AVG Web Safety overview: Dependable, budget-friendly antivirus

AVG is finest identified for its wonderful free antivirus software program—so why pay a premium for the AVG Web Safety suite? In a phrase: comfort.

With safety software program, the extra you pay, the extra complete your safety turns into. That may be useful in case you discover maintaining with on-line threats too overwhelming or time consuming. There’s one thing to be stated for a program that may deal with the foremost parts for you. And that’s what AVG Web Safety, the corporate’s entry-level model of its paid antivirus software program, gives.

By transferring as much as a paid subscription, you get further options that preserve you safer throughout your off days. No antivirus program is bulletproof, after all, however this one hits the foremost factors whereas not overloading you with extras you gained’t use. Whether or not it’s best for you is determined by how a lot you prioritize simplicity.

Be aware: This overview is a part of our finest antivirus roundup. Go there for particulars about competing merchandise and the way we examined them. Our March 2025 replace displays our re-evaluation of the software program, based mostly on the refreshes made by the corporate previously 12 months.

How a lot does AVG Web Safety price?

First, the fundamentals—let’s discuss price. If bought instantly from AVG, leaping from the free plan to the corporate’s Web Safety bundle is cheaper for the primary 12 months, after which reverts to the complete value thereafter.

Single-device plan (1 PC)

• $47 for the primary 12 months
• $78 per 12 months thereafter

10-device plan (a number of units)

• $60 for the primary 12 months
• $100 per 12 months thereafter

AVG doesn’t supply household plans, however if you are going to buy a multi-device plan (which helps PC, Mac, Android, and iOS), you possibly can share the machine quota with relations. Even in case you’re flying solo, the additional money for multi-device protection will be value it—nowadays it’s widespread to personal no less than a pc and cellphone, and infrequently a pill as nicely.

In comparison with the competitors, AVG prioritizes extra units slightly than additional options. Take for instance Norton—its closest equal plan contains VPN entry, however you possibly can solely use it throughout 5 units. Additionally shocking: Avast, which really owns AVG, fees extra for the same plan and fewer lined units.

For extra financial savings, you should purchase a license for AVG Web Safety by way of retailers like Newegg, which supply multi-year plans in addition to ones with fewer units—so you will get a subscription appropriately sized on your scenario, in case you choose.

What does AVG Web Safety embody?

AVG Web Safety provides 5 extra options to the free plan’s antivirus, firewall, net and e-mail risk, and community safety. You get safeguards for the passwords saved to your browsers; webcam takeovers; unknown entry to recordsdata with delicate information; malicious redirects for web sites you’re making an attempt to go to (aka DNS hijacking); and assaults performed by way of Home windows’ distant desktop protocol.

This explicit plan doesn’t embody entry to a VPN. (You’ll want an Final subscription, or subscribe to AVG Safe VPN individually.) AVG additionally doesn’t have its personal password supervisor or parental controls, so you possibly can’t get these by altering your subscription.

Key options of AVG Web Safety

Set up and consumer interface

To put in AVG Web Safety, both obtain the free model after which improve, or first purchase the paid subscription and set up afterward.

AVG’s dashboard is clear and logical, although doubtlessly gloomy to those that choose light-themed apps. The almost black background is punctuated with vibrant inexperienced textual content to cue you in to vital info. Each your PC’s standing and key options are clearly highlighted within the dashboard.

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Beginning a scan from the dashboard is simple—for a fast scan, you press the Run Good Scan button towards the underside of the display screen, which can initially examine your working system, hunt for malware, search for superior points, and test for efficiency points. Subsequent sensible scans will concentrate on simply the primary three.

You possibly can select a special sort of scan by clicking the textual content that claims Run different scans. Your choices are deep scan, file or folder scan, boot-time scan, USB/DVD scan, and a efficiency scan. Utilizing the efficiency scan requires a separate subscription to AVG TuneUp, or an additional improve to an AVG Final plan.

Above the scan choices are the dashboard tiles. You’ll discover 4 tiles associated to the software program’s options—Pc, Internet & Electronic mail, Hacker Assaults, and Private Knowledge. Click on on any of those buttons, and also you’ll see explanations for every software program part. It’s also possible to broadly customise your settings, both by toggling off a function or fidgeting with the defaults. For the very best safety, most individuals ought to depart every little thing on after which additional add gadgets for defense the place relevant.

Additionally making a return is a fifth Retailer tile, which helps you to purchase the upgrades that AVG will push you towards, like when providing efficiency scan outcomes. You possibly can’t cover this tile within the settings, which is unlucky.

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Nonetheless, in case you run into conflicts or annoyances that require a bit fine-tuning, AVG does present extra granular management. To entry, you’ll click on on the Menu hamburger icon on the high proper, then select Settings. This drop-down menu provides entry to options like the info shredder, subscription data, browser extensions, and assist as nicely.

These detailed settings are a boon for software program nerds, by the way—significantly these of us who function tech assist for family members. You possibly can tweak a good variety of issues, together with privateness settings (you possibly can decide out from information sharing proper from the app—and I like to recommend you do, particularly the third-party sharing). You possibly can even create a password to maintain others from altering settings.

The one actual problem with AVG’s app is the continued upsells for its different merchandise. Paying for AVG reduces the stream, however doesn’t cease all of it collectively.

Virus, malware, and risk safety

Actual-time safety

AVG Web Safety protects your PC towards real-time threats in a number of methods. In your PC, the software program scans recordsdata you add or open, checks apps for uncommon habits, and controls entry to pick folders typically focused by ransomware. Ransomware safety is customizable, so you possibly can add extra folders to the default checklist. Electronic mail downloaded to your PC is screened for harmful attachments and malicious hyperlinks, too.

Whenever you’re on the internet, AVG Web Safety scans the info transmitted to your pc for malware and for any sneaky DNS redirections to pretend web sites. It additionally screens visitors going to and from apps, and locks down the passwords saved to your browsers. You get safety from distant entry assaults, too—AVG blocks distant connection makes an attempt from unknown sources, and it restricts entry to your webcam and microphone.

As a small safety towards being caught unawares from information breaches, AVG Web Safety retains tabs in your e-mail tackle. If it’s noticed in a leak, you’ll get a notification within the app. To watch extra e-mail addresses than simply the one tied to your account, you’ll should…(as you may need already guessed)…improve to AVG’s BreachGuard service.

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Scheduled and handbook scans

For 2025, AVG’s defaults have modified. No scans are scheduled by default—you’ll should create your individual automated intervals of a fast scan or deep scan. (My suggestion: No less than as soon as a month, if not weekly.) You possibly can regulate the timing and depth of scan, and create a number of scheduled ones. You have got three varieties to select from: Deep Scan, File or Folder Scan, and Fast Scan.

Every sort of scan is customizable in settings—for instance, Deep Scan usually scans for recordsdata which can be weak to malware, and just for widespread set up apps. However you may make it dig additional and have it scan all recordsdata, in case you like. It’s also possible to change how this system handles contaminated recordsdata.

Further options

AVG Safe Browser

At set up, AVG asks in case you’d like to put in its safe browser alongside the app. Opting in provides entry to what’s mainly a model of Chrome, however extra optimized for privateness and safety. AVG touts automated advert blocking, antivirus and VPN integration (Home windows solely), safety towards malware and shady web site, stronger privateness, and blocking of monitoring cookies as high options.

Be aware: For VPN entry, it’s essential to have an AVG plan that features it…which AVG Web Safety doesn’t.

I wasn’t impressed with the out-of-the-box expertise with this so-called secured browser. The one factor it has going for it’s a pared down model of a browser add-on retailer—which makes it tougher to by chance obtain malicious extensions.

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However in any other case, the browser doesn’t absolutely stay as much as its advertising. Instance: For ad-blocking, it’s important to manually activate the pre-installed Privateness Guard extension. The screening additionally didn’t catch all of the adverts on the websites I visited—and the browser loaded websites slowly. (It did nevertheless appear to dam YouTube adverts.) Additionally, you’re routinely opted in to share your utilization with AVG, and the corporate pre-installs its personal coupon extension.

My suggestion: If you need a browser that higher lives as much as AVG’s guarantees, skip on over to Courageous as a greater various. (Whereas it does routinely observe some browser utilization, it higher explains the character of the info collected—and I’m extra onboard with their method total.) Courageous has additional quality-of-life options tucked in, too. You’ll have to nonetheless watch out when downloading browser extensions, because it’s the complete retailer accessible, although.

(Questioning what occurred to AVG’s On-line Safety brower extension? It’s nonetheless round, and it’s really free to anybody. But it surely appeared damaged for me on Edge—I didn’t see any of the visible badges that permit me know what search engine leads to Google and Bing have been protected to click on on. In Chrome, the visible badges now not present up for Bing. I don’t suggest its use.)

Knowledge shredder

Previously often known as File Shredder, this function helps you to securely delete recordsdata, folders, or complete drives by overwriting them with different information. On the face of it, this appears like an excellent function—and it may be, if you wish to clear information from a tough disk drive (HDD). 

Nonetheless, most fashionable computer systems have stable state drives (SSD), which save information another way than mechanical drives. At finest, you gained’t really securely overwrite the info utilizing this technique, and at worst, you possibly can shorten the lifetime of your SSD. (You’ll wish to use this technique as a substitute.)

Buyer assist

Except for AVG’s assist pages and boards, you possibly can contact technical assist by way of a web based chat or by way of a cellphone name. The assist pages are finest for fast overviews and/or walkthroughs of varied options, whereas the boards might help with troubleshooting—supplied you’re prepared to dig by way of a number of threads.

Updates and upkeep 

Updates for each virus definitions and the app itself run routinely within the background, although you possibly can change these to solely remind you when an replace is on the market or go full handbook (which I don’t advise). If you wish to manually set off the replace your self, there’s additionally a button to test for updates. You could find this by heading to Settings > Common > Replace.

Efficiency

AVG typically will get extraordinarily excessive marks for antivirus and malware safety from main organizations that consider safety software program. In AV-Check’s zero-day assault and malware assessments for January and February 2025 (probably the most present outcomes launched), AVG Web Safety detected one hundred pc of the threats. When confronted with 401 zero-day assault samples (together with net and e-mail threats) and 15,629 samples of not too long ago widespread and prevalent malware, AVG blocked all of them.

AV-Comparatives

Equally, in AV-Comparatives’ real-world safety check for July by way of October 2024, AVG’s antivirus engine caught 99.6 p.c of the 471 check circumstances, with 16 false positives. Which means in case your PC encounters malicious net addresses, exploits (like drive-by downloads), or URLs that hyperlink on to malware whereas on the internet, AVG ought to do a superb job of noticing and protecting you from hurt. AVG additionally hit excessive marks in AV-Comparatives’ September 2024 malware safety check, scoring a 94.3 p.c offline detection charge, 95.8 p.c on-line detection charge, and 99.92 p.c on-line safety charge, with 4 false positives.

AVG falters a bit when coping with extra refined, focused threats, like malicious scripts and fileless assaults. It caught 12 of the 15 check circumstances in AV-Comparatives’ October 2024 Superior Risk Safety Check. Nonetheless, AVG did detect samples missed by increased performing rivals.

AV-Comparatives

Throughout my {hardware} efficiency assessments on a modest Acer Aspire 3 laptop computer with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor, a 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and Home windows 11 Residence, AVG had a minimal to low impact on system assets when left idle within the background, with the real-time scanner lively.

I noticed just about no change in benchmark outcomes throughout most common duties carried out on a PC, as simulated by PCMark 10—e.g., video chatting, net looking, gaming, picture and doc enhancing in free apps like GIMP and LibreOffice. Surprisingly, that held true for our Handbreak encoding check, too, which will be fairly punishing. The one notable impact popped up when operating Microsoft Workplace apps (as simulated by UL Procyon), with a few 6.5 p.c lower.

Working a deep scan brought on extra of successful, with a few 6 p.c dip in PCMark 10. Handbrake encodes took about 4 p.c extra time. Procyon was once more probably the most affected, with an virtually 20 p.c drop. The takeaway right here? For those who’re on a less expensive PC and slinging bigger information units in Excel, you’re finest served scheduling your system scans for off-hours.

As for options, Delicate Knowledge Defend (which helps you to scan your system for recordsdata containing high-risk items of private info) was a bit hit and miss. For instance, one bill was flagged, however not one other comparable doc that lacked the phrase “bill.”

Different protections aren’t really accessible with the Web Safety plan—although the interface is designed to make you suppose it’s till the final second. E.g.: Working a Efficiency Scan will show motion gadgets. However in case you click on on the button to resolve all of them, you get a display screen asking you to pay for AVG TuneUp, as proven above.

The truth that this upselling is baked right into a paid subscription is off-putting—it makes the app really feel incomplete, although you’ve received a subscription already.

Must you get AVG Web Safety?

AVG Web Safety is a improbable possibility for folks searching for to be extra hands-off with on-line safety with out paying a ton for the comfort. In reality, it’s stable sufficient to nonetheless earn a suggestion regardless of how robust the free model is by itself. (And regardless of the continued upsells, that are annoying to see in a paid product.) It provides nice efficiency and an easy-to-understand interface together with a number of useful safety features.

Editor’s word: As a result of on-line providers are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this overview is topic to alter with a view to precisely mirror the present state of the service.