Avira Antivirus Review 2025: Is It Worth the Cost?

If you're new to antivirus, Avira is a great option for user-friendly and comprehensive protection. It averages near-perfect test scores with third-party testers, and completed scans quickly with minimal impact on our performance. Everything on Avira interface is clearly labeled and provides descriptions, so using it never felt daunting.

Avira can quickly become expensive if you need to cover more than one device. Considering it lacks features like the firewall for Macs, you'll need to review the devices you need covered to see if it's worth the price. 

Keep reading to learn more about Avira's pricing, features, and our test results so you can determine if it's the best antivirus for you.

Overview

Price	$26.99–$59.99/first yr
Free plan	Yes
# of devices protected	1 – 25
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	Yes (Windows only)
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Extras	Password manager, VPN, ad and tracker blocker, identity monitoring, file shredder, Avira Safe Shopping
24/7 customer support	Yes (paid plans only)
Details	Get Avira

We last tested Avira on April 11, 2025.

Our experience

Our Avira antivirus experience was positive thanks to its fast scans and user-friendly dashboard. We tested Avira from our PC laptop running Windows 11.

After downloading the app, Avira immediately prompted us to run a smart scan with a quick description of what it covers. It took about 45 seconds, and the results covered three categories: Security, Privacy, and Performance. 

The system scan results were easy to read, checking off anything marked safe and using a red minus sign to point out any potential cyberthreats. For the privacy and performance results, it just flagged several issues that could decrease our device privacy and performance, like settings to fix and slow start-up apps.

Correcting those issues was easy. All we needed to do was select Fix issues, and Avira got to work for us. It took only a couple of minutes to improve and secure our device.

If you want coverage for more devices, you might need to splurge for a premium version. Only Avira Prime has coverage for more than one device, but we found that we could do a lot with this subscription like protecting our device from malware, optimizing its performance, and even browsing anonymously with the virtual private network (VPN). 

Who is Avira best for?

• Recommended for people who want substantial antivirus protection for minimal devices.

If you want a basic antivirus, Avira offers a free version with some of the same perks as the paid version. If you opt for the free version, you can expect:

• Real-time antivirus protection
• Online threat blocking
• Secure internet activities
• Cleanup tools

Now, if you need additional tools like performance optimization tools, a password manager, and a virtual private network (VPN), then you're better off with a paid Avira plan. Just note that the starting price for Avira Antivirus Pro and Avira Internet Security only covers one device. You can pay to cover three or five devices, but your subscription price will increase. 

When deciding on antivirus software, the primary functions are to scan and block malware. No one wants a nasty computer virus. You want a product that’s thorough, and that’s what you’ll get in every Avira plan.

Avira antivirus cost

Avira plans range from $26.99–$59.99/first yr. There are four plan tiers: Avira Free, Antivirus Pro, Internet Security, and Prime. 

For its starting price, Avira is on par, starting at $26.99/first yr for one device. Here's how it compares to our top alternatives:

• TotalAV: $29.00/first yr (covers three devices)
• Norton: $29.99/first yr (covers one device)
• Bitdefender: $24.99/first yr (covers one device)

However, adding additional devices to your plan can double this price. With Avira Prime, you can cover five devices for $59.99/first yr. 

	Free	Antivirus Pro	Internet Security	Prime
Price for first year	Free	$26.99/first yr	$34.99/first yr	$59.99/first yr
# devices supported	1	1 – 5	1 – 5	5 – 10
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Firewall*
Real-time protection
Ransomware protection
Performance optimization tools
Premium VPN
Details	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan

Avira Free antivirus

If you don’t want to buy antivirus software, you can opt for the free version of Avira. It’s compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. We think the free version is great for those who want real-time protection, automated software updates, and browser safety. 

Avira antivirus features

Avira comes with your standard antivirus features, including a variety of scans, phishing protection, and a firewall. You'll also get PC optimization tools, a virtual private network (VPN), and a password manager, depending on your plan tier.

We'll break down Avira's features and how well they worked for us. 

Malware and antivirus scan

Avira antivirus offers both automatic and manual scans for malware detection. You can schedule scans to run at specific times, or you can use manual scans when you need them. There's also a full scan option to dive deeper into your device.

The Smart Scan was particularly useful in reviewing our device for security, privacy, and performance issues. To fix the issues detected, all we needed to do was select fix issues and Avira improved our device.

You also get a custom scan option that you may not have with other antivirus products. Avira’s custom scan allows you to browse specific documents or files you want to scan instead of running a quick or full scan on an entire drive. This type of scan could be faster than even a quick scan, depending on the number of documents you want to check.

Phishing protection

Avira has Web Protection, which protects you from web content like phishing links, malware, spam, or fraud. There’s nothing special to do or set up with this feature; it’s part of the real-time protection that blocks viruses and malicious attachments.

There's also the Avira Browser Safety extension, which blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites. It's available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. 

Firewall

Avira provides a firewall for its Windows program, which you can use instead of the Windows firewall. It's automatically toggled on once you've downloaded the program, but you do have the option of customizing the app rules and intruder protection settings. 

Unfortunately, the macOS program doesn't have a firewall. To be sure we didn’t overlook anything, we called customer support to verify our findings. It was confirmed that the firewall is not included for macOS.

Real-time protection

When you want real-time protection, Avira doesn’t miss the mark. This feature is turned on by default, so there’s nothing for you to do. The Avira real-time protection scans any file you access to prevent malware from infecting files on your device.

The best part is that you won’t notice anything because it runs in the background. We had numerous browser tabs opened and didn’t notice any lags with real-time protection working.

Ransomware protection

Avira antivirus offers real-time ransomware protection that blocks malicious software from gaining control of your device.

If you decide to get the paid antivirus program, the ransomware protection uses a behavior-based approach that checks the actions of the code trigger. If actions are found that suggest ransomware, the software gets blocked.

It’s worth noting that a basic version of Avira’s ransomware protection is also offered with the free version. It works by comparing known ransomware types in the database to potential threats.

Bonus features

Avira includes bonus security features like a VPN, performance optimization tools, a password manager, and a safe shopping browser extension.

With the free VPN, you’re limited to 500 MB of data per month. If you get Avira Prime, you'll get unlimited VPN data.

The Avira password manager browser extension is easy to use and helps secure your online accounts. The password manager monitors for data breaches, which is needed for any decent password manager. 

You don’t get a password manager with all antivirus software, so we like that it’s included in Avira’s security suite.

Avira antivirus test results

We the antivirus programs we review through multiple hoops to verify their claims. First, we run several types of scans to determine how long they take and how they impact our device. Then, we use EICAR test files to see how well the antivirus program can block cyberthreats like malware and phishing sites.

Finally, we like to see what independent research organizations have to say about these antivirus programs. We review the most recent third-party test results from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. 

Scan speed

• Result: Fast

Avira has options for a full scan, a quick scan, and a smart scan. Unlike the quick scan, the smart scan checks for security, privacy, and performance issues.

Scan type	Time spent
Smart scan	49 seconds
Quick scan	8 seconds
Full scan	9 minutes

We had an easy time running scans with Avira. The smart scan was less than a minute, the full scan was just under six minutes, and the quick scan was done almost instantly. 

We did notice our laptop taking a bit more time to load webpages, but it was still completely usable. 

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

The European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research, also known as EICAR, provides malware test files for you to test your antivirus programs safely from home. During our testing, we run tests for malware detection, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing pages detection.

Test	Avira score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Pass

Avira passed all three tests with ease. The malware files were either quarantined or Avira blocked us from visiting the page altogether. 

When we opened the phishing test link, the Avira browser extension warned us against accessing the page. Avira succeeded against all the tests we threw at it.

AV-TEST results

• Result: Avira had perfect test scores for Windows but had some markdowns with macOS and Android. 

AV-TEST evaluates security products to determine how they stand up against malware, false positives, and performance issues. The site uses the most current version of the products for testing, so you get up-to-date results. 

AV-TEST evaluates products based on a point system, and the highest number of points awarded for each of the three categories (performance, protection, and usability) is six.

Test type	Windows score	macOS score	Android score
Protection	6/6	5.5/6	6/6
Performance	6/6	6/6	6/6
Usability	6/6	6/6	5/6
Total	18/18	17.5/18	17/18
Date	February 2025	December 2024	January 2025
Link to test	Link	Link	Link

Avira achieved perfect scores for its Windows program. However, the macOS test received a ding in the proetction category. It received a 99.5% score when detecting malware while the industry average was 100%. 

The Android app also received a lower scare in the usability category. It detected one false positive during installation and usage of legitimate apps from the Google Play Store, while the industry average was zero. 

Avira's performance was still near-perfect, so we're not concerned about these results. 

AV-Comparatives results

• Result: Avira was ranked among the top contenders in the protection tests. 

AV-Comparatives is another independent organization dedicated to systematic testing on antivirus products and mobile security solutions. It creates a real-world environment to test these programs for real-world protection, malware protection, and device performance impact (along with mobile security for the apps).

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)	Mac security
Score	100%	99.5%	99.96%	16.1	99%
Platform	Android	Windows	Windows	Windows	macOS
Date	June 2023	February - March 2025	September 2024	September - October 2024	May 2023
Link	Link	Link	Link	Link	Link

Avira and TotalAV tied for the third best score for malware protection during the most recent AV-Comparatives testing. It was only beat by F-Secure, which scored a 99.99% protection rate, and Kaspersky, which scored a 100% protection rate.

For real-world protection, Avira tied at 99.5% with several top providers, including Avast, AVG, and Bitdefender. It also only detected one false positive. 

However, Avira fell into the middle group with its performance impact score. For reference, McAfee had the best impact rate at 2.6. That means Avira might have more impact on your system performance compared to other antiviruses. 

Avira has also submitted its macOS and Android programs to AV-Comparatives, but it's been close to two year since the latest results. The Avira Android app received a perfect score and the Avira macOS app was just shy of 100%.

SE Labs results

• Result: 92%

SE Labs is the final independent organization we review for antivirus test results. SE Labs measures protection accuracy, testing how well an antivirus protects against general attacks and targeted attacks, and legitimate accuracy, testing how well an antivirus can detect real cyberthreats. The final score is the total accuracy score.

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Total accuracy rating	92%
Date	2023 Q2
Link	Link

Avira hasn't submitted its program to SE Labs since 2023, so its program has probably been updated since. However, it received a 78% protection accuracy rating and a 100% legitimate accuracy rating for its Free Security Suite. 

Avira antivirus compatibility

When you’re shopping for an antivirus, you want one that works for all your devices. Many of us use several devices, and it’s best to get a product that covers them all. You’d be hard-pressed to find a device Avira isn’t compatible with.

If you have any of these, you can secure them all with Avira antivirus software and mobile apps:

• Windows 7+
• macOS 10.15+
• Android 9+
• iOS 11+

Avira Browser Security is available on the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
  
• Opera

Avira customer support

To reach an Avira customer support agent, you can call, email, or use the live chat. If you want to reach someone by phone, the hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central European Time (CET). 

You can also search the knowledge base to do some troubleshooting on your own. 

You should know, however, that only paid subscribers have access to phone and email support. But if you use the free version, you still get access to the knowledge base. When you go to the main support page, you can select your device and then have different options regarding your issue.

Top alternatives

Avira is a top-notch provider, but the antivirus market is large, and it's not the only option. Here are some of our favorite programs to consider instead:

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Avira antivirus good?

Avira is a good antivirus software with excellent malware protection scores. If you’re looking for a product with numerous features that are easy to use and knowledgeable customer support, you won’t go wrong with any of the Avira products.

The best antivirus software should meet all your needs at a competitive price, so don’t be afraid to look at all your options before you decide. You may pay more for Avira's premium features and additional device coverage, but a higher price usually adds extra protection and utility. (And often, you can catch sales that discount the cost.)

See how Avira compares to some of our top alternatives:

• Avira vs. Norton
• Avira vs. Bitdefender