block pop-up warnings. This allows you to run the software silently in the background. Avast is designed to run in the background, though, and includes an automatic gaming mode that also allows you to block pop-up warnings. In the Avira vs. Avast competition, these two antivirus software products are probably tied on this feature.

Both security software applications are easy to use and can be run by almost anyone with even a little computer knowledge. One item that sets Avira apart is its one-click-fix option. If Avira finds a threat, all you have to do is click one button to fix the problem. No fussing or adjusting is needed. Otherwise, both Avira and Avast run without the need for human interaction, keeping a vigilant guard against malicious items. This is great for users who don't like fussing with security options.

All of these features are nice, but they really don't do you any good if your computer is left open to threats. In terms of overall protection, Avira defiantly has the advantage. It finds rootkits, malware and spyware just like Avast, but it does a much better job of detecting malicious threats both retroactively and proactively. It does particularly well in finding worms, Windows viruses and macro viruses faster than its competitor does. Because of this, Avira won the AV Comparatives Best Scanning Speed Gold Award for 2010.

Avira is so good at detecting threats that it sometimes returns false positives for items that aren't threats at all. These false positives can be somewhat annoying to deal with, but it is always better to be over protected than under protected. You will just have to put safe items that Avira considers threats on a safe list manually when you receive a threat alerted.

Another drawback to Avast is that it doesn't protect your computer from backdoor and phishing malware like its competitor does. Overall, Avira does a much better job at protecting your computer from a wide range of attacks, both online and offline.

Avira also doesn't require registration to use it like Avast does. This means that your email inbox will be free of extra mail.

When comparing Avira vs. Avast, one security software stands out as the winning choice. While Avast does have a few perks that Avira doesn't, Avira provides your computer with superior protection that Avast just doesn't come close to matching.

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