Avant Browser

CNET Editors' review

For those who like their customization in-house, the Avant Browser's latest update might appeal to you. Built on an IE-rendering engine, Avant takes off in a different direction--IE if it were being produced by a small firm instead of Microsoft.

The browser is sufficiently fast, preloaded with two dozen similar skins as well as tabbed browsing and modular toolbars that let you move around and hide the Status bar, Toolbar, Search window, and navigation controls. The Menu bar, though, is counterintuitively pinned to the upper-right corner, and icons for proprietary functions, such as an in-page search term highlighting toggle, aren't instantly comprehensible.

Avant can save personalized data online, making bookmarks and form content accessible from any machine. Around the same size as Firefox, Avant includes many features that are available to Firefox users only through plug-ins--such as automatic form fillers. The Full Screen view autohides all menu bars, a nice touch, but certain plug-ins--notably Flash--didn't work on Windows Vista.

Avant is a good browser with some nice built-in features and interface-customization options, but the lack of extensibility and Vista problems don't help. We recommend it to users who want a Microsoft-based engine but think that Internet Explorer 7 is a pain.

Avant Browser:

Publisher's Description

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All User Reviews
  • All versions:

    4.3 stars

    out of 3,242 votes

    • 5 star: 2081
    • 4 star: 661
    • 3 star: 210
    • 2 star: 84
    • 1 star: 206
  • Current version:

    3.5 stars

    out of 2 votes

    • 5 star: 1
    • 4 star: 0
    • 3 star: 0
    • 2 star: 1
    • 1 star: 0
  • My rating:

    0 stars

    Write review

Results 1-2 of 2

  • 2.0 stars

    "never managed with this browser"

    May 12, 2013  |   By hbdmesq

    Version: Avant Browser 2013 build 107

    Pros

    Nice from any one who offers a free browser with all the efforts involved, but with that everything is said.
    Thanks for the efforts!

    Cons

    Never managed with this browser all over the years and every time removed it again after a short while.
    will stay with Chrome and Firefox ,the only reasonable ones in my eyes.

    Summary

    Not recommended but you may discover things I did not.
    who knows

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

  • 5.0 stars

    "Great Broiwser - used and supported for years BUT!"

    May 5, 2013  |   By zone8

    Version: Avant Browser 2013 build 107

    Pros

    Superb for all my browsing - far better than any other at least for me BUT

    Cons

    Latest version has moved bookmarks to right side - hate it ... really hate it, so have reinstalled previous version. Latest also changed all my settings, icon sizes and types and so forth. Really disappointed with these changes. Unless it changes back - will have to opt out of using this. Have used for many years but latest changes - especially losing settings and having to re-do them all, is a real PITA. The Bookmarks sidebar move to RH side is totally unacceptable for me. Not just a nuisance - I really mean unacceptable.

    Summary

    Great browser but latest update is awful. Please change it back immediately, if not sooner.

    Updated on Jun 6, 2013

    Should mention I have made donations from time to time to support this.

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

Results 1-2 of 2

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Avant Browser