In case of opting for the free version, the functions that we can have are:
- Virus scan.
- Protection in real time against threats.
- 500MB per month to browse privately with Phantom VPN.
- File quarantine.
- Plugin for secure purchases.
- Avira Password Manager.
- File shredder to avoid its recovery.
If we are going to choose to pay for the “Pro” versionIn addition to the above, for 34.95 euros per year we can also enjoy the following additions:
- Internet protection.
- Email protection.
- Personalized technical support.
If we want even more, we can also opt for the version «internet security»which, apart from all of the above, brings seniors for 44.95 euros a year (26.95 euros if it is discounted):
- Advanced password manager.
- Automatic program updates.
- Automatic driver updates.
And finally, the “Prime” version includes, for 99.95 euros per year (59.95 euros if it is on sale), apart from everything included in previous versions, the following:
- Unlimited VPN.
- Technical support as VIP.
- Advanced equipment optimization.
How Avira works
The main window of the antivirus allows us to see a summary of all the functions and shields of the antivirus. In this way, just by opening it, we can see if it is working correctly or if any of the shields is failing or has a “warning” that we must attend to.
Leaving aside this main security window, we are going to see the security functions that we can find in this antivirus.
security features
Within this section we will find all the options and functions related to the security of the antivirus and the system in general.
virus protection
Like any antivirus, the first thing we will find is a real-time protection shield. This will be the one that is in charge of analyzing our PC in the background, all the time, in search of any computer threat. Thanks to it, every time we install a program, open a file, or make a change on the computer, it will be validated by Avira. And, if it detects a possible threat in its database, or using the heuristic algorithms, it will automatically block it to avoid ending up in the hands of hackers.
In addition to this continuous protection, the Avira antivirus will also allow us to manually analyze the PC in search of any threat that may have slipped in. In this section we can find three types of analysis:
- Complete: scans the entire system, all hard drives, and all data for viruses.
- Fast: it analyzes only the most vulnerable areas of the computer, where viruses usually hide: RAM, Boot, specific folders on the disk, etc.
- Manual: allows us to create our own analysis routines. Useful, for example, if we want to scan a folder, or schedule custom system scans.
All threats that Avira detects on the computer are generally not removed directly from the PC, but are instead sent to a section called “Quarantine”. All these threats are stored there, under lock and key, waiting for the user himself to decide what to do with them. In this way we will avoid losing any file that could be important to us due to a false positive. If we don’t want to, or don’t know how to remove the threats from here, we don’t have to worry, since the data is kept 100% secure.
Firewall
The firewall is another of the essential security measures that we must look for in any type of security program. This is in charge of controlling each and every one of the connections that are made on the PC and deciding if they are allowed or blocked. We can make the Firewall act automatically, deciding what is allowed or not, or create rules to allow or block certain IPs, connections or programs.
Avira does not have an independent firewall as such, but offers us a tool to easily configure your own Windows firewall. We can activate or deactivate it, see the rules, create them, modify them and much more. Everything we may need to have connections under control, at our fingertips.
web protection
Not only viruses threaten the Internet. It is also easy to run into all kinds of web pages that seek to deceive us and get our data in many different ways: through deception (phishing), scams (scam), through vulnerabilities to execute code, etc. This shield is in charge, precisely, of all this. Thanks to web protection, every time we visit a page, the URL will be analyzed by the antivirus and compared with a gigantic database. If the web is reliable, we can enter. If it hides threats, or is suspected of hiding them, we will be able to see a warning thanks to which we can get out of it before putting ourselves in danger.
email protection
Email is another of the most common malware infection routes. It is very easy for dozens of emails whose sole purpose is to do evil to reach our inbox. It can be through links to scam websites, with attached files, or while waiting for us to respond to the email providing our data. Whatever the reason, if we use an email client on the PC, such as Outlook, Avira can analyze all our emails looking for any sign that could indicate that it is a threat.
software updater
This function allows us to analyze all the programs that we have installed on the computer, and helps us to find out if they are all up to date or if there are new versions of some of them. In the event that there are new versions, we will be able to see the security risk of using the version we have installed, and we will have the possibility of updating it directly from the program.
The database is not exactly gigantic, but it covers the most common and used programs.
privacy features
The above functions are all related to security. But if we bet on the paid versions, we will be paying not only for a vitaminized antivirus, but also for a real PC security and maintenance suite that will always guarantee the best possible performance.
Thus, other functions and features that we are going to find in Avira, this time related to privacy, are:
browser security
Within this section we can highlight another protection shield that will allow us to buy online safely. This shield helps us avoid possible scams and reduces the monitoring carried out by web pages of everything we search for and do on the net. In addition, it allows us to know if in any other safe store, a certain product is cheaper to save money. This function can be easily enabled by installing an extension in Chrome or Edge.
PhantomVPN
Thanks to this function we will be able to send Internet traffic safely and privately through a VPN server. In the free version of Avira we will have 500 MB of secure traffic per month, while if we pay for the Prime edition we will be able to make unlimited use of the Phantom VPN.
We will also be able to choose the location through which we want to leave. In this way, we can even hide our country of origin and bypass the different regional restrictions that we encounter every day when we browse the net.
password manager
When we install the antivirus, an extension called “Avira Password Manager” is also installed on the PC. What this extension does is allow us to securely save everything related to our login accounts. In this way, just by remembering a master password we can create random and secure passwords for each of the websites where we log in. In addition, it will also allow us to activate the two-step login in order to further strengthen the security of our PC.
This feature is available for all major web browsers: Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
file shredder
When we delete a file by sending it to the recycle bin, it can be recovered. Even if we have emptied the trash. Therefore, when it comes to very important files, it is necessary to bet on a destroyer that prevents the file from being recovered, not even with forensic tools.
What this shredder does is delete the file, and overwrite its space several times until it eliminates all traces of it. In this way, the file will be gone forever.
privacy settings
Thanks to this function we can address one of the main problems of Windows: privacy, or rather, the lack of it. Avira is going to offer us two ways to configure all of Windows’ privacy options, either through expert-recommended settings (block ad tracking, disable location tracking, and make activity private), or customize one at a time. one all the operating system options in detail.
Very good function if we have always been concerned about the information that Microsoft collects from Windows simply by installing it and using it every day.
performance features
Avira also helps us to make our computer work much better and more fluidly. In this way, the main functions to improve the general performance of the browser are the following:
system optimizer
This function will allow us to find possible bottlenecks on the PC to speed up its general operation. For example, it allows us to analyze the hard drive in search of all kinds of junk and unnecessary files, and delete them to free up space. It also detects all the applications that open at computer startup, especially the ones that take the longest to do so, to disable them or delay their launch and thus avoid unwanted slowdowns.
Battery saving
If we use a laptop, this function interests us a lot. And it is that, as its name indicates, we are going to be able to make its battery last much longer so as not to depend so much on the cable. Once activated, Avira reduces screen brightness, closes unnecessary apps, prevents updates and blocks push notifications, and limits location tracking.
In this way, we can extend the battery life of the PC to the maximum.
Driver updater
An outdated driver can not only cause our computer to malfunction, but it can also open the door for hackers to attack our PC. Therefore, thanks to this function we gain a 2 in 1. Avira will analyze our PC in search of all the installed drivers, and it will indicate which of them are not updated. It will also allow us to download the new versions of them without leaving the program to update the PC.
Duplicate File Finder
This feature is only available for paid versions of the program. As we will have guessed, it will allow us to analyze our hard drive in search of all duplicate files and thus eliminate unnecessary copies of…
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