- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/NT
- Date added: March 22, 2005
- Total Downloads: 37,065,053
- Downloads last week: 447,605
- See full specifications
A newer version of Avast Home Edition is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 12750 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
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:
Publisher's description
From Alwil Software :Avast Home Edition is a free, complete ICSA certified antivirus software for home noncommercial use. Avast Home Edition 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 Kazza, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filter all HTTPtraffic; 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. True incremental updates are small and fast.
Version 4.6 adds Web shield, NNTP (newsgroup) scanner, lower memory footprint, and three new languages.
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User reviews of Avast Home Edition 4.6
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 12750 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 1009 user reviewsSee all 1009 user reviews
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104 out of 130 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.6
"Very good protection...for FREE!"
Pros: Avast protects your whole computer, including your E-mail and instant messenger. It has many scan options, the full system scan, files and folders, p2p scan, and a boot time scan. Seems to work as well as a lot of the virus protection on the market that you would have to pay for. I recommend Avast Home Edition and give it 5 stars and two thumbs up!
Cons: Doesn't include a firewall, but there are plenty of free ones available out there.
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74 out of 102 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.6
Pros: The best! I have been using it for months, though mine is Pro. This antivirus is great! They give it to you for free, and it does all the stuff that the big time a/v's do. It's also skinnable, which is not common in a/v's. It is very effective too. I used to have Norton A/V last year, and it didn't detect any virus. Then I was suspicious. I downloaded this and it found one. All my defs are the latest. I was so satisfied with it that I just HAD TO upgrade. This is the best! Get it now! Or get the Pro version!
Cons: It doesn't have the script blocking option unlike in the Pro. But I don't know since the last time I used Home Edition was v4.5 and I'm using Pro v4.6 now.
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32 out of 41 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.6
"Best anti-virus defence out there"
Pros: Has multiple options, Web Shield, Standard Shield, P2P Shield (Protection against nearly all P2P programmes) Outlook/Exchange protection, Network Shield (Mini Firewall which works with standard ones) Internet Mail and Instant messenger protection.
Great update engine
It's free
Cons: Don't particulary like the desktop and system tray icon
Quite a large programme compared to AVG And Anti-vir
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31 out of 40 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.6
"One of the best free antivirus programs around."
Pros: I really like avast! The installation is easy and clean, updates are very easy to install, and has many benefits for a free version. Thank you avast! For keeping your programs free. This program is a must have, if don't want to pay for anti-virus programs.
Cons: Scanning is quite long.
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7 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.6
Pros: The best free antivirus edition out there, this one even better compared with AVG,nod32 and antivir, but it's sensitive to some operating system, depends on ur harddisk. I personally using kaspersky antivirus it's the best but which is not free. Get this, u wont regret because it's really a good antivirus.
Cons: Maybe will conflict with other antivirus.If you wanted to install two av in a pc, do not install this.
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