Short for “Anti-Virus Guard,” AVG is one of the oldest names in the antivirus industry, first launching in 1992 before making its way to the U.S. in 1998. It’s most famous for its free antivirus software, which is used to help protect computers from malware.
AVG Internet Security is a paid-for expansion of its free antivirus program, offering expanded protections when browsing the internet, such as Web Guard, which checks downloadable files for hidden malware before you download them. It can protect up to 10 devices with the right subscription plan. AVG routinely ranks highly in Forbes Advisor’s Best Antivirus rankings.
Pros
AVG Internet Security boasts excellent scores in independent malware protection testing from websites such as AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. In fact, it, along with Avast, earned top marks in AV-Comparatives’ March 2023 testing, with an online protection rate of 99.97%.
On top of its malware protection capabilities, AVG Internet Security offers good customization options for users looking to better tailor their antivirus to their specific needs, with six different types of scans ranging from the usual file system scan to more advanced options such as removable device scanning and a performance scan that can help find junk files and other things impacting your device’s performance.
Finally, while AVG Internet Security is a consumer antivirus, AVG offers a solid lineup of business-focused cybersecurity solutions for interested clients, including SharePoint protection that can analyze anything downloaded or uploaded from users’ servers and a cloud management console that lets companies manage device health for multiple devices in their organization at once.
Cons
AVG Internet Security is not without its flaws, however. Its initial price is already high compared to most competitors we have reviewed, but if you want a more feature-complete package, add-ons such as BreachGuard for identity protection and the performance-enhancing PC Cleanup Tool just pile onto this already-steep cost. BreachGuard by itself costs nearly as much as AVG Internet Security’s base price.
On top of that, the antivirus scans have a noticeable impact on system performance, even more than other antiviruses. During our own test, PC performance slowed to a crawl. AV-TEST’s own analyses of the software’s system impact support this. In its tests, AVG Internet Security was shown to slow PC performance by up to 34% when opening a popular website on a standard PC and 31% on a high-end PC. This is nearly double the industry average of 18%.
Finally, AVG, via its parent company Avast, has been caught collecting and monetizing user browsing data in the past. For more information, see Should You Trust AVG?
