- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: May 12, 2008
- Total Downloads: 39,080,218
- Downloads last week: 473,683
- 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 11715 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 & 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 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 4.8.1201 improves compatibility with Windows XP SP3.
What's new in this version:
Version 4.8.1195 improves user experience in multiplayer games as well as providing many fixes and optimizations in the scanning engine.
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User reviews of Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11715 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 263 user reviewsSee all 263 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
16 out of 19 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
Pros: After using AVG 8.0 Free, I decided to move to avast! 4.8 due to AVG's "avgrsx.exe"'s heavy memory usage. avast! also proves to be quite effective with it's rootkit, spyware, and virus scanner bundled all in one. It's processes take up at most 20MB of RAM. What I liked best about this program is the flexible options that enable users to configure the program to their own likings. Also, avast! offers a variety of Resident Shields from IM, P2P, Web, and Network shields. It's scanner will take some time, but it offers three different modes of scanning. The updates are quite fast and skins are available.
Cons: None.
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12 out of 19 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
Pros: I am currently using Avast Home Edition which truly a great anti-virus. It comes with some amazing features:
Internet Mail:
- Scan outbound mail [SMTP]
- Scan inbound mail [POP3]
- Scan inbound mail [IMAP]
- Scan inbound news [NNTP]
- Scan outbound news [NNTP]
- Heuristic sensitivity: medium
Instant Messengers:
- MSN Messenger
- ICQ
- Trillian Messenger
Network Shield:
- Show messages
Outlook:
- Scan inbound and outbound mail
- Scan unread messages on open
- Heuristic sensitivity: medium
P2P Shield:
- Kazaa & KazaaLite
- Direct Connect
- Direct Connect++
Filesystem:
- Scan selected files on write
- Scan selected files on open
Web Shield:
- Scan HTTP traffic
Could you ask for a better Anti-Virus?
Cons: It has no match for Norton anti-virus but still a decent anti-virus.
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1 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
"Not only the detection rate counts!"
Pros: According to AV- Comparatives Avast earned a advanced plus on demand detection of virus and malware in February 2008. That is a fine reward.
But I do not think that this is the main rational argument for considering Avast. Some other anti-virus software scores in this regard even somewhat better.
The main arguments for using Avast, apart of being free, is all its special features. What comparatives and Virus Bulletin does not consider are just those features and they are not either supposed to consider them. They consider mainly only two things and those are the detection rates and that the software does not make so called false positives. Those considerations are extremely important but, please, do not consider them as the whole truth but only a very important part of the whole truth.
Also consider those very important features Avast has such as resident protection, P2P shields, web shield, boot time scan, virus chest (which protects in a vault, against malicious attacks, certain files which are very important for the operating system), network shield (a lightweight firewall) and other features.
In other words, no good having a good detection rate if the software does not also have a good capability of detecting malware and not just in the laboratory, but also in the real practical world.
Alwil is the company which makes Avast and Alwil is indeed a very serious company. It does not nag you with all sorts of ads asking you to buy, buy and buy. This makes a difference and actually tells you something. It tells you that they are serious. They make a software which is considered to protect you in the real world. They have seriously considered all those features when they made Avast.
Apart of all this it is, as mentioned, a free software which also protects you from spyware and rootkits. It has a lot of skins to choose from which makes it in fact really special and attractive. Those properties are also very important.
Cons: None!
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13 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
"New update speeded my computer up"
Pros: Very secure software, now with an anti-spyware and anti-rootkit built in. "To nigc""Avast! Does not need a scheduler for scans, because the real time protection is very fast and prevents viruses entering from the internet at all, inserting a scan scheduler would take more space and make it bad"
I have just updated to this small new update, it has made my computer go as fast as when I never had Anti-Virus, ALWIL, Great job on the new update now i am secure and fast!!!
Avast! Beats AVG, and look @ Bangsonpc.com 's test results for Avast! vs AVG, I tested the results on a virtual pc and i got the same results other than now avast 4.8 blocks all viruses and some spyware
Anyone who uses AVG/Norton is crazy because Avast! 4.8 beats AVG 8 and AVG 7.5 and all Norton products and its completely free(There is not any nagware in Avast Home(Unlike Avira which nags you everytime you startup) Also Avast! 4.8 Home Does not disable any features when you are using it(Unlike AVG which cuts off email protection after 3 days)
Cons: None
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5 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.8.1201.80516
Pros: it work and protect my pc form every threat.
Cons: none really avast rules !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^
- See all 263 user reviews Write review
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