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• Avast For Mac Review
• Avast Data Shredder Problems

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• So according to our testing, Windows loads faster with Avast. In the second area, we have tested computer performance in various areas and impact of the AVG or Avast on the results. Test results (higher is better) were practically the same for both products, 2,116 points for.
• Now, let’s talk about the Avast suites that are compatible with Mac platform Avast Security and Avast Security Pro are two plans that Avast offers for macOS users.
• Avast Cleanup Pro seems to be the Mac version of the Cleanup Premium app that is available for Windows users and is part of this new offering specifically developed for the growing market of Mac users that the company sees as an opportunity on which it can capitalize.
• For features and performance, Kaspersky and Bitdefender are the best antivirus programs money can buy. If your budget is tight, however, Avast is a good, and free, alternative. Mac users, we have you covered as well and name the best paid and free antivirus protection for Apple computers.

Advertiser Disclosure

Avast is an excellent – and free – solution for Android. We would choose a different option on Windows or Mac.

Refund Policy: 30 days
Customer Support: 24/7 Free
Protected Devices: 1 – 5
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS

• Excellent protection for all devices: Avast scores well in the independent test labs, making it a safe choice to protect you from online threats.
• Great, and free, protection for Android: Although we would not recommend Avast’s free solution for Windows, for Android it’s great.
• Exceptional user reviews: Avast has more than 5 million user reviews in the Google Play Store, giving it an average score of 9.1.

The Bad

• Will slow down your MacBook: Avast did not do well on the tests for Mac, influencing the operating speed significantly.
• Expensive: If you want the full protection for Windows, it comes at a price. There are better and more affordable options, such as BitDefender.

Avast Internet Security 2019: Full Review

Below you can find the full review, test methods, and data sources

How We Test

Using the best antivirus to protect yourself online is crucial.

To know whether Avast Internet Security 2019 is for you, we have analyzed it in detail according to 6 categories. As all of them are important, but not equal, they each have a different impact on the final score.

In the graph below you can see each category, and the impact it has on Avast’s final score. If you don’t know what the categories mean, keep reading. We explain each in detail, tell you how Avast scored, and which data sources we have used.

• Protection from Malware50%50%
• Impact on Performance15%15%
• Devices & Features10%10%
• User Reviews10%10%
• Value for Money10%10%
• False Positives5%5%

Tibor Moes

Technology analyst

Tech enthusiast and founder of SoftwareLab. He has degrees in Engineering and Business, and has been active in the analysis of software, electronics and digital services since 2013.

The Good: Avast has excellent protection scores in the tests, scoring ahead of the industry average on Windows 10, Mac, and Android. Great!

The Bad: Nothing.

What is a protection test?

The independent test labs, AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, analyze the best antivirus software several times per year. One of the categories they test, is called protection.

In this test, the antivirus programs are subjected to a range of challenges that test their entire range of security features. These features can be divided into three segments:

1. Protection from known malware

Known malwareare malware that have been discovered before. When a cybersecurity discovers a malware threat, it uploads its digital signature to a huge online database for future use.

You can imagine this digital signature as the fingerprint of a burglar. It is unique to the malware, and can help the antivirus to easily recognize it. Just as the police would use the fingerprint to identify the burglar.

On your device, the antivirus frequently runs system checks. During such a check, it scans for digital signatures to see if there are any malware infections.

This method is the most straightforward of the 3 security segments. It is called signature-based detection, but also often called virus scanning.

2. Protection from unknown malware

More complex are unknown malware samples. After all, these have never been seen before, so how to detect them? The signature-based method described above it useless against these new threats.

Here, a different strategy comes into play. The antivirus use something called heuristic file scanning. What this means, is that rather than searching for digital signatures, the antivirus search for suspicious behavior.

Imagine suspicious behavior as anything a normal program wouldn’t do. For instance, rapid file replication across a network, file deletion, or the hiding of specific files.

When an antivirus discovers such behavior, it flags the program executing it as potential malware. It then moves the malware to a safe environment, called a sandbox, where it can securely analyze the program without it being able to cause damage.

3. Protection from user-focused threats

More an more cybercriminals target users directly these days. You have probably been targeted yourself. Common examples are:

Ebayscams. Imagine you are attempting to sell something on Ebay. Quickly someone, often from Nigeria, contacts you. He or she requests you to first send the product, after which you will receive payment. Just to check the quality of the product, he or she says. Of course, in reality, payment will never come.

Phishing scams. Imagine an email arrives in your inbox. It says “urgent, verification required”. It seems to come from PayPal, and it requests you to verify your login details. In truth, however, the email comes from a cybercriminal attempting to trick you into handing over your login details.

As these type of attacks are not classical malware threats, antivirus had to evolve their protection methods. These days, they include many advanced features such as anti-phishing, spam filters, wifi scanners, web advisors, and many more.

Avast 2019: Windows 10 protection score

Avast scores a 9.4 in the protection tests for Windows 10. This places it ahead of the industry average, including McAfee, BullGuard, and Panda. But it still falls behind Norton and BitDefender, who both have a perfect score.

Avast 2019: Mac protection score

Avast, just like BitDefender and Norton, scores perfect antivirus test scores for Mac.

Avast 2019: Android protection score

Avast scores excellently on Android as well. Easily surpassing the industry average, and falling online slightly behind Norton and BitDefender, who achieved a perfect score.

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1. Avast Review

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The Good: Avast scores around the industry average on Windows 10. Meaning it only has a small speed impact and can be safely used.

The Bad: The same cannot be said for Mac, however. Here Avast has a significant speed penalty.

What is a performance test?

To keep you safe, antivirus operate in the background of your PC or Mac, scanning your system at regular intervals. Although this requires some resources from your device, it is often not noticeable.

However, in some cases, antivirus software require too many resources to do their job well. It can then have a severe negative speed impact.

The independent test labs analyze the antivirus software for their speed impact on Windows and Mac.

Avast 2019: Windows 10 performance score

Avast does fairly well on Windows 10, having only a limited performance impact. It still falls behind BitDefender and McAfee though, which both require less resources to do their job.

Avast 2019: Mac performance score

There is no way around saying it: Avast should not be used on MacBooks. The performance impact is simply too great. In both Mac tests by AV-Test since January 2017, Avast had a significant speed impact on Apple’s operating software.

The Good: Avast offers a complete security solution for Windows and Android. On Windows, we would definitely recommend the paid versions. On Android, the free one is all there is, and it is really good.

The Bad: Protection for Mac is limited, but not bad. Before installing it though, keep in mind that Avast for Mac has a terrible performance impact.

What is a supported devices test?

We analyze the supported operating software and the security features offered on each. We also compare this to the other antivirus to see which offer the best protection per device.

A note on iOS:

Not all antivirus create an antivirus app for iOS.

Although it is true that iOS is a safer platform than Windows, Mac, and Android, users could still benefit from a security solution that offers them anti-theft, a VPN, a web advisor, and perhaps some parental controls.

Avast 2019: Devices and features score

Avast is a little different than most antivirus providers, as it offers its basic antivirus for free. Outside of that difference though, it follows the same formula as the rest: Extensive security features for Windows, several for Android, a few for Mac, and almost none for iOS.

For Windows 10, Avast’s free version offers its antivirus software, password manager, and wifi security advisor. The paid versions add anti-ransomware, anti-phishing, a firewall, sandbox, file shredder, webcam protection, and a VPN on top.

Overall, the paid versions are definitely worth the upgrade from the free version. Although we would opt for BitDefender as it offers better protection for Windows at a lower price.

For Mac, Avast offers antivirus, wifi protection, and anti-phishing. All for free. Pay a bit extra, and it adds anti-ransomware on top. It should be said though, that Avast has such a big speed penalty on Macbook’s that we don’t recommend using it here.

For Android, its app is for free and a very complete security solution. It comes with antivirus, anti-theft, app-lock, VPN, and wifi speed check. It sadly didn’t have the same protection scores as Norton and BitDefender, but hey, it’s free…

For iOS, there is no antivirus available. However, Avast does offer its standalone VPN and password manager.

The Good: Avast knocks it out the park. Over 5 million reviews ( 5 million ! ) rate it with a 9.1 in the Google Play Store. That is incredible.

The Bad: Nothing

What is a user review test?

User reviews play an important role when selecting a product. Sadly, however, they have also become a marketing tool. Used by many product manufacturers and comparison sites alike, to sell products.

It is therefore important to select the sources of the user reviews well. In our test, we analyze the user reviews from TrustPilot and the Google Play Store.

TrustPilot is the leading independent platform for verified user reviews. And the Google Play Store being the gateway to apps on Android, simply has the largest amount of user reviews in the world.

Avast 2019: User review score

Avast has an incredible amount of positive user reviews. In the Google Play Store, it has over 5 million positive reviews, rating it with a 9.1.

In TrustPilot, the average comes down a bit. Here around 2500 users rate Avast with a 7.4, which is still a decent score.

The Good: Avast offers a free antivirus for Android, which is a great product, offering excellent value for (no) money.

The Bad: To get complete protection for Windows, you would need to opt for one of the paid options, which are more expensive than the competition.

What is a value for money test?

We compare the protection, bonus features, and price, to the offering of the other antivirus software in the market.

Avast 2019: Value for money score

Avast offers a few free products, of which the antivirus for Android is highly commendable. It is a very complete security solution with over 5 million user reviews in the Google Play Store.

For Windows, it would be better to opt for the paid versions, as the free version is very basic. However, the paid versions are a fair bit more expensive than the competition by BitDefender, Panda, and BullGuard.

For Mac, there isn’t really any value for money to speak of. Avast for Mac has such a significant speed impact, it should simply not be used.

The Good: Avast has very few false positives on Windows, Mac, and Android. Meaning it won’t mistake many clean files for malware.

The Bad: Nothing

What is a false positive test?

When an antivirus program mistakes regular software for malware, this is called a false positive. It is nothing to worry about, but can be annoying when it happens frequently.

AV-Test and AV-Comparatives both measure the number of false positives the antivirus software have across the various operating software.

Avast 2019: Windows 10 false positives score

Avast does well on Windows 10, scoring before Norton, Panda, and BullGuard. Only slightly behind BitDefender and McAfee.

Avast 2019: Mac false positives score

Avast scores a perfect score for Mac, as did all the other tested antivirus.

Avast 2019: Android false positives score

Avast scored slightly ahead of the industry average, and just behind Norton and BitDefender, who both scored a perfect score.

Data Sources

Below you can find all the sources we have used in our analysis

Data sources we use

Protection, performance, and false positives data:

Protection, performance and false positives make up the core of any antivirus analysis. That’s why, together, they account for 70% of the total score. The data comes from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, the two leading IT security test labs.

The two European test labs set up several tests per year. For our analysis, we have included each test since January 2017. This spans over 20 antivirus software, challenged in more than 30 tests.

We found BitDefender, Norton, Panda, BullGuard, McAfee, and Avast, to be the best across all platforms.

User review data:

Our user review data comes from Trustpilot and the Google Play Store.

TrustPilot is one of the largest websites of its kind, having collected more than 45 million user reviews, covering over 200.000 companies.

The Google Play Store is the place where Android users, the most used operating system for mobile phones in the world, get their apps. It has an incredible amount of user reviews. For example, Norton and Avast combined have nearly 7 million reviews there.

AV-Test:

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/november-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/september-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/july-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/november-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/september-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/july-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-mojave/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-high-sierra/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-high-sierra/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-sierra/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-sierra/june-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/february-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/october-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/october-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-mojave/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-high-sierra/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-high-sierra/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-sierra/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/april-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/february-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/october-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/august-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/april-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/february-2018/

AV-Comparatives:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-april-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-october-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-april-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-october-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-may-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-november-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-october-2018-factsheet/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-june-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-november-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2019-march-june/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-march-april-2019-factsheet/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2018-august-november/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2018-march-june/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-removal-test-2018/

TrustPilot:

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bitdefender.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bitdefender.de
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/bitdefenderofficial.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.norton.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/dk.norton.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.mcafee.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/france
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/germany
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/netherlands
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.pandasecurity.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/spain
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bullguard.com

Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitdefender.security
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symantec.mobilesecurity
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wsandroid.suite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pandasecurity.pandaav
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bullguard.mobile.mobilesecurity

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(Last updated on July 9th, 2019)

Norton (also called Symantec) or Avast, which antivirus software is a better choice in 2019?

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In this ultimate guide, we’ll compare Norton and Avast in a head-to-head and show you which of the two is a better pick.

In a rush? Take a look at the rundown below to find out which software wins in each category.

A Quick Rundown of Winners in Each Category

1. Features
Winner: Norton. Both Avast and Norton offer impressive feature-sets as part of their security suites, but Norton has an edge in this category.

2. Malware Protection
Winner: Winner. Norton performed slightly better than Avast in recent independent anti-malware tests.

3. System Performance
Winner: Tie. Both companies performed equally well when it came to the impact they put on computer performance; both software received perfect scores in two different performance evaluations.

4. User-Friendliness
Winner: Tie. Both software’s interfaces are user-friendly and intuitive.

5. Pricing
Winner: Norton. You can get more licenses for less money through Norton.

6. Customer Satisfaction
Winner: Tie. Both software have comparable customer satisfaction ratings.

Short Verdict

Norton is a better choice as it offers more security-related features and extra utilities in its security suites than Avast. Independent tests prove that both software are excellent in terms of the impact on system performance, but Norton offers better anti-malware security than Avast.

1. Features

The best antivirus suites come with all advanced features and utilities that not only bolster your digital security but also promote extra value.

First, let’s see what features Norton offer in its security suites.

Norton AntiVirus Plus is the entry-level suite offered by the company. This software provides excellent protection against all sorts of malware, plus there’s a smart firewall that protects your computer against unauthorized access and monitors your network against intrusions.

A full-blown password manager is also jammed into the suite; this allows you to store and organize your passwords, credit card details, and securely store other confidential information.

This suite allows you to protect 1 device (either a PC or a Mac), but you can add more devices.

Next up is Norton 360 Standard. It’s the company’s flagship product and offers one universal license that can be used to protect 1 PC and 1 Mac or mobile or tablet.

The 360 Standard suite offers everything that comes with the previous suite, along with 10 gigabytes of cloud data storage and the SecureVPN tool that protects your sensitive information when you are on public or shared WiFi networks. The SafeCam utility is also jammed into the suite; this utility blocks unauthorized webcam access and prevents hackers from spying on you.

Dark web monitoring features are included in the suite as well; these module monitors your personal information and alerts you if it is being used by someone else.

Next up is Norton 360 Deluxe. This suite has everything that comes with the previous suites, plus you get 50 gigabytes of cloud storage and protection for up to 5 PCs, Mac, and smartphones with a single license. There’s also a parental control module that could be very useful if you have children. It’s a good product if you want to get protection for all your family devices.

Finally, there’s Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock Select – the company’s top-tier antivirus suite. This package includes all the advanced features and utilities we discussed above, plus you get a full suite of identity & theft protection tools. These include dark web monitoring features, a finance protection scanner, a credit monitoring suite, and the LifeLock Identity Alert System.

These features will tell you if your personal information is being used in ways or patterns that don’t match up with your previous actions; this is a great way to know if you’re information is potentially being stolen by an identity thief. The credit monitoring tool keeps track of your credit score and lets you know if it suddenly drops, as this is a common sign of identity theft.

As part of this suite, you also get the Million Dollar Protection Package from Norton; if you become a victim of identity theft, you will be covered for the expenses you incur and money stolen as a result of the crime, but only up to a specific limit.

If you’re interested in Norton’s business-specific security products, click here for more details.

Now, let’s see how Avast compares to Norton in terms of features.

Unlike Norton, Avast offers separate products for Windows and macOS. First, we’ll cover the Windows-only products.

Avast Free Antivirus is the first security software that you can get from the company. You don’t have to pay anything to use it, of course, but it doesn’t offer much value in terms of advanced features and utilities; all advanced features and options are locked in the software. But the freeware does offer protection against different types of digital threats.

Next up is Avast Internet Security, another Windows-only suite. This suite offers excellent protection against all sorts of malware, along with a bunch of advanced features and tools that make it worthwhile. These include a smart firewall, the Anti-Spam utility, and the WiFi Inspector utility (protects your network against hackers and intruders).

The Sandbox mode feature allows you to run potentially dangerous files in a secure environment, without having to risk the rest of your computer to a malware infection.

The Real Site utility that guards against DNS hijacking and rerouting is also part of the software, along with a password manager and an email filter.

Another level up is Avast Premier. This suite offers all the features and utilities that come with the previous suites, plus some extra perks. These perks include a webcam shield that prevents hackers from spying on you, the Data Shredder utility that permanently shreds any sensitive files that you don’t want to be recovered after deletion, and the Software Updater tool (automatically updates all the software and makes you less vulnerable to attacks).

Finally, there’s Avast Ultimate — the top-tier package offered by Avast. It comes with everything that comes with the Premier suite, plus you get the useful SecureLine VPN tool that lets you surf the internet anonymously and access restricted content. Avast Cleanup utility, which is a great tool that will significantly improve the performance of your PC, is also part of the Ultimate suite.

For Macs, there’s Avast Security for Mac. It comes in two versions, Free and Premium. The freeware only offers essential malware protection, while the Premium version has several advanced features and utilities that make it a worthwhile option, such as the WiFi Inspector and multi-layered ransomware protection.

Winner: Norton. Both Norton and Avast offer a comprehensive lineup of features as part of their security suites, but Norton’s offerings are more useful in today’s day and age.

2. Malware Protection

Let’s take a look at how Norton and Avast compare when it comes to protecting your computer against malware infections. To determine which is superior in this regard, let’s look at the recent unbiased lab tests from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives — two highly regarded independent organizations that regularly test and rank different antivirus software.

AV-Test’s recent evaluations were conducted in April 2019. All participating security software were tested on three different levels: Protection, Performance, and Usability.

During the Protection test, Norton scored a perfect 6 out of 6, showcasing its excellent malware detection capabilities.

Avast scored a slightly lower 5.5 out of 6 rating, which is a good score but not a perfect one.

AV-Comparatives is another well-known independent security software testing organization from Austria. They regularly conduct several exhaustive tests to evaluate the performance of various antivirus brands, but their main examination is the Real-World Protection test. In their recent report, both Symantec and Avast received the second-best ADVANCED award, which represents good defenses against all sorts of malware.

Winner: Norton. It’s a close call, but Norton takes this round due to better overall performance in recent independent anti-malware tests.

3. System Performance

There’s no doubt that anti-malware capabilities are important, but we can’t neglect system performance. Most top-tier antivirus programs out there put a negligible impact on system performance.

Let’s examine both software’s performance in this category.

In the Performance category of AV-Test evaluations, Norton scored a perfect 6 out of 6, which is an excellent score.

Avast also got a 6 out of 6 in this test, matching Norton.

AV-Comparatives’ performance test was conducted in April 2019. Both Norton and Avast took home the highest ADVANCED+ award in this evaluation.

Winner: Tie. Both companies performed equally well in two recent independent performance evaluations; neither software will slow down your system operations.

4. User-Friendliness

The user interface of an antivirus program should be intuitive and easy-to-use for everyone, including people who aren’t proficient in computer use.

First, let’s examine Norton’s user interface.

Norton’s user interface is sleek and simplistic; it’s also universal in nature, so there isn’t much difference between the desktop and mobile views. On the main view, there’s a big green check mark that lets you know if everything is okay. The checkmark will turn into a warning sign if there’s an issue and your attention is required.

The Quick Scan button on the main window allows you to initiate a scan with just one click. The time and date of your last scan is also there on the screen, as well as information regarding licenses and software updates.

At the bottom, there’re five rectangular tiles that can be used to access all the advanced features and options of the software. The links to Settings and Help pages are placed in the top bar.

Now, let’s see what Avast’s interface looks like in comparison.

Avast’s dark, modern-styled interface is intuitive and straightforward. If everything is okay, there will be a green checkmark in the center of the main. The checkmark will change to warning sign if there’s something wrong with your security. There’s also a button that lets you run a smart scan.

On the left side, there are four main categories that contain all the features and tools of the software. You can access all the major features and functions with just a few clicks.

Winner: Tie. Both user interfaces are intuitive and user-friendly.

5. Pricing

Another important consideration is pricing. After all, if something is not affordable, it’s likely that you won’t buy it.

Norton Antivirus Plus, the company’s entry-level premium suite, costs $39.99 per year for 1 device.

Norton 360 Standard lets you protect 2 devices for $49.99 per year. Norton 360 Deluxe can be used to protect up to 5 devices for $59.99 per year. Finally, Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock Select costs $99.99 per year for up to 5 devices.

Now, let’s see how much Avast charges for its protection.

Avast Internet Security, the first paid option from the company, costs $59.99 per year for 1 PC. Avast Premium costs $69.99 per year for 1 PC.

Avast Ultimate, the highest offering from Avast, costs $119.99 per year and gives you a license for 1 PC.

Avast Security for Mac, the company’s flagship product for macOS platform, comes at $59.99 per year for 1 Mac device.

Avast For Mac Review

Winner: Norton. Norton has a better pricing structure and gives you more licenses for less money, providing great value for money.

6. Customer Satisfaction

One final aspect we will consider is customer satisfaction.

Consumeraffairs.org is a great resource to see what the actual customers of both companies think of their products and services. The site collects genuine user reviews and averages them out into a 1 to 5-star score. Norton has a 1-star rating from this resource, indicating low levels of user satisfaction and poor customer service. Avast has a 3-star rating, which is an average score.

Avast Data Shredder Problems

Let’s also check out the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is another well-known review collection site. Both Norton and Avast have an A+ rating on the BBB, which is an excellent score.

Winner: Tie. Both Avast and Norton have comparable scores in this category.

Final Thoughts

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