TotalAV is an excellent antivirus program with impressive malware detection rates and a good range of additional features.
Avast can’t be fully trusted — it was recently caught selling user data in a scandal that you can read more about here.
Avast vs. TotalAV — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
TotalAV is better for malware protection, web security, features, ease of use, and customer support. If you want an antivirus with excellent malware detection rates and good additional features, go with TotalAV.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
Avast vs. TotalAV: Malware Protection
TotalAV features a powerful anti-malware engine that compares files on your computer against a massive malware database. It’s a whitelisted version of Avira’s cloud-based scanner, which is one of the best on the market. TotalAV’s malware engine can detect and remove all kinds of malware, including trojans, rootkits, cryptojackers, adware, spyware, and worms.
I tested the malware engine by downloading an archive containing thousands of malware samples. TotalAV’s full system scan found and removed most samples without any slowdown to my computer.
When I enabled TotalAV’s real-time protection and tried downloading the same archive of malware samples, TotalAV analyzed the download and quarantined it as soon as I tried extracting the samples from the archive.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
Avast vs. TotalAV: Web Security
TotalAV includes an anti-phishing feature called WebShield. WebShield can recognize and block both websites containing malware and websites that will attempt to steal your data through phishing attacks. When I tried visiting dangerous websites listed on PhishTank, TotalAV blocked every website — even sites that the default protections on Firefox and Chromium allowed.
TotalAV does make it a little bit more difficult to whitelist a website than many competitors. However, if you’re happy to rely on TotalAV’s protections fully, WebShield is a good choice, especially because you can download it for free without purchasing a TotalAV plan.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
Avast vs. TotalAV: Features
TotalAV offers coverage on up to 6 devices and comes with some really good additional features:
- VPN (virtual private network).
- Password vault.
- Dark web monitoring.
- System optimization tool.
- Identity theft protection (US only).
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
- And more…
TotalAV’s VPN uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect your data. In my tests, I could browse the internet without any slowdown while the VPN was running. The VPN also comes with a strict no-logs policy, a kill switch that disconnects you from the internet if the VPN fails, and more than 70+ servers in 30+ countries.
TotalAV provides really good identity theft protection if you’re in the US. Its agents monitor dark web forums, breach databases, and credit reports for any leaks involving your data. TotalAV also offers $1 million in coverage for any losses.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
Avast vs. TotalAV: Ease of Use
TotalAV can be installed on your device in 5 minutes, and it offers an intuitive dashboard that’s super simple to navigate. You can access all of the main features by clicking on the relevant button in the sidebar, and advanced users can go to the settings menu to find customization options.
It’s straightforward to schedule scans with TotalAV. All you have to do is set the time and date in the settings menu, and TotalAV will scan your computer at the scheduled time.
TotalAV also offers a pretty good mobile app, with each feature accessible through large and clearly labeled buttons.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
Avast vs. TotalAV: Customer Support
TotalAV offers 3 customer support options:
- Email.
- Live chat.
- 24/7 phone support.
All three customer support options are helpful, and I never struggled to contact a customer support agent. Each time, the agents were friendly and informative.
When I contacted TotalAV’s email support, I got a response in about 18 hours — which isn’t too bad. TotalAV’s live chat option was even quicker. However, you need to use a VPN to access it from some countries, which is pretty annoying.
TotalAV’s phone support is its most impressive customer support option. It offers country-specific support in 7 different countries (including the United States and the United Kingdom). The phone lines operate 24/7, so you can quickly get hold of an agent for helpful advice no matter where you are.
We no longer recommend Avast due to allegations of its unethical practices involving user data. If you want a quality antivirus you can trust, go with TotalAV or one of our other recommendations for the 10 best antiviruses in 2022.
