AVIRA Free Anti-Virus 9.0.0.410 Vs. AVG Free Anti-Virus 9.0.698 – Side by Side Review

Dear Readers,

(Last Updated Oct 31, 2009 @ 10:31 pm EST) Been Updated to now include new version of AVG Free (9.0698)

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A lot of people have been asking me to compare AVIRA Free to  AVG Free so here it is..Enjoy…

- How Long Does it take to scan ?

AVIRA: About 25min – 3hr (Average)

AVG: About 45min – 3hrs (Regardless if you scan archives)

- Does it have a progress bar or % done ?

AVIRA: Yes, progress bar with % done

AVG: Nope

- Does it have an active residential shield ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes (But the main issue is that the infection is caught way after your computer is already infected with said virus)

- How good is the residential shield ?

AVIRA: Very good….detection…a lot better the AVG

AVG: Does detect some viruses before it infects your computer…but no where as good as AVIRA by a long shot

- Does it have a browser cookie scanner ?

AVIRA: Nope

AVG: Yes

- How good is cookie detection ?

AVIRA: N/A

AVG: The new AVG Free (9.0.689) has a really good at cookie detection rate

- Does it have a P2P scanner ?

AVIRA: No

AVG: No

- How easy is it to get and to read the reports or results ?

AVIRA: A lot more complicated then AVG

AVG: Super easy

- How Stable is it?

AVIRA: Very stable….No issues I’ve heard of yet

AVG: A lot more stable with new Patch / Update 9.0.689

- How often does it update ?

AVIRA: once every 24hrs..but it can be done more often

AVG: once every 24hrs..but it can be done more often

- How long does it take to update?

AVIRA: about 1-30 min

AVG: 1 min- 1 hr ….if it updates at all

- Ease of use

AVIRA: a little more difficult then AVG options wise only

AVG: Very Easy

- Can these programs work in Tandem? (Meaning both Can be installed at the same time without issue..)

AVIRA: Yes..But sometimes….if one scan is running the other Automatic scan won’t work

AVG: Yes..But sometimes….if one scan is running the other Automatic scan won’t work

- Does it have any type of e-mail scanner included with program?

AVIRA: Yes, does not really do anything

AVG: Yes….pretty much all it does is gives you errors or a small e-mail signature….not worth the set-up

- Ability to catch viruses that other programs don’t catch

AVIRA: right in the middle…Avast seems better, but not by much

AVG: It will catch most viruses during scanning but after your computer is infected..great at cookie detection

- Size of initial download

AVIRA: 32.39MB from www.download.com - New AVG Free Anti-Virus version (9.0.0.410) not available to download @ download.com

AVG: 868.98K from www.download.com - Newest (9.0.698) version of AVG Free Anti-Virus is not yet available @ download.com

- Can I do other things while running a scan ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes, But not recommended

- Can I run programs while updating ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes

- Does it take up a lot of resources ?

AVIRA: Nope pretty good…

AVG: yes, but no where as bad as AVAST

- Does it have Ads in it ?

AVIRA: Yes huge….pop-up every time you update gets half way (can be deactivated in control panel)

AVG: Yes, a banner on the bottom of the AVG main interface.  Also has a random appearing nag or ad screen

- is there a limit of dayz like 30, 60, or 90 dayz ?

AVIRA: it says something like a year…but it will re-new the license 4 weeks before it expires…so no worries

AVG: Nope, no such limit

- Will it run on Vista ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes

- Will it run on Vista 64 bit ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes

- Will it run on Windows Xp Pro ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes

- Will it run on Windows 2000 ?

AVIRA: Yes

AVG: Yes

- Will it run on Windows 98 ?

AVIRA: No

AVG: No

- Will it Run on a server or network ?

AVIRA: Yes, but it has the same type of agreement, not to be used on business computers or servers

AVG: In most cases, No

- Is there good tech support ?

AVIRA: Not tested

AVG: terrible (Only has a free forum which  is reallyhard to use)

- Is it reliable ?

AVIRA: all around good

AVG: Still has some issues..but it is way more stable with the new AVG free version 9.0.698

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Till My Next Post,

Remy “Se7en”