It goes without saying that after the initial installation of the operating system on computers, users immediately ask themselves questions of anti-virus protection. But what kind of antivirus to install, because today there is a huge amount of such software on the market. Naturally, not all packages are equivalent in their capabilities. We should not forget that many of these developments are paid. We will not consider them, but dwell on two popular antiviruses - Avast and Kaspersky Free. These products are completely free, and users very often prefer one of them. But which antivirus is better: Avast or Kaspersky? It is proposed to discuss these issues based on the opinions of experts and users who have tried both software products in action.
A little bit about antiviruses
So, here are two protection tools that, in their area, can be called antiviruses, which are among the ten most famous and respected users. And before comparing which is better: Avast or Kaspersky Free, for a start it’s worth saying a few words about the developments themselves.
Avast Anti-Virus is the brainchild of a Czech company, which, since the release of its first release, has positioned the package as the fastest and most reliable tool for protecting desktop computers (for now we are talking about stationary systems, but we will touch on mobile ones separately).
The second software product is developed by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian company, which, according to most experts, can be called the almost absolute leader in the market of antivirus software of the highest level. By the way, Kaspersky Free is still the first and only free development (before that, all products were exclusively paid).
Which is better: Avast or Kaspersky? Antivirus comparison criteria
But back to the question of choosing an antivirus for home or office computers. Avast or Kaspersky? Which is better? To answer these questions, it is necessary to compare both software packages and identify their strengths and weaknesses. To assess their functionality, it is proposed to use several basic criteria:
- load on system resources;
- interface design and ease of use of built-in tools;
- detection and neutralization of viral threats;
- directions of protection;
- false alarm;
- possible conflicts with other software products;
- additional features.
And only after a thorough study it will be possible to answer questions related to the choice in favor of a single antivirus, although if you read the reviews, they diverge quite strongly (some talk about a draw, others give an unconditional advantage to one of the packages). How things really are, which is better: Kaspersky Anti-Virus or Avast, and then we will consider it based on the test results.
Downloading the main program and using system resources
So, the first thing you should pay attention to is downloading the program. It goes without saying that both antiviruses start with the operating system, being in the startup section. Disabling them using standard methods (without using registry editing) is not possible. This is understandable. But there is one caveat. Avast starts like a regular program, and Kaspersky loads its security modules much earlier than even some Windows services. In particular, this applies to the KIS and KAV components, which immediately after installing the main package are integrated into the kernel of the operating system. According to the developers themselves, this allows you to secure the system just at the boot stage (some modern viruses can always reside even in RAM, without unloading from it). Thus, the startup time of the entire system along with installed antiviruses varies quite a lot. And here the Avast is clearly on top.
If we talk about what is better - Avast or Kaspersky, it is worth mentioning separately about the use of computer resources. We do not take into account the initial scan at startup, but look at the state of the system when antiviruses provide protection against possible threats in the background.
If you look at the state of system resources, Avast does not use them so much. At least the CPU load is half that of Kaspersky.
In addition, Kaspersky consumes almost seven times more RAM, which negatively affects computer systems with an insufficient number of RAM slots. In general, in terms of loads, all known Kaspersky Lab software products have always been extraordinarily voracious. So here Avast wins.
Note: in order to reduce the load on resources, Kaspersky Anti-Virus needs to make some additional settings, during the installation of which the priority in performing certain tasks will be given to system processes and user applications. But not everyone knows about this. So, one can argue about the Avast championship.
Interface
The design of the interface can not be ignored either. Kaspersky is executed in green tones, and Avast uses light and orange tones. Here is parity. However, as noted, in "Avast" almost all the necessary tools are at hand, but in "Kaspersky" to access certain settings and parameters for an unprepared user, navigation can be very difficult. In addition, Avast also displays brief informative information, while Kaspersky is not burdened with such functions. If you compare the result, it’s almost a draw, but Avast is a little ahead.
Virus Threat Detection
Finally, the most important test, which affects the user's choice, tipping the scales in the direction of one or another antivirus, is the detection of threats, the possibility of neutralizing them and the speed of scanning the system in different modes. Finding out which is better: Avast or Kaspersky, it is immediately worth noting that Avast, unfortunately, simply does not respond to many dangerous threats. But Kaspersky is not familiar with this. It is this antivirus that is believed to be capable of detecting almost all threats known today, including the viruses that are not yet included in the databases. Here, "Kaspersky" certainly wins.
Both anti-viruses are in approximately the same position in terms of system scanning speed, however, if a deep scan is specified, Kaspersky requires a bit more time to conduct it. But this criterion cannot be called a particularly important indicator, since anyway the level of security provided by Kapersky is a cut above the level that is observed in the case of Avast (especially since most users set the on-demand scan precisely at the moments of inactivity of the system, that is, when they do not work at the computer).
Degree of protection
As for the main modules providing comprehensive system protection, there are four of them in Kaspersky Anti-Virus:
- file protection;
- IM antivirus
- mail security module;
- web protector.
Avast has similar tools, but they are one less (there is no protection for IM Internet chats). Thus, in this test, Kaspersky Anti-Virus has some advantage.
False positives and software conflicts
Now about the saddest thing. Unfortunately, for Avast (and this is noted by most users and computer security specialists), such a sin is being made. Quite often, when starting up already installed programs or when trying to install new applications, Avast for some reason recognizes them as a threat, despite the fact that it uses legal licensed software. No, of course, everything could be attributed, for example, to installing pirated or cracked copies of programs, but in the antivirus itself the possibility of determining legal software was not laid at all!
Sometimes Internet blocking is still observed. But this is no good! And precisely for this reason, many users try to get rid of this antivirus as quickly as possible. In the case of Kaspersky, nothing of the kind is observed, which again gives rise to put another plus in its favor.
Additional features
In terms of additional tools (meaning their presence), both antiviruses occupy approximately equal positions, despite the fact that the possibilities vary quite strongly.
So, for example, Avast has an additional client-anonymizer SecureLine VPN, its own firewall, a tool for creating an emergency disk, an online protection module, and even its own SafeZone browser. However, judging by user reviews, most of the tools are incomplete and, so to speak, raw.
Kaspersky boasts cloud protection, Internet connection protection and an on-screen keyboard. Tools for creating a rescue disk are not provided for the simple reason that they use the specially developed separate utility Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
Avast or Kaspersky: which is better for Android systems?
Now a few words about mobile systems. As a rule, all antiviruses used on desktop computers also have analogues in the form of applets, most often used on Android and Windows devices. Finding out which is better: Avast or Kaspersky, based on testing on different configurations, users prefer Avast because of a rather large number of additional functions and tools that Kaspersky does not have.
The developers of the mobile antivirus from Kaspersky Lab decided that the main task of the application is to protect the device from threats, and not additional “tricks”. But, if you approach with an open mind, it can be noted that Kapersky is better used on modern smartphones or tablets with powerful processors and large amounts of RAM, and Avast, as the simplest security tool, is more suitable for relatively weak configurations.
What is the result?
So, which is better: Avast or Kaspersky Free? The test results, despite the fact that Avast is the leader in many areas, nevertheless, Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a cut above in the field of providing comprehensive protection for both stationary computers and mobile devices. However, the conclusion may be as follows: Avast is light and fast, Kaspersky is powerful and reliable.