- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: September 25, 2009
- Total Downloads: 63,571,359
- Downloads last week: 775,743
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11807 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on September 23, 2008
This impressive software provides the same steadfast protection of well-known antivirus programs, yet it's surprisingly free.
Avast Home Edition guards your PC and the network with multiple shields that scan executables and files. You can select parameters for scanning, and even choose wildcards to exclude specific file types. You can adjust the sensitivity level for the program's detectors when it comes to scanning downloaded files, instant messages, e-mails, and a host of P2Ps. Its efficient interface opens up window after window to tweak its settings to your liking, for novice to advanced level protection.
Though it took quite some time to run, we're impressed with this application's boot-time antivirus scan. Fortunately, if you're in a pinch you can bypass it. If malicious contents are detected, Avast comes to the rescue with handy virus cleanup tools. Some decent PC controls are even handed out here. You can block certain URLs and file operations, such as writing to files or even renaming, deleting or formatting them.
With immediate real-time protection, clockwork updates, and much more, this free software is highly regarded in our book.
Watch the CNET video review of Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus:
Publisher's description
From Alwil Software :Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus is a complete ICSA & Checkmark certified antivirus, Checkmark certified anti-spyware & anti-rootkit package. Avast includes the following components: On demand scanner with skinnable simple interface, just select what do you want to scan in which way and press the Play button; On access scanner, special providers to protect the most of available e-mail clients; Instant messaging--ICQ, Miranda; Network traffic--intrusion detection, lightweight firewall; P2P protection for Kazaa, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filters all HTTP traffic; NNTP scanner--scans all Usenet Newsgroup traffic and all operations with files on PC; Boot time scanner--scans disks in the same way and in the same time as Windows CHKDSK does.
What's new in this version:
Version 4.8.1356 has solved a memory leak in the GZIP unpacker and solved vulnerabilities in AavmKer4.sys, aswMon2.sys and ashWsFtr.dll.More popular Antivirus Software downloads
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11807 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 438 user reviewsSee all 438 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
Pros: I am using avast pro 4.8 and i dont have to worry about viruses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cons: No Cons!!!
Summary: The best anti virus ever!!
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
Pros: One of the best antivirus i have ever use. Minimum Problem, maximum output. It's so much better than AVG and Avira. It's less anooying
Cons: I have to say, non.
Summary: I don't think there is anything to say much about such a good antivirus.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"Nearly bulletproof. Highly recommended. A+"
Pros: Does its job extremely well using very little system resources. Offers more security options than any other free AV program.
Cons: With all the protection it offers (for free), it's hard to find a complaint.
Summary: Not only does this antivirus program do its job well, it does it better than any other free AV program available right now, while using the least amount of RAM and CPU performance. Avast is so efficient at identifying and stopping threats, it will n... read more >>
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
Pros: Everything works as it should.
Cons: The only "con" might be that you have to do a full computer scan manually, with the free edition. The scan is easy to do, so that's not really a problem.
Summary: I replaced a PAID version of AVG with this program and only wonder why it took me so long to remove AVG from my computer.
Avast does what it says it will do...and does it very well.
I highly recommend this over any AVG or N... read more >> -
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"supera todos los av con los que he trabajado."
Pros: no tengo que preocuparme al navegar ni al bajar musica el trabaja solo.
Cons: no tengo cons, estoy satisfecho.
Summary: soy novato en el manejo de internet y y con este av me siento tranquilo, desde que lo tengo no hetenido problemas de virus.
- See all 438 user reviews Write review
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