- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: August 05, 2007
- 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 11722 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 complete ICSA certified. 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 filter 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.
Version 4.7.1029 includes infrastructure changes in the scanning engine for higher detection rates and a variety of bug fixes.
What's new in this version:
Version 4.7.1029 includes infrastructure changes in the scanning engine for higher detection rates and a variety of bug fixes.
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User reviews of Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11722 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 496 user reviewsSee all 496 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
22 out of 31 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
Pros: Beats the heck out of AVG, and I also recommend Avast over Norton and McAfee, even if they were free!
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47 out of 55 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
"Hard to beat for free. 4.25 stars is my rating."
Pros: Overall I would give this product 3.5 stars. That would be in comparison to free and paid AV scanners. But, as a freeware AV scanner, it deserves 4.25 stars. It has several shields. Anyone familiar knows what they are. It has a good scanning engine but I recommend turning it up to deep scan for it to be at it's best. It has an above average detection and removal rate and updates are smooth. I suggest customizing the interface by "Google" searching "Avast Skins" because some make it much easier to understand and look so much better then the default interface. Like I said, it's hard to beat for a free AV scanner. It beats "AVG Free" to hell and back!
Cons: Default interface and yearly registration are the only two slight cons I can find for this software.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
"IM resident protection, discreet scans which will not consume your memory base."
Pros: Compared to AVG, this antivirus have IM shield, browser shield and realtime protection.
Hardly beaten by AVG, which is a memory eater when it comes to computer scanning. It consumes around half of my memory, which causes my apps to run slow during startups.
Avast had a schedule manager which enables us to select which time to scan, or either scan manually on the control panel. What is bad about AVG is that it produces daily scans to your computer, gobbling down precious RAM usage, and make productivity work more tougher. If you are concerned about your safety and health of your PC, choose both antivirus.
Cons: Needs yearly registration and daily updates.
If you needed convenience but large chunks of memory usage during scans and also without the need of email scanner and instant messaging protection, you should AVG.
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
Pros: I wouldn't be surprised if everyone switched to Avast. A rich featured antivirus app, multiple shields included for maximum protection, Real-time scanning, Lots of neat extras you can tweak around, great for almost every level of computer users. So, if you haven't got good protection for your PC, get avast now!
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9 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.1029
Pros: this is the one app i just wont change i have had it nearly 3 years now , i have tried others but i just prefer this out of the free ones and i don"t pay for software..
nothing even the paid for antivirus updates as good as this even with a slow connection like mine..has a very good detection and removal rate.
it protects you in real time with several shields what more can you ask for all free
Cons: it is not 100% perfect it does miss things (not very often) always best to have a back up just to check every now and then unless you want to PAY for a better anti-vrius..
interface that comes with it is very dull but you can download skins to change that..
- See all 496 user reviews Write review
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