Panda Cloud vs. Avira

Panda Cloud vs. Avira: Both are free antivirus software applications available for download. While all freeware antivirus software programs seem to have their kinks and inadequacies, in this case the winner is clear. Panda Cloud is very good at both detecting and removing malware. The Avira free software is also very good at detecting and preventing malware, but receives poor scores from independent labs when it comes to actually removing malware that has already infected a PC.

In our TopTenREVIEWS rankings of paid versions of antivirus software, Avira ranks much higher than Panda Pro. Additionally the brand name Avira is in the top five brand names for malware software. The paid version is a solid choice for complete virus protection. However, the free Avira software is greatly lacking in mainly one area, malware eradication.

In independent lab tests, the Avira free software failed to remove a significant amount of malware, leaving quite a few of these malicious programs still up and running. Of those malware that Avira did remove, the software deleted many important files when they should simply have been disinfected. The Avira software also failed to remove several of the detected rootkits, which can overtake an entire operating system. That said, the Avira free antivirus software excels in some areas, including a quick installation and small use of storage space. Plus, it is very effective at preventing malware from attaching to your system in the first place. In short, if you have a brand new computer that you are sure has not been infected by any malware at all yet, then Avira would work well for you.

However, the more robust choice between Panda Cloud vs Avira, is Panda Cloud. Panda Cloud is not 100% full proof, but is very good at preventing malware infection, and it is much better than Avira at removing malware. Panda Cloud also has some unique perks that make it an attractive option in malware protection. Panda Cloud is the first malware software that is almost entirely run off the computing cloud, which consists of several commercial grade servers on an off-site location that interact with your PC. Thus, Panda Cloud software is only partially installed on your computer.

This aspect of Panda Cloud is good for a few reasons. Since it’s only partially installed on your PC, it uses very little of your storage or processing power. Many heavier antivirus software applications that run in the background on your system will significantly slow down your PC, but because of it's light footprint, you will not even notice Panda Cloud is running. Secondly, Panda Cloud’s high-end cloud computing servers are constantly being updated with bug fixes and new defenses against malware. Not only does this mean you’ll have up-to-the-minute protection against the latest computer viruses, but also that you’ll never have to update the antivirus software on your own time.

Although Panda Cloud is the clear winner in the competition between Panda Cloud vs. Avira, it does have its downsides. Mainly, Panda Cloud is a very new concept, just out of beta testing really, and it has several kinks and is not as solid as top-ranked freeware like AVG Free.

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