Avast Internet Secuirty Yes or No?

[Mitch656]

Right now im running the trail version of avast internet secuirty.. before i was running free. There an offer that i got that is $30 for 1 full year of avast internet. I want to buy it, but im not sure that i really need how.

How is it better than free as i dont see much difference


Edit: I saw Vipire Antivirus for the same price, so as well as the above question. Which is better avast internet or Vipre Antivirus

 

[mindinka]

Difference?

You definitely want to spent money on antivirus? Why? There are free alternatives as you know yourself... And as you said you did not spot the difference, spend your $30 on your loved ones... they would be more grateful... It's my thoughts made loud...The choice is yours, of course...

 

[pparks1]

It all depends upon what you do on the internet. I don't do much that's risky...no pirated software, no hacking sites, no peer to peer sites, no newsgroup downloading, etc. For me, spending anything on AV is simply a waste of money. In fact, I often am disappointed that I spent the time running malwarebytes scan since it never finds anything on my boxes.

 

[Arc]

I am using Avast free antivirus from when my Eset expired in last year, and I haven't seen any difference in my security state . The free Avast works as good as anything else I have used earlier for me .

 

[Hopalong X]

The Avast AIS also gives you the firewall.

I have the paid version and like it.
I got it on special last year buy one year and get two years.
$30 for 2 years was a great deal.
I'm not sure I will renew at $30 for a year.

Many run the free Avast with the Windows firewall.

 

[whs]

Take the 30 bucks and treat your better half to a couple of big Macs - plus fries and chocolate shake.

 

[richnrockville]

FWIW: I run Vipre premium (all you can eat variety, unlimited home computers) and also the paid version of Malware bytes. I have never had a problem and feel so much better knowing that even a good popular web site can get hacked and have an injection wierdo on it. Without any AV, your at the mercy of the bad guys.

Rich

 

[mitchell64]

How is it better than free as i dont see much difference

The differences are listed here;

avast! Free Antivirus - Download Software for Virus Protection

but as you have stated there is not a great deal of extra features.

I have not used AIS so i am not really in a position to give advice but for myself i have found i am happy with Avast free version along with Mbam & SAS on demand free scanners

Might pay to check you have not got two firewalls running if you are using A.I.S.

 

[Mitch656]

Well im still not sure...
i tend to use the internet for mainly social netoworking, and research... i do tend to do internet banking online and buy stuff online. I use torrents for stuff i shouldent, and i vist adults sites

 

[JMH]

Free versus Paid Anti Virus...

* You are asking for opinions.
Opinions are not always based on logic.

* Avast versus Vipre? For me neither.

* Paid versus Free. I would always choose paid.

Generally, free apps have less-frequent malware-signature updates than paid products do, which can leave a window of opportunity for brand-new baddies to evade detection. Most of the free apps we tried update their signature databases only once daily.

Can You Trust Free Antivirus Software? | PCWorld

......there are some differences between the paid and free versions of security software of the same company with regards to the protection components offered.
In other words, the engine components available in the products are what you are paying for.

More -

Thus, free apps may have antivirus or anti-spyware capabilities, but a paying customer definitely receives increased protection for the system through a bunch of components (such as email scanner, web shield, behavioral analysis, etc.) not included in the free edition of the product.

Antivirus: Free vs. Paid Detection - Softpedia

 

[DBone]

The biggest difference between free and AIS is that AIS includes a manual sandbox, so you can sandbox your browser. I don't know how good AIS's sandbox is, say compared to Sandboxie, but I bet avast! has a pretty good handle on it. If you visit dangerous sites or have dangerous habits online, then either go with AIS, or Free with Sandboxie. Virtualization should be your first line of defense and your AV should be somewhere after that.

 

[whs]

Here is the deal

 

[Mitch656]

The biggest difference between free and AIS is that AIS includes a manual sandbox, so you can sandbox your browser. I don't know how good AIS's sandbox is, say compared to Sandboxie, but I bet avast! has a pretty good handle on it. If you visit dangerous sites or have dangerous habits online, then either go with AIS, or Free with Sandboxie. Virtualization should be your first line of defense and your AV should be somewhere after that.

Would you call any of this dangerous?
i tend to use the internet for mainly social netoworking, and research... i do tend to do internet banking online and buy stuff online. I use torrents for stuff i shouldent, and i vist adults sites

 

[DBone]

lol Then I think AIS and its sandbox, is perfect for you!

 

[Trucidation]

Take the 30 bucks and treat your better half to a couple of big Macs - plus fries and chocolate shake.

Your heart would like to have a few words with you about that.

 

[marsmimar]

I think some better questions might be:

1. Why are you dissatisfied with your current security setup?
2. Has your computer been infected or compromised in some way?
3. If yes, what were you doing at the time your machine became infected? Visiting some questionable site? Using a P2P or torrent site?
4. If no, what would $30 a year or $50 a year do to improve your security if your computer doesn't have any security issues?

Personally, I think a free product from a reputable company like Avast, AVG, etc, along with a healthy dose of common sense, and following the guidelines in the below Microsoft article, are all a person needs to stay safe on the internet. Think of it this way. If Avast or AVG put out an unreliable free product how would they go about convincing the public that their paid product was any better?

Computer viruses: description, prevention, and recovery

 

[Golden]

+1 Mars. Tip number 4 is spot on.

 

[Arc]

@ DBone, sandbox is present in free avast antivirus, too I use it sometimes .

And, I am agreeing with lee completely . The essence of security is in your activity, and it depends on your common sense a lot . If I download some torrents, I am under risk ... however secured I may be. If I pay for porn online using my credit card, I will not be astonished if my account is compromised . Alternatively, if the antivirus says that thumb.db is a virus, I am not with it .

 

[DBone]

@ DBone, sandbox is present in free avast antivirus, too I use it sometimes .

No, that is an Auto-Sandbox in Free, not a Manual-Sandbox. You can not run your browser in the Auto-Sandbox, only in AIS's Manual-Sandbox. The Auto-Box, is used to confine suspicious software, but only avast! decides which software is suspicious, and then it either asks the user, or automatically runs the software in the sandbox, depending on the settings.

 

[panais]

Free versus Paid Anti Virus...

* You are asking for opinions.
Opinions are not always based on logic.

* Avast versus Vipre? For me neither.

* Paid versus Free. I would always choose paid.

Generally, free apps have less-frequent malware-signature updates than paid products do, which can leave a window of opportunity for brand-new baddies to evade detection. Most of the free apps we tried update their signature databases only once daily.

Can You Trust Free Antivirus Software? | PCWorld

......there are some differences between the paid and free versions of security software of the same company with regards to the protection components offered.
In other words, the engine components available in the products are what you are paying for.

More -

Thus, free apps may have antivirus or anti-spyware capabilities, but a paying customer definitely receives increased protection for the system through a bunch of components (such as email scanner, web shield, behavioral analysis, etc.) not included in the free edition of the product.

Antivirus: Free vs. Paid Detection - Softpedia

I totally agree!