Avira Free Security Suite
If you’re looking for something for nothing, look no further.
Once upon a time, if you wanted a free security solution, you had to cobble it together from various free apps. You don’t need to do that anymore. Avira, Qihoo, Comodo, Outpost and Panda among other offers full suites — completely free. Of course, you can still roll your own if you really want to, but why would you when a single solution is so much easier?
When it comes to free suites, none offers more than Avira. It provides anti-malware, system tune-up, a cloud-based password manager, secure browser, a volume-limited VPN (with 1GB/month), a 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 for something that costs nothing. It will not, however, completely 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, for instance — it uses Windows firewall — and a number of the deeper features you might find in those suites are missing. There’s no ransomware locker and no webcam monitor or application sandbox. The tune-up tools are restricted in the free version, and there are no backup tools or parental controls.
On the other hand, what is there is pretty good. Avira’s anti-malware engine received a perfect score of 18 out of 18 in AV-Test’s benchmarks, being both effective and light on system resources. It cleans a system well, and the extra tools are useful across the board. The VPN is particularly convenient, and the Scout secure browser is excellent for both banking and general usage.
As you might expect, there is some upsell built in to the app. For instance, 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 likewise a little crippled, with the full set of features only available in the paid version of the suite.
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, but for the most part, it’s straightforward and comprehensible for both beginners and advanced users.
Avira Connect is a particular high point. 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.
Nobody should install Avira Free Security Suite thinking that it’s going to be just as good as a $100-peryear commercial suite. It’s most definitely not. But for the price of $0, it offers an awful lot, even including some things that commercial suites don’t, like VPN support. If you’re not going to pay for a suite, this is definitely the next best thing.