General Overview
But despite the popularity it receives, is TotalAV even worth it? How well does it fare when compared to established names such as McAfee or Norton? Is there anything that makes it unique from the rest of the pack? Today, we’ll be delving into the ins and outs of TotalAV to get a good look at their services and see if they’re as effective as they claim to be.
TotalAV is a Hampshire-based software company that was established recently back in 2016. The company primarily offers its antivirus as its main product and comes with various security tools and features that make it great for total computer security. One of these features is its VPN service. As a member of the Microsoft Virus Initiative, TotalAV conforms with MVI requirements and offers security tools for real-time protection.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Cheap 1-year plans for first-timers
- Uses Avira Engine
- Highly configurable
- Plenty of extra features
Cons
- Expensive after the first year
- Below average test results
- Only 6 devices can be supported at once
Security
Antiviruses these days focus their efforts against web-based attacks, as this is the main way users come in contact with viruses and malware. That’s why TotalAV features an anti-phishing system using Web Shield, an extension for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. In a test done to determine the strength of the Web Shield’s anti-phishing systems, it was found that while malicious URLs were blocked almost all the time, it wasn’t really able to detect and protect the user from phishing URLs too well.
Just like any antivirus, TotalAV comes with various protective systems that keep the user safe from malware or ransomware attacks. Their anti-malware engine is based off of Avira, which is also known as a strong antivirus. A comprehensive test was conducted to determine the strength of the software against a variety of malware.
One of the many ways TotalAV’s anti-malware software protects users is through stopping any suspicious downloads that may contain malware. For example, TotalAV’s Web Shield was able to block access to some of the malware-hosting URLs. Those that were blocked ended up getting their downloads canceled entirely. However, there was still some malware that was able to get through the Web Shield and download successfully.
TotalAV also comes with a manual virus scanning feature like most antiviruses these days. Unlike popular antiviruses such as McAfee, however, TotalAV doesn’t seem to be integrated with Windows Explorer.
Furthermore, If you’re looking for a safe place to store your passwords, then TotalAV has what you need. Using encryption software, TotalAV’s password vault keeps all of your sensitive account information locked and protected. The only problem with this feature is that you can’t synchronize nor capture/replay the usernames and passwords, so you’ll sometimes have to manually copy it to your clipboard to be able to use the passwords in your vault.
Finally, TotalAV comes with its own VPN. While it can technically be considered a full-scale VPN, though, it lacks the features and strength to match with any popular standalone VPN providers. It does, however, come with its own server network that’s spread across 45 countries, with countries that you don’t often see in a VPN, such as Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey.
Features
Aside from the many security features that TotalAV has in its apps, there are also a bunch of bonus features that make your PC run just a little bit better than usual. These features include a simple system boost and a junk shredder.
The system booster works does what it says - it improves the performance of your PC. This is done via three different methods. These methods are startup program management, app uninstalling, and browser managing.
First, the app takes care of managing programs that run on startup, so that you won’t have to manually close them all the time when you turn your PC on. Second, TotalAV helps you uninstall unused or unneeded programs that may just be taking up extra RAM or ROM for no good reason. Finally, a browser manager helps delete any browser history that doesn’t need saving.
Think you’ve got any junk files that are cluttering your system? TotalAV’s junk shredder finds all unused data and deletes it permanently so that you have more space to work with. Uninstalling apps or similar actions can lead to unused folders and files, which can be hard to find and get rid of, so this feature is quite helpful for those who don’t know why their drive is so full all the time.
Platforms and Devices
TotalAV is a relatively new antivirus, and yet it’s already widely available across multiple platforms.
Supported Platforms and Devices
- Windows
- macOS
- Android
- iOS
Both major PC and mobile platforms are supported by TotalAV Antivirus. However, like most antivirus programs, the number of devices that the antivirus supports at a time differs based on the plan that you use. Depending on the plan that you avail, you can have either 3, 5, or 6 devices that simultaneously use TotalAV’s services.
Pricing
TotalAV Antivirus 2020
- Antivirus Pro - $99 (discounted at $29 at the time of review)
- Internet Security - $119 (discounted at $39 at the time of review)
- Total Security - $149 (discounted at $59 at the time of review)
The Antivirus Pro plan comes with most of the features mentioned earlier. Internet Security plans offer everything that the Antivirus Pro plan has, as well as the integrated VPN. Finally, the Total Security plan gives users access to their ad blocker and password vault features, too.
Ease of Use
TotalAV’s apps are great, but not stellar. The layout is simple enough, and features such as the system boost give users clear and simple instructions that make the processes a lot simpler than they usually are.
Of course, there are areas of improvement. For example, we mentioned earlier that the manual scan required users to input the location of the scan directly from the app - you can’t just right-click a file and scan it like you would with other antiviruses. Having simple yet convenient features like that make a big difference.
Customer Support
Most antiviruses these days come with a live support team, TotalAV included. Users are able to contact customer support via email, phone, or ticket submissions, and live help is also available. Note that the highest tier of subscription to TotalAV also comes with priority support, so if you’re looking for quick responses, then that’s your best way to get it.
Conclusion
TotalAV may be a newcomer to the antivirus industry, but they’ve already made a name for themselves thanks to their affordable prices and bonus features. This antivirus is perfect for those who want to try out one for the first time without sinking in too much money to do so. That’s why we’re giving TotalAV a 9.4, with it only coming up a little short in terms of overall protection.
