- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: August 25, 2008
- Total Downloads: 41,130,562
- Downloads last week: 1,271,740
- See full specifications
A newer version of Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 2911 votes
See all user reviews -
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
For a free antimalware and antivirus app that also runs in your system's background, AntiVir works surprisingly well. Its scans are flexible, allowing the user to fully scan all hard drives, choose a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. Combining the antimalware with the antivirus is a luxury in a free scanner. After testing on several machines no viruses turned up, although several malicious hidden files did rear their heads. The heuristic scan can be turned on or off completely or partially, with three different intensity levels.
The quarantine is extensively thorough, too. The spreadsheet layout displays all relevant information about the quarantined file, and gives you options to scan it again, restore, delete, and more. The scheduler is fully customizable. Definition files are available at Avira's Web site if needed, and the help features are excellent, as well, with a description box relaying mouse-over information on each feature. Version 8.0 has introduced a faster engine and a faster definition file update, both of which are instantly noticeable improvements and yet still a bit slow.
Initial concerns about the real-time Guard protection hamstringing system performance proved groundless. Although we could shut off AntiVir and its Guard, there was no way to remove the icon from the system tray or stop the occasional ad placement by Avira. The Complete Scan is no longer numbingly slow, but it will pauses midscan to let you know when it's found a threat. That's good for killing nasties, but it also means that the scans needs baby-sitting.
Despite these hang-ups and the nag screen that follows updates, we found AntiVir to offer such effective protection with such a well-rounded set of features that as long as the definitions file updates keep coming, this app is our first line of defense.
Watch the CNET video review of Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus:
Publisher's description
From Avira :Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms, etc. Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software. Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring. Install and configuration in just a couple of steps. Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system. Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system. Forum and phone support, Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on Web site. Rootkit Detection and Removal. Version 8 adds an enhanced interface, a modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance, an integrated failsafe security system, SMTP support for AntiVir MailGuard and a new Fast Activation Tool (FACT).
Version 8.1.0.331 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
What's new in this version:
Version 8.1.0.331 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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User reviews of Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
- Average user rating: 3.9 stars out of 2911 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 180 user reviewsSee all 180 user reviews
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
Pros: Anti-virus software is really OK. Have an high detection level and not consumes too much of OS resources.
Cons: Even if the user sets the detection level to medium, it continues to prompt false detections. Every time when attempting to update the program, it shows a nag screen.
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
"It is OK, but it is free and not a resource hog"
Pros: It works, but could provide more info in reports
Cons: Updating is a huge chore and reporting is lacking specifics
Summary: Although I've used AVG for years, last week I got hit with something AVG couldn't handle. I downloaded Avira and though it took 2 days, my machine was finally clean.
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4 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
"Computer crashed from worm shortly after. AVG again!"
Pros: Husband liked it so I tried it...
Cons: It didn't protect me from a worm that I got from something on Facebook that someone sent me.
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11 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
Pros: Easy to use.
Cons: After the scan, the report showed 6 Warnings, but the program never tells you what those Warnings are. I find this completely ineffective.
Summary: I'll just keep using AVG.
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.1.0.331
"Switched from AVG to Avira and so glad!"
Pros: My latest version of AVG was failing to download it's updates and consuming 90+% of CPU usage in the process. I researched and tested others but Avira was the easiest, and most reliable yet. Avira is as solid as AVG 7.5! I'm sold on Avira now.
Cons: It downloads it's updates as AVG does, but has a big Ad screen which pops up only once at the beginning. AVG also has an annoying notifier popping down on the bottom. To expect no visible ad somewhere would really make me wonder! NO REAL CONS !!
Summary: If your system is NOT downloading upgrades from AVG and you find yourself having to manually select it. If your system is experiencing slow downs and you are tired of using AVG because it used to rock. Try this, I'm slowly changing all my computers... read more >>
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