Avira Free Security Suite
An awful lot of tools for nothing.
It used to be the case that, if you wanted a free suite, you had to DIY it together from various free apps. Not anymore.
Of the suites available, Avira is currently our top pick. In a free package, it provides anti-malware, system tune-up, cloud-based password manager, secure browsing, volume-limited VPN (with 1GB/month), web and search filter, and a software update checker. You can manage multiple devices from a single desktop as well. It’s a pretty comprehensive package.
It will not, however, rival a commercial suite. It’s good, but it’s not up to par with the likes of Symantec, BitDefender and Kaspersky. It has no firewall — it uses Windows firewall — and a number of the deeper features you might find in those suites are missing. There’s no ransomware locker, nor webcam monitor or application sandbox. The tune-up tools are restricted in the free version, and there are no backup tools or parental controls.
What is there, though, is pretty good. Avira’s antimalware engine received a perfect overall score in AV-Test’s benchmarks, being both effective and light on system resources. It cleans a system well, and the extra tools are useful. The VPN is particularly convenient, and the Scout secure browser is excellent.
There is some annoying upsell, though. You’re reminded that the VPN is limited to only 1GB per month, while the paid version offers unlimited access. The software update checker and system optimisation tools are also a little crippled, with the full set of features only available in the paid version.
The suite isn’t difficult to use, though it is a little scattershot and not terribly well integrated. It’s chattier than something like Symantec or BitDefender in autopilot mode, but straightforward and comprehensible for both beginners and advanced users. Avira Connect lets you manage multiple devices from a single PC. It’s more than just monitoring alerts: you can see the status of components, as well as trigger remote scans.
While not as good as a $100-per-year commercial suite, for free, it offers an awful lot — including some things that commercial suites don’t. If you’re not going to pay for a suite, this is definitely the next best thing.
“In a free package, it provides anti-malware, system tune-up, cloud-based password manager, secure browser, volume-limited VPN, web and search filter, and a software update checker.”