Norton and avast

It isn't clear how long the two product lines will continue under current branding, but we'd expect that to merge in the future. Avast is well respected for its free offering, so it could be that its branding continues on the level. Maybe this merger is all about both companies trying to get on the list? Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load.

He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M. Mergers are usually not good news for those outside of the agreement. While it's still too early to predict the outcome of Norton and Avast becoming one company, it does raise a number of potential questions.

Norton and Avast were already very large companies. Together, they don't form a monopoly, but every time a merger such as this one happens, the industry as a whole becomes a little less competitive.

Over time, less competion usually leads to higher prices. This isn't a problem to the millions of people who only utilize free antivirus products.

But a lack of competition can also result in more functionality being reserved for paying customers. Mergers between antivirus companies also have the potential to prevent innovation. It's reported that the merger between Norton and Avast will result in a 25 percent reduction in staff numbers. This could be nothing more than reorganization. But it could also mean fewer engineers trying to find new ways to protect against malware.

If you read antivirus reviews, you might have noticed that Avast and AVG usually get identical scores. This is because Avast acquired AVG in Their identical scores are the result of the fact they now use the same detection engine.

It's possible that Norton and Avast will continue to offer very different services but if their products become too similar, this can lead to an increase in cybercrime. Cybercriminals work hard to get their products past antivirus software.

This makes it preferable for them when large antivirus companies start offering identical products. Norton's acquisition of Avast makes sense when taken in the context of the cybersecurity industry as a whole. Acquisitions are common place, allowing large software companies to greatly increase their userbase in a matter of months.

Norton has acquired numerous companies in recent years. The company, formerly known as Symantec, actually got their name from their acquisition of LifeLock in Avast have also been busy acquiring smaller software companies during the same time period. Norton does well in this category due to the number and quality of additional features their multi device antivirus program provides.

Norton offers packages that are a bit more expensive but the extra features and customer support you get from Norton outweighs Avast antivirus by a lot. There are more security-related features that this program has that Avast cannot keep up with.

To help you gain better insight on both programs, we will go through Norton and Avast and explain its features and compare test results between them. Furthermore, it would be offering a next-level user-interface UI so that the user can easily understand and use the software and reach the destination without having to click multiple times. For this neck-and-neck comparison, we will shed light of all the major features brought to you by both of the companies.

This is a user friendly, entry-level suite by Norton that allows you to connect only 1 device. This suite offers the basic features that make up an antivirus, like anti spyware, essential malware protection, and ransomware protection. Having multiple password is important because if you keep just one or two passwords for all your profiles, this just gives more keys for crackers to gain your personal information.

This is where Norton Password Manager saves the day! Buy Now. With extra layers of online protection and hardware protection, this suite is perfect for those who use other operating systems like smartphones or tablets.

This suite can protect only 1 device at a time. This suite offers hardware webcam protection to your system as well, which is premium feature that keeps your webcam shield on to keep you safe from any crackers trying to log onto it and make unauthorized webcam access.

This is an important feature as more sophisticated hackers are hacking onto home camera systems. So ensure that your camera devices are monitored safely with this feature.

Above the mentioned suites, Norton Deluxe is an upgrade to the Standard. This antivirus is better as you can protect up to 5 devices simultaneously on different operating systems, again with day money back guarantee and loads of security features.

This means you can connect your Android smart phone, with your Windows 10 or your computer, and your Apple tablet all at once for example.

Norton Deluxe plan is perfect for those who have children, as the bonus feature with this suite is the Parental Control which allows users to monitor and filter out inappropriate content from their children. Norton Deluxe plan also offers more cloud backup as this goes up to 50GB which offers more space for your sensitive files to be backed up.

This backup allows you to access your files at any given time, and ensures that nothing will be deleted or affected.

Norton with LifeLock prevents any sort of identity theft that users can easily encounter online. This means it will notify you if your banking information is used anywhere in the web. Users are also upgraded to up to GB of cloud back up which allows the ultimate space for users to keep all their sensitive files safe and secure. Keep in mind that this suite is limited to protecting to only 5 devices at a time. It also comes with money back guarantee which is valid for 60 days after the purchase.

Have more devices that you want to protect? Ultimate Plus suite is the ultimate package for protection on any device you own. This antivirus is better as it allows protection to unlimited devices that you may own. With more than 10 devices on Windows 10 or other OSs, this means more sensitive information will be in use. With GB of cloud space, you are ensured that all your information is safe and secure.

This suite has all the all the features like the ones mentioned in above! Unlike Norton, Avast offers its plans based on the platform. For example, it has different plans for both Windows and iOS. However, for the sake of this article, we will be laying out only Windows-specific suites. Read more about Avast offers money back guarantee here. This is similar to the free version of Windows defender that is pre-installed to your device, but slightly better. Installation for this suite is easy to install, and users are provided with an intuitive program interface that can interact with.

This is not a trial version, this is the "freemium" Avast free antivirus as they call it as it can be kept on your device for as long as you please. Download Now for Windows Mac Android. This suite covers the basic features of what should be in an antivirus.

With the ability to detect and block viruses while you work on your background, rest assured your online browsing sessions will be safe. There are also network features that safeguards your network from those who try to take over your WiFi at home.

This suite also features as a password manager that guarantees all your passwords to be safely kept in one place. Apart from the Password Manager, this suite also covers online shopper safety as it halts hackers from taking your banking information whenever you input your data in making an online purchase.

With apps making an impact on how we interact with each other online, this suite offers desktop app protection which prevents any programmed apps from taking your personal data. In addition to all the features previously mentioned, you can get an advanced firewall. With an advanced smart firewall, this prevents infected traffic in your online sessions infecting your device.

This is important as you may not even detect viruses on your session because viruses can be downloaded without your knowledge. Another feature added is the anti spam ability to filter out spam in your inboxes. Anti spam is the key to organizing your emails in your inbox safely. Thousands of spam emails infected with viruses are sent to your mail box.

All it takes is one click of a spam email for hackers to invade your device. So we praise Avast anti spam greatly! With an added layer of protection, you are also guaranteed extra ransomware protection geared towards valuable data on your device.

This extra layer of ransomware security features protects your personal photos and files safe from any unwanted changes whether they are online or on your actual device. This suite is an upgraded security solution for online browsing to keep your online sessions safe and secure!

But with this suite, you get even more features and also hardware protection! One of the notable features is the webcam shield safety features, as a webcam can be used as a portal for hackers to actually spy on you. With a file shredder features, users are able to securely delete files without having to worry about people trying to recover them. This is key to keeping your personal data safe from anyone that can recreate your sensitive data.