Kaspersky vs Avast: Which Software is More Popular?

Kaspersky and Avast are both well-known names in the security industry. Their antivirus and security products are used by hundreds of millions of users all over the world. If you are choosing between these two packages, check out this article that provides the main features and a closer look into both security packages and we also have all latest antivirus comparisons from this link.

If you do not have enough time to read the entire article, the table below provides which antivirus provider offers better rates into the main categories, including pricing, antivirus protection, extra security features, system-performance impact, interface, and popularity among the users.

Which is better Kaspersky or Avast?

It is not an easy task to decide which of the two software is more popular among the antivirus community as both Kaspersky vs Avast claims to have a community of 400 million users.

To decide a winner in this category, I will look at the independent market share statistics and the total numbers of downloads of each software on CNET’s download.com.

According to OPSWAT – a company that releases monthly reports on the market share of leading antivirus companies – Avast leads the table with a dominating 19.64% of the total antivirus market share, followed by ESET (13.31%) and Malwarebytes (12.9%). Kaspersky Lab is last on the list, with only 3.86% of the market share. On download.com – which is the world’s most popular software download portal – Avast has remarkably more overall total downloads than Kaspersky. So, Avast is the clear winner in this category.

Technical Support

Kaspersky Online Tech Support

This is perhaps one area where these two security suites differ the most from one another. Even though Kaspersky’s technical support is still not on the level of its competitors, there are some visible improvements. In fact, the package offers more than one way for the user to obtain support, and while that is useful, it will most likely baffle less experienced users.

Kaspersky Live Tech Support

On the other hand, access to live support is much more streamlined, with every call being patched through to tech support in the Philippines within minutes. If you are, however, looking for a virus removal service, you will be directed to their support center in Canada, and charged $99, which is extremely expensive, especially considering that some of Kaspersky’s competitors offer the same service for free.

Avast! Online Tech Support

Unfortunately, if tech support is really important to you, Avast! has even bigger problems in store for you. For example, if you are looking to contact support through filing a ticket, everything seems perfectly alright, until they tell you they will get back to you in a few days, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Avast! Live Tech Support

Their live support centers are located in the Czech Republic and the US, but their service leaves much to be desired. While you will easily get in touch with them, the extent of their support includes only the most standard issues, such as problems with setup and configuration of the software. In fact, their virus removal fee costs a record-breaking $119. What’s even worse, they will insist that you opt for a yearly package, which costs even more: $179.