AVG Free 8 doesn't have all of the features you get in the commercial version of the application. There's no rootkit protection or linkscanner. And there's no email or instant messaging integration. For those features you'll have to shell out $35 or $55 for the standard or "internet security" versions. But as freeware antivirus applications go, AVG is packed with features like real-time protection, daily updates, and complete system scans at regularly scheduled intervals.
Update: As several readers have pointed out in the comments, when you install AVG Free 8, you will likely find a bunch of advanced features like linkscanning and email protection. The AVG web site has a comparison chart showing that these features are included in the commercial version but not the free version. It's not clear if Grisoft is including free trials of these functions or if the chart is wrong.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-24-2008 @ 10:04AM
Ari said...
So AGV 8 loses email scanning that 7 has? That's a bummer... maybe it's time to look elsewhere for my next AV program.
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4-24-2008 @ 10:42AM
Monkey said...
The article is wrong; email scanning is still present in AVG 8 free edition.
4-24-2008 @ 10:45AM
Steve Portigal said...
The install process of the free version shows the Email Scanner as a component that gets installed....
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4-24-2008 @ 10:44AM
Brad Linder said...
Yeah, honestly I installed this update and I seem to have all the features of AVG pro. I'm not sure if that's because I had previously installed AVG pro when Grisoft was offering it for free, or if this is some sort of limited time promotional thing. But the product comparison page suggests that AVG Free has limited functionality so I felt it safest to mention that in the post.
4-24-2008 @ 10:40PM
Mysterius said...
I just got a pop-up telling me that AVG's now offering free upgrades to 8.0 for 7.5 customers. Apparently the installer will automatically detect the license key (though I'm not sure if it's just the special installer or all installers). Maybe that is what happened after all, then?
Here's the upgrade site: http://campaign.grisoft.com/ww.special-upgrade-7-8-avw-paid78cnv/
4-24-2008 @ 11:20AM
Matt said...
i use Avast! currently and don't seem to have much issue with it.
Do people who have tried both AVG and Avast! prefer one over the other?
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4-24-2008 @ 12:02PM
rayser said...
I am happy and "secure" with Avast free edition it has email scanning if you want: www.avast.com
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4-24-2008 @ 12:04PM
Jason said...
From what I know / read, Avira Antivir is a better free AV then either of them. How the new 8 version of AVG stands up remains to be seen, though.
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4-24-2008 @ 12:23PM
Steve said...
Avira free sucks because it throws a giant nag screen up in your face every time it updates. I won't put up with any company that does that.
4-24-2008 @ 12:45PM
Jason said...
Odd, mine doesn't have nag screens ever. :) On any of the systems I install Avira on.
If you're too lazy to spend two minutes taking care of that one problem, then I guess lesser AV protection is right up your alley. Me, I'll take the best free AV I can get my hands on, even though it obviously sucks as you say.
4-24-2008 @ 10:00PM
Steve said...
Oh good for you. You know how to illegally crack software, aren't you special. I'll stick with a free anti-virus that really is free myself. Anyway Avira is FAR from the best, lmao.
4-24-2008 @ 4:21PM
Superevil said...
Does it still tell me all my keygens and what not ALL contain trojans?
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4-24-2008 @ 9:59PM
Hany Hanna said...
AVG has too many false positives. It keeps disabling my "The World Browser."
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4-24-2008 @ 10:41PM
Mysterius said...
I just got a pop-up telling me that AVG's now offering free upgrades to 8.0 for 7.5 customers. Apparently the installer will automatically detect the license key. Maybe that is what happened after all, then?
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4-25-2008 @ 7:27AM
Abhishek said...
I used to use avg but switched to avira later. That big nag screen is bad, agreed. Also, everytime my comp boots, I get a message saying avgnt.exe cannot start, this file is missing. What do i do? Abhishek http://www.dibugs.com
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4-25-2008 @ 8:32AM
Eric H said...
I definitely prefer avast over avg, avg is a resource hog.
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4-26-2008 @ 6:06PM
Steve Portigal said...
I did this upgrade and found my system performance going waaay down. And getting back to a properly working version of 7.5 does not seem easy; I've got the common problem where the resident shield doesn't load consistently. I should have left well enough alone!
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4-27-2008 @ 7:09AM
Kevin said...
I was really happy with AVG 7.5 and even had the Professional version thanks to the tip here on the brief giveaway late last here. I 'upgraded' to 8.0 and was happy with the slick new interface, but everything was very slow. Browsing on any sites with a tiny bit of javascript or ajax (gmail notably) would hang for 5 to 10 seconds with every link click.
I went to grisoft's site and the most popular FAQ question is for Vista users experiencing slowdown. They suggest you add a particular windows update, which I ended up downloading. But after trying to install it, it told me the update was already ON my computer, so that wasn't the problem at all.
I emailed customer service yesterday and was going to wait until getting a response before uninstalling, but I finally had it today and went back to Avast. Everything is fine and fast once again. I may go back to AVG once these issues are worked out because I like that the Anti-Spyware module was integrated into the new version.
Another really bothersome thing with AVG 8.0 is that if you turn off the annoying LinkScanner, the system tray icon is permanently grayed out with a small exclamation point, which is VERY annoying. I told them about this too in the email so hopefully they'll make it where the warning icon will go away after 10 minutes or so.
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4-28-2008 @ 8:08PM
Garry Lacey said...
You can turn off the status of any module in the preferences, at least if its the pro version, can't remember if the free version allows this. This way whether a module like email scanner or malware checking is enabled or not, it wont alarm you about it in the system tray or in the programs main interface.
Personally I hated AVG8. I'll stick with V7 for now.
4-27-2008 @ 11:35AM
maco said...
Grisoft does make a free AVG Rootkit detector. The only difference is that it's not bundled in this case.
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