TotalAV is a reliable antivirus program that includes a really good malware scanner, plus powerful additional features and an easy-to-use, well-designed interface.
AVG is also super reliable and includes a comprehensive malware scanner and excellent additional features. However, its user interface isn’t quite as intuitive as TotalAV’s, and its web protection is slightly weaker.
Short on Time? AVG vs. TotalAV — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
TotalAV is better for web security, features, and ease of use. If you want an antivirus with great web security and an intuitive user interface, go with TotalAV.
AVG is better for customer support. If you want intuitive and responsive live chat support, go with AVG.
Malware Protection
TotalAV
TotalAV uses Avira’s anti-malware engine to scan your computer for malware, including trojans, worms, rootkits, cryptojackers, and more. There’s no impact on your system speed while scanning, and a full disk scan usually finishes in about an hour.
TotalAV detected nearly every malware sample during testing. To test TotalAV’s malware scanner, I downloaded over 1,000 malware samples to my Windows 11 computer and ran a full system scan (you can also choose a quick, smart, or custom scan). The scan was over in an hour or so, and it didn’t cause any slowdown to my system.
The real-time protection was equally impressive. I also tried to download the same 1,000 malware samples with TotalAV’s real-time protection running, and it blocked every malware sample. Finally, TotalAV successfully stopped multiple simulated ransomware attacks I tried to run on my machine.
AVG
AVG shares the same anti-malware engine as Avast. Like TotalAV, it scans your computer for malware, including trojans, worms, cryptojackers, and more. I didn’t notice any impact on my computer while running AVG’s deep scan, and it finished slightly faster than TotalAV’s full disk scan, taking only 45 minutes.
The malware scanning results were as good as TotalAV’s. I tested AVG’s malware scanner by downloading the same 1,000 malware samples I used to test TotalAV, and AVG detected nearly every sample on my device.
AVG’s real-time protection works really well, too. It blocked every malicious file sample I tried to download and successfully stopped multiple simulated ransomware attacks.
Web Security
TotalAV
TotalAV’s anti-phishing tool (WebShield) stops you from visiting dangerous websites. It uses an AI-based detection system and an online database containing millions of known phishing sites to do this.
TotalAV blocked most phishing sites in my tests. I tested its web security by visiting hundreds of sample phishing websites and was impressed by how well it performed.
I also like how you can download WebShield for free. Even if you decide against purchasing TotalAV, it’s worth installing WebShield to protect yourself against phishing websites.
AVG
AVG’s web protection also stops you from accessing dangerous websites. Similar to TotalAV, it uses an AI-based system and an online database. I tried visiting the same phishing websites I visited while testing TotalAV, and AVG performed really well, blocking all the websites that TotalAV blocked.
AVG also provides an additional security extension (AVG Online Security) for free. So if you’re already running another antivirus but want additional web protection, you can download AVG Online Security and get extra protection while browsing.
Features
TotalAV
TotalAV offers coverage on up to 8 devices and includes:
- Real-time malware protection.
- System optimization tool.
- VPN (virtual private network).
- Password vault.
- Identity theft protection (US only).
- Data breach monitoring.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
I really like TotalAV’s system optimization tools. Many optimization tools on the market only include junk and duplicate file cleaners, but TotalAV’s optimization tool also comes with an application uninstaller, startup manager, and browser clean-up tool. After running the optimizer, I noticed a significant improvement in my computer’s speed.
I’m also a fan of TotalAV’s VPN.It disguises your IP address behind a virtual one to keep your data safe online, and it works well. It comes with over 70 server locations, and I hardly noticed any slowdown when connected to them — I could even stream HD video.
AVG
AVG offers coverage on up to 10 devices and includes:
- Web protection.
- Firewall.
- Rescue disc.
- VPN.
- Password protection.
- Dark web monitoring.
- System tune-up tool.
- Anti-tracking.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
AVG’s system optimization tools work just as well as TotalAV’s. They’re also a lot more in-depth than most optimization tools on the market. They speed up your computer, free up disk space, and even detect and remove unnecessary programs. Like with TotalAV, I noticed my computer running faster after using AVG’s system tune-up tool.
However, I wish AVG provided a password manager. TotalAV has a password manager, and while it’s pretty basic, it’s better than what AVG offers. AVG only has a password protector tool, which prevents specific apps from reading, changing, or deleting passwords. Honestly, I found it pretty useless when tons of password managers on the market (including some built into antivirus programs) can do this and much more.
Ease of Use
TotalAV
TotalAV offers a simple and intuitive dashboard that only took 5 minutes to install on my device. Each of TotalAV’s features are accessible from a sidebar, and you can find all of the advanced customization features in the settings menu.
TotalAV also offers an online dashboard that includes FAQs and video tutorials. Unfortunately, the online dashboard doesn’t include remote device access.
I like TotalAV’s mobile apps. They’re available for Android and iOS and are just as simple to use as the desktop version of TotalAV. Like the desktop version, the mobile apps provide great features, but they also add a mobile phone optimizer and app lock (Android only).
AVG
AVG’s user interface is simple to use, and it only takes 5 minutes to install. However, for some features, you need to download separate applications, which gets a bit annoying. By the time I had AVG fully set up, I had installed more than 5 apps on my computer.
I was disappointed that AVG doesn’t offer any kind of online dashboard. They do have a cloud management console, but it’s for business plans only. That said, TotalAV’s online dashboard isn’t great either, so both antiviruses have room to improve in this area.
Finally, AVG’s mobile app for Android and iOS is pretty good and easy to use. I like how it includes a feature to boost your Android’s speed. When I tested it, it closed 44 unused apps, improving my speed significantly.
Customer Support
TotalAV
TotalAV’s customer support is pretty good. It comes with 4 options:
- Live chat.
- 24/7 phone support.
- Email.
- Knowledge base.
TotalAV’s live chat agents are friendly and helpful, but the support isn’t accessible everywhere. In some countries, you need to use a VPN to access it.
The email support is also helpful, but they took 18 hours to respond to my email, which isn’t the fastest response time.
TotalAV boasts impressive phone support, with fast connections to competent support reps and a range of local phone numbers for different countries.
AVG
AVG’s customer support is good too. It comes with the following options:
- Live chat.
- Phone support.
- Email support.
- Community forum.
- Knowledge base.
I appreciate AVG’s live chat agents. Communicating with them proved much easier compared to TotalAV’s live chat representatives and I didn’t need to use a VPN. They were courteous, useful, and promptly answered all of my questions effectively.
The email support is quite helpful, but finding the contact address can be challenging. You have to disconnect from the live chat to have an email agent follow up or look up AVG’s support email using Google. With TotalAV, there’s a straightforward form on its website for email support.
AVG’s phone support is really good. I phoned at a busy hour, so a bot told me AVG would phone me back. I much prefer this to having to wait on hold for ages. When an agent phoned me back (about 20 minutes later), they were really helpful and answered all of my questions.
