There is a wide array of Antivirus software to choose from. When it comes to protecting your system from threats like malware, viruses, zero-day attacks you really can’t afford to have a below-par Antivirus Software. That’s why in today’s post, we are going to compare two of the most popular and widely used Antiviruses, Windows Defender and Avast.
We will provide you with all the information, facts, and data that you need to decide which Antivirus software is best for your system. So, without any further delay let’s jump straight into Windows Defender vs Avast Comparison.
Must Read my Previous Post: BitDefender vs Avast Antivirus
An Introduction to Windows Defender Antivirus:
Windows Defender Antivirus (formerly known as Windows Defender) is an anti-malware software that comes pre-installed in Windows. It was released on October 24, 2006, as a free-to-download antispyware for Windows XP. Later it evolved into an anti-virus program and replaced Microsoft Security Essentials as a part of Windows 8 and later versions.
Windows defender antivirus has got all the features that you expect in good antivirus software. It automatically scans newly downloaded files as you open them.
An introduction to Avast Antivirus:
Avast Antivirus is developed by Avast which is one of the biggest multination cybersecurity software companies in the world. Avast is currently being used by more than 438 million users that are spread across 186 countries. Every month, Avast blocks more than 3 billion attacks worldwide.
You can try Avast for free on your Windows PC or Laptops. Avast is known for implementing next-gen technologies to fight against all kinds of malware, viruses, and cyber-threats. Avast supports all the major OS including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Apart from the free version, Avast has four paid version named Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, Avast Ultimate, and Avast Premier.
Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus: Comparison
In order to compare these two Antiviruses we will measure each of them on these factors:
- Security-Related Features
- Resource Consumption
- Protection against threats
- User-friendliness/User-interface
This comparison will be backed by data from various lab tests and my personal experiences. So, without any further ado let’s start our Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus Comparison.
Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus: Security-Related Features
We all know that Windows Defender lags behind when it comes to extra security-related features. But it is worth mentioning that Windows Defender has got pretty much all the basic features that work pretty well. It can run various types of scans likes full scan, custom scan, quick scan, and offline scan. It also provides you with real-time protection and scans every newly downloaded file before you decide to use it. Other features worth noticing are the built-in firewall and the Smart Screen Utility.
On the other hand, Avast Free Antivirus has got advanced security features. Usually, these features come with premium suites of other Antivirus Software. Just like Windows Defender, Avast has also got a variety of scans which include Smart Scan, Full Scan, and boot-time scan. The Wifi-Inspector tool helps you in finding suspicious Wifi-Networks that can harm your system. The Software Updater updates outdated applications automatically. The Gaming Mode lets you enjoy your games without any interruption. Email Protection, Password Manager, and Rescue Disk are some of the other features that make Avast much better than Windows Defender when it comes to Security-Related features.
Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus: Resource Consumption
Every Antivirus should provide with real-time protection while consuming as fewer resources as possible. To find out which among Windows Defender and Avast Antivirus consumed fewer resources we’ll look at the tests conducted by AV-Comparatives.
Windows Defender
Avast Antivirus
As you can see both the Antiviruses have got similar performance scores. But it is worth noticing that these tests were conducted on Windows 10 OS. When tested on Windows 7 Avast received a performance score of 5/6 while Windows Defender got 4.5/6.
Avast has earned “ADVANCED+” Award from AV-Comparatives because of a very low impact rating of 8.9 while Windows Defender earned “STANDARD” rating due to a high impact score of 30.4.
These stats make it clear that Avast is much lighter than Windows Defender. It puts a lesser impact on system resources in comparison to Windows Defender.
Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus: Protection against threats
The threat-detecting mechanism of Windows Defender and Avast Antivirus are pretty similar. Both of them use the database of previously detected malware to detect known malware. In the case of Zero-day attacks both of them monitor and analyze the behavior of the file to see whether it is suspicious or not.
In recent AV-Tests conducted by AV-Comparatives, Windows Defender detected 99.5% of known malware in September and 99.9% malware in October. When it came to Zero-day malware Windows Desurprisinglyisingly detected 100% of the zero-day malware but in the next month, the number dropped to 96.3%. Windows Defender got a rating 5/6.
On the other hand, Avast Antivirus detected 100% of both Zero-day and known malware in both months. Due to this, Avast Antivirus got a rating of 6/6 from the AV-Comparatives security experts.
Hence, it’s clear that Avast is the winner when it comes to protecting your system against threats.
Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus: User-Interface
The Window Defender’s UI is much easier to navigate and grasp. It’s highly user-friendly and I found it really easy to operate.
Avast’s UI also looks pretty decent but when compared to Windows Defender I found it slightly complex. You will constantly see the “Upgrade to Premium” ads that are a little annoying.
So, according to me, Windows Defender has a much better and simpler UI than Avast.
Summary of Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus
- Features: Avast is a clear winner when it comes to features. Windows Defender comes with only basic features that every antivirus has whereas Avast Antivirus has advanced security-related features that are not present in Windows Defender.
- Resource Consumption: Again, Avast is a winner when it comes to Resource Consumption. Many tests have established the fact that Avast is much lighter on your PC in comparison to Windows Defender.
- Protection against malware: There is no doubt in this, Avast has a much better malware and virus detection mechanism than Windows Defender.
- User-Interface: Windows Defender has a better user-interface than Avast. It’s simple to navigate between various settings and features. Avast on the other side has a slightly complex user-interface.
Final Verdict!
After reading the above comparison it’s pretty clear that Avast Antivirus has got an edge over Windows Defender. So, that’s it for this Windows Defender vs Avast Antivirus comparison. I hope you found it informative. Stay tuned for more such posts and comparisons. Do let us know your views on this comparison by leaving a comment in the comments section. Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply