Anyone pay for Avast ?

stevetiler

stevetiler

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Steve
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Hi all,
Does anyone actually pay for the upgraded version of Avast ? Is it worth it ? I get a lot of notifications from the free Avast saying this and that is vulnerable, just wondered if its worth the extra cost ?
Thanks
 
I have just stopped payng and gone over to the free version. I already have Malwarebytes which I got years ago so don't have to pay any annual fee and I don't do online banking which the Avast advanced version is supposed to cove. It all dep;ends if you need the extras or not.
 
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Nope, just use the free version and Malwarebytes free ... Avast always tells me about the threats to my wallet if I follow their advice. ;)
 
For over twenty years I haven't paid for any security software and so far, fingers crossed, I have only one problem which I think was caused by me clicking on a link when I should not have.

I've used AVG and Avast at various times(I only change from one to the other because I fancied a change). Now I use the Windows antivirus that comes with Win 10, Malwarebytes.

Dave
 
Apart from CS5 Avast is as far as I can remember the only thing I've ever bought.

I got the tempting messages to upgrade and I thought I'd give it a go and probably cancel before I had to pay but to my surprise it did indeed do some good and has cleaned things up and speeded up my pc. My pc is creaking and old so I probably wont pay again next time and I have cancelled the auto payment.

I've no idea if Avast is good value or not and I don't know what else is on the market but it seems to have worked for me.

The only other thing I have is Super anti spyware. I actually haven't had any serious issue on my pc, virous/malware wise, for a long time.
 
I have Avast premium since last year, it covers my PC, tablet and Phone with the premium version including VPN.
I also have Malwarebytes, Zone alarm and spyware blaster.
Perhaps I am paranoid.
 
Win10 and an occasional Malwarebytes scan is all you need.
Plus IBMs Trusteer Rapport if your bank uses it.
Avast add ons get me lots of work repairing PCs. They fail constantly.

If you need the comfort of a paid version Bit Defender is the king, always has been.
 
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I my 30+ years in IT, security software is like backup, people only appreciate its value when it's too late. Only recently I had a client who lost access to ALL his files by opening an email, not having the 2000 euros demanded in bitcoin his business is now under serious threat - if he had invested a whole £25 in Norton Security and performed weekly backups this could have been avoided.
My general advice is to get good (Norton/McAfee) security and backup software - imagine if all your pictures were suddenly encrypted !
 
Compuwight said:
I my 30+ years in IT, security software is like backup, people only appreciate its value when it's too late. Only recently I had a client who lost access to ALL his files by opening an email, not having the 2000 euros demanded in bitcoin his business is now under serious threat - if he had invested a whole £25 in Norton Security and performed weekly backups this could have been avoided.
My general advice is to get good (Norton/McAfee) security and backup software - imagine if all your pictures were suddenly encrypted !
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more Steve, the amount of complacency I see regarding anti virus, backups and IT security in general on a regular basis is worryingly high. Unfortunately, we can only protect people as far as they want to listen.

To the OP, yes I would recommend a paid antivirus program. Even a paid one isn't a surefire way of 100% security but the safety net is made larger, and for what is a fairly small outlay I would judge it to be worth it.
 
gramps said:
Wow, used that years ago, it was like a virus, almost impossible to get rid of ... needed a dedicated programme to remove it!
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Agreed, Norton did used to be horrendous but credit where credit is due it's significantly better than it used to be! :D
 
gramps said:
Wow, used that years ago, it was like a virus, almost impossible to get rid of ... needed a dedicated programme to remove it!
Click to expand...

There are specific removal programs for all AV progs. When they get corrupted they're difficult to clear otherwise as they're designed to defend themselves. They get corrupted a lot. I clear 2 or 3 a week.
 
Cockney said:
There are specific removal programs for all AV progs. When they get corrupted they're difficult to clear otherwise as they're designed to defend themselves. They get corrupted a lot. I clear 2 or 3 a week.
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Norton was a known hog and wouldn't leave even when politely asked and there was no corruption present.
I accept that it might have changed now but back when I used it it was renowned for being a pig!
 
gramps said:
Norton was a known hog and wouldn't leave even when politely asked and there was no corruption present.
I accept that it might have changed now but back when I used it it was renowned for being a pig!
Click to expand...
I've heard it called a lot worse. :ROFLMAO: and quite rightly.
 
There used to be a saying in corporate IT - 'Nobody ever got sacked for buying Big Blue (IBM) or Norton' for good reason
Norton did go through a bad patch, but as has been said, all good security is designed to infiltrate and protect, so by definition will lock down when attacked and be a problem to resolve.
I have experienced far more problems with basic Microsoft and freebies than professional Norton/McAfee/Sophos etc
To the OP I would always go for the paid version with all the bells & whistles, small outlay to avoid major catastrophes.
If I had a £ for every client who said 'but I have never had a virus before' I could afford the camera kit I dream of !
 
Thanks to all who replied ! So I'm more in a quandary now ! Do I upgrade my Avast or dump it and go for Norton? I have two win 10 Pc's in the house linked on local network and both have access to online banking
Sorry for all the questions but I do find making decisions quite difficult these days !
 
Compuwight said:
I my 30+ years in IT, security software is like backup, people only appreciate its value when it's too late. Only recently I had a client who lost access to ALL his files by opening an email, not having the 2000 euros demanded in bitcoin his business is now under serious threat - if he had invested a whole £25 in Norton Security and performed weekly backups this could have been avoided.
My general advice is to get good (Norton/McAfee) security and backup software - imagine if all your pictures were suddenly encrypted !
Click to expand...

I had that happen about 6/7 years ago was hilarious. :ROFLMAO:


Not really an issue as I had every backed up elsewhere.
 
stevetiler said:
Thanks to all who replied ! So I'm more in a quandary now ! Do I upgrade my Avast or dump it and go for Norton? I have two win 10 Pc's in the house linked on local network and both have access to online banking
Sorry for all the questions but I do find making decisions quite difficult these days !
Click to expand...

I have the same as you, two pc's both using online banking and all I use is Windows defender together with the hard firewall in the router.
But my Acronis backup software does have active protection against ransomeware and other nasties
 
I only use my windows 10 PC for editing photos and upload to iCloud
Am I right in assuming that I’m unlikely to get a virus or malware ?
I do use the avast free version
 
Always used free stuff and agree with gramps, Norton was total crap and a resource hog too!
 
Both Norton and Symantec were known as being malware not so long ago, and I wished people were fired for installing it. E-Set or big defender would be my paid choices. I've seen a couple of computers get infected while running AVG and Avast.
 
Cockney said:
Plus IBMs Trusteer Rapport if your bank uses it.
Click to expand...

I downloaded that and it played havoc with some of my software, heard it did the same to others
 
Gremlin said:
I downloaded that and it played havoc with some of my software, heard it did the same to others
Click to expand...

Its not the greatest piece of software but if your bank recommends it you'd be wise to run it.
Its self repair function is very good and will point you at their excellent support if needed.
It can be flakey on some installations though.
 
Right thats put me off!! Brian how do you know if your bank recommends a certain software ?
 
On their website. Usually a link under security tab. Theres a different version for each bank. Also download from Trusteer website.
When installed you get a grey arrow in address line of your browser. It turns green when you're on a Trusteer protected site.
 
So I messaged Barclays and asked if they recommend any anti-virus, they came back with "We used to recommend Kaspersky but it is now banned by the UK Government " !!
 
stevetiler said:
So I messaged Barclays and asked if they recommend any anti-virus, they came back with "We used to recommend Kaspersky but it is now banned by the UK Government " !!
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Didn't know it was 'banned' by the UK Government but is by the US Government ... US claims of Russian FSB involvement, denied by Kaspersky ... another 'West v East' issue. It was/is one of the very best at what it did. :)
 
The US government allege that Kaspersky had worked with Russian Intelligence agencies and has banned any US government departments from using it. I am sure you can still buy Kaspersky in the UK but personally I would not use it because of the Russian connection and never have. In fact, I use the only British Antivirus software BullGuard. The British Government has advised us not to use Kaspersky because of issues uncovered by MI6 in 2017.

Dave
 
If you bank with NatWest or whatever they are called this week you can have premium malwarebytes for free but I suspect it's only for one or two years.
Despite comments above I don't believe you need worry to much provided Windows Defender is set up properly, and you don't open dodgy emails especially with unexpected attachments.
You ought already to have anything important backed up ideally in two or more locations and in the cloud.
Sooner or later all computers will fail, an event not unlike a virus lockout.
When that happens your backup computer will seamlessly carry on while you format or replace #1

I've had computers since 2000 and never paid for antivirus and never had an significant problem except one time a fake 'you're locked out' page popped up it was simple enough to remove.
 
Cockney said:
Its not the greatest piece of software but if your bank recommends it you'd be wise to run it.
Its self repair function is very good and will point you at their excellent support if needed.
It can be flakey on some installations though.
Click to expand...

Sounds like good reasons not too run it, I certainly won't be downloading it again
 
Gremlin said:
Sounds like good reasons not too run it, I certainly won't be downloading it again
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I repair McAfee about 10 times more often than I see Trusteer issues.
 
4wd said:
If you bank with NatWest or whatever they are called this week you can have premium malwarebytes for free but I suspect it's only for one or two years.
Despite comments above I don't believe you need worry to much provided Windows Defender is set up properly, and you don't open dodgy emails especially with unexpected attachments.
You ought already to have anything important backed up ideally in two or more locations and in the cloud.
Sooner or later all computers will fail, an event not unlike a virus lockout.
When that happens your backup computer will seamlessly carry on while you format or replace #1

I've had computers since 2000 and never paid for antivirus and never had an significant problem except one time a fake 'you're locked out' page popped up it was simple enough to remove.
Click to expand...
Also available from Halifax if you bank with them and you do get two years :)
Also they have great tech support as well and answered me straight away.
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I use Avast free in my XP VMs (and yes, I do know that Microsoft stopped supporting XP many years ago!) but in Win 7 (yes ditto LOL) I use the inbuilt Windows Defender and ditto for Win 10.
And, of course, Linux doesn't need any AV because it is designed to be secure.
And I don't reply to obvious scam e-mails or phishing attacks but even if I did get attacked in a VM, I can simply shred it and the virus etc along with it.
 
Windows Defender is now a perfectly reasonable free option as are most of the well known names in the business.
However I have used F-Secure for very many years which is not free....I pay £50 for three PCs for two years.
I don't mind that particular cost as my regular backups are free with Aomei Backerupper!
So many options...that's the problem these days!;)
 
EJB said:
Windows Defender is now a perfectly reasonable free option as are most of the well known names in the business.
However I have used F-Secure for very many years which is not free....I pay £50 for three PCs for two years.
I don't mind that particular cost as my regular backups are free with Aomei Backerupper!
So many options...that's the problem these days!;)
Click to expand...


All i have used for the past good few years is Defender, haven't have a sniff of a virus or any malicious malware. Years ago I used the likes of Avast/McAfee etc and they caused more issues than they ever fixed.
 
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