Free Antivirus Comparison Chart

[BRANDONN2008]

I'm making a chart right now comparing the features of Avast! Free, AVG Free, Avira Free, Microsoft Security Essentials, and Panda Cloud Antivirus. Mainly it is to convert friends and family to Avast!, but I may find another use for it.

I've tried to list the features available on the antivirus'. Please help me fill in the ones I couldn't find, and suggest any features included on any of them that I missed.

Lastly, I was going to give the AV Comparative results for each category, but I realized that they test the paid versions. If there is such a test of just free versions, please let me know.

I couldn't attach the chart, so I attaches screenshots of it.

[BRANDONN2008]

Second part of chart

[SafeSurf]

You may want to mention the version of each product since this will make a difference in your report since products are changing so often.

[BRANDONN2008]

That's a good idea. For now it's just whatever the latest is, Avast 5.1, AVG 2011, etc.

[12-es_csaj]

AVG Free 2011 has a behavior blocker, its name is Identity Protection.
Previous free versions didn't have that.

And of course, Avira Free has heuristics.

[bob3160]

Why are there so many boxes with nothing in them (Yes or No)

[Silk0]

Reply to Bob

<snip>
I've tried to list the features available on the antivirus'. Please help me fill in the ones I couldn't find, and suggest any features included on any of them that I missed.
<snip>

[12-es_csaj]

As I know:

AVG, Avira Free: one automatic update/day
Heuristics MSE, Panda Cloud: Yes of course
Avira, MSE anti-rootkit: yes, of course
Scheduled scans: AVG yes, others: I don't know
URL blocker: AVG yes (LinkScanner)

And don't forget: AVG Free has behavior blocker, its name is Identity Protection

[JuninhoSlo]

Hi

I watched a little on that chart windows and I have one question. Does Avast Internet Security (AIS) have Anti Phishing protection? Thank you.


Lep dan.

[Silk0]

Yes.

Is avast! 5.x able to protect me against phishing?

Yes, the combination of the avast! Antispam and the integrated URL blocking feature in avast! Internet Security 5.x provides sufficient anti-phishing protection.

And the chart it's about free AV's.

[YoKenny]

Hi

I watched a little on that chart windows and I have one question. Does Avast Internet Security (AIS) have Anti Phishing protection? Thank you.

See:
Blocks hacker attacks to protect your identity
http://www.avast.com/comparison-chart#tab1
Shopping and banking online
Storing sensitive or financial data
http://www.avast.com/comparison-chart#tab2

[12-es_csaj]

Yes.

Is avast! 5.x able to protect me against phishing?

Yes, the combination of the avast! Antispam and the integrated URL blocking feature in avast! Internet Security 5.x provides sufficient anti-phishing protection.

And the chart it's about free AV's.

URL blocking is available in the free version, too. 

[Silk0]

Yes but don't includes the anti-spam and firewall, since the most part of the phishing comes from e-mail and the goal is to steal personal/banking information.

[BRANDONN2008]

Here is a more updated version. Now it includes red or green highlight to compare faster. Hardest thing to find is if any other AV has boot scanning, P2P scanning, IM scanning, script blocking, anti-spam, and fingerprinting. Not surprisingly Avast! is the most feature-rich of the AVs.

[BRANDONN2008]

Second part