Avast Antivirus One Review (2025): Is it the right choice?

Full Review

Avast is ranked #2 of the 28 best antivirus of 2025.

Avast provides two main security apps: Avast Premium Security and Avast One. Premium Security is customizable, while Avast One offers more features and is easier to use, although it’s available in fewer countries. Despite differences in features and interface, both use the same robust anti-malware engine, which achieved a 100% malware detection rate in our tests.

Both apps are user-friendly, offer comprehensive security, and come with extra features like web protection, a firewall, breach alerts, a secure browser, anti-tracking, and system optimization tools. Free versions cover essential security needs, but upgrading to Premium Security or a paid Avast One plan unlocks more advanced features.

Avast offers a 30-day money-back guarantee across all plans and a 30-day free trial for Premium Security (no card required), though there is no free trial for Avast One.

Anti-malware

Avast’s anti-malware scanner is top-tier, offering excellent detection and removal capabilities. Both Avast Premium Security and Avast One use the same powerful scanner, despite their different interfaces. In our test of 1,200 malware samples, including viruses, trojans, ransomware, and more, both apps achieved a perfect detection rate, comparable to leading antiviruses like Norton, Bitdefender, and McAfee.

The full system scans took just under an hour, a solid performance on par with Bitdefender and McAfee, though slightly slower than Norton. Importantly, there was no noticeable performance impact during the scans.

Avast offers a variety of scan options, including:

• Smart Scan: Focuses on common malware areas.
• Full Virus Scan: Thorough system check (Deep Scan in Avast One).
• Targeted Scan: For specific folders or drives.
• Boot-Time Scan: Scans before the OS fully loads.
• Explorer Scan: Scans files directly via right-click.
• Custom Scan: Allows personalized scan settings.

Real-time protection is also impressive, blocking all malware downloads, even in zipped or encrypted formats.

Overall, Avast’s anti-malware engine is fast, efficient, and highly effective with minimal system impact.

Anti-phishing

Avast’s anti-phishing protections are highly effective. Both Avast Premium Security and Avast One blocked nearly all phishing sites we tested, outperforming the default protections on browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. False positives were minimal, ensuring a smooth browsing experience.

Avast’s Web Shield adds an extra layer of defense by blocking unsafe downloads, scanning encrypted websites, and preventing web-based attacks from botnets and malicious scripts. Both apps offer these core web protection features, though Premium Security is more customizable than Avast One.

A free browser extension enhances protection by detecting phishing sites, blocking trackers, and managing privacy settings on platforms like Google and social media. It also color-codes search results based on risk and can automatically handle cookie pop-ups.

However, Avast’s web protection has a couple of drawbacks. Adding false positives to the exception list in Premium Security can be tricky, whereas competitors like Bitdefender offer one-click whitelisting. Additionally, Avast stops showing notifications for repeated phishing site visits, simply blocking the page without alerting you.

Despite these minor issues, Avast’s web protection effectively guards against phishing, malicious websites, botnets, and scripts.

Firewall

Avast’s firewall offers robust protection against unauthorized network intrusions, performing well in our tests by blocking untrustworthy connections and simulated exploit attacks. Both Avast Premium Security and Avast One use the same core firewall technology, but differ in user interface and customization options.

In Premium Security, the firewall can be configured in four modes:

1. Smart Mode: Automatically decides based on the application’s reputation.
2. Allow: Always permits applications to connect.
3. Block: Denies all connection attempts.
4. Ask Me Mode: Prompts users to manually approve or deny connections.

Most users will prefer Smart Mode, as it offers a good balance of security and convenience. Allow can be risky, while Block and Ask Me Mode can become intrusive over time. Premium Security also provides advanced customization options for those who want to create specific rules for apps and networks.

Avast One’s firewall is more streamlined, always operating in a mode similar to Smart Mode. It offers fewer customization options, but still allows users to block or allow specific apps.

Both firewalls include key security features such as leak protection, which is valuable for safeguarding sensitive information on public networks. They also provide Port Scan Alerts and ARP Spoofing Alerts to warn users about network vulnerabilities and hacking attempts.

Overall, Avast’s firewall is a strong and reliable tool, offering essential security features with varying levels of customization depending on the app. Its proactive protection makes it effective in preventing unauthorized access, especially on unsecured networks.

VPN

Avast’s VPN, integrated into the Avast One app and available separately, offers solid speeds, a kill switch, and a decent server network across 35+ countries. However, it lacks advanced features like split-tunneling and torrenting support. In our tests, none of the servers supported P2P downloading, which is disappointing compared to VPNs like Private Internet Access, which allow torrenting on all servers.

For streaming, Avast works reliably with Amazon Prime and Paramount+, but its performance with Netflix was inconsistent, and it failed to access Hulu. If streaming Netflix is a priority, NordVPN or Surfshark offer better reliability.

On the positive side, Avast’s VPN provides good speeds, with minimal impact on regular web browsing and only slight delays when streaming HD video. The server network is robust, with multiple locations in the U.S. and automatic connection to the closest server in the free version (with a 5 GB weekly data cap). To switch servers, upgrading is required.

Security-wise, Avast’s VPN uses strong encryption and adheres to a no-logs policy, though the company’s past fines for selling user data raise privacy concerns. An independent audit would help reassure users about its current practices.

Overall, Avast’s VPN is a decent addition to Avast One but lacks some features that would make it more competitive with standalone VPN services.

Alternatively, you could consider Norton VPN or Bitdefender VPN, too.

Other security features

Avast provides a variety of useful security features beyond its core antivirus functionality, enhancing overall protection and privacy. Here’s a breakdown of its key additional tools:

Secure Browser

Avast Secure Browser offers solid online protection, blocking about two-thirds of ads in our tests, and preventing trackers without logging your activity. It integrates with Avast’s VPN (if included in your plan) and blocks access to unencrypted websites. A standout feature is Bank Mode, which opens a virtual desktop for secure transactions like entering passwords or credit card details.

While useful, the browser lacks support for many extensions, and it doesn’t block screenshots during banking sessions or grade search results for safety, features offered by competitors like Norton and Bitdefender. Overall, it’s a decent extra, but not the best secure browser available.

Device Optimization Tools

Avast offers device optimization tools that can enhance system performance, especially in the Avast One app. These include:

• Junk Cleaner: Removes unused files and folders.
• PC Speedup: Puts unnecessary background apps to sleep.
• Driver & Software Updater: Ensures software and drivers are up to date.
• Browser Cleaner: Removes junk files from browsers.
• Duplicate File Finder: Locates and removes duplicate files.

These tools work well, especially the junk cleaner, but the speedup feature showed minimal noticeable improvements during testing. Norton’s Real-Time Boost performed better in speeding up systems for high-demand tasks.

For Mac, the optimization suite is slightly different, including Disk Cleaner, App Uninstaller, and Photo Cleaner. These tools provide good value, but to access most of them on Premium Security, you need to purchase Avast Cleanup separately.

Hack Alerts

Avast’s Hack Alerts notify users if their email addresses have been involved in a data breach. You can monitor up to 5 emails (or 30 on family plans). While useful, this feature is limited compared to competitors like Norton, which offers more comprehensive identity monitoring, including checking for leaks involving physical addresses, social security numbers, and more.

Identity Theft Protection (US Only)

Avast One Platinum offers strong identity theft protection in the US, monitoring your credit cards, bank accounts, social security number, and more for breaches or leaks. Features include:

• Identity theft insurance up to $2 million.
• Credit & transaction monitoring.
• Social media monitoring.
• Lost wallet assistance.
• 24/7 remote support.

While effective, Norton offers broader monitoring and live human agents, providing a more comprehensive solution. Avast’s social media monitoring may feel intrusive as it constantly scans your activity for hacks or policy violations.

Rescue Disk

The Rescue Disk feature allows you to create a bootable antivirus program on a USB or DVD to scan and repair infected computers that can’t boot normally. It’s a powerful tool for recovering from severe malware attacks. Unfortunately, this feature is not available in Avast One but is included in Avast’s Free Antivirus, making it a strong bonus for free users.

Other Notable Features

• Mail Shield: Scans emails for malware but may conflict with certain server setups.
• Tracker Prevention: Protects against advanced tracking techniques.
• Sandbox (Premium Security): Runs apps in a secure, isolated environment to safely test suspicious files.
• Data Shredder: Permanently deletes sensitive files to prevent recovery.
• Webcam Shield: Blocks unauthorized webcam access.
• Password Protection: Prevents unauthorized apps from accessing stored passwords in your browser, though it’s not a full password manager.

Missing Features

Avast lacks a password manager and parental controls, which are common features in many competing antivirus solutions.

Plans and pricing

In the table below are the core products with their features and prices.

The prices shown are from the USA. However, most brands have different prices (and currencies) in other regions. So visit the brand’s website to see the price in your country.

A lot is on going at Avast Software. The company has recently merged with Norton and it is overhauling its product lines. Currently, the old products (Avast Antivirus Free, Avast Premium, and Avast Ultimate) are still on the site, next to the new products of the Avast One group.

We suspect that all security products will soon be consolidated into the One group, including the free version. From that moment, we think that only the privacy products will remain as standalone offers (Avast SecureLine VPN, Secure Browser, Secure Identity, BreachGuard, and Anti-Track). 

Plan description

Avast offers various plans for both home users and businesses. There are six home security plans, while businesses get three options. Avast One is currently only available in certain countries.

Home Plans:

• Avast One Essential: The new free option combines antivirus protection with a VPN limited to 5GB / week, which is pretty generous for a free VPN.
• Avast Free Antivirus: The old free option offers antivirus protection but no VPN.
• Avast One Individual: The new premium option combines all protection and privacy features and protects up to 5 devices.
• Avast One Platinum: The new premium option combines all protection, privacy, and identity features. It protects up to 30 devices.
• Avast Premium Security: The old premium option offers many security features but no VPN. Avast One is slowly replacing it.
• Avast Ultimate: The old premium option offers security features and the VPN. Avast One is slowly replacing it.

Business Plans:

• Essential Business Security: Basic features tailored for businesses, supporting multiple operating systems.
• Premium Business Security: Adds unlimited VPN and USB protection.
• Ultimate Business Security: The most comprehensive, including patch management for software vulnerabilities.

Business plans offer more flexibility regarding device coverage, ranging from 1 to 999 devices.

Test score comparison

We conduct in-house anti-malware tests and review the results from AV-Test, a German lab renowned for its objective evaluations. Below is the average of the last 10 AV-Test results for Windows. Their scoring criteria are:

• Protection (1-6): Effectiveness in blocking malware.
• Performance (1-6): Impact on system speed.
• Usability (1-6): Frequency of errors like false alarms.

We calculate a final score using this formula:

Final Score = 60% Protection + 20% Performance + 20% Usability.

While these results influence our choice of the best antivirus for Windows 11, other factors like privacy and identity protection also play a key role. For a similar analysis for Android or macOS, visit our other comparisons:

• The best antivirus for Android.
• The best antivirus for Mac.

Note: Brands not listed in the table either do not participate in AV-Test trials or are tested too infrequently, such as Surfshark Antivirus.

Source: AV-Test (Last updated: December 2024).

Price comparison

We’ve compared the prices of the top antivirus products for Windows. To make it a fair comparison, we looked at what it would cost us, to protect a  single Windows PC with the most essential features:

• Anti-malware
• Anti-phishing (web protection)
• Firewall
• Password manager
• Unlimited VPN (no data limit)

A few notes:

• Some brands are missing features, lowering their value for money.
• Prices are second-year prices in the USA, without first-year discounts.
• Prices are rounded up for readability (e.g., $99.99 becomes $100).

Brands have different prices outside the USA. See those on their website.

User reviews

We’ve compared the user reviews of all antivirus brands. We’ve used the scores and review count of TrustPilot, a leading user review platform. 

We consider scores above 4.0 very good. Lower scores indicate that the brand might have a poor product or customer service. McAfee’s scores, for instance, are worrying.

Source: TrustPilot. Last Update: December 2024.

Company Profile

Avast is owned by Gen (NASDAQ: GEN).

Avast is part of the Gen Digital family (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader in Cyber Safety with a mission to make the digital world safer and more private for everyone.

Gen is a collection of renowned cybersecurity brands that serve over 500 million users in 150 countries. Its portfolio includes Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, and AVG.

Operating from dual headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, and Prague, Czech Republic, Gen brings together cutting-edge AI technology and data analytics to tackle today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges. 

By consolidating these brands, Gen combines expertise and innovation to address both current and future cybersecurity threats.