I found it slightly less attractive, though, with more visible prompts to upgrade to a premium edition of the software. The free edition of AVG has a more limited feature set than its paid-for counterparts, but the essential real-time and file-scanning anti-malware components are present, along with an anti-ransomware tool that blocks unauthorised programs from making changes to selected directories and browser and email scanners.ĪVG’s interface has been gradually growing more similar to Avast’s, but remains distinctive with a horizontal icon layout, rather than vertical tabs.

There’s nothing too obtrusive here, and no potentially unwanted components are force-installed.

You can customise AVG’s components at install time, and you can expect to see adverts for partner software during the AVG Free’s installation process. However, AV-Test’s data shows that it had a greater impact on performance, particularly installation times on low-spec systems. Surprising nobody, AVG’s detection engine performed identically to Avast’s in recent tests by AV-Test, AV Comparatives and SE Labs.īoth detected and protected against 100% of malware in AV-Test and SE Labs’ tests, and 99.9% of malware in tests by AV Comparatives. Has it got enough to stand out from the crowd and hold the title of best free antivirus? Keep reading on to find out. Per-folder ransomware protection Select specific folders to be protected against unauthorised changesīought by rival Avast in 2016, AVG’s anti-malware suites use the same detection engine as its Avast Free Antivirus stablemate, but with a different interface and a slightly different range of integrated tools.Gaming mode Ceases notifications and CPU-intensive activity when a game or application runs at full screen.

Free avg antivirus for windows 10