- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7
- Date added: June 24, 2010
- Total Downloads: 308,331,400
- Downloads last week: 1,560,275
- Product Ranking: #1 in Antivirus Software
- See full specifications
- CNET Community
- This product is on 160 member lists. Add to my list Add to my Watch List
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 20877 votes
See all user reviews
CNET Editor's Note:
The Download Now link will download a small installer file to your desktop. Remain online and double-click the installer to proceed with the actual download.
To learn more about AVG products and to ask questions and receive answers from AVG company representatives, please visit CNET's dedicated AVG Forum.
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on October 15, 2009
AVG Free provides the bare necessities when it comes to security, but that should be enough for savvy Windows users. You'll get a combined antivirus and antimalware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. AVG Free 9 introduces a few new features, with improvements focused on performance, including claims of faster scan and boot times. One new feature is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions," accessible only from the AVG toolbar in Firefox and Internet Explorer.
The interface is nearly unchanged from the last version, and generally it's easy to use. From the main window, though, you must double-click to get further information on any feature, whether virus scanning, LinkScanner settings, or updating. Streamlining this to one click would be helpful. A scheduling utility automates both scans and updates, while the upgrade ad at the screen's bottom can be easily hidden using the Hide Notification button. When starting a scan, a slider makes it easy to jump between Slow, Automatic, and Fast scans: the faster the scan, the less comprehensive it is, so users should take advantage of the scan optimization that is recommended during installation to speed up that first scan. A progress meter for regular scans would've been useful, though. Should a virus create serious problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode.
The LinkScanner feature protects you from third-party code exploits before they load in your browser and for ranking search results. Annoyingly, when you install its optional toolbar, it commandeers your new-tab page, decidedly inappropriate behavior. The program doesn't obviously tax your system when scanning or when running in the background, although CNET Labs determined that it will significantly slow down your system's boot time, and slightly delay shutting down. AVG also detected some image files as threats, when two other scans decided they weren't--we decided these were false positives. AVG might not be the fastest or the most effective free security option, but it still gets the job done and you're better off with it.
Watch the CNET video review of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition:
Publisher's description
From AVG Technologies USA:AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is an anti-virus protection tool available free of charge to home users. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability.
The new 9.0 edition is faster, safer and easier to use. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition gives you free rock solid protection for your basic security needs. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions and doesn't get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack. Additionally, version 9.0 comes with basic anti-rootkit protection to ensure protection against sophisticated hidden threats.
What's new in this version:
Version 9.0 runs and installs faster, delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques and introduces the AVG LinkScanner to proactively screen the Web pages you haven't even visited yet. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.More popular Antivirus Software downloads
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User reviews
- All versions: 4.1 starsout of 20877 votes
- 5 stars
- 4 stars
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 stars
- Current version: 3.5 starsout of 306 votes
- 5 stars
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- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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1 stars
26 out of 30 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Poor detection"
Pros: no pros,cheat from avg as it uses different definition for paid and free
Cons: 1)avg paid and free version uses different definitions files which is unjust and cheat from AVG 2)even Avg paid has poor detection
Summary: G data is best but G data is not free but AVira is and has better detection than Avast
but Avast updates much better than avira\Go for Avast or Avira
Avast is ok but detection of Avira is better
also avira real time is excellent -
1 stars
18 out of 21 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Trash..........."
Pros: Free. Easy to use. Nothing Else.
Cons: Bad scanner, false detecting. Take a looooong time to boot your computer.
Summary: Better not use it. There are many good free antivirus program like Avast, etc. Even Avira is better than AVG.
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2 stars
17 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"I have used this in the past but have switched to Avast"
Pros: It was free, but not everything free is good!
Cons: I had a lot of problems with this particular product. It took longer to load, didn't detect enough problems and was majorly a pain in the neck. So glad that I didn't pay for it.
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1 stars
17 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Dont download this"
Pros: This is a free version
Cons: Free version has so many popup ads and ties up your computer,,,,,,,,,past it for something more user friendly.
Summary: Piece of junk.
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1 stars
15 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"horrible antivirus"
Pros: none for me
Cons: NO ANTI-ROOTKIT
Detection rate is low
High memory usageSummary: No point of using this. This antivirus is outdated and useless. Use something else like avast, avira or Microsoft security essentials
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2 stars
14 out of 17 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"big and bloated, old version better, lack of control"
Pros: free, decent virus protection, regular updates, convenient scan automization
Cons: can't shutdown protection temporarily, can't disable individual components, seems slower than other versions, some of my programs aren't working
Summary: I'm really disappointed in this version. Ever since installing my system "hangs" for a few seconds every minute or so. Also some of my programs aren't working. I'm not 100% sure if its AVG or not, but v8.5 doesn't have the option to temporarily shutdown the program and end protection like previous versions, so I have no easy way of troubleshooting this (I guess I can restart in safe mode to test it).
Some people might like that it has anti-spyware, website checking, and a bunch of other features, but I'm really just looking for an anti-virus, or maybe anti-virus+ anti-malware program. I liked version 7 because I could disable the components I didn't want to use, but v8.5 has apparently taken away that feature. Even "end process" on the task manager can't kill it. I'm going to try one of the other av programs like avast. My CPU isn't that new so I try not to have too much bloat running on it. It is definitely a little slower surfing the web and in general than before. AVG8.5 affects my computer too much like a virus really.
I know v9 is available, but from hat I read its not much better, just more bloat... -
1 stars
16 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"welcome to the world of SPAM"
Pros: Nothing. It identified the relatively harmless tracking cookies, but wouldn't even clean those up without a purchased license.
Cons: The day I downloaded this product I began getting a whole slew of new SPAM at the email address I provided. Do they really think I'll upgrade a security product that buries me in SPAM and shares my address around?
Summary: Not much more to say. I have a higher rate of incoming junk mail and uninstalled the product the day after I loaded it. If it isn't going to clean anything up, why use it?
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1 stars
17 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Everybody is worthy a better protection than AVG!"
Pros: In AVG, honestly not a thing.
Cons: Too poor detection rates, too much false positives, not strong protection in any protection module. The most blowzy, low quality Antivirus.
Summary: People be smart and don't install AVG. You can get a much more better protection for the same price, FREE. Take a look on e.g Microsoft Security Essentials or even better Avira AntiVir. Top rated AV for free. Despite on features and protecting modules. What's the purpose of having Anti-Virus software with bad detection??? I think that detection is most important thing in Anti-Viruses. AVG is Antivirus with lowest detection rates and this is proven by many sites for testing Anti-Virus software. AVG is like being made from children in a kindergarten. People with at least some experience in computers will know what i mean.
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1 stars
12 out of 15 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Total Garbage"
Pros: Easy install...thats about it.
Cons: False positives up the...you know.
Summary: Really AVG??? My Catalyst video drivers, Acronis backup system software and LightScribe drive controls are all viruses?? Not to mention a bunch of other legitimate programs are ALL viruses? Give me a break...uninstalling now.
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1 stars
12 out of 15 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.839
"Did not do what AVG said it would, not good AV software"
Pros: May have good detection rates
Cons: slows down your system
slows down Internet
some viruses slipped past itSummary: I installed it on my Acer Aspire One, Windows XP, and after I installed it, it slow my whole system down. The Internet wasn't working at all. I thought this was going to be a good software, because it was so popular, but is wasn't. Its was nothing of what I excepted. I think it is just 9.0, because the others versions where a lot better.
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