In this review of Webroot vs Avast, Avast is better for home use as compared to Webroot because it has a strong and reliable protection of your devices against potential malware exploits, features free password manager as well as free web browser and has mobile security feature. In addition, Avast features home network scanning as well as the ‘do not disturb mode’ which essentially allows the suspension of notifications when gaming. Avast also is lightweight compared to Webroot and has low impact on your PC. Lastly, Avast has powerful affordable premium versions.
Security
Avast and Webroot are two distinct software when it comes to security. Webroot on its part is a cloud-based solution that has just 15MB of space in the hard drive. It has a unique approach when it comes to dealing with online threats. Webroot can help you protect up to a maximum of ten devices when you use the Internet Security Complete Family Pack. It features a fast scan; cloud-based processing and you can run it together with another antivirus at the same time.
In addition, Webroot doesn’t use a signature baseline like other software. What it does is to look for behavioural patterns and metadata. It suspends apps that are not in the database and continues to monitor them. In its simplest way, it is capable of blocking files which appear to be dangerous and the cloud computer deals with the remaining process. Once the files are assessed by the cloud computer notifies the user’s computer on how to deal with such unknown files. The resultant is a low impact on the system as the processing is not done on the user’s OS at all.
With Webroot antivirus, the user can decide to do a full system scan, quick scan or deep scan for rootkits, Trojans and other possible threats. You can also decide to do a custom scan that mainly focuses on selected files and directories. In addition, you can choose between rootkit protections or enable or disable Master Boot Record (MBR) scanning with the aim of scanning for viruses that are harmful to the computer’s boot sequence. You can also do this to clear unwanted applications in the system of your PC.
Avast on the other hand is a solution that has rarely disappointed when it comes to performance. It has the strongest ability to detect malware and it protects when you are online and offline. It is claimed to be a number one in the security market as it has over 435 million monthly active users across the globe.
Avast features real-time detection that picks known threats and deals with them appropriately. The web filtering is capable of blocking access to dangerous links whereas the cloud analyses all the unknown files so that latest malware can be noticed. Avast free version rates highly with the latest independent testing labs in terms of performance and security.
More performance and protection of your device can be achieved when you upgrade to a higher version like the Avast Internet Security. Avast Internet Security has an array of great features like a firewall, extra ransomware protection, spam filter, sandbox, a secure DNS system and much more.
Features
When it comes to key features, Webroot has web shield which works together with a browser extension that installs automatically in Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer as a way of flagging suspicious websites. Webroot has a backup and sync utility feature that can store up to 25GB of cloud-based backup for vital folders and files.
Another feature you might encounter with Webroot is the Firewall management tool which is an addition to the basic firewall protection found in Windows installation. The USB shield is one unique firewall the Webroot has and it monitors and detects any threats that might be found when you connect any USB device on the PC. Another unique firewall is the real-time shield that runs continuously with aim of blocking potential threats that might be in threat definitions and community database.
Another feature that is with Webroot Antivirus is the password manager. The password manager basically is a browser extension that integrates with iOS and Android devices. This means that you can access the passwords saved on the web on these devices.
Avast features an array of features as compared to Webroot. The Avast free version alone has several features that can protect your PC from potential malware and other security threats to your device. When you click on the “protection” tab of Avast pro antivirus review, there are a variety of pop ups that include ‘Full virus scan’ as well as ‘Boot-Time Scan.’
If you select the Full Virus Scan option, the scan is slow but very thorough as compared to smart scan. The benefits of doing Full Virus Scan are that the antivirus is capable of detecting and resolving potential threats even though it takes time.
The Boot Time Scan is meant to look for potential programs that might execute when your computer is running and automatically stops them. Some of these security threats are advanced malware that are outside the OS and try to reinstall themselves from files.
In addition, Avast has a full-featured Wi-Fi scanner. When you run the Wi-Fi scanner, it is able to discover all the devices that might be connected to your Wi-Fi in real-time. The paid versions of Avast don’t offer much as compared to its free version. You can protect your device fully with the free version.
Ease of use
Installing the Webroot Antivirus is very easy and quick. It features a lightweight file of just 3MB and doesn’t consume a lot of CPU and RAM while in idle mode. By simply choosing a subscription plan, you can download the installer and then follow the guidelines on the screen. Once you have done the registration, Webroot will automatically download itself onto the hard drive. The next thing you need to do immediately it has downloaded is to click on the setup file and leave it to install and run a scan.
Avast on the hand is not easy to use as compared to Webroot as it directs most of the time on the paid subscription option. It uses the dark-pattern UI so that you get to the subscription option. Overall performance, Avast is a better choice.
