Alwil Avast! Home Edition 4.7 Review

What the reviewers like:
User satisfaction is higher with Avast! Home Edition than any other free program. Unlike the other popular free programs, Avast! can catch some malware other than just viruses. The whole program is very light, so it doesn't require many system resources.

What the reviewers don't like:
Most reviewers say other free programs from AVG and AntiVir catch a higher percentage of malware than Avast! Home Edition.

Alwil Avast! Home Edition 4.7 review highlights

Among available free antivirus software, users seem happiest with Avast! Home Edition compared to Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free or AntiVir PersonalEdition. Professional reviews, however, are mixed, but the overall consensus is that other free programs are better than Avast! Home Edition. Some review cite poor detection rates of viruses.

Avast! Home Edition is a distant third in popularity among free antivirus programs. Computer Shopper is the only source to directly compare free programs with commercial antivirus software. Reviewer Simon Edwards asserts that commercial programs are indeed better. About.com and WebUser.co.uk have good comparisons of free programs that are backed by lab testing. BetaNews is a great source for user reviews. A review for Avast! Home Edition at CNet.com is a little confusing and Consumer Reports has not tested the latest version (though it does rate a previous version from 2006).

Also see full report: Antivirus Software

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Computer Shopper
Labs: Anti-virus software
Simon Edwards
Feb. 2007

U.K. magazine Computer Shopper compares 12 antivirus software programs, including Avast! Home Edition. Although the results of this test differ a bit from those in other reviews, the performance testing seems sound. The reviews do not address compatibility with other security software, no do editors comment much on how antivirus software affects your computer's resources. Avast! Home Edition catches much less malware than its free competitor, AVG Anti-Virus Free.

2. About.com
Review: Free Antivirus Software
Mary Landesman
Aug. 21, 2006

About.com's guide to antivirus software reviews three free antivirus programs: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, Avast! 4 Home Edition, and AVG Free Edition. The university-based AV-Test.org tested each program for accuracy. Avast! fell between the other two programs in ability to detect viruses, but it was the only one of the three to detect any adware or spyware. Although Mary Landesman gives ratings to the free programs, she does not address their performance relative to paid antivirus software.

3. WebUser.co.uk
Avast! Home Edition
Mark Wilson
Oct. 2006

U.K. Internet magazine Web User regularly reviews security software; Mark Wilson compares Avast! Home Edition with five other free antivirus programs. Each program earns overall ratings and sub-category ratings for features, performance, and ease of use. Only a paragraph is devoted to Avast! Home Edition, but the program is rated lower than most free competitors.

4. BetaNews
avast! Home 4.7.1001 Reviews
Contributors to BetaNews

This website invites members to review software they've downloaded. Some contributors compare Avast! Home Edition with other free and commercial antivirus programs. Avast! has the highest average rating of any free program based on hundreds of users' opinions. However, mixed in with overwhelmingly favorable comments are complaints that program scans slowly and can't remove much of the malware it detects.

5. CNet.com
Avast Antivirus 4.7 Home Edition
Robert Vamosi
May 3, 2007

This review compares Avast! Antivirus 4.7 Home Edition with the Professional edition. Testing is informal and discussion is primarily limited to features and the interface. Robert Vamosi says Avast! Home Edition is better than AVG Anti-virus 7.5, but offers no explanation of why.

Also see full report: Antivirus Software