AVG Antivirus Review 2024: How Does It Rate for Security?

Boasting a malware protection rate of 100% across operating systems, AVG antivirus is worth considering for anyone wanting serious online protection. The free version offers a well-rounded suite of basic protection features, including malware removal, virus scans, and real-time protection. 

When you opt for AVG Ultimate, you get more comprehensive antivirus protection, including ransomware, phishing, and payment protection. It also comes with tools like a virtual private network (VPN) and a tracker blocker for a comprehensive cybersecurity suite. 

With a free plan, free trials, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no risk in seeing how you like AVG. If you like it enough to pay for it, you’ll get a sweet discount your first year.

Trusted Protection by 435 Million Users Worldwide

4.8

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On AVG's website

All-In-One

AVG

• Award-winning antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection for up to 10 devices
• Includes webcam protection, safe browsing and email, automatic updates, and 24/7 protection
• Suite of protection benefits including a secure VPN, anti-tracking capabilities, safeguards against phishing sites, and more
• Various scanning options may be confusing to some people

AVG antivirus overview

Who is AVG antivirus best for?

• Recommended for people who see the need for strong antivirus software with nearly perfect protection ratings.

With new malware invented every day, more people are seeing how critical cybersecurity is. AVG antivirus prevents new threats and can also spot existing malware on your device. Based on its third-party test scores, it also won’t disrupt your system performance

With a free trial and money-back guarantee, you can try AVG's free and paid security options to see which is best for your needs. AVG is a trusted name in antivirus because it has almost perfect protection ratings, and we think it’s an excellent choice for any antivirus buyer.

AVG pros and cons

AVG antivirus cost

AVG offers different plans for your budget. The free option is a good deal when you want basic antivirus protection for one device. But when you opt for the paid AVG Internet Security or the AVG Ultimate options, you'll get more antivirus protection and extra features for your money.

AVG Internet Security comes in at $46.68/first yr for 1 device or $59.88/first yr for 10 devices. When you go with this plan, you get scheduled scanning, payment protection, and Wi-Fi security features that don’t come with the free plan. This isn't a high cost when you consider the number of devices you can cover. 

When you want even more coverage, you can go for the AVG Ultimate plan for $59.88/first yr for 10 devices. You still get the 10 devices supported, and this plan comes with AVG Secure VPN, tracker blocking with AVG AntiTrack, and device optimization features with AVG TuneUp. 

AVG plans and prices

Compared to other antivirus products, AVG is more expensive for its starting Internet Security plan. For instance, TotalAV starts at $29.00/first yr and Norton starts at $29.99/first yr.

However, we think AVG has one of the best free antivirus plans available. We also think its AVG Ultimate bundle is priced similarly to its competitor bundles. TotalAV's Total Security package costs $49.00/first yr for only six devices while Norton 360 Deluxe costs $49.99/first yr for only five devices.

AVG features

One of the first things we noticed about AVG antivirus is how easy it was to install. You can start with its free antivirus software if you’d like to test it out, but we chose to try the paid Internet Security plan.

Our plan included lots of security features, including Wi-Fi network protection, an advanced firewall, and payment protection. We thought those features were worth the investment if you only need coverage for one device.

Malware and antivirus scan

AVG has a variety of scanning options to choose from. You can use the Smart Scan, Deep Scan, File or Folder Scan, Boot-Time Scan, USB/DVD Scan, and Performance Scan. All of these have different functions and though we think that’s pretty cool, it can also be a bit overwhelming.

Here are more details on the scanning options: 

• Smart Scan: A robust scan that detects malware, outdated software, browser extensions with bad reps, network threats, and performance issues
• Deep Scan: An in-depth full system scan that checks your storage drives and memory for malware
• File or Folder Scan: Allows you to select the files and folders you wish to scan
• Boot-Time Scan: Can scan your device during the next system startup in an attempt to detect and remove malware before a cyberattack
• USB/DVD Scan: Scans all removable media, like USB drives and DVDs, that's attached to your device
• Performance Scan: Scans your system for issues that might affect the speed and security of your device

AVG does give you manual and automatic scan options, but we found the instructions from the support page to be a little lacking, maybe even out of date. The instructions show you should click on three dots beside the Run Smart Scan button, but on our AVG interface, we didn’t have that option.

On our version of AVG, you can either run a Smart Scan or click on Run Other Scans, which will show a dropdown list of the other scan types. You can also click on Scheduled scans and create your custom scan.

Phishing protection

AVG’s phishing and email protection checks for deceptive attachments that could be dangerous. Some phishing campaigns come from fake websites or even pop-ups, so AVG also checks for an authentic security certificate. That helps prevent you from browsing phony websites that some hacker created to fool you.

AVG’s phishing protection also blocks links that may try to steal your data. If the program detects malware or a phishing scam, it’ll block the websites. We like the security that comes with that knowledge and that we didn’t have to do anything special to enforce it.

The File Shield, Web Shield, and Email Shield checkboxes are selected by default, so unless you want to make changes, you’re good to go.

Enhanced firewall

The firewall feature is actually quite useful on PC. (Mac users don't get access to the firewall, unfortunately.) Within AVG’s firewall, there are four categories: Apps, Networks, Logs, and Premium. Each category has different protection options:

Apps

This category tracks active and inactive apps. If the app is active, AVG tells you how much bandwidth the app uses. You can choose to block or remove any of these apps from your device.

Networks

You can decide whether to trust or not trust whatever internet networks you’re connected to through this feature.

Trusting your home network allows you to become discoverable by printers, mobile devices, or anything else you want to sync to your computer. 

Not trusting a network is great if you’re on a shared Wi-Fi connection with people you don’t know. When you connect to an untrusted network, the firewall will block all incoming communication and enhance security.

Logs

Logs are a running record of everything that happens on your computer. This feature allows you to see what logs are running or have run so you can identify possible malware and block it.

Premium

This firewall category only comes with the paid plan. Each of the toggled options in the premium feature are meant to increase security.

• Leak Protection increases security by preventing data leaks of your personal data.
• Port Scan Alerts warn you of remote desktop protocol (RDP) attacks.
• ARP Spoofing Alerts warn you of address resolution protocol (ARP) attacks like a man-in-the-middle attack.

Real-time protection

Real-time protection shields you from malware or a data breach. AVG’s real-time protection does this through the use of AI to discover new threats.

With the benefit of real-time protection, you don’t have to scan every single file you open. We had no issues with this feature, as it ran while we were browsing the internet and using our device to work. Just note, this isn’t how antivirus software works for every system, as you may have to turn on the real-time protection feature in other programs.

Ransomware protection

AVG comes with the Ransomware Protection feature that’s enabled by default. In the Ransomware Protection settings, you get a list of protected file types that you can choose to protect, including archives, audio, documents, photos, and videos.

You can also choose which apps are allowed to change or delete files in your protected folders. Trusted apps are also allowed by default. Those are apps such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop.

If you want to remove a folder from the protected file type list, you can deselect it by clicking on the checkmark next to the file type. You can also add other file types by entering the file type under Additional file types to protoect.

We found using the ransomware feature easy and straightforward. Navigating to the protected file types list was simple, and there weren’t many steps involved.

AVG VPN

AVG VPN is a good option if you want to have secure Wi-Fi anywhere you go. You may visit coffee shops and other places where you can access free public Wi-Fi. If that’s the case, having AVG Secure VPN will let you browse online while staying hidden and protected.

You also don’t have to love to travel to need a secure VPN. If you use online banking or shop online, a virtual private network can help keep your data safe.

The AVG VPN gives you an encrypted connection that keeps your online activity private from others. That means hackers and even your internet service provider (ISP) won’t get access to what you do online.

You can even choose a different country’s server and surf or stream the web as if you were there. AVG Ultimate comes with AVG Secure VPN, but you can also buy it separately to pair with your preferred antivirus. 

AVG Secure VPN cost

Bonus features

AVG has a few bonus features that you can use to make your experience better. Some of these only work with specific operating systems or are for use with certain devices.

AVG Secure Browser

AVG offers free downloads of its Secure Browser. While there are a lot of customization options and it’s aesthetically pleasing, the browser itself isn’t very useful.

Our testing with AdBlock Tester and Cover Your Tracks found that the browser still allowed most ads and trackers to follow you around online. While there is a VPN feature built into the address bar of the browser, it’s only accessible through a paid subscription. Overall, this browser was lackluster and we’re going to stick with Chrome and Safari for our personal needs.

AVG Secure Browser test results

Sensitive Data Shield

The Sensitive Data Shield is an additional security option for paid plans that scans your computer for documents containing banking info, passwords, IDs, your Social Security number, pay stubs, and anything else that might allow someone to steal your identity. This feature protects your data by monitoring what and who has access to these files.

Webcam protection

Webcam protection is a simple off-and-on toggle that locks down your webcam. Basically, it requires you to authorize every attempt to access your webcam. This means if a program tries to access your camera without your knowledge, you’ll be alerted.

AntiTrack

AVG AntiTrack is available with AVG Ultimate. Its meant to be a tool that prevents tracking and fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is when trackers can build a unique profile of you. The more unique your fingerprint, the easier it is to identify you.

AVG antivirus mobile app

AVG has both paid and free plans for iPhone and Android, but there are significantly fewer features on the free version of the app.

If you’re looking to block viruses and protect against malware, the free app is good. If you’d like more features like securing your network connection or performance improvements, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

AVG antivirus test results

We test antivirus programs with the EICAR method and by reviewing third-party test results. EICAR, which stands for the European Institute for Antivirus Research, files allow us to test how well a program can detect malware, potentially unwanted apps (PUA), and phishing without infecting our device with actual malware.

We were pleased to find that AVG blocked or quarantined all the malware and PUA test files. However, we were disappointed that AVG failed the phishing detection test. We double-checked to make sure our Web Shield was activated but it looks like this file just slipped through AVG's cracks. 

AVG antivirus EICAR results

AVG antivirus third-party test results

Another way we see how well antivirus protection works, we review testing results from third-party sites like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. AV-TEST bases scores on real-world scenarios. It uses the most current versions of products to ensure validity and balanced testing scores. 

For AVG, we reviewed its AV-TEST lab test scores, which are based on the free AVG antivirus. AVG scored 6 out of 6 for Windows, Mac, and Android devices.^{[1, 2, 3]}As shown in the table below, AVG did not disappoint when testing for malware detection and usability. Although it failed our EICAR phishing detection test, you can trust AVG to protect your device from vulnerabilities without false positives. 

AVG antivirus AV-TEST results

Our AVG experience

We enjoyed using AVG antivirus and liked all the different types of scans available. Initially, we tested AVG on our MacBook Air using Big Sur OS, then later tested on a laptop running Windows 10. 

On our Mac, we first ran a Smart Scan. That’s AVG’s version of a quick scan. Then we went for the Deep Scan, which is the full scan that checks your storage drives and memory for malware. When it comes to software with all the bells and whistles, AVG has an impressive lineup. You can even scan removable media such as external hard drives and USB drives for extra security.

Our Deep Scan found no threats and sorted through over 1 million files in less than 14 minutes. We had the scan run while working on other projects with multiple browser tabs open and didn’t notice a lag in productivity.

We ran the Smart Scan and expected the time it took to be much shorter. It didn’t disappoint, taking about 10 seconds to complete. It is worth noting that it only scanned 2,072 files. But because this is a quick scan, we knew it wouldn’t be as in-depth as the Deep Scan.

We used the Scheduled Scans feature and ran a quick scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) to see whether any malware issues existed in our folders.

We were impressed that it scanned 319 files in one second.

On our Windows PC, we had no trouble running a full disc scan. AVG quickly checked for viruses and malware, advanced issues, web browser issues, and performance issues in less than 5 minutes.

We also liked that AVG alerts you to any suspicious activity its Enhanced Firewall detects. If nothing is detected, it's reassuring to see a reminder that the firewall is protecting our network connection and device.

If you’re looking for an antivirus program that you can customize with lots of scheduled scans and options to check your network and external drives, AVG is platinum-level software. But some may find its ease of use lacking, especially because AVG’s online guides don’t seem to be updated quite yet.

You should know you may need to play around with the settings to figure out how to use all of the features, as we did. Because the support pages seem a bit out of date, not all of the instructions worked for us, and we had to go through the settings to make some of the features work. Still, we think this is a good antivirus for the money and all the options that come with it.

AVG compatibility

If you’re looking for an antivirus compatible with your device, AVG likely has you covered. It even comes in different languages for Windows, iOS, and Android devices. Currently, Mac only supports English. If you use the following platforms, AVG has an available version:

• Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11
• macOS 10.11 or higher
• Android 5.0 or above
• iOS 10.0 or above (iPhone and iPad)

AVG customer support

Unfortunately, we cannot talk about a stellar customer support experience. We did place a call to support to ask some questions about the Enhanced Firewall feature location, and when the representative tried to tell us where to go under the menu settings, we didn’t have that option. The support person seemed at a loss, as were we. She was very kind, but it didn’t seem she knew how to help us.

The other thing we tried was to ask a question on the support page, but again to no avail. When we tried to select the options for the “paid subscription,” the page kept freezing. After several attempts, we were able to send an email to support. Before blaming the page freezing on AVG’s site, we checked that our other browser tabs were working without issue.

As far as options, AVG does list a few ways to reach out or search for answers:

• The help option inside the user interface
• Email support
• AVG support phone number: 1-865-666-0475
• AVG Facebook
• AVG YouTube

AVG antivirus alternatives

AVG isn't for everyone and that's alright. There are plenty of antivirus programs that may be better suited to your cybersecurity needs. Here's some of the best antivirus software on the market that you can consider instead: 

• TotalAV: TotalAV is a product that's easy to download, install, and begin using immediately. It's also budget-friendly and has received top marks from AV-TEST. See how this affordable antivirus program compares in our AVG vs. TotalAV review.

  Get TotalAV | Read Our TotalAV Review

• Norton: Norton is a notable antivirus provider with a bundle for every need. Its wide variety of plans come with parental controls, password protection, identity theft protection, and more. See how this top name in cybersecurity compares in our Norton 360 vs. AVG review.

  Get Norton 360 | Read Our Norton 360 Review

• Bitdefender: Offering a full range of security tools, including a VPN, ransomware protection, a password manager, and parental controls, Bitdefender aims to provide comprehensive device protection. Its a reliable program if you want a full security suite at an affordable price.

  Get Bitdefender

AVG antivirus FAQs

Bottom line: Is AVG antivirus good?

AVG is an incredible antivirus with excellent protection scores. It comes with tons of features, such as Wi-Fi network protection and multi-device coverage. You also get protection from phishing, ransomware, and fake websites.

If you want a supreme antivirus with several features you can customize, AVG is the product for you. If you’re the type of person who wants a no-frills program that’s easy to navigate from the beginning, you may want to look at alternatives on our best antivirus software list.

Trusted Protection by 435 Million Users Worldwide

4.8

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On AVG's website

All-In-One

AVG

• Award-winning antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection for up to 10 devices
• Includes webcam protection, safe browsing and email, automatic updates, and 24/7 protection
• Suite of protection benefits including a secure VPN, anti-tracking capabilities, safeguards against phishing sites, and more
• Various scanning options may be confusing to some people

Author Details

Patti Croft

About the Author

Patti Croft is a seasoned writer specializing in technology, with three years of experience. With a B.S. in Computer Science and a background as a technical analyst and security specialist, she covers a range of topics like data security and parental control software.

Mary James