My Avast registration is due for annual renewal. Is it worth paying for extra protection?

I've got the free version which blocks viruses and spyware.


For £19.99 (about $30) you get the following as well:

provides safe online shopping

secures your identity and data

let's you surf and run apps virtually

prevents hacker attacks

stops bothersome SPAM

protects from phishing scams

provides safe online banking

secures your IP address


There are only 2 I'm interested in there, but they're important (online shopping and banking).

Is it worth paying?

a reply to: CJCrawley

Depends. I have the free Avast as well,and the places I shop online have their own protection as well. With hackers getting into company sites and laptops being stolen with our info on them as well,I just don't even worry about it. If they are going to get it,they will get it. Bound to happen sooner or later no matter what. I keep my online shopping to a bare minimum as well as my banking on line.

Not really unless you're the sort of person who's daft enough to send an exiled prince of nigeria 500 quid to help him out so you can get a few hundred million quid Just be sensible with your web browsing and you'll be fine with the basic package

a reply to: CJCrawley

Comodo internet security is good.

Microsoft security essentials I also like.

Never pay for an anti-virus! Use the free ones. See grey580's post. I personally like MSE alongside Malwarebytes and Ccleaner. "Internet security suites" are basic anti-virus software with a bunch of fluff and gadgets to sell the software to unsuspecting consumers who think they're getting more for their money. You aren't.

The best protection and prevention is a savvy end-user.

I found it laggy on my system. I run vipre and strict win settings asking for permission to make changes before doing so in UAC and win firewall.

Antivirus only finds what has been reported to their servers, attached to a threats definitions update, and sent back to your software, so it's always behind viruses.

If anything gets past this, I reformat and reinstall from system image on my external HD. Its fast and saves all of your settings. I keep ay kind of info(docs, pics, music, movies) on this external HD Vs the pc with the os on it, it is more secure and won't get corrupted by a bad virus in the pc generally.

Someone will always 1 up the current protection, so I don't risk it.

Klassified nailed it. I'd say your best protection is backups and an external drive will be far less expensive in the long run.

i used avast for over 5 years, and the past year it has gotten so bloated and caused so many problems, mainly network issues, that i switched our business to avg free, and LOVE it, so much better, faster, and no problems. i would recommend checking out AVG Free

a reply to: neomaximus10
Glad it's working for you, but beware, AVG is also known to cause network issues. I've had to remove it completely from my clients servers because it was wreaking havoc. As long as it's working for you, great, but if you start noticing problems with data propagation and access. Look at AVG first.

a reply to: CJCrawley

No. Just go with the free version unless you need all that extra.
The only antivirus I feel that is worth paying for is Nod32 by eset.com.

a reply to: neomaximus10

Carefull with running the free stuff in a commercial environment. Unless you are an non-profit or a sole proprietorship you are forbidden to use the free version in a business. Is all about the money. And it could cost your business a bunch if it ever came to head.
I deal with cheap a$$ business owners all the time who don't want to pay for software but it is the cost of doing business the right way. Takes money to make money. Almost all the free software EULA'S are setup this way. Microsoft Security essentials is fine up to 10 licences. if you have an 11th desktoy running it you are in violation for an example.

Here is the Avast EULA

2. Permitted Use of the Software
You may install and use the Software on an unlimited number of computers. The Software must be used
exclusively 1) by you as an individual or members of your household solely for private non-commercial
purposes or 2) by you as an educational establishment in the U.S.A. (public or non-profit educational
institution/education organization - includes grades K-12 and higher, vocational/trade schools, head start
programs or other entities with educational purposes under 501(c) of the IRS Publication 557 -
Organization Reference Chart section) solely for your internal non-commercial purposes or 3) by you as
a public library in the U.S.A. solely for your internal non-commercial purposes (whereas U.S.A. includes
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Marianas, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) or 4) for internal support to you as
a sole proprietorship or les très petites entreprises (TPE) with registered office in France. You may also
make appropriate number of the backup copies of the Software but not more than ten.
ANY USE OF THE SOFTWARE OTHER THAN AS EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED BY THIS SECTION
OR ANY RESALE OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION OF THE SOFTWARE CONSTITUTES
A MATERIAL BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT AND MAY VIOLATE APPLICABLE COPYRIGHT
LAWS.

I pay my annual fee. I like Avast, it has provided me with security that works well for me. I also use Malwarebytes, and Hitman Pro. Between those 3 I seem to keep my desktop clean of all those nasty bits and pieces that seem to try and get in.

originally posted by: CJCrawley
... let's you surf and run apps virtually ...

You can run an internet browser in a virtual-machine / sandbox for free ...
wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandboxie
wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox

It's like having a disposable operating system , ( cf. disposable gloves ).

a reply to: CJCrawley

My recommendation is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, and from my understanding, their team of Supergeeks is top notch. I've had no issues while using it.

As always, regardless of your defenses, only YOU can prevent malware! (Playing on Smoky Bear), but really, be cautions when installing even legit software. Go slow (don't blindly next-next-next), and don't install toolbars, add-ons, etc.)

Microsoft Security Essentials / Malware Bytes / CCleaner / Avast / Komodo / and all of the other free variants are pretty good. Paying for a subscription to any service is not worth it however. The malicious code in the wild can be there for days, weeks, months, or even years before discovery - leaving you infected the entire time even though your malware prevention says you're squeeky clean.

The good news is that most malware these days is adware and is easily noticed and removed ( for the most part ) without leaving any physical damage to your system. Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware are still common though less so than they were years ago.

The best way of avoiding infection is to be careful about what you download or allow to install ( any window popping up saying that you need the new version of anything should be closed, and then you should visit the softwares actual site to make sure there is an upgrade available ). Most browsers now come with "private" modes that add safety.

That and regular backups of your data to an external drive ( the things are dirt cheap now - about fifty bucks for a terabyte ) is enough to keep your life simple.

a reply to: CJCrawley

Been using ESET Nod 32 for years ...free and no problems

originally posted by: Hefficide
... any window popping up saying that you need the new version of anything should be closed ...

Close the browser window the pop-up appears in, don't click on the "X" on the pop-up window itself, as that can be rigged to trigger a download of malware , [ rather like clickjacking ].

originally posted by: Hefficide
... Most browsers now come with "private" modes that add safety...

Private modes are just more private , ( clue in the title ), they are not safer : you're just as vulnerable as in normal browsing mode to infection via drive-by-download.

originally posted by: dogstar23
a reply to: CJCrawley
My recommendation is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, and from my understanding, their team of Supergeeks is top notch...

Not quite "top notch" ... www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

Extra protection is always worth it.

a reply to: CJCrawley

a reply to: staple

sorry, meant to say i personally use avg free, business uses pro avg, and malwarebytes premium