Comparison of casper antivirus and avast antivirus. Kaspersky, Nod32, Avast, Dr

Once you type in the name of an antivirus program into a search engine, a lot of forums are displayed where there is a discussion of which antivirus to choose. However, a purely subjective opinion is expressed on these sites, and no one will give an adequate answer to the question of which antivirus is more suitable for your computer. Consider two representatives of this program. So, nod32 or avast? What is the main task of an antivirus? Protect your computer from viruses and do not slow down its work. And both of these programs cope well with these tasks, therefore, in order to make a choice, it is necessary to consider their differences.

Advantages of nod32 antivirus:

well protects the home computer from viruses, suspicious programs, worms, phishing attacks, adware, etc.;
works fast;
consumes few operating system resources;
accurately detects threats;
frequently updated;

Disadvantages of nod32 antivirus:

practically cannot cure the file, after an unsuccessful attempt suggests deleting it;
paid program.

Advantages of Avast antivirus:

qualitatively and quickly detects viruses and checks them;
does not slow down the computer;
guarantees safe work in the Internet;
does not require large energy consumption;
there is a free legal version.

Disadvantages of Avast antivirus:

After detecting viruses, it can neither cure nor remove them.

Comparisons are made - it remains to choose. You can try to install nod32 or avast and work with them in demo mode, but is it worth buying a license just to try it out?

Do not install nod32 or avast at the same time. They will conflict, and this will first lead to a computer freezing, and then to a violation of the functionality of the operating system.
Antiviruses need to be downloaded only from official sites.

In this article, you learned my opinion about two antiviruses, of course, which one to install for yourself is up to you.

AVAST Software products are considered to be one of the most demanded in the IT world. According to the know-it-all Wikipedia, free antiviruses under this brand rank first in popularity among users. At the same time, the developments of the company themselves often compete with each other.

In this article, we will find out who would win the battle Avast Free antivirus vs. Avast internet security, as well as the difference between Avast Free and Pro.

By the way: Find out which free antiviruses are the most effective.

As a result of the comparison, it turned out that the best Avast for use on home computer- this is Avast! Free Antivirus. This version perfectly detects and neutralizes viruses, spyware and rootkits. In addition, the antivirus evaluates the reputation of downloaded files and blocks potentially dangerous downloads. Viewing sites in a virtual sandbox before downloading them to your PC also greatly improves security.

According to the test results, the most reliable protection provides Avast! internet security. But it is advisable to install this program only for commercial purposes, on servers or work computers. If the probability that your machine can become a target of hackers is low, you do not conduct monetary transactions through it and do not store top-secret files, then we recommend downloading and installing free Avast.

Data on three popular versions of AVAST! we presented in the table:

So, we have decided on the arsenal of possibilities. Now let's figure out which of all this functionality you really need.

Protection against viruses and spyware

All three versions are equipped with the famous avast! with integrated anti-spyware technology. By and large, it was the effective defense against viruses and spyware with a rapidly updated database that made the free Avast (“native” name of which is “Avast Home Edition”) is the #1 antivirus in the world - it has been installed by more than 200 million users. The same kernel is in Avast Pro Antivirus and Avast Internet security.

Rootkit blocking

It is worth saying that not every antivirus can boast of a highly effective anti-rootkit protection module. But it is this thing that prevents it from getting on the computer malicious applications through hacked websites and vulnerabilities in Internet browsers. Therefore, the presence of such a “feature” in the free version is a good argument “for” Avast.

File reputation score

An innovative service called FileRep, developed on the basis of the "cloud", scans the downloaded file before reaching the computer. Data about it is sent to the avast! file reputation service, and if it turns out to be suspicious, the download is stopped. Of course, such a check is very important, because an average user downloads up to 10 pictures per day, up to 20 audio recordings and about 3-4 video recordings.

Automatic sandbox

The developers have included latest version avast! Free 7 AutoSandbox Virtualization technology, which allows you to open sites in a virtual environment, not on a computer. Avast Pro antivirus and Avast Internet Security also have it. Autosandbox allows you to view suspicious web pages in the "cloud environment" without missing them on your PC. Undoubtedly, this will come in handy, because many sites are teeming with inbound advertising offers, porn links and spies.

Custom sandbox

What distinguishes Avast Free from Pro and Internet security is that in the latter two, if desired, the user will be able to configure the protection configuration he himself has defined using command line. A customizable sandbox allows you not only not to skip “dumb” files on your computer, but also to run programs in the “cloud”. However, this advanced option is more likely to be of interest to system administrators and testers.

Secure online shopping and financial transactions

The SafeZone feature is useful for businessmen who prefer to conduct complex and expensive financial transactions safely and confidentially. Such actions can be performed in an "isolated virtual window". However, at home, the need for SafeZone is unlikely to arise.

Protection of personal data and information

The script shield, which intercepts suspicious scripts and blocks programs that can be launched from outside, is present only in Avast Internet Security. But this shield is useful only for commercial companies that protect confidential information and data on accounting fraud.

Antispam

Only Internet Security has built-in spam protection. It prevents phishing attacks and annoying pop-ups - but a similar function can be implemented free programs or browser plugins, such as AdBlock plus.

Built-in firewall

The integrated firewall, which blocks unauthorized access to the PC by default, duplicates almost everything windows firewall, installed, as a rule, on every home PC.

For a long time there have been disputes between users, which of the existing antivirus programs is the best to date. But, it's not just a matter of interest, because a fundamental issue is at stake - protecting the system from viruses and intruders. Let's compare free antivirus solutions Avast Free Antivirus and Kaspersky Free among themselves, and we will determine the best one.

Avast Free Antivirus is a product of the Czech company AVAST Software. Kaspersky Free is the first free version of well-known Russian software, recently released by Kaspersky Lab. We decided to compare the free versions of these antivirus programs.

First of all, let's compare what, first of all, catches your eye after launch - this is the interface.

Undoubtedly, appearance Avast is visually more attractive than Kaspersky Free. In addition, the drop-down menu of the Czech app is more convenient than the navigation elements of its Russian competitor.

Kaspersky:

Avast 1:0 Kaspersky

Antivirus protection

Despite the fact that the interface is the first thing we pay attention to when turning on any program, the main criterion by which we evaluate antiviruses is their ability to repel attacks from malicious software and intruders.

And according to this criterion, Avast lags far behind Kaspersky Lab products. If Kaspersky Free, like other products of this Russian manufacturer, is practically impenetrable for viruses, then Avast Free Antivirus may well miss some kind of trojan or other malicious program.

Kaspersky:

Avast 1:1 Kaspersky

Directions of protection

Also, a rather important criterion is the specific areas in which antiviruses protect the system. For Avast and Kaspersky, these services are called screens.

Kaspersky Free has four protection screens: file antivirus, IM antivirus, mail antivirus and web antivirus.

Avast Free Antivirus has one less item: Screen file system, mail screen and web screen. In earlier versions, Avast had an Internet chat screen similar to Kaspersky's IM antivirus, but then the developers abandoned its use. So, according to this criterion, Kaspersky Free wins.

Avast 1:2 Kaspersky

Kaspersky Anti-Virus has long been the most resource-intensive among similar programs. Weak computers they simply could not use it, and even the average people had serious performance problems during database updates or virus scans. Sometimes the system simply “lay down”. A few years ago, Evgeny Kaspersky said that they managed to cope with this problem, and his antivirus was no longer so “gluttonous”. However, some users continue to complain about the heavy load on the system that occurs when using Kaspersky, although not on the same scale as before.

Unlike Kaspersky, Avast has always been positioned by developers as the fastest and lightest of the full-fledged antivirus programs.

If you look at the indications of the task manager while the antiviruses are performing a system scan, you can see that Kaspersky Free creates twice heavy load per processor than Avast Free Antivirus and consumes almost seven times the amount of RAM.

In terms of the load on the system, Avast is a clear winner.

Avast 2:2 Kaspersky

Additional features

Even the free version of Avast antivirus offers a number of additional tools. Among them are the SafeZone browser, the SecureLineVPN anonymizer, a tool for creating a rescue disk, and the Avast Online Security browser add-on. Although, it is worth noting that, according to many users, most of these products are raw.

The free version of Kaspersky offers far fewer additional tools, but they are much better developed. Among these tools, cloud protection and the on-screen keyboard should be highlighted.

So, according to this criterion, you can award a draw.

Avast 3:3 Kaspersky

Although, in the rivalry between Avast Free Antivirus and Kaspersky Free on points, we recorded a draw, but Kaspersky's product has a huge advantage over Avast in terms of the main criterion - the degree of protection from actions malware and intruders. According to this indicator, the Czech antivirus can be knocked out by its Russian competitor.

Many security software developers release free antiviruses. Even ZAO Kaspersky Lab presented a free version - Kaspersky Free. How many basic functions are enough to prevent infection in real conditions - for example, when surfing the web? What has to be paid for free cheese? Let's find out.

Test Methodology

We provided the most identical conditions for all participants in the experiment. Using VirtualBox, a test system was created - a virtual machine with a clean Windows 7 OS in the "Maximum" edition with the first service pack and all updates. Then it was cloned three times and only one antivirus was installed in each of the clones. The analysis of changes and current activity was carried out by portable software (TCPView, Autoruns with the VirusTotal plugin via API, ProcessExplorer, Regshot, AVZ and other utilities from the system administrator's first aid kit).

Threat sources were sites from the Clean MX database that were marked as infected and/or potentially dangerous. Only active sites added in the last 24 hours were selected for the test. We visited them in turn through the IE browser and logged the results of antivirus operation (if any). During the test, the antivirus and firewall on the host system were disabled.

All tests were run at default settings. Any free antivirus only reduces the likelihood of infection, but does not completely eliminate it. To increase security, use more aggressive settings and additional tools- firewall, proactive protection tools, isolation of potentially dangerous code, anti-phishing and others. In paid antiviruses, most of them are already integrated, but if you wish, you can make a similar set of free utilities yourself.

Like any program, managers virtual machines also contains errors. Using various vulnerabilities, malware can go beyond the test system and infect the main operating system. Be careful!

1 kaspersky free

The size of the distribution kit version 16.0.1.445 is 147.8 MB. After installation and updating, Kaspersky Free occupies 232 MB on the disk. It provides basic protection, which includes virus scanner, resident monitor, automatic update, quarantine management tools, and report viewers. Additional functions marked as inactive - this is a kind of advertising full version KIS and KTS.

When first launched on home page antivirus, a full-size window appears with a registration offer. You can click on the inconspicuous gear button in the lower left corner and it will disappear. True, then a reminder of registration will constantly appear again in the form of pop-up messages. Additionally, when you first start in the default browser, the page of the store opens Google Play with a suggestion to install Kaspersky Internet Security, and Kaspersky Protection Toolbar is built into the browser itself. It is impossible to refuse its integration at the installation stage - there are simply no settings in the installer. However, the toolbar can be deactivated using the browser itself.

In our test, Kaspersky Free did not miss a single real threat. Some malicious sites were blocked by the Microsoft SmartScreen filter, while access to others was blocked by the antivirus. Sometimes they worked at the same time.

However, the antivirus is not tough enough to prevent the user from “shooting himself in the foot”. If you select a potentially dangerous executable previously blocked by smartscreen in the list of downloads and force it to run, Kaspersky Free will allow you to do this with Buddhist indifference. It allows the installation of a program with an invalid digital signature, which 17 antiviruses of the VirusTotal online scanner swear at.

Moreover, Kaspersky itself recognizes it on VirusTotal as Downloader.Win32.Bundl.aq , but ignores it during a local check free version. Even though this is not a virus, but a means of delivering a "combat load", this does not make it any easier for the user.

2 Avira Free Antivirus 2016

Avira Free Antivirus also has limited functionality and rather intrusively advertises the transition to paid version. Advertisements for various Avira products are pouring in like a cornucopia even during installation by the web installer. That's probably why it was so damn long. Tired of watching the progress indicator, I managed to finish another article.

After installation, Avira took up 1329 MB including the databases, with only half of this space being in the \Program Files\Avira\ directory. The rest was in \ProgramData\Avira and other places. Avira Free includes a software firewall (which is rare for free antiviruses), but its presence does not explain such high appetites for disk space.

The interface itself is also amazing. The entire installation is displayed in Russian. After clicking on the tray icon, the language turns into Russian-English, and in the main window it becomes just English. It does not matter, but it is strange to see such a superficial localization.

The executable file from Downloader.Win32.Bundl.aq antivirus allowed to download. When forced to run it, a message appeared that the file was being analyzed by Avira. A few seconds later, he was rashly declared safe.

Upon detecting a malicious java script, Avira displayed a warning. By chance, it coincided with the design of the site and looked like part of it - an inexperienced user may not notice.

After clicking Remove, the script was blocked and the redirect to the phishing page did not occur. Avira then immediately ran a quick system scan - I think this is a justified additional measure.

Avira didn't notice the ZIP-packed malware at first either, only detecting it after manually unpacking the archive.

After forced download An executable file blocked by Smart Screen has been determined by Avira to be a PUA (Potentially Unwanted Program).

When trying to access a page containing multiple exploits, Avira immediately displays a warning, but allows the content to be loaded. In this case, no infection occurs.

Just like Kaspersky Free, sometimes Avira antivirus worked together with the SmartScreen filter.

3AVG Antivirus Free Edition

Czech antivirus AVG has undergone significant changes since last fall. Now it is actually a utility for collecting user data with some anti-virus functionality. On disk, AVG Free takes up 192 MB, but this figure increases rapidly as data is cached and sent to the company's servers. By official version, this is done for cloud-based inspection and analysis of suspicious files. That's just what you can suspect in a clean OS, where, in addition to AVG antivirus Free, there are none third party applications and user files?

The installation itself is fast and almost ad-free, but there is a catch in the installer. At the next stage, it proposes to install a 30-day trial version of a paid antivirus instead of the initially selected free one. You must manually select AVG Free and continue with the installation.

Immediately after installing AVG Free, a pop-up window prompts you to install the AVG SafeGuard by Ask toolbar and make Ask the default search engine, and a page with an advertisement for the AVG application for Android opens in the browser.

A potentially dangerous executable that was ignored by Kaspersky Free was blocked by AVG while trying to download it. Fool-proof worked clearly better.

Another malicious AVG executable allowed the download and only then recognized it as a threat.

At the same time, malicious files in ZIP archive were discovered by AVG only after manually extracting the archive.

Web pages often contain malicious Java scripts that try to redirect the user to another page or infect their computer. AVG detects them and displays a blocking request, but after the message “threat successfully removed”, it still redirects to a phishing site, which is already blocked by SmartScreen ... if you're lucky.

Sometimes several threats are found on sites at once. In this case, AVG shows summary information and usually prompts you to select the desired action. Sometimes it disables all items by itself. In this case, no action is required - you can only view the description of the infection found.

One of the web pages considered infected by six antiviruses on VirusTotal was ignored by AVG. He discovered the infection only when it was on the hard drive and was trying to activate.

4 Avast! Free Antivirus (11.1.2245)

When installing Avast! you also need to be careful: by default it is checked Google installation Chrome and Google Toolbar for IE. After installation without additional components, the antivirus takes up 604 MB - a lot, but half as much as Avira Free.

Hidden advertising is full even in the main window of the antivirus. The promised gift turns out to be a formal discount on paid products. The "Tools" tab contains not additional protection modules, but advertising links to their descriptions. It is worth clicking one of them, as the offer to choose the option of additional paid protection will settle in the main Avast window for a long time.

When trying to manually launch a blocked MSS executable by Avast! We don't meet any resistance. A potentially dangerous file (downloader) with an invalid signature is ignored by the antivirus.

Malicious java script and exploits Avast! blocks immediately, while infected web pages are not loaded at all. However, the message about detected threats does not look informative - it is the same for different malware and does not even allow us to judge their number.

Archive with malware Avast! allowed to download, but checked it myself and immediately found the threat - even before I tried to look at the list of downloads.

Another executable file that is detected by VirusTotal as malicious by 34 antiviruses, Avast! ignored. He silently allowed it to be downloaded and forced to run, bypassing the MSS block.

Big Brother footprints

With the filing of Microsoft, which released "", the practice of open surveillance of users is becoming generally accepted among soft makers. It is directly indicated in the user agreement, but who reads it? For example, for Avira, this item looks like this:

“We may collect, store and use data that can identify you, your device (as defined below) and your device’s interactions with other devices (for example, device ID, device IP address, location, content, language preferences, IMEI code devices, device brand and model, battery status, device OS version, device phone number, SIM number, Name network provider, memory status, geo-information based on GPS/Wi-Fi/network location, and any other technical information… Some of this information may be used to identify you, including, without limitation: name, address, telephone number, email address, social security number, information about credit card, facial image, voice pattern, or biometric data (collectively, "Personal Information") and may include data stored on your device. We may also transfer your personal information to other countries where the equipment of our product providers is located..

Other developers have slightly different wording, but general principle remains the same. They collect all the data that is technically possible to obtain. Since the antivirus is deeply integrated into the OS, installs its own drivers and intercepts system calls, it has access to all information - including encrypted information, since the user himself decrypted it at least once.

Against this background, the statement of Evgeny Kaspersky, which he made announcing the release of a free antivirus named after himself, is encouraging:

However, even here it is not without a share of slyness. Kaspersky Free itself collects only general depersonalized statistics, such as the number of threats found by type. However, it is enabled by default. cloud service kaspersky security Network, and KSN is known for its appetite for information gathering. Detailed logs are sent to it, which include a list installed programs along with paths, detailed monitoring of user activity, lists of running processes, application usage statistics and other private data. You can turn it off on the corresponding tab.

conclusions

As you can see from this small experiment, all free antiviruses reacted to the same threats a little differently. Some were blocking the link by displaying a warning early on. Others did not allow the infected file to be downloaded or prevented the launch of a malicious script, while others reacted only to the local launch of the malware or skipped it altogether. The point here is not that a paid antivirus is better than a free one from the same developer - they have the same engine and databases. It's just that the paid versions use additional protection modules, thanks to which threats are recognized and blocked not only by signature analysis.

Kaspersky Free as a whole did not cause significant complaints. It is very similar to a stripped-down KIS, which removed optional components and foolproofing, adding ads and hiding KSN deeper.

Avira distinguished itself by a monstrously long installation and gluttony. She occupied the most space, and the computer with her noticeably slowed down on elementary operations. It practically does not work with archives. In any case, it does not check those downloaded from the Internet before they are manually unpacked.

Avast! ignored a couple of serious threats (one is enough for the user) and is also replete with cunning advertising. It immediately blocks detected malware, but it is impossible to understand what happened without a detailed analysis of the log. Antivirus messages look the same and do not imply a choice on the part of the user - usually they are just notifications about the decision made.

AVG generally looks adequate, but the company's user data policy leaves much to be desired. If not for the ultimatum about collecting information, it could be recommended as a good free antivirus.

WARNING

All tests were performed only in research purposes. The necessary files have been downloaded from public resources. The developers of the tested antiviruses received automatic notifications about the scan results. The editors and the author are not responsible for any possible harm.

Test Methodology

INFO

All tests were run at default settings. Any antivirus only reduces the likelihood of infection, but does not completely eliminate it. To increase security, you should use more aggressive settings and additional tools - a firewall, proactive protection tools, isolation of potentially dangerous code, anti-phishing, and others. In paid antiviruses, most of them are already integrated, but if you wish, you can make a similar set of free utilities yourself.

Like any software, virtual machine managers also contain bugs. Using various vulnerabilities, malware can go beyond the test system and infect the main operating system. Be careful!

Kaspersky Free

The size of the distribution kit version 16.0.1.445 is 147.8 MB. After installation and updating, Kaspersky Free occupies 232 MB on the disk. It provides basic protection, which includes a virus scanner, a resident monitor, automatic updates, quarantine management and reporting tools. Additional features are marked as inactive - this is a kind of advertisement for the full version of KIS and KTS.

At the first start, a full-sized window appears on the main page of the antivirus with a registration offer. You can click on the inconspicuous gear button in the lower left corner and it will disappear. True, then a reminder of registration will constantly appear again in the form of pop-up messages. Additionally, when you first start in the default browser, the page opens google store Play with a suggestion to install Kaspersky Internet Security, and Kaspersky Protection Toolbar is built into the browser itself. It is impossible to refuse its integration at the installation stage - there are simply no settings in the installer. However, the toolbar can be deactivated using the browser itself.

Moreover, Kaspersky itself recognizes it on VirusTotal as Downloader.Win32.Bundl.aq , but ignores it when checking locally with the free version. Even though this is not a virus, but a means of delivering a "combat load", this does not make it any easier for the user.

Avira Free Antivirus 2016

Avira Free Antivirus also has limited functionality and rather annoyingly advertises the transition to a paid version. Advertisements for various Avira products are pouring in like a cornucopia even during installation by the web installer. That's probably why it was so damn long. Tired of watching the progress indicator, I managed to finish another article.

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