Securing digital data from ransomware has been quite the problem lately. With time, trojans and malware are finding new strategies to disrupt systems. As the zero-day attacks are nearing, there is an immediate need for good antivirus to defend the devices. Two of the better antivirus software are Norton and Avast which have been in the market for long.
Viruses and trojans may cause a lot of damage to our digital devices and may result in stolen data, sensitive information, corrupting software and hijacking important files. Norton and Avast are two antivirus software which offers different security features to help protect the devices. Both companies have come up with different features for virus protection. While Avast’s “Behavior Shield Tool” checks for suspicious activity, Norton secures devices based on two protocols namely “Proactive Exploit Protection” and “Sonar” to monitor problematic sources. Although the security features of both companies have been very effective in their own ways, the additional features set both of them apart.
Norton Antivirus and Anti-malware software packages were developed in 1991 by Symantec Corporation. Norton provides protection against malware including ransomware and phishing. It also provides other additional features like two-way firewall, cloud backups, parental control, email spam filtering, and automatic updates. It provides a very fast scan process as well. The antivirus is available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Avast Antivirus is a set of applications available for Windows, Android, MacOS, and iOS was founded in 1988 by Pavel Baudis and Eduard Kucera. The antivirus includes free and proprietary versions of the application. It offers a password vault, website inspector, webcam shield, and other security packages on an a la carte basis.
Comparisons: Norton vs Avast
Security: Both antiviruses are very secure. Both have a different set of features to identify malware and they work well as iterated before. Thus, the security of both applications is exceptional. Security of both maybe rated 10/10.
Features: In this section, Norton is the best. Norton Antivirus has more features than Avast including parental control, cloud backups, and Macro protection. Avast can be rated 8/10 while Norton can be rated 9.5/10.
User Interface: Avast offers an easier user interface and all commands are clear while Norton Antivirus still uses commands that may be tougher to access for new users. Avast maybe rated 9/10 while Norton maybe rated 8/10.
Customer Service: Avast and Norton offer good customer support due to its large customer base in different countries. Both the services can be rated 10/10 here.
Cost: Pricing of the premium version of both the antivirus is around $49.99. But Avast also offers a free version of the antivirus. Thus, Avast maybe rated 8.5/10 while Norton maybe rated 8/10.
Money Back Guarantee: Both Antivirus offer a full money back guarantee if it fails anytime during the period of subscription. Thus, both the Antivirus are trustable.
Norton Features
Norton offers excellent protection against different types of malware and comes with a firewall that helps to protect your PC for any kind of unauthorized access over the network. Depending upon the type of subscription you buy, you will get access to the following features – anti-spyware, antivirus protection, ransomware protection, password manager, cloud backup, VPN and parental controls.
The parental control feature is important for parents who want to ensure that their children do not come into harm’s way. You can restrict their activities on the internet and see who they communicate with on the World Wide Web.
Avast Features
Just like Norton, Avast also offers a rich list of features to its users all over the world. With Avast antivirus solution you get access to features such as ransomware protection, real-time protection against viruses and malware, password manager, protection against phishing emails, Cleanup and advanced firewall protection.
With the Avast Internet Security package, you even get access to Sandbox mode feature that will allow you to run dangerous files into a more secure environment. Thus, ensuring that your computer is not at risk to a computer malware infection.
Pro’s and Con’s
Pros of Norton
- Easy to use interface
- Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Excellent Customer Support
- File Storage and Backup options
- Free Trial
Cons of Norton
- Impacts Performance
- Lack of Secure Web-Browser
Pros of Avast
- Easy to use interface
- Password Manager
- Affordable premium versions
- Lightweight antivirus solution
- Mobile Security Feature
Cons of Avast
- There is no firewall in the free version
- Boot scanning option is too slow
Recommendations
Both Norton and Avast antivirus solution are great and does well in detecting known and unknown malware threats. Both of the software antivirus solutions has an easy to use interface, which is one of the reasons why they are so popular amongst users from around the world. That being said, the choice of antivirus solution that you should buy depends upon your requirements.
If you are looking for a parental control feature, Norton antivirus should be the one you must choose. However, Sandbox mode to run files that might be malicious and could potentially harm the PC, Avast antivirus solution should be the right antivirus for you. In addition to this, look for the prices of each of these two antiviruses and see which one antivirus is better suited for your budget.
Norton and Avast have major differences in features. But the free version of Avast compensates the advantage. While Avast is better for on the go laptop security, Norton specializes in multi-screen security. Thus, Avast Antivirus is considered to have a certain advantage overall. Overall Ratings for Norton should be 9.1 while Avast should be 9.3.