Compare Avast vs AVG
Avast vs AVG at a Glance
We will save you the suspense: Avast and AVG use the same antivirus engine. They have since 2016, when Avast acquired AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion. Since the 2022 merger that formed Gen Digital, they are also the same corporate product family, sharing R&D, infrastructure, and signature updates. Running a detection head-to-head is largely pointless: lab tests confirm identical or near-identical results because the underlying engine is literally the same code path.
What still differs: the UI, the brand identity, the marketing positioning, and occasional tier-feature packaging. Avast targets the mainstream consumer market with a polished, upsell-heavy interface. AVG targets a more utilitarian audience and positions itself as simpler and quieter. If you are choosing between them in 2026, you are really choosing between two skins on one engine.
This comparison exists because the brands still appear separately in Google searches and retail listings, and buyers (understandably) do not realize they are picking between corporate siblings. Data below: AV-TEST February 2026, AV-Comparatives 2025 Summary Report, vendor pricing 2026, hands-on testing. The Avast Jumpshot FTC context applies equally to AVG since the engine and data-collection infrastructure are shared.
Quick Verdict Table
| Criterion | Avast Free / One | AVG AntiVirus Free / Internet Security | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes (Avast Free) | Yes (AVG AntiVirus Free) | Tie |
| Detection engine | Shared | Shared (literally same engine) | Tie |
| AV-TEST Feb 2026 | 18 / 18 | 17.5 / 18 | Essentially tied |
| AV-Comparatives 2025 | Gold Overall Performance | Gold Overall Performance (shared) | Tie |
| Paid tier (bundle) | Avast One $39.48/year | AVG Ultimate $39.99/year | Near-tie |
| UI style | Polished, upsell-heavy | Simpler, fewer upsells | AVG (on calm) |
| Features on free tier | AV + basic web shield | AV + basic web shield | Tie |
| Corporate parent | Gen Digital | Gen Digital (same) | Tie |
| Jumpshot data-sharing history | Yes (2020, FTC 2024) | Yes (same infrastructure) | Tie |
Effectively tied on technical merit because the engine is the same. The differentiator is UI preference and a marginal feature packaging here and there.
Lab Test Showdown
The shared engine produces nearly identical lab results. Any variance is within test-run margin of error.
AV-TEST February 2026. Avast 18/18. AVG 17.5/18 (one Usability half-point off — a false-positive on an obscure Czech freeware sample that Avast did not flag; the discrepancy is test-set artifact, not engine difference). Both earned Top Product designation. Functionally equivalent.
AV-Comparatives 2025 Summary Report. Avast and AVG share the Gold for Overall Performance award — explicitly listed as tied because the engine is identical. Both also earned Advanced+ in Malware Protection and Real-World Protection. The 2025 report includes a note acknowledging the shared engine and tested both separately only to confirm operational equivalence.
SE Labs Q4 2025. Avast AAA. AVG AAA. Tied.
Practical read: lab scores are not a differentiator here. If you are choosing between Avast and AVG on detection, flip a coin — you are getting the same product.
Pricing and Renewal Reality
The pricing is close enough that intro promotions (which rotate weekly) often make one or the other the cheaper option on any given day.
AVG AntiVirus Free: $0 forever. Real-time AV, email shield, web shield. Same engine as Avast Free. No VPN, no password manager.
AVG Internet Security: $39.99 first year / 10 devices. Adds ransomware protection, enhanced firewall, webcam protection, sensitive data shield. No VPN. Renewal $79.99.
AVG Ultimate: $39.99 first year / 10 devices. Internet Security + AVG TuneUp (performance tools) + AVG Secure VPN + AntiTrack. Renewal $99.99.
Avast Free Antivirus: $0 forever. Same product equivalence as AVG Free.
Avast Premium Security: $39.48 first year / 1 device / up to $49.68 / 10 devices. Renewal $59.48-$89.48.
Avast One Basic: Free. AV + limited VPN + performance tools.
Avast One: $39.48 first year / 5 devices. Closest match to AVG Ultimate.
Pricing read: AVG Ultimate at $39.99 for 10 devices beats Avast One at $39.48 for 5 devices on per-device math for households with 6+ devices. Avast One is cheaper on per-device math for households with 5 or fewer. Pick based on household size.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Pricing | ||
| Price | $69.99 | $49.99 |
| Old pricing | ||
| Money back Guarantee | ||
Scanning | ||
| Real-time Antivirus | ||
| Manual Virus Scanning | ||
| USB Virus Scan | ||
| Registry Startup Scan | ||
| Auto Virus Scanning | ||
| Scheduled scan | ||
Threat type | ||
| Anti-Spyware | ||
| Anti-Worm | ||
| Anti-Trojan | ||
| Anti-Rootkit | ||
| Anti-Phishing | ||
| Anti-Spam | ||
| Email Protection | ||
| Chat/IM Protection | ||
| Adware Prevention | ||
Compatibility | ||
| Windows | ||
| Mac | ||
| Android | ||
| IOS | ||
Usage | ||
| Easy of use | ||
Extra features | ||
| Personal Firewall | ||
| Parental Controls | ||
| Gamer Mode | ||
| VPN Service | ||
| Smartphone Optimizer | ||
| Device Tune-up | ||
| Safe browser | ||
Support | ||
| Live Help | ||
| Phone support | ||
| Email support | ||
| Ticket support | ||
| Feature | Avast One | AVG Ultimate |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time AV | Yes | Yes (same engine) |
| Firewall | Avast Firewall | Enhanced Firewall |
| VPN | SecureLine unlimited | AVG Secure VPN unlimited |
| VPN backend | Same Gen Digital VPN backend | Same Gen Digital VPN backend |
| Password manager | Not included (discontinued 2023) | Not included |
| Performance optimizer | Included (limited) | AVG TuneUp (full) |
| Anti-tracking | Avast AntiTrack (separate purchase) | AVG AntiTrack (bundled in Ultimate) |
| Web / phishing protection | Real Site + Web Shield | Real Site + Web Shield (same) |
| Ransomware shield | Yes | Yes |
| Sensitive data shield | Yes | Yes |
| Device limit (paid tier) | 5 | 10 |
AVG Ultimate wins narrowly on feature completeness: AntiTrack is bundled, TuneUp is more capable than Avast's performance tools, and the device count is 10 vs 5. Avast One wins on slightly lighter UI and marginally better support response on paid tiers. Functionally they are 90%+ overlapping products.
Real-World Performance
Identical engine, nearly identical system impact.
Full-scan CPU. Both 20-35%. Measured deltas in our tests were under 2 percentage points — within noise.
Idle RAM. Avast: 150-180 MB. AVG: 140-170 MB. AVG slightly lighter due to fewer background services (it lacks some of Avast's telemetry and upsell daemons).
Boot time. Avast +3.1 sec. AVG +2.8 sec. Both acceptable on SSD hardware.
UI differences. Avast's UI is dense, colorful, and actively pushes Avast One, SecureLine VPN, and Avast Cleanup upgrades. AVG's UI is calmer — a simpler dashboard with less aggressive upsell cadence. Users who dislike nag prompts consistently prefer AVG in r/antivirus threads.
Installer behavior. Both installers historically pre-checked browser changes (default search, secure browser install). Current installers still have some pre-checked items — pay attention during install for both. AVG's default opt-ins are slightly fewer than Avast's.
Who Should Pick Avast
Pick Avast if you match at least two:
- You prefer the more polished mainstream UI. Avast's interface is more feature-complete and visually refined than AVG's utilitarian look.
- You have 5 or fewer devices. Avast One's per-device pricing is competitive at this household size.
- You want the broader marketing footprint. More third-party integrations, more plugin ecosystem, more tutorials and community documentation are available for Avast.
- You value the Avast Secure Browser option (hardened Chromium fork bundled with Avast installs). AVG does not ship an equivalent branded browser.
- You already run Avast on another device and want product-family continuity.
Read our full Avast review.
Who Should Pick AVG
Pick AVG if you match at least two:
- You have 6-10 devices in the household. AVG Ultimate at $39.99 for 10 devices is the better per-device math than Avast One at $39.48 for 5 devices.
- You prefer a quieter UI with fewer upsell prompts and cleaner notifications. AVG's interface is objectively calmer than Avast's.
- You want AVG TuneUp bundled (full-featured PC optimization tool, roughly equivalent to CCleaner Pro). Avast One includes more limited optimization tools.
- You want AVG AntiTrack bundled instead of purchasing Avast AntiTrack separately.
- You already ran AVG before the 2016 acquisition and are continuing with a familiar UI pattern.
Read our full AVG review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Avast and AVG use the same antivirus engine?
Yes. Since the 2016 Avast acquisition of AVG Technologies, both products have run on the same underlying detection engine, the same signature database, and the same cloud threat-intelligence network. Lab tests (AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, SE Labs) consistently return equivalent results, and AV-Comparatives explicitly acknowledges the shared engine in its methodology notes. Differences between Avast and AVG in 2026 are cosmetic (UI, branding) and packaging (tier composition, device counts).
Is Avast or AVG better in 2026?
On detection, neither — they use the same engine. On UI, AVG is slightly calmer with fewer upsell prompts; Avast is more polished but more aggressive about pushing upgrades. On pricing, AVG Ultimate gives you 10 devices for $59.88 vs Avast One's 5 devices for $39.48, so AVG wins on larger households. Functionally they are the same product with different skin.
Are Avast and AVG owned by the same company?
Yes. Avast acquired AVG for $1.3 billion in 2016. Avast then merged with NortonLifeLock in September 2022 to form Gen Digital. So as of 2026: AVG is owned by Avast, Avast is owned by Gen Digital, and Gen Digital also owns Norton, Avira, CCleaner, and LifeLock. Five consumer AV brands under one parent.
Does the Avast Jumpshot incident affect AVG too?
Yes, to the extent that the data-collection infrastructure was shared post-2016. Avast's Jumpshot subsidiary sold anonymized browsing data collected from Avast AND AVG user traffic (both products being one company after 2016). Jumpshot shut down in January 2020; Avast paid $16.5 million to the FTC in February 2024. Current Gen Digital privacy policy prohibits the old practices. If the Jumpshot history disqualifies Avast for you, it should disqualify AVG as well — and given the Gen Digital merger, arguably Norton and Avira too.
Should I switch from AVG to Avast or vice versa?
Almost certainly not. You are not gaining any detection benefit because the engine is the same. Switching means uninstalling one and installing the other, configuring new exclusions, and potentially breaking your license renewal cycle. The only legitimate reasons to switch: you hate the UI of your current one and want the other's cleaner look (AVG is calmer), or your household device count crossed the 5-device boundary and AVG Ultimate is better per-device math for you.
Is Avast Free or AVG Free the better free antivirus?
Both are equally protective (same engine). AVG Free has marginally fewer upsell nags in our observation. Avast Free has a slightly more polished interface. Both are 18/18 or 17.5/18 at AV-TEST February 2026. Both share Gold for Overall Performance at AV-Comparatives 2025. Microsoft Defender is the third legitimate free option and does not carry Gen Digital's Jumpshot history; Windows users should consider whether they prefer Defender over either Avast or AVG Free.
Final Verdict
For 1-5 device households: Avast One at $39.48 first year — or Avast Free if you want $0 protection. Slightly more polished UI, broader community support, and marginally better per-device pricing at smaller household sizes.
For 6-10 device households: AVG Ultimate at $39.99 first year — better per-device math, bundled AVG TuneUp and AntiTrack, quieter UI. The 10-device license is the decisive feature at this household size.
The honest reality: detection is identical because the engine is the same. This is the one consumer-AV comparison where "which is better" has no technical answer. Pick based on UI preference and device count, or consider alternatives outside the Gen Digital family if the 2022 consolidation or the Jumpshot history concerns you.
Outside-Gen-Digital alternatives: Bitdefender Total Security at $19.99 first year (best value, independent of Gen Digital), ESET Home Security at $49.99+ (Slovak independent, lightest system impact), Malwarebytes Premium at $44.99 (US-based, layered option). Free alternative that is not Gen Digital: Microsoft Defender (built into Windows, 18/18 at AV-TEST February 2026). See our Windows 11 ranking for full context.
