Avast Free Antivirus vs AVG AntiVirus Free Comparison

• Free Antivirus: Free; the mobile apps show third-party ads
• Premium Security for 1 computer and 1 phone, renewal: $77.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price
• Premium Security for 1 computer and 1 phone, first year: Intro: $49.08 for the first year
• Premium Security for 10 devices, renewal: $99.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price
• Premium Security for 10 devices, first year: Intro: $69.48 for the first year
• Ultimate for 10 devices, renewal: $139.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price; $69.48 for the first year

• AntiVirus Free: Free; the Android app shows third-party ads
• Internet Security for 1 PC, renewal: $79.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price
• Internet Security for 1 PC, first year: Intro: $39.99 for the first year
• Internet Security for 10 devices, renewal: $109.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price
• Internet Security for 10 devices, first year: Intro: $59.88 for the first year on the store page, $59.99 on the product page
• Ultimate for 10 devices, renewal: $149.99 a year, the price the store calls the renewal price; $59.88 for the first year

The product privacy notice says the desktop app sends samples of suspicious files and detection metadata to Avast's servers through CommunityIQ, and that it may 'directly analyze and maintain these artifacts in our safe environment'. It also lists the URLs of websites visited, 'malicious and non-malicious', and referrers, kept for 36 months for service provision. The support article says file-sample sharing (CommunityIQ) can be unticked in Settings ▸ General ▸ Personal Privacy. On phones, SMS Guard keeps texts that contain links or come from senders not in your contacts, with personal identifiers removed, for up to five years.

The product privacy notice (updated 26 August 2026) says the desktop app, which covers AVG AntiVirus Free and Internet Security, sends samples of suspicious files and detection metadata to AVG's servers through CommunityIQ, and that AVG may 'directly analyze suspicious files in our safe environment'. For the desktop app it also lists 'URLs and referrers (malicious URL information may also include search terms or cookie information associated with the malware)', kept for 36 months, the IP address, installed applications and security software, and product usage events. On Android, the notice lists the URLs of websites visited, 'malicious and non-malicious', for 36 months. The support article on privacy settings lets you untick sharing of threat data and of app-usage data; the 'Offers' setting cannot be switched off in the free version.

The Gen Digital privacy notice says 'We do not sell your personal data to third parties', but also that 'Where permitted by applicable law, we may share personal data with third parties for advertising purposes' and that data is used 'to serve you with relevant advertising and content, both on our properties and on third-party properties'. The consent policy says free mobile apps show third-party ads from partners such as AdMob, Amazon, Facebook Audience Network and InMobi, with consent asked at installation and a paid ad-free version. The desktop app uses Google Analytics; the phone apps use Google Firebase, AppsFlyer and Singular. In the free desktop version, sharing app-usage data for Avast's own offers is on by default and cannot be switched off.

The Gen Digital general privacy notice says 'We do not sell your personal data to third parties' and also 'Where permitted by applicable law, we may share personal data with third parties for advertising purposes'. The product notice says the free Android app 'serves relevant third-party advertisements' through partners it lists (Google AdMob, Amazon, Facebook Audience Network, InMobi, AppLovin, Unity Technologies, IronSource and Liftoff Mobile), and that the advertising ID is processed for IronSource. The consent policy says consent is asked at installation and an equivalent paid version has no ads. The desktop app uses Google Analytics; the phone apps use Google Firebase, AppsFlyer and Singular. In the free version, the 'Offers' setting based on app-usage data cannot be disabled. The support article says 'When you use most AVG applications, you share anonymous data with AVG and other third parties' and that you can opt out at any time.

For users in the European Economic Area the controller of personal data is Avast Software s.r.o., Pikrtova 1737/1A, Prague 4, Czech Republic, so EU data protection law applies to it. Avast's parent, Gen Digital Inc., has its privacy team in Tempe, Arizona, and the group's general privacy notice says it may disclose data to public authorities and in legal proceedings. In the US case of 2024 the FTC named Avast Limited, a UK company, and its Czech subsidiary.

AVG is part of Gen Digital Inc., whose privacy team is in Tempe, Arizona; the group says it has dual headquarters in Prague and Tempe. For users in the European Economic Area the controller of personal data for AVG products is a Czech company in Prague, so EU data protection law applies to it. The group notice says personal data may be disclosed to public authorities and in legal proceedings.

Avast was founded in Prague in 1988 as Alwil Software. On 12 September 2022 the US company now called Gen Digital, listed on NASDAQ, completed its acquisition of Avast; the Avast website and policies now carry Gen Digital's name.

AVG says it has made security software since 1991. In 2016 a larger antivirus company bought a majority of AVG Technologies N.V., then listed on the New York Stock Exchange; that buyer was itself acquired in 2022 by the company now called Gen Digital, listed on NASDAQ, and AVG's site and notices now carry Gen Digital's name.