Avast Antivirus vs Kaspersky – The gloves come off!

Avast is a huge player in antivirus. They already protect around 425 million consumers worldwide. Kaspersky is also a household name in this space. They operate in 200 countries, with about 400 million users. This article will compare Kaspersky Total Security and Avast Premium Business Security. It isn’t so much a contest, as a side-by-side of two very capable solutions with slightly different strengths.

A bit of history

In 2016, Avast acquired AVG antivirus. Over the last few years, Avast and AVG have combined the backend of their products, their detection methods, behavior blocking and cloud. As a result, they offer the same level of protection with different packages and interfaces.

In August 2021, Norton announced it would acquire Avast antivirus. So far, Avast and Norton products remain separate. However, in the future Avast and Norton’s detection capabilities could be combined to create a much more powerful security suite.

Kaspersky, for their part, helps 250,000 companies with their cybersecurity. It was founded in Russia in 1997. Their portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and services to fight sophisticated digital threats.

Pricing

Avast and Kaspersky have similar price points. Both offer free antivirus protection. Avast offers Avast Free Antivirus and Kaspersky offers its’ Security Cloud. Both are basic, but they serve as a sort of try-before-you-buy for the more advanced programs. Both pricing structures are simple and their top tier plans offer protection for multiple devices. Avast Premium Security protects up to ten devices and Kaspersky Total Security protects up to five. You can increase the number of devices for an additional fee.

Anti-malware

In available data from Independent Real-Time Testing from AV-Test and AV Comparatives websites, both Avast Premium Business Security and Kaspersky Total Security were tested.

In AV-Test’s March 2020 results, Kaspersky received a 100% score for protection from malware attacks, and in April scored 99%. Avast scored 98.2% and 99%, respectively.

In AV-Comparatives Malware Protection Test for March 2020, Kaspersky rated a 99.97% score and Avast a 99.98% score.

AV Comparatives also runs a false alarm test. This checks how accurately potential threats identified or dismissed. The results from March 2020 show that Kaspersky picked up ten false alarms, whereas Avast picked up 15 false alarms.

Footprint

Both Avast and Kaspersky are very similar and had little impact on PC performance.

Features

Avast Premium Business Security has things like Secure passwords, malware blocking, spam and phishing email blocking, Safer shopping, Webcam protection, advanced firewall, Wi-Fi security scan, permanent file shredding, auto updates, and an extra layer of ransomware protection.

Kaspersky Total Security defends against viruses, ransomware & more, blocks phishing, manages passwords, has encrypted browser, Safe Kids, and a very light “footprint” on your operating system.

Points of interest – Avast Premium Security

Automatically update apps – Automatically updates and searches for the latest releases online for all your apps. This is important because out of date software and apps can lead to hackers getting into your machine.

Safer shopping – If you frequently bank or shop online, this great tool stops hackers from hijacking your router’s DNS. It also helps to keep hackers from stealing your passwords.

Sandbox – Opening a file that may seem suspicious is dangerous. But the sandboxing tool lets you open files in a safe environment before you let them run on your PC.

Points of interest – Kaspersky

Safe Kids Parental Controls – If your children frequently use the PC, this is important. It includes a ‘bad content’ blocker, GPS tracker, and more on PC, Mac & mobile.

Safe banking – Kaspersky will launch an encrypted browser when you bank online. Protects online transactions on PC and Mac.

Webcam Protection – Stops webcam hijacks and prevents hackers from capturing images thru your device.

Both have clean, easy-to-use interfaces.

Customer support

Avast’s support features live chat and emails. A technician phone support option is available if you need it. Avast also lets users find solutions via self-service, and there’s a detailed FAQ on its support portal.

Kaspersky technicians are available to call between the hours of 7 am and 1 am, seven days a week. You also get prompt customer support by email or online chat. Extensive videos, FAQs and other useful information are on the website.

Both Avast and Kaspersky are great antivirus software and have some impressive features. The feature sets are a little different, of course, so the decision is up to what you need in particular. Both of these solutions represent very good value for money. They excel at being easy solutions to manage, which could be a huge selling point for organizations that lack the IT savvy needed to handle complex administrative tasks. Corporate Armor would love to answer any questions you ay have, and save you money on your next antivirus solution. So email us, or call 877-449-0458. Thanks for reading!