- Apr 25, 2013
- 5,355
Shared Antivirus Features
The antivirus component in this suite is almost the same as the free Avira Antivirus 2015. The main difference is that the free edition relies on a browser plug-in for detecting malicious and fraudulent websites, whereas the Pro edition filters such sites below the browser level. That's an important distinction, because the free edition doesn't currently offer a plug-in for Internet Explorer.
Avira doesn't participate in testing with all the independent labs I follow, but those that do test it generally give it good ratings. The only significant exception is a poor score in a test by AV-Test Institute that specifically measures the ability of an antivirus product to completely clean up a detected malware infestation.
In my own hands-on malware blocking test, Avira didn't fare so well. With 76 percent detection and an overall score of 7.4 points (out of a possible 10), it's near the bottom.Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus (2015) earned the best score of products tested using my current malware collection; it managed a perfect 10.
As noted, the suite and free antivirus use different components to detect and block malware-hosting URLs, so I expected to see differing result in my malicious URL blocking test. Despite different styles of malicious URL detection and a completely different (but very new) set of test URLs, the two products earned almost identical scores, for a protection rate of 58 percent. That's well above the current average of 40 percent, but nowhere near the 85 percent protection rate earned by McAfee Internet Security 2015
I did find the suite to be more effective in my antiphishing test, but given that the free antivirus's detection rate lagged 64 percentage points behind that of Symantec Norton Security, doing better wasn't so difficult. The suite came in 47 percentage points behind Norton; Chrome and Firefox alone also did better than Avira. In a surprising upset, Internet Explorer pulled ahead and beat Avira by 14 percentage points. The lesson is clear: Don't turn off your browser's built-in phishing protection.
Minor Impact on Performance
This product includes way fewer features than many security suites, so I expected to see only a small performance impact. My tests proved that expectation to be true, after an initial surprise.
My boot time test is quite lengthy, so I'll typically start it running when I leave the office and check for results the next morning. Averaging 100 reboots with no suite and 100 with Avira installed, I found that the system boot process took 56 percent longer. What's up with that?
Here's what I deduce happened. At each reboot, the System Speedup tool took a moment to report on how long the process took, and to recommend tuning up the system. I ran the various speedup tools and started that test afresh. This time I saw a 17 percent increase in boot time, slightly less than the average for current suites.
A script that moves and copies large files between drives took 15 percent longer to run with Avira's real-time protection systems active. Another script that zips and unzips that same file collection took 6 percent longer. You're unlikely to even notice these minor performance impacts.
Not a Good Deal
You get a lot less with Avira Internet Security Suite 2015 than with most security suites. It doesn't bundle a firewall, spam filter, or parental control component. Its antivirus protection isn't top-notch. Yes, the System Speedup tool is impressive, but it's only marginally related to security.
Sub-Ratings:
Note: These sub-ratings contribute to a product's overall star rating, as do other factors, including ease of use in real-world testing, bonus features, and overall integration of features.
Firewall: n/a
Antivirus:
Performance:
Antispam: n/a
Privacy:
Parental Control: n/a
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