Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a.
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VERY GOOD
Avast is an excellent – and free – solution for Android. We would choose a different option on Windows or Mac.
Refund Policy: 30 days
Customer Support: 24/7 Free
Protected Devices: 1 – 5
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
- Excellent protection for all devices: Avast scores well in the independent test labs, making it a safe choice to protect you from online threats.
- Great, and free, protection for Android: Although we would not recommend Avast’s free solution for Windows, for Android it’s great.
- Exceptional user reviews: Avast has more than 5 million user reviews in the Google Play Store, giving it an average score of 9.1.
The Bad
- Will slow down your MacBook: Avast did not do well on the tests for Mac, influencing the operating speed significantly.
- Expensive: If you want the full protection for Windows, it comes at a price. There are better and more affordable options, such as BitDefender.
Avast
Avast Internet Security 2019: Full Review
Below you can find the full review, test methods, and data sources
How We Test
Using the best antivirus to protect yourself online is crucial.
To know whether Avast Internet Security 2019 is for you, we have analyzed it in detail according to 6 categories. As all of them are important, but not equal, they each have a different impact on the final score.
In the graph below you can see each category, and the impact it has on Avast’s final score. If you don’t know what the categories mean, keep reading. We explain each in detail, tell you how Avast scored, and which data sources we have used.
- Protection from Malware50%50%
- Impact on Performance15%15%
- Devices & Features10%10%
- User Reviews10%10%
- Value for Money10%10%
- False Positives5%5%
Tibor Moes
Technology analyst
Tech enthusiast and founder of SoftwareLab. He has degrees in Engineering and Business, and has been active in the analysis of software, electronics and digital services since 2013.
The Good: Avast has excellent protection scores in the tests, scoring ahead of the industry average on Windows 10, Mac, and Android. Great!
The Bad: Nothing.
What is a protection test?
The independent test labs, AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, analyze the best antivirus software several times per year. One of the categories they
In this test, the antivirus programs are subjected to a range of challenges that test their entire range of security features. These features can be divided into three segments:
1. Protection from known malware
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Known malware
You can imagine this digital signature as the fingerprint of a burglar. It is unique to the
On your device, the antivirus frequently runs system checks. During such a check, it scans for digital signatures to see if there are any malware infections.
This method is the most straightforward of the 3 security segments. It is called signature-based detection, but also often called virus scanning.
2. Protection from unknown malware
More complex
Here, a different strategy comes into play. The antivirus
Imagine suspicious behavior as anything a normal program wouldn’t do. For instance, rapid file replication across a network, file deletion, or the hiding of specific files.
When an antivirus discovers such behavior, it flags the program executing it as potential malware. It then moves the malware to a safe environment, called a sandbox, where it can securely analyze the program without it being able to cause damage.
3. Protection from user-focused threats
More an more cybercriminals target users directly these days. You have probably been targeted yourself. Common examples are:
Phishing scams. Imagine an email arrives in your inbox. It says “urgent, verification required”. It seems to come from PayPal, and it requests you to verify your login details. In truth, however, the email comes from a cybercriminal attempting to trick you into handing over your login details.
As these type of attacks are not classical malware threats, antivirus had to evolve their protection methods. These days, they include many advanced features such as anti-phishing, spam filters, wifi scanners, web advisors, and many more.
Avast 2019: Windows 10 protection score
Avast scores a 9.4 in the protection tests for Windows 10. This places it ahead of the industry average, including McAfee, BullGuard, and Panda. But it still falls behind Norton and BitDefender, who both have a perfect score.
Avast 2019: Mac protection score
Avast, just like BitDefender and Norton, scores perfect antivirus test scores for Mac.
Avast 2019: Android protection score
Avast scores excellently on Android as well. Easily surpassing the industry average, and falling online slightly behind Norton and BitDefender, who achieved a perfect score.
Navigate this page
- Avast Review
Done reading?
Avast Security is a free antivirus that stops malware & finds Wi-Fi security weaknesses. Free Download! In order to view this page correctly, you must have a JavaScript-enabled browser and have JavaScript turned on. https://golluna.netlify.app/avast-antivirus-pro-for-mac.html. Besides the free version of Mac antivirus, there is also a premium one called Avast Security Pro for Mac. The pro version offers two extra features The pro version offers two extra features Wi-Fi Alerts – This feature will immediately notify you if someone connects to your Wi-Fi network.
Visit Avast for a unique SoftwareLab discount.
The Good: Avast scores around the industry average on Windows 10. Meaning it only has a small speed impact and can be safely used.
The Bad: The same cannot be said for Mac, however. Here Avast has a significant speed penalty.
What is a performance test?
To keep you safe, antivirus
However, in some cases, antivirus software require too many resources to do their job well. It can then have a severe negative speed impact.
The independent test labs analyze the antivirus software for their speed impact on Windows and Mac.
Avast 2019: Windows 10 performance score
Avast does fairly well on Windows 10, having only a limited performance impact. It still falls behind BitDefender and McAfee though, which both require
Avast 2019: Mac performance score
There is no way around saying it: Avast should not be used on MacBooks. The performance impact is simply too great. In both Mac tests by AV-Test since January 2017, Avast had a significant speed impact on Apple’s operating software.
The Good: Avast offers a complete security solution for Windows and Android. On Windows, we would definitely recommend the paid versions. On Android, the free one is all there is, and it is really good.
The Bad: Protection for Mac is limited, but not bad. Before installing it though, keep in mind that Avast for Mac has a terrible performance impact.
What is a supported devices test?
We analyze the supported operating software and the security features offered on each. We also compare this to the other antivirus to see which offer the best protection per device. Avast security for mac download.
A note on iOS:
Not all antivirus create an antivirus app for iOS.
Although it is true that iOS is a safer platform than Windows, Mac, and Android, users could still benefit from a security solution that offers them anti-theft, a VPN, a web advisor, and perhaps some parental controls.
Avast 2019: Devices and features score
AV-Test and AV-Comparatives both measure the number of false positives the antivirus software have across the various operating software. Avast 2019: Windows 10 false positives score Avast does well on Windows 10, scoring ahead, and And slightly behind. What is a false positive test? It is nothing to worry about, but can be annoying when it happens frequently. When an antivirus program mistakes regular software for malware, this is called a false positive. Avast for mac does not complete virus.
Avast is a little different than most antivirus providers, as it offers its basic antivirus for free. Outside of that difference though, it follows the same formula as the rest: Extensive security features for Windows, several for Android, a few for Mac, and almost none for iOS.
For Windows 10, Avast’s free version offers its antivirus software, password manager, and wifi security advisor. The paid versions add anti-ransomware, anti-phishing, a firewall, sandbox, file shredder, webcam protection, and a VPN on top.
Overall, the paid versions are definitely worth the upgrade from the free version. Although we would opt for BitDefender as it offers better protection for Windows at a lower price.
For Mac, Avast offers antivirus, wifi protection, and anti-phishing. All for free. Pay a bit extra, and it adds anti-ransomware on top. It should be said though, that Avast has such a big speed penalty on Macbook’s that we don’t recommend using it here.
For Android, its app is for free and a very complete security solution. It comes with antivirus, anti-theft, app-lock, VPN, and wifi speed check. It sadly didn’t have the same protection scores as Norton and BitDefender, but hey, it’s free…
For iOS, there is no antivirus available. However, Avast does offer its standalone VPN and password manager.
The Good: Avast knocks it out the park. Over 5 million reviews ( 5 million ! ) rate it with a 9.1 in the Google Play Store. That is incredible.
The Bad: Nothing
What is a user review test?
User reviews play an important role when selecting a product. Sadly, however, they have also become a marketing tool. Used by many product manufacturers and comparison sites alike, to sell products.
It is therefore important to select the sources of the user reviews well. In our test, we analyze the user reviews from TrustPilot and the Google Play Store.
Avast 2019: User review score
Avast has an incredible amount of positive user reviews. In the Google Play Store, it has over 5 million positive reviews, rating it with a 9.1.
In TrustPilot, the average comes down a bit. Here around 2500 users rate Avast with a 7.4, which is still a decent score.
The Good: Avast offers a free antivirus for Android, which is a great product, offering excellent value for (no) money.
The Bad: To get complete protection for Windows, you would need to opt for one of the paid options, which are more expensive than the competition.
What is a value for money test?
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AvastScan-59f3a08bc412440011def8b7.jpg "Avast")
We compare the protection, bonus features, and price, to the offering of the other antivirus software in the market.
Avast 2019: Value for money score
Avast offers a few free products, of which the antivirus for Android is highly commendable. It is a very complete security solution with over 5 million user reviews in the Google Play Store.
For Windows, it would be better to opt for the paid versions, as the free version is very basic. However, the paid versions are a fair bit more expensive than the competition by BitDefender, Panda, and BullGuard.
For Mac, there isn’t really any value for money to speak of. Avast for Mac has such a significant speed impact, it should simply not be used.
The Good: Avast has very few false positives on Windows, Mac, and Android. Meaning it won’t mistake many clean files for malware.
The Bad: Nothing
What is a false positive test?
When an antivirus program mistakes regular software for malware, this is called a false positive. It is nothing to worry
AV-Test and AV-Comparatives both measure the number of false positives the antivirus software have across the various operating software.
Avast 2019: Windows 10 false positives score
Avast does well on Windows 10, scoring before Norton, Panda, and BullGuard. Only slightly behind BitDefender and McAfee.
Avast 2019: Mac false positives score
Avast scores a perfect score for Mac, as did all the other tested antivirus.
Avast 2019: Android false positives score
Avast scored slightly ahead of the industry average, and just behind Norton and BitDefender, who both scored a perfect score.
Data Sources
Below you can find all the sources we have used in our analysis
Data sources we use
Protection, performance, and false positives data:
Protection, performance and false positives make up the core of any antivirus analysis. That’s why, together, they account for 70% of the total score. The data comes from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, the two leading IT security test labs.
The two European test labs set up several tests per year. For our analysis, we have included each test since January 2017. This spans over 20 antivirus software, challenged in more than 30 tests.
We found BitDefender, Norton, Panda, BullGuard, McAfee, and Avast, to be the best across all platforms.
User review data:
Our user review data comes from Trustpilot and the Google Play Store.
The Google Play Store is the place where Android users, the most used operating system for mobile phones in the world, get their apps. It has an incredible amount of user reviews. For example, Norton and Avast combined have nearly 7 million reviews there.
AV-Test:
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/november-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/september-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/july-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/november-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/september-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/july-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/may-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/march-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/mobile-devices/android/january-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-mojave/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-high-sierra/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-high-sierra/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-sierra/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-sierra/june-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/february-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/october-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/october-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/april-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-mojave/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-high-sierra/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-high-sierra/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-macos/macos-sierra/december-2017/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/june-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/april-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/february-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/december-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/october-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/august-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/june-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/april-2018/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/business-windows-client/windows-10/february-2018/
AV-Comparatives:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-april-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-october-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-april-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-october-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-may-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-november-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-october-2018-factsheet/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-june-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-november-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2019/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2018/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2017/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2019-march-june/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-march-april-2019-factsheet/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2018-august-november/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2018-march-june/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-removal-test-2018/
TrustPilot:
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bitdefender.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bitdefender.de
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/bitdefenderofficial.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.norton.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/dk.norton.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.mcafee.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/france
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/germany
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/netherlands
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.pandasecurity.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pandasecurity.com/spain
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.bullguard.com
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitdefender.security
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symantec.mobilesecurity
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wsandroid.suite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pandasecurity.pandaav
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bullguard.mobile.mobilesecurity
• Double-click the downloaded setup file avast_security_online.dmg and select Uninstall Avast. https://golluna.netlify.app/avast-antivirus-free-download-for-mac.html.
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Today's best Avast Free Mac Security deals
Avast Free Mac Security Antivirus For Mac
Avast Free Mac Security doesn't break a lot of new ground. As is the case with most free software, it does an OK job and — like popular free-to-play games — aims to pull money from your pockets after it's installed.
The one major perk of Avast Free Mac Security is that it can identify attacks in your email inbox, a feature that we'd like to see in all Mac antivirus services. At the end of the day, though, Avast's Mac malware protection rate isn't quite as good as its competitors', which is the most important part of antivirus software.
Avast Free Mac Security costs and what's covered
Avast Free Mac Security For Mac Reviews
Avast Free Mac Security is free. It supports Macs running any version of macOS, as long as they have 128MB of RAM and 750MB of available disk space.
Antivirus protection
Avast Free Mac Security keeps Macs free of malware using traditional signature-based detection by unpacking Mac-specific file formats and scanning them for malicious content. It also uses its artificial-intelligence system to apply lessons from its user base to train its software.
Avast also thwarts PC malware on Mac, to prevent it from spreading on networks, and scans unopened ZIP files. It performs system protection scanning in the background, permits both on-demand and scheduled scans, and can scan your router to protect you against DNS hijacking and other threats.
Antivirus detection
Avast Free Mac Security's on-demand malware-scanning engine has a mixed record in recent lab tests. It stopped 100% of malware in tests conducted by Austrian lab AV-Comparatives in July 2018 and June 2019.
Results from German lab AV-Test were less consistent: 100% of Mac malware was detected by Avast in June 2018 and June 2019, but Avast caught only 96.3% of malware in December 2018.
That means Avast tied with Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac on the AV-Comparatives test (both hit 100%). However, it failed to match Bitdefender, Kaspersky and Norton 360 Deluxe on the AV-Test study, in which all three earned 100% scores.
Of all the Mac antivirus programs we tested, Avast Free Mac Security was the only one that flagged items already on our system as threats. Specifically, it found three email messages in my old, inactive, Outlook database that contained links to phishing websites.
Security and privacy features
Avast Free Mac Security includes Avast's Online Security browser extension, which automatically installs itself in Chrome unless you opt out, while Firefox provides a confirmation prompt to make sure you approve the extension. The Avast extension appears as a button that is green when you're safe and red if a site is potentially harmful. Similar flags will appear next to search results.
If you're wary of sites that monitor your actions, the Avast browser extension also displays a counter badge that tallies the number of activity trackers found in a website and provides an additional option to block social network-based tracking.
Not only does Avast scan activity on your hard drive and web browsers, but it also monitors POP3 and IMAP email clients, including Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Postbox and Airmail, and scans email attachments as well as email messages.
Avast monitors your computer and its network connections in the background, scans new files upon installation and lets you schedule scans. However, Avast Free Mac Security doesn't have any of the extra features offered by paid competitors, such as parental controls, a VPN service, firewalls or webcam blockers.
Performance and system impact
Avast Free Mac Security had a moderate impact on system performance, which we assessed by running our custom Excel VLOOKUP benchmark test, which matches 60,000 names and addresses on a spreadsheet. Our test machine wasa 2017 MacBook Air with a 1.8-GHz Intel Core i5 CPU and approximately 54GB of data stored on a 128GB SSD.
With Avast Free Mac Security installed on our MacBook, but without any active scans running, the VLOOKUP test finished in an average of 3 minutes and 38 seconds, 1 second longer than without any antivirus software installed. That's a passive system hit of less than 1%, and not something you would likely perceive.
MORE: Hackers Say They've Breached Three Antivirus Companies
Avast Free Mac Security
Other antivirus products' passive system impacts ranged from 5% (Sophos Home Premium) to zero percent (Bitdefender). This is overall great news for Mac users: Most of the time, you'll never notice that you've got antivirus software running.
You would be more likely to notice the slowdowns created by Avast's active scans. During full-system scans, the VLOOKUP test finished in an average of 4 minutes and 59 seconds, resulting in a big performance dip of 37 percent. That's not as bad as McAfee AntiVirus Plus' 47% fall (the worst offender), although it wasn't as good as Sophos' 7% full-scan system hit.
Avast's full-scan completion time, which took an hour and 11 minutes on average, was on the longer end of scores but was not the longest we found — Sophos' 2-hour-and-56-minute time was the longest. Malwarebytes for Mac Premium's full scan took a miraculous 16 seconds, while Bitdefender closed its full scan in 4:25. Kaspersky (41:20) and Norton (25:49) fell in the middle of the pack.
Interface
Avast Free Mac Security may not be the prettiest antivirus app, but it provides a number of functions and options. Its main window shows users a Protected status, as scans are enabled by default. All other features, including on-demand scans, are located in a menu bar on the left.
Avast's main window presents users with their status — Protected or otherwise — and a 'Run scan' button that pushes you to Avast Cleanup Pro. You'll be confused by this abrupt switch of apps if you weren't paying attention to the fine print, and you'll soon realize that Cleanup Pro is a paid product that looks to tidy up your hard drive and costs between $2.99 or $3.99 per month.
MORE: Best Free Antivirus Software
After you click that Run scan button once, it changes to an Upgrade button for Avast Security Pro, which features anti-ransomware protections and Wi-Fi and network scanning. To avoid further confusion, click on Scans in the left-hand menu, which opens that section as well as other sections of the app, such as Reports, Virus Chest, Shields and Preferences.
In Scan, you can select from a number of different types, such as scans of custom directories, scans of removable volumes and scans of your home network. Avast also includes scheduled scans, an increasingly rare option these days.
Clicking on New Scan presents a Start button for activating a Quick Scan and a Change Scan Type button to switch to a full-computer scan.
You'll find database updates and analyses of scans performed on your system in Avast's Reports. Avast places files it flags as malicious into the Virus Chest quarantine section, where you can delete or restore them (if you think Avast is mistaken).
Open the Shields section to see real-time analysis of scanned files. Annoyingly, if the file directory is especially long, Avast won't give you the full directory, so you can't go look up the offending file for yourself. You may not need to, but we'd prefer to have the option.
In the Preferences tab, you'll find options to change the frequency of notifications, system updates and scans. Here, you can also disable hard-drive, email and web protection, although Avast wisely makes you enter your system password first. Additionally, you can disable Avast's menu-bar icon from this window (it's under Miscellaneous).
If you create an account with Avast, you can check the status of any systems you've logged into in the Account tab as well as at my.avast.com. Avast's menu-bar button provides links to open the main interface window, see current activity and application information, and review previous notifications.
Installation and support
To install Avast Free Mac Security, you open Avast.com and click Download, which will place the installer DMG on your Mac. (Thankfully, you won't have to go through download.com anymore, an annoying part of the previous model.) After you click through the end-user-license agreements, the installer will download more files and install Avast.
No restart is required, and the whole process took about 2 minutes for me, which felt about normal. In the middle of the installation, you get the option to not install Avast's unlimited Password Manager and the company'sSecureLine VPN client. The Avast Online Security browser plug-in is free, but you get only a seven-day trial of SecureLine VPN service, which otherwise starts at $60 per year.
To get technical support, click Help in the menu bar, select Avast Technical Support and then select Contact Help to open Avast's Support site. Here, you can find a FAQ, ask for help in the forums and call a customer-support line that will provide free advice for installing, configuring, updating and removing Avast.
MORE: How to Buy Antivirus Software
If you need more help than that, Avast offers paid support starting at $79 for any call that isn't related to removing a virus or malware, or at $119 per call for virus-related calls. For more support, you can spend $199 for a year of unlimited service, or $10 per month plus a $99 setup fee.
Bottom line
Avast's email scanning gives it an edge over competing Mac antivirus products. It needs such an advantage when the rest of its package is such a mixed bag.
Not only does Avast's software continually push you to spend money on additional services (unlikely if you've already chosen to use free antivirus software), but its malware detection rates aren't great overall.
If you're going to pay, you should instead choose Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac, which gives you excellent protection and a low system impact for $40 a year. If
you'd rather not pay, then Avast is the best free option, but only because Sophos Home, which has a more full-featured free tier, has undetermined malware-protection abilities on Macs.