Avast Cleanup For Mac Review
Avast first became popular because of its antivirus software, but nowadays the company delivers so much more than just that and now has its own VPN, secure browser and registry cleaner. Avast Cleanup is its registry cleaner and the program’s several tools are divided into four areas: Maintenance, Speed Up, Free Up Space and Fix Problems. The Avast Cleanup Premium is a system optimization software that scans your PC or Mac, resolves performance issues, boosts your PC speed, and concedes disk storage by deleting junk files, and bloatware. The software is paid and some users find the price of Avast Cleanup Premium on the higher side. Avast clean up free download - Drive Genius, iFreeUp, Detox My Mac, and many more programs. Avast Cleanup Pro seems to be the Mac version of the Cleanup Premium app that is available for Windows users and is part of this new offering specifically developed for the growing market of Mac users that the company sees as an opportunity on which it can capitalize. Avast FREE Antivirus is a decent program for virus detection, though it has a lot of pop-ups that are distracting and cause some slowdown. When you’re playing games online, Avast’s gamer mode automatically kicks in and suspends several functions, including pop-up messages, so you’re not interrupted while playing. Avast Pro Review. Though far from perfect, Avast Pro is an antivirus solution that will suit well those who don't mind paying to keep themselves safe, but don't want to break the bank either just. Cleaning your Mac of junk data has never been easier: just download Avast Cleanup Pro for free and start scanning the machine. The software will scour your Mac and identify all files that can be safely deleted.
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by Macworld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Avast Security Pro for Mac
Learn moreAvast Free Mac Security
Learn more
The big friendly “You Are Protected” green checkmark on Avast Security Pro’s home screen is certainly a plausible statement. The software is a rare breath of fresh air in a sea of anti-virus products that haven’t worked hard enough to keep up to date with current threats, or haven’t updated the interface to meet modern expectations of presentation and usability.
Avast is danged good at catching malware. AV Comparables says Avast detected 99.9 percent of macOS malware and 100 percent of Windows malware. In spot testing, the app did splendidly. Immediately on decompression of macOS malware from an encrypted archive, Avast detected it, deleted it, and notified me. It did as well with malicious files on the web, though it didn’t detect some items at the WICAR test site that require active local components to be dangerous. Siccing it on drives loaded with other anti-virus products, Avast found test malware I’d downloaded that had wound up in cached files that the anti-virus software on those volumes missed.
Note: This review is part of our best antivirus roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.
Avast’s browser component, Web Shield, doesn’t seem to rely on plug-ins (there are none to configure), but uses the program’s kernel extension to check at a low level. It can be managed from the Avast app, and settings apply to all browsers.
If you’re interested in ransomware monitoring, you need to buy the Pro version ($59.99 for one year/one Mac; $69.99 for one year/three Macs; $99.99 for one year/10 Macs), which relies on folder-based ransomware monitoring. It marks the user Documents and Pictures folders as protected by default, and you can add more folders. By default, Avast allows any Apple and App Store apps to manipulate items in those folders, although you can disable those options. Any other app that tries to modify or delete anything in the shielded folders is blocked, giving you an option to whitelist it.
This is an effective way to protect most users’ critical files, but we prefer Sophos’s active monitoring approach, which looks for patterns of behavior and keeps files from being deleted than one that requires anointing folders. Still, it worked well in testing, and most users keep their most precious documents in a few locations. (Avast could expand the list to include a few more locations by default, too.)
Outside of core anti-virus features, the Pro version also offers a Wi-Fi Inspector. This is unique among anti-virus software we tested, and it looks for devices on a network engaged in malicious behavior. Other anti-virus software packaged with network monitors either whitelist local network activity, or treat it the same as any malicious Internet attacks. This seems aimed at helping users understand if they’ve joined a network, such as at a coffeeshop, that has compromised or attacking devices on it.
One negative is the soft but distinct upsell of Avast, which is sensible in its Free version, but not necessarily in a Pro. A Tools item on the lefthand navigation bar mostly displays other available products, like VPN service. A one-time message at installation might be acceptable, but mingling features and items for sale is too heavy-handed in a security product.
While you can create an account at Avast Software, it’s optional. Once created, you can use it to add machines to log in from the software for a computer to join the account. Unfortunately, the account provides no remote mangement or configuration, just reporting.
Bottom line
If you’re looking for a free anti-virus program, Avast is the best choice, edging out Sophos by providing more parity between free and paid version.
While we gave Sophos Home Premium and Avast Security Pro the same 4.5 mice rating, Sophos has a slight edge. The combination of active ransomware scanning makes it somewhat more superior to the folder-based method in Avast, while central configuration and remote control in Sophos can help for a disparate set of family or small-business users. We like Avast’s unique Wi-Fi threat detection, and its native app interface, where Sophos leans heavily on the cloud.
Version 13.4
Avast Security Pro for Mac
Learn moreAvast Free Mac Security
Learn more
With the overwhelming amount of firewall and VPN software out there, it can be difficult deciding which one to use. Plus, there are so many reports of various brands not performing up to par that people are worried about spending their money on inferior products. That’s why when someone asks if Avast Premium Cleanup is worth using, we provide a definitive answer!
What Is Avast Cleanup Premium?
Avast has become one of the biggest names in security protection for your computer. They also specialize in other services related to virtual private networks and the general maintenance of your home or business network. People are always looking for ways to speed up their computer to improve performance, and getting rid of junk data is a vital part of this process.
An easier way to think about it is that Avast Cleanup Premium is like a PC optimization tool. For speed and performance, security and privacy, or just general organization and efficiency, Avast Cleanup is designed to improve how your PC runs in a variety of ways.
How important is cleaning up old files?
While you often hear about the importance of performing regular computer maintenance, it isn’t necessarily going to be a saving grace. If your computer is running very slowly, the problem is probably going to be a lot deeper than just deleting a few gigabytes of old useless data. I can say this from experience.
How to temporarily disable avast for mac. ========================================== If you want to remove McFee totally (best solution) McAfee Removal Tool List of anti-malware program cleanup/uninstall tools ------------ Here is what I use and recommend: (These are all Free versions and very effective.) Avast and Prevx have proven extremely reliable and compatible with everything I have thrown at them. Use MSE and Prevx or Avast and Prevx however not all 3. Microsoft Security Essentials and Prevx have also proven to be very reliable and compatible. Avast Home Free - stop any shields you do not need except leave Standard, Web, and Network running. Prevx - Home - Free Windows Firewall Windows Defender (not needed if using MSE) IE - Protected Mode IE 8 - SmartScreen Filter ON (IE 7 Phishing Filter) I also have IE to always start with InPrivate Filter active if IE 8.
However, it’s still about as important and useful as cleaning up your own room. It may not give a major boost to your overall performance but it has its benefits and is generally considered a necessary habit overall.
The main benefit of cleaning up old files is clearing up more hard drive space. If you only have a couple hundred gigabytes to work with and are getting low on space, this could be helpful. Hard drive space only tends to affect performance and speed when there is very little space left on it. This makes it harder for your operating software to, well, operate. If you’re desperate to squeeze a little more space out of it, 2 to 4 gigs let’s say, then cleaning old files can give you a slight but noticeable boost.
Avast Cleanup Premium is very thorough, and will analyze and clean up various locations of your PC: old downloads, internet caches, temporary files, unused internet cookies, memory dumps, Chkdsk file fragments, and so many more. You may be surprised just how much data this all adds up to, especially if you haven’t cleaned up in a while.
People sometimes ask just how safe it is to clean up registry files, afraid that it might cause problems down the line. The short answer is that it is very safe. Avast has had a good reputation at staying away from vital system files, especially if you leave things at their default setting.
Is Avast Cleanup free?
No, unfortunately. There may be some confusion due to the wide variety of products Avast has available and the different free trials they offer. But this Avast Cleanup optimization tool comes at a cost.
There is a free trial period where you can test out all of the options the service has to offer. This grace period lasts 20 days and is a great opportunity to quickly clean your computer once free of charge. It can also be a good opportunity to scan your computer for any problems if you are suspicious of any software you’ve recently downloaded. Who knows what despicable malware may be currently lurking in some dark corner of your hard drive.
One year costs $49.99, two years cost $89.99 and three years cost $129.99. It’s not cheap, but Avast promises top notch security and maintenance features.
We recommend you take advantage of the free 20 day period and test out the features Avast Cleanup Premium has to offer and get a feel for their service. When people ask “is avast cleanup worth it” the answer is most certainly a yes for their free trial.
Avast Cleanup’s Features
You’re probably wondering what exactly it is about Avast Cleanup Premium that makes it such a great optimization tool. We’ve talked already in-depth about how it cleans up old files but if that were all it did, it wouldn’t be much of a PC optimization maintenance service.
Avast Download For Mac
The Sleep Mode function is capable of disabling any non-essential functions to help speed up your PC. There’s also the Disk Cleanup which sorts out your hard drive’s storage. Shortcut Cleaner cleans your desktop by removing any useless icons that you don’t use or simply lead to outdated data or software.
Avast Free Mac Security Review
And of course there’s the browser and registry cleaners that are designed to make your internet browser and OS run faster and more efficiently.
Their Bloatware Detector and Remover is not very effective, though. It does a poor job of recognizing a large variety of malware compared to other services and is by far the most disappointing feature of Avast Cleanup.
Is Avast Cleanup Premium worth the price?
Honestly – no, not really. While I do find the overall collection of tools to be mostly useful, they are more conveniences than they are necessities – overpriced conveniences, at that.
It’s not that the tools Avast offers are bad or ineffective. It’s more like they are just automated and scheduled versions of things you can fairly easily do on your own.
Learning how to perform check-ups and clean-ups manually for your computer is not rocket science. It’s much easier than it sounds. There are a variety of things you can do to make sure your computer is in decent shape. Learning how to operate Task Manager and check for any programs that are running at start-up is easy enough. Task Manager even tells you which programs take up low or high amounts of power upon turning on your PC.
Defragmenting your hard drive by right clicking on it in the “My Computer” file window is also fairly simple. It takes time but it re-organizes your computer so that files are easier to search and access by your OS, which could potentially speed things up.
I was also somewhat disappointed with some of Avast Cleanup Premium’s features. Many of them felt somewhat gimmicky and tacked on. The Sleep Mode and Disk Cleaner functions for example are just paid versions automatically checking Task Manager or your own hard drives. This is something that will take you literally seconds to fix on your own. The Registry and Browser cleanup functions are good, but 50 dollars a year is not worth it for that. You’ll be much better off either finding a cheaper service or learning how to do it yourself.
Editor's RatingBe the first to leave a review.
{{{ review.rating_title }}}