Today, most of our personal and sensitive data are present online. Without a good antivirus, these data are vulnerable to theft by hackers. Not only them, the internet providers and the telecom companies can also gain access to your data. They can sell this information and get paid in return.
According to research, it has been seen that over 10.52 billion attacks of malware have happened in the year 2018 alone. The deadliest of the malware is ransomware. Its growth has seen a 117% increase in year-by-year. So, let us see which one is better, Avast or Windows Defender.
Windows Defender or Avast: Which Antivirus should you Opt for
So, let us see the different aspects of both the antivirus software and check “is Windows Defender better than Avast?”, or the other way around.
Features
At first, let see the features for both the antivirus software in this battle of Avast vs Windows Defender.
Windows Defender
This is the antivirus software that comes as one of the built-in software for all the OS of Windows. Windows Defender cannot be removed or uninstalled from the Windows OS. However, you can disable it if you want to use some third-party antivirus software.
One of the best features of Windows defender is its firewall. This firewall helps to prevent the computer from most of the harmful traffic. It is a very vigilant antivirus software and scans all the networks both incoming and outgoing. If it sees any unauthorized access, it straight away denies its permission.
This is a signature-based scanner, like most of the antivirus software. It checks for digital threats at a regular interval. In order to provide protection against emerging new threats, its definition is updated routinely. This is all thanks to the cloud-based malware database of Microsoft.
Additionally, it also has the feature of Find My Device. It will help you to track your computer if it is stolen or gets lost. You will also be able to lock your computer or erase your data if you want to protect your data from falling into wrong hands.
Windows Defender also comes with a parental control suite. Using this feature, the parents will be able to monitor the activity of their children online. If they want they can restrict the screen time and also block some inappropriate sites for their children.
Avast Antivirus
Avast, unlike Windows Defender, works on both the Mac OS and Windows OS. However, it offers different products for both of these OSs. So let us see what it has to offer for the Windows OS.
Avast Free Antivirus
This is the first offering for the Windows OS by Avast. It will help to protect your computer against various digital threats. However, there is no advanced feature of enhancing security in this suite. This is freeware and is capable of protecting your computer against moderate threats.
Avast Internet Security
This is the first in line among the premium offerings from the company. Very comprehensive antimalware protection is provided by this suite. Also, its firewall is excellent and is well equipped to protect your computer from any kind of threat. Also, the junk email filter will help you to keep your inbox tidy and clean and free from any spam.
Sandbox Mode is a nice addition to the package of Internet Security. With the help of Sandbox Mode, you will be able to get a safe environment to open suspicious apps or files. This will prevent your computer from any external threats. Another feature is called Real Suite. This feature will prevent any occurrence of fake DNS routing.
Avast Premier
This is another level higher than the previous suite. Avast Premier includes everything present in the suite of Avast Internet Security and along with that, you get an additional file shredder. It also includes software for webcam protection. This will prevent any third-party person from spying on you through your webcam.
Avast Ultimate
This is the ultimate offering from Avast. Avast Ultimate has everything that is present in the previous version of this antivirus. In addition to all those features, it also comes with a password manager. This will provide you with a digital vault, in which you can store your password.
Avast Security for Mac
This is the antivirus suite for the Mac OS by Avast. For Mac users, it is available in Free as well as Premium version. The free version of the software offers anti-malware protection and also email and web protection as well. Whereas, the Premium version adds a WiFi intruder alert feature, multi-layered ransomware protection along will many advanced tools and features.
Winner of Avast vs Windows Defender in features
So, in the category of features, the winner of Avast vs Windows Defender is Avast. This is because Avast offers way more features than Windows Defender. Avast can run on both Windows OS as well as Mac. Whereas Windows Defender can run only on the Windows OS.
Malware Protection
The main purpose of Antivirus software is to protect the computer against malware. If you have to choose antivirus software, you must check how efficient it is in protecting your computer. So let us see which is the best antivirus, Windows Defender or Avast.
A test was conducted to check the efficiency of the antivirus software. Among all the antivirus software, Avast and Windows Defender were present too. Windows Defender scored a 6 out of 6 in the Protection test. This shows that it has amazing anti-malware properties. Whereas Avast got a score of 5.5 out of 6. This a not a bad score at all.
Another real-world test was performed to check the performance of the antivirus software. They also won the second-best ADVANCED award, indicating their good performance as anti-malware software.
Winner of Windows Defender vs Avast in malware protection
As you have seen from the above discussion that both the software provide excellent service when it comes to protecting your computer against malware. So, in the field of malware protection, it is a tie between Windows Defender and Avast.
System Performance
When you are using antivirus software, it should not slow down the performance of your computer. If any antivirus software does that, then it is not a good antivirus. So, many independent labs perform different tests on various antivirus software to see what effect they have on the performance of the computer.
In the evaluations for seeing the effect on the performance of a computer, Avast got a score of 6 out of 6. Windows Defender got a score of 5.5 out of 6 in this same evaluation. In this evaluation, Avast got the award of the ADVANCED+ due to its perfect score. Whereas, it was a bit disappointing to see the Windows Defender’s performance. It received the lowest possible award of STANDARD.
Winner of Avast vs Windows Defender in system performance
In the category of system performance, Avast antivirus is the clear winner.
User-Friendliness
User-friendliness is another important factor that determines the quality of the antivirus software. The users will always prefer user-friendly antivirus software rather than a complex one.
Windows Defender provides a very simple aesthetic for visuals. You have to do several clicks before you can enter the software. Moreover, to reach the Windows Security Center, you have to go through many unnecessary processes. The interface is clean and everything is well organized. You can go to various operations and modules by using the left-hand grouping.
However, you cannot schedule scans and that can be of inconvenience to many users. But, there are different types of scans that you can perform.
The interface of Avast is clean and simple. It uses many dark colors for the icons. This will help those persons to utilize everything on Avast who is not that well accustomed to computers. You will see a big checkmark of green color in the center of the screen. This means that everything is OK with your computer. However, if something is wrong, you will see a red exclamation mark at the place of the green checkmark. Under that exclamation mark, you will see an option for a quick scan.
There are many customizable options to make your experience more enjoyable. You will be able to schedule scans in Avast. Hence, you can set the time when you are not working.
Winner of Windows Defender vs Avast in user-friendliness
So, in the field of user-friendliness, Avast is the clear winner with its wide range of customizing options.
Final Verdict
So, in this battle of Windows Defender vs Avast, Avast is the clear winner. With all its various features and compatibility, Avast will offer more services than Windows Defender. Hence, according to me, there is no confusion for which to use, Windows Defender or Avast.
