Avast Free Antivirus 24.3

Protecting your computer against all kinds of threats and hacker attacks does not always involve purchasing a license. Among the various free antivirus tools available out there, Avast Free Antivirus offers you true effective protection against all malware, spyware, and (new to this version) ransomware programs attempting to damage your PC or steal sensitive information from it.

After paying for a license for a well-known antivirus product for a number of years, I realized that there were free antivirus out there that were offering the level of protection that my level of exposure actually needed, and decided to give Avast Free Antivirus (known at that time as “avast! Antivirus”) a try. It’s been installed on my PC since then, offering me the level and the sense of security that I really needed, nothing more. I understand that certain companies or individuals with a greater deal of sensitive information may require stronger and higher levels of protection, and that is why the Premium Security and Ultimate editions of Avast Antivirus exist. That, and to get rid of all the ads the free version displays on its main window.

For humbler users like yours truly, a free and more basic antivirus tool does suffice. As long as it is reliable and does protect you against real threats, that is. And I can certify that Avast Free Antivirus is a tool that is silently and constantly working in the background to protect your PC against any external threat, as well as to check that no threats have found their way into your valuable data already.

The program offers you various virus scan types, such as a Full Scan, a Targeted Scan (for specific folders or external drives), a Boot-Time Scan (that looks for threats before Windows starts up), and a Custom Scan, for you to decide what and when you want the program to check the security of your data. Apart from these basic “scan for viruses” options, Avast throws in into this free edition a Wi-Fi Inspector to check network issues, a Ransomware Shield to keep certain folders away from prying eyes and hands (previously available only in the paid versions), and a Remote Access Shield to prevent unwanted external connections from reaching your PC. The Privacy section is mainly for Premium and Ultimate users, and that’s why all options but the Passwords section (actually, a basic password manager) are locked.

In terms of performance, this free tool also includes a Software Updater and a Do Not Disturb Mode as a bonus. The latter will stop sending you notifications regarding certain apps and programs that you have classified as trustworthy. Avast Free Antivirus blends perfectly with Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge, and you can install extensions in any or all of them easily to improve the security of your browsing experience and avoid, for instant, phishing attacks.

Avast Free Antivirus is both powerful and reliable. It won’t bother you more than necessary, and will secure your PC and the data inside against the most common malware, spyware, and ransomware attacks. I cannot but recommend it to anyone wishing to keep a reasonable level of security without making his or her wallet weep.