Avast offers a user-friendly interface that allows all of its key features available through a single menu. This is a big help for those who have limited time or energy for learning about software, and the short explanations of each feature ensure that you don’t ever have to guess what the function of a feature is. The search function helps you find the settings you’re looking for.
In addition to the basic antivirus functions, you are able to configure other settings that influence your security and performance. You can turn off ad blocking and webcam scanning. You can also look for bloatware slowing down your device and also block Avast running background updates. Avast Cleanup can be used to eliminate unused programs and optimize your computer’s performance.
Avast’s ransomware protection is available in two options, smart and strict. The first mode checks an entire list of apps to determine the apps that are trusted to access your files, and then you decide if these changes should be allowed. The second works like a firewall, only allowing modifications that have been approved. In either case you’ll be informed and asked for permission before any modifications are made to your secured files.
Upgrading to an Avast premium plan will unlock a host of additional security and performance-enhancing tools, including anti-phishing protections, an advanced firewall, webcam protection, and a VPN. However, a few of these features are not as good to those offered by other security products with similar price points.
