Avast vs Eset: Which Anti-Virus you should get in 2020?

Avast VS ESET

Have your shortlisted your pick for anti-virus programs to Avast and ESET and need outside assistance to help in pushing you in the right direction? Then you are in luck as we have designed a comparative analysis of Avast vs ESET anti-virus programs under several categories, which will clear all the confusion on which service to purchase.

Comparison Run-down:

You will be able to pick a better anti-virus program based on the categories mentioned below. This section is also for written keeping in mind the scarcity of time that some of our readers have to deal with:

• Pricing – ESET had more extensive pricing plans, and it offered more cross-platform support as compared to Avast, and it is why we gave the pricing round to ESET;
• Antivirus Protection Rating – Although ESET showed remarkable results when it came to detecting much newer versions of malware, it still was behind Avast. It is why we declared Avast Anti-Virus to be the winner of the protection round;
• Features – With additional security features like a VPN and data shredder, Avast was far above what ESET had to offer, and that is why it won the round;
• System-Performance Impact – Upon collecting the outcomes of the system performance, we found that both ESET and Avast showed almost identical results and thus, we considered this round to be a Tie;
• User Interface – Avast has a much better interface for the users of technical know-how, but ESET’s interface wasn’t at all bad and seemed pretty simple. It is why we considered both of them to be the winners of this round and declared the contest to be a Tie;
• Popularity – After Norton and McAfee, ESET anti-virus is the third most popular anti-virus program in the world as compared to Avast, which came in at fifth.
• Customer Support Service – Avast was unable to offer live chat and email support facility to the user as compared to ESET, which provided phone call utility to overcome its shortcomings in the limited live chat facility, that was available for users living in North America. It is why we gave this round to ESET.

We have also designed a rating table for you which features everything from ESET and Avast’s popularity comparison to their per device package prices:

Antivirus protection	10	9.9
System-performance impact	9.2	8.2
User interface	9	9.5
Popularity	10	5
Overall score	9.8	8.1
Discount for our readers	-20% Off	-20% Off
Pricing	From 39.57 / 3 devices for 1 year	From $39.99 / device for 1 year

Avast VS ESET – A Full Comparative Analysis

Over-reliance on free anti-virus programs such as Windows Defender can quickly turn out to be disastrous as they are not capable of dealing with much-advanced threats that could not only infect and delete the files stored in the PC but much adept at stealing personal information and data in the form of Ransomware. It is why owning a quality anti-virus program is the need of the hour for everyone who relies heavily on digital platforms such as electronic gadgets(PC/Smartphones), storage devices, and the internet.

But the issue takes a wild turn for the average consumer as they do not know which anti-virus is best for them in regards to aspects like pricing, protection, and performance, as there are countless service providers in the open market claiming to be the best. It is why we have arranged this article for you, where we will compare two of the most valuable and powerful anti-virus programs in the world – ESET and Avast. Stick with us through this proper comparative analysis and learn at the end about which service we think you should pick out of the two.

1. Pricing comparison between Eset and Avast

The budget of a person determines every facet of a person’s life as if you have enough; then, there is no point in reading such articles as one could easily pick the most expensive package of any software service to get online protection. But such cases are sporadic, and it is why we will discuss the different pricing plans of Avast and ESET and how much they vary when you wish to get a multi-device package. We will also explain which service is better than the other in terms of affordability.

ESET’s Plan:

Much like other reliable anti-virus services in the world, ESET also hands out a 30-day free trial to potential users to test their product and premium features for free, without offering any commitment through a credit card. This enables the average user to make the decision for themselves on whether to spend money on the product or now.

eset products

Here are some of the pricing plan that ESET anti-virus service has to offer across various platforms along with multi-device coverage through one account:

ESET Nod32 Antivirus provides full protection against hackers and malware across the Windows PC.

• 1-year plan for 1 device for $39.99/year.
• You can also use the service on as much as 5 devices for $79.99/year;
• 2-year plan across one device for $59.99/year and 5-devices for $119.99/year;
• 3-year plan across a single platform for $79.98/year and across 5-devices at $159.98/year

Eset Internet Security, you can get the best and more secure online shopping and banking experience for $49.99/year and $139.99/year if you wish to use the account on 10 Windows computers;

• 2-year plan across 1 device for $79.99/year and 10-devices for $214.99/year;
• 3-year plan across 1 device for $109.98/year and across 10-devices at $289.98/year;

Eset Smart Security Premium is available for Windows, Mac, and Android users with a single license at the cost of $59.99/year and for $149.99/year on a maximum of 10 platforms;

• 2-year plan across one device for $99.99/year and 10-devices for $234.99/year;
• 3-year plan across one platform for $139.98/year and across 10-devices at $319.98/year;

Eset Cyber Security Pro – Advanced protection for Mac-based devices is available for $59.99/year and $149.99/year on as much as 10 platforms;

• 2-year plan across one device for $99.99/year and 10-devices for $234.99/year;
• 3-year plan across one platform for $139.98/year and across 10-devices at $319.98/year;

ESET’s Parental Control feature allows you to manage the content that your child watches on the internet, and it is available for free as well as for the cost of $29.99/year and $59.98/year on a single device;

Eset Cyber Security – If you wish to protect your Mac computer from malware and online phishing attempts, then you might as well consider using the it for $39.99/year on a single computer and for $129.99/year across 10 macOS systems;

• 2-year Package across one device for $59.99/year and 10-devices for $194.99/year;
• 3-year offer across one platform for $79.98/year and across 10-devices at $259.98/year;

ESET Mobile Security for Android, helps to keep your smartphone protected for $14.99/year. If you wish to share your account among friends, then you can use it on a maximum of 5 Android phones for $74.95/year;

• 2-year Package across one device for $22.49/year and 5-devices for $112.45/year;
• 3-year offer across one platform for $29.98/year and across 5-devices at $149.90/year;

Software comparison:

	ESET NOD32 Antivirus	ESET Internet Security	ESET Smart Security Premium
Antivirus and Antispyware	✔	✔	✔
Anti-Phishing	✔	✔	✔
Gamer Mode	✔	✔	✔
Exploit Blocker	✔	✔	✔
UEFI Scanner	✔	✔	✔
Cloud-Powered Scanning	✔	✔	✔
Small System Footprint	✔	✔	✔
Script-Based Attack Protection	✔	✔	✔
Ransomware Shield	✔	✔	✔
Free Support in Local Language	✔	✔	✔
License Manager	✔	✔	✔
Banking and Payment Protection	✗	✔	✔
Personal Firewall	✗	✔	✔
Antispam	✗	✔	✔
Network Attack Protection	✗	✔	✔
Botnet Protection	✗	✔	✔
Parental Control	✗	✔	✔
Webcam Protection	✗	✔	✔
Connected Home Monitor	✗	✔	✔
Anti-Theft (Windows only feature)	✗	✔	✔
Password Manager	✗	✗	✔
Secure Data	✗	✗	✔

Avast’s Pricing Plan

Among the best multi-tasking service provider, Avast is widely considered to be the best anti-virus in the world due to its coverage across multiple platforms and a beneficial free usage plan for those individuals who are unable to spend a hefty amount on an anti-virus.

From a VPN to a conventional malware killer, Avast does it all, and we will discuss all of its packages in this section:

• Avast Free Version – One of the most useful free ant-virus package in the world that is available on both Windows and macOS and can be used across multiple devices, without any limit
• Premium Security (For 1 PC) – It is only available for the users of the Windows operating system at the price of $55.99 1 PC/1 year
• The Multi-Device Premium Security – Avast offers coverage on a maximum of 10 devices(Windows PC, macOS, Android, and iOS) for $71.99/year
• Avast’s SecureLine VPN – It gives a secure online experience on as many as 5 different cross-platform devices(Windows PC, macOS, Android, and iOS) at the cost of $63.99;
• Avast Security for Mac – This package is available for $47.99/year across one Mac computer;
• Avast Ultimate – This plan is not only loaded with additional features but also wallet-friendly, and you can get it instantly for the cost of $79.99/year on 1-device(Windows, Android) at a time;
• Avast Cleanup Premium – This package is available for usage on Windows PC, which cleans up the whole computer and make it feel like new. You can get it for $47.99/year.

Software comparison:

It was a fierce battle between the two juggernauts in the game of the best anti-virus for all users. Avast had more packages across platforms, but they were a tad expensive. The fact that ESET was able to provide the same packages across multiple devices, make it the winner of the pricing round.

Price Winner: ESET Anti-Virus.

2. Virus and malware protection Rating between Avast and Eset

The greatness of an anti-virus program is determined by its ability to detect the latest and relatively unknown malware/ransomware, Trojan horses, and worm, with full proficiency from every possible platform such as external storage devices such as a USB and email messages containing the infected attachment. With our Real-World screening methods and other similar tests, we ran both ESET and Avast on our computers and analyzed their behavior upon releasing the latest malware on the device, along with sending numerous emails as well. You will be able to see the results in the section below:

Avast’s Protection Policy:

We used more than 300 samples in our real-world lab test and found that Avast was capable of acting vigilantly, almost instantly, without the virus causing any damage to the computer system that was used in the experiment. Other than a few false alarms, Avast detected all of the 30,000 latest viruses that were made to attack the PC, and Avast was able to move all of them to the quarantine zone. It is why Avast scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in protection against new viruses.

ESET’s Protection Policy:

In the protection from new and more vicious, ESET showed excellent results and scored the highest maximum grade. But, when it came to detection 0-day malware attacks from spam emails and other files, there was a slight glitch in performance, and ESET showed an efficiency of 98.9% as compared to its previous rating of 99.3%. It is why we had to give a protection rating of 9/10.

While taking nothing away from ESET and its brilliant performance in detecting the latest versions of malware, It is evident with the table we designed for you about how Avast is way better than ESET in providing flawless protection against spam email and 0-day malware. For this fact, the winner of this round is Avast.

Protection Winner: Avast Anti-Virus

3. Let's compare Avast vs Eset on the impact of the system-Performance

Although we should expect that software such as an anti-virus program can put some kind of pressure on the machinery that we use it on, but it doesn’t mean we have to stop using our device every time we run a virus scan in the background, due to the anti-virus’s severe impact on the PC’s performance. We put the system through several scenarios where we opened high-functioning URLs, installed new apps, opened them, and copied files from one point to another, all the while the anti-virus was running in the background. We recorded the results against both ESET and Avast, which you will be able to check in the section below:

Avast’s Performance:

Avast scored a brilliant 9 out of 10 and had very little effect on the performance of the system when we opened as much as 50 different websites on it and copied more than 5000 media files from one place to another.

System-performance
Impact on the PC while launching the most used or popular websites (industry average – 14%)	27%
Sluggish downloading of frequently-used applications (industry average – 1%)	1%
While opening a standard software program (industry average – 13%)	15%
Sluggish installation of frequently-used programs (industry average – 18%)	22%
Slower copying of files (industry average – 3%)	2%
Overall rating	9.9

ESET's Performance:

The same was with ESET, as we found nothing negative on the performance of the PC other than a few expected latency issues. We ran the same test as mentioned above and recorded pretty much the similar scores to Avast, and it is the reason why ESET also got 9.0 out of 10 in system performance.

System-performance
Impact on the PC while launching the most used or popular websites (industry average – 14%)	16%
Sluggish downloading of frequently-used applications (industry average – 1%)	3%
While opening a standard software program (industry average – 13%)	4%
Sluggish installation of frequently-used programs (industry average – 18%)	35%
Slower copying of files (industry average – 3%)	1%
Overall rating	9

After giving similar scores to both ESET and Avast, we needed to consider the round of system performance to be a winner – Avast.

Winner: Avast

System-performance
Impact on the PC while launching the most used or popular websites (industry average – 14%)	27%	16%
Sluggish downloading of frequently-used applications (industry average – 1%)	1%	3%
While opening a standard software program (industry average – 13%)	15%	4%
Sluggish installation of frequently-used programs (industry average – 18%)	22%	35%
Slower copying of files (industry average – 3%)	2%	1%
Overall rating	9.9	9

4. The antivirus software features of Avast and Eset

An anti-virus program without any feature is just like a human body without a soul. They are the center and unique selling points of the anti-virus software, the more, the better. Vendors tend to give much more than in their product than the ability to detect and delete a virus, and in this section of comparative analysis, we will talk about the various features of ESET and Avast. It will help us in determining the eventual winner of two.

Features of ESET:

From offering protection to the user from every type of spyware/ransomware/malware to features like the password manager, ESET has it all. We will show you some of the additional features that come with its best plan the ESET Smart Security Premium:

• Antispyware and Malware blocker;
• Antispam and Personal firewall;
• Password manager;
• Anti-theft;
• Botnet and DDoS protection;
• Webcam protection;
• Banking and payment protection;
• Parental control;
• Feature such as the Password Manager is not available for other plans of the ESET anti-virus software.

Features of Avast:

Avast offers pretty much the same features as ESET to respond to any level of virus threat that may cause damage to the data inside the PC. In addition to that, Avast has a top-notch VPN service that has the full proficiency to bypass geo-restrictions and internet throttling, while giving the user the total freedom to torrent any content they want. Some additional features are listed below:

• Virus-Detection that kills every known malware in the world;
• The Secure Line VPN, which is capable of opening restricted sites while maintaining the user’s online anonymity;
• The Sandbox feature allows the user to open ill-conceived sites in a safe mode where the device is protected from every kind of virus;
• The Data Shredder function will nullify the ability of recovery apps to retrieve deleted data without your consent;
• Open Wi-Fi Protection which disables any level of phishing attempts and grants a safe passageway in an open area Wi-Fi network;
• The Password Manager feature keeps a record of your login credentials from your social media accounts to your banking information.

ESET has all the essential functions that an average user needs to ensure proper safety from virus threats 24/7, but that was all. Avast, on the other end, not only offers more security features such as the data shredder and sandbox, but it also has a well-regarded VPN facility, that provides an extra layer of security for users who love to visit less secure websites for the purpose of torrenting and other things.

Winner: Avast Anti-Virus.

5. Who can provide better customer support service Eset or Avast?

An excellent customer support service clearly indicates how serious a business is on improving the products and understanding the underlying issues of regular consumers. In this section of our thorough comparative analysis, we will discuss some of the facilities provided by ESET and Avast and how one is better than the other.

ESET’s Customer Support Service:

When you click on the support option from the official website of ESET, you will see a pop-up list with options like Live chat, email support, knowledgebase, and guides. However, the live chat facility is not available 24/7, and the experts only cater to users living in the North American region(The US, Canada, Mexico). If you are a customer living outside the mentioned zone, then ESET offers you the option to contact the local partner through a phone number cited on the site.

The knowledgebase and user-guide section are filled with informative FAQs for users of every platform(Win, macOS, Android, and Linux). ESET also provides a community forum for users of different to interact with each other, along with a dedicated Youtube channel containing several video tutorials.

Avast Antivirus’s Customer Support Service:

Upon entering the support section on the Avast website, you will see a lineup of all anti-virus plans, VPN, and other features. By clicking on those options, Avast allows you to open their FAQs, without wasting any time directly.

Other than that, you can other guides to learn the techniques to enable package renewals, billings, refund requests, and installation. Unfortunately, Avast does not offer any technical assistance through a live chat, which is a big negative.

However, the vigilant public forum is filled with useful information from individuals of every walk of life, which makes things a bit more convenient for someone in need of assistance.

This round goes to ESET, much due to the fact that it had an email support system and a much more useful yet limited live chat feature, which Avast was unable to give to its users. The community forum and an informative Youtube channel was also the deciding factor in our decision-making process.

Winner: ESET Anti-Virus.

6. Is Avast more popular then Eset?

According to the December 2019 report, through a survey conducted by the independent cybersecurity firm OPSWAT, ESET became the third place holder of the anti-virus program with the most significant share of the consumer market with a score of 12.85%. While Avast’s position dropped quite a bit as compared to the earlier reports as it only scored 9.09% and was left on the fifth spot.

Ranking Anti-Virus Programs Market Shares

Manufacturer/Brand	Market share
	13.67%
	12.94%
	12.98%
	10.06%
	9.09%
	7.45%
	6.4%
	4.68%
Cylance Inc.	4.19%
Trend Micro	3.67%
Other	15%

Winner: ESET Anti-Virus.

7. Which antivirus software has a better user interface: Avast or Eset?

User-friendliness of the interface is key in increasing the sales of the product among the average user. The vendors need to make their app easy and accessible so that the average consumer wouldn’t need to consult the customer care representative with every small issue. In this section, we will talk about the different aspects of both ESET and Avast’s interface and see which of them impressed us the most.

Avast’s Interface

Avast used to cause severe irritation with its pop-up notification regarding virus detection to such a point that its sales numbers dropped. But it designer later realized the fundamental flaw with the interface and fixed it with a “Do Not Disturb” mode, which allows the anti-virus to do its job silently and not disturb the user when they are occupied elsewhere. Other than that, Avast has an intuitive interface, with a white and dark bluish layout that feels quite elegant. You can click on the option to Scan the PC for viruses right in the middle. However, if you use the free version of Avast, there would get always annoyed with a barrage of ads that will be popping up on the dashboard, more often then not, until you finally cave in and upgrade to one of its premium plans.

ESET’s Interface

ESET interface follows the old school route with a color combination of white and yellow with icon laced with the color blue. On the left, there is a vertical list of options, including Home, Computer Scan, Tools, Setup, and Support, which enables you to access the utility you require from ESET upon opening the app. Unlike most anti-virus apps, ESET allows you to drag and drop suspicious files straight to its dashboard and run a scan over it for any potential virus threat. However, the interface seemed a bit boring to our liking, but it is highly recommended for users who possess very little know-how to operate an anti-virus program

In terms of comparing both the interfaces of ESET and Avast, we found them to be quite alike and made the decision to make this contest a tie.

Winner: Tie

Final Thoughts

Although ESET showed promise in the feature comparison and gave a much more affordable pricing plan as compared to Avast, it still wasn’t good enough to match the level of competency that Avast showed. Avast had better preparation against more advanced forms of malware and detected almost every threat every time, and its pricing plan was not so bad, not to mention an excellent free version that ESET failed to provide to its users, along with all the extra utilities such as a VPN.

Upon careful consideration and checking the complete comparison, we came to the conclusion that Avast was the superior anti-virus program, though it still has a long way to go in terms of surpassing the likes of BitDefender and McAfee.

Antivirus protection	10	9.9
System-performance impact	9.2	8.2
User interface	9	9.5
Popularity	10	5
Overall score	9.8	8.1
Discount for our readers	-20% Off	-20% Off
Pricing	From 39.57 / 3 devices for 1 year	From $39.99 / device for 1 year

The Implications of Using a Free Anti-Virus Program

While the saying is valid that “Something is better than nothing” and a free anti-virus still offers some kind of protection against online virus threats than the likes of Window defender, but it is wise to purchase a fully equipped anti-virus program. It is because the free version of anti-virus does not operate at full efficiency and shows disadvantages like:

• Lack of broad protection with no firewall;
• Constant ads ruining your routine work on the system;
• A mediocre scanning performance with the anti-virus constantly bypassing infected files;
• The virus scanning will take too long and may put a substantial impact on the system’s performance;

No added features to enhance protection such as a VPN, password manager, and anti-theft.

We are stressing upon this notion based on the eye-opening stats that in 2019 alone, there were more than a billion virus attacks on the servers and computers of the average users and businesses. So, it is better to purchase the service rather than using a free version.