AVG Antivirus Review: How the Free and Paid Plans Perform for New Zealanders

Choosing an antivirus program means weighing real protection against price, system load and privacy — not just brand recognition. This AVG Antivirus review takes a neutral, fact-checked look at a long-running security product that many New Zealanders already know, covering what it does, how well it performs in independent laboratory tests, what the free version includes, what the paid plans add, and where it falls short. AVG works like most modern security suites: it scans files and web traffic in the background and quarantines threats before they run, aiming to stop malware from reaching your device. If you are still deciding which product to install, it is worth reading alongside our wider guide to the best antivirus software for New Zealand. For general background on how these tools evolved, see the overview of antivirus software.

What Is AVG AntiVirus?

AVG AntiVirus is a consumer security suite that detects, isolates and removes malicious software — viruses, trojans, spyware, ransomware and similar threats. It runs continuously in the background, checking files as they are opened or downloaded and inspecting web pages and email attachments as you use them. Detection combines locally stored virus definitions with cloud-based threat intelligence, so a threat first seen on one device can be recognised on others soon afterwards.

The product is offered in a “freemium” model: a capable free tier plus paid subscriptions that add extra protection layers. It is designed to be approachable, splitting security into clearly labelled modules (file protection, web shield, email shield, ransomware protection and so on) that you can turn on or off without deep technical knowledge.

Who Owns AVG?

AVG is no longer an independent company. Avast acquired AVG Technologies in 2016, and in September 2022 Avast merged with NortonLifeLock to form Gen Digital, the parent company that now owns Norton, Avast, AVG, Avira, LifeLock and CCleaner. In practice this means AVG shares a large, common threat-detection platform with its sibling brands. If you are comparing options in that family, our separate reviews of Norton 360 and Bitdefender are useful reference points. This corporate history also matters for privacy, which we cover further down.

Independent Lab Test Results

The most reliable way to judge an antivirus engine is to look at independent testing rather than marketing claims. Two of the most respected labs are AV-TEST (Germany) and AV-Comparatives (Austria), which run standardised tests against large samples of current malware.

In AV-TEST’s 2025 consumer evaluations for Windows, AVG achieved the maximum 6 out of 6 points in all three categories — protection, performance (system impact) and usability (false alarms). AV-TEST also gave AVG its “Best Usability” award for Windows and a “Best macOS Security” award for consumer products in 2025, recognising consistently low false positives.

AV-Comparatives reached similar conclusions: AVG earned Top-Rated status in its 2025 summary, reaching the highest “Advanced+” grade in most of the year’s individual tests. Taken together, these results show that AVG’s core scanning engine performs in line with well-regarded paid competitors — the free and paid tiers use the same detection engine, so this protection level applies to both.

Smart Scan vs Deep Scan

AVG offers several scan types so you can match speed against thoroughness:

• Smart Scan: a quick check of the most common risk areas and browser issues, typically finishing in under a minute.
• Deep Scan: a full file-by-file audit of the whole system, best run when the machine is idle because it is more thorough and slower.
• Boot-Time Scan: runs early in the Windows start-up sequence to catch rootkits that try to load before the operating system.
• Removable-media scan: prompts to check USB drives and memory cards when they are connected.

Full deep scans use noticeably more CPU, which can cause brief slowdowns on older, low-specification hardware. On modern machines the impact is minor, and scheduling scans overnight avoids it entirely.

Free vs Paid: What Each Tier Includes

AVG AntiVirus Free is unusually generous compared with many free products. It includes the same core anti-malware engine as the paid plans, along with real-time file protection, automatic definition updates, a basic firewall, web and email shields, and a ransomware shield that walls off chosen folders from untrusted apps (your main user folders are protected by default).

AVG Internet Security, the main paid tier, keeps all of that and adds an enhanced firewall (with leak protection and port-scan alerts), webcam-access protection, a fake/phishing website shield, a remote-access shield against Remote Desktop hijacking, and broader multi-device coverage. The table below summarises the split — the exact feature set can change between releases, so treat it as a guide.

For many home users, the free tier is sufficient. The paid plan mainly makes sense if you want the extra network and webcam protections or need to cover several devices under one subscription. If you are weighing a paid suite against the built-in option, our look at free antivirus and whether Microsoft Defender is enough is worth reading first.

Web, Email and Ransomware Protection

Beyond on-demand scanning, AVG runs several always-on shields. The Web Shield checks the pages and downloads your browser requests, comparing addresses against a database of known malicious and phishing sites and blocking dangerous scripts before they load — a common route for so-called drive-by downloads. Because it works at the network layer, it protects any browser you use rather than a single one.

The Email Shield scans incoming attachments in desktop mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird, quarantining infected scripts, macros or archive files before they can be opened. This helps against email-borne malware, though it applies to desktop clients rather than webmail viewed in a browser.

The Ransomware Shield takes a different approach from ordinary scanning. Ransomware encrypts your files and demands payment, so this module restricts which applications are allowed to change files in protected folders. Your Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders are covered by default, and you can add your own folders — for example a local project or tax-records directory. Paid tiers add behavioural monitoring that watches for a program suddenly altering many files at once. Ransomware protection is one layer, not a replacement for regular backups.

Interface, Notifications and Upselling

AVG’s main window uses colour-coded status cards, making it easy to see at a glance whether your protection is active: green means the core shields are running, while amber flags a disabled feature or a recommendation. The layout is clear and beginner-friendly.

The trade-off is that the free version is funded partly by promotion. After a scan or Wi-Fi check, AVG often surfaces “issues” such as performance or privacy items that resolve by opening a purchase page for a separate add-on. For users who simply want a quiet background scanner, these prompts can be intrusive — but they can be reduced.

Reducing Pop-Ups and Prompts

• Turn on Silent/Do Not Disturb Mode to suppress non-critical alerts, which is also useful during gaming or full-screen video.
• Skip the optional browser extensions offered during installation if you do not want them.
• Open the privacy settings and switch off optional diagnostic-data sharing.
• Use only the components you need — the installer lets you deselect extras.

AVG Pricing in 2026

AVG’s paid plans are priced in US dollars and vary with promotions, region and the number of devices, so New Zealand buyers pay the converted amount at checkout plus any card fees. Introductory first-year prices are always lower than the renewal price, which is the single most important thing to check before subscribing. The figures below reflect AVG’s own store pricing at the time of writing (2026) and should be confirmed on the official site.

AVG Internet Security is the main upgrade for people who want the enhanced firewall, webcam protection and multi-device coverage. Cheaper single-device options are sometimes offered as well.

AVG Ultimate bundles Internet Security with AVG TuneUp (a maintenance tool), AntiTrack (anti-profiling) and the AVG Secure VPN. A VPN is a separate type of tool that encrypts your connection for privacy; it is not antivirus, so only choose Ultimate if you actually want those extras. All consumer paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test the paid features and request a refund within that window. Because renewal prices step up sharply, set a reminder before your term ends so an auto-renewal does not surprise you.

Using AVG in New Zealand

AVG is a global product with no New Zealand-specific version, and nothing about it is region-locked here. Definition updates are small and download reliably over all major domestic internet service providers — Spark, One NZ, 2degrees and other Chorus-based fibre plans — without any meaningful impact on your broadband. The web and email shields work the same way in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or Christchurch as anywhere else.

In everyday use, the web shield adds a layer of safety when you log in to sites that matter locally, such as online banking (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac NZ, Kiwibank), government services (RealMe, IRD’s myIR, ACC) and investing platforms (Sharesies, Hatch, Kernel). It is not a substitute for good habits, though: strong, unique passwords stored in a password manager and two-factor authentication remain your best defence against account takeover, and antivirus is one part of broader cyber security in New Zealand.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

No security product is perfect, and AVG has a few well-documented drawbacks:

• System load during deep scans: full scans can briefly slow older or low-specification computers. Scheduling them for idle hours mostly removes the issue.
• Frequent upsell prompts: the free version pushes paid add-ons more than some rivals, though Silent Mode reduces this.
• Extras sold separately: tools like the VPN and TuneUp are bundled only in Ultimate, so check exactly what a plan includes to avoid paying twice for the same feature.
• Overlapping suites: running two real-time antivirus programs at once can cause conflicts. Windows Security (Defender) automatically steps back into passive mode when AVG is installed, so you should not disable it manually.

Privacy: The Avast/Jumpshot History

Privacy is a fair question for any company in this family, because of a past incident that is important to state plainly. Avast — AVG’s sibling brand — collected users’ web-browsing data through its browser extensions and antivirus software and sold it, in re-identifiable form, to third parties via a subsidiary called Jumpshot. Avast closed Jumpshot in January 2020 after the practice was exposed, and in February 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission finalised a US$16.5 million settlement covering data collected between 2014 and 2020, banning the company from selling browsing data for advertising.

Under Gen Digital, the company says it operates to stricter privacy standards, and current products let you opt out of optional data sharing in the settings. If privacy is your priority, it is reasonable to review those settings after installing, disable diagnostic sharing, and weigh AVG against alternatives with a cleaner track record. Being aware of the history is part of making an informed choice.

Who AVG Suits

AVG AntiVirus Free is a solid choice for a single Windows or Mac computer where you want dependable, independently verified malware protection at no cost and do not mind occasional upgrade prompts. AVG Internet Security suits households wanting the enhanced firewall, webcam protection and coverage for several devices under one subscription. AVG Ultimate is worth considering only if you genuinely want the bundled VPN, AntiTrack and TuneUp — otherwise you may be paying for tools you will not use. Anyone especially privacy-conscious should factor in the company’s history and review the settings carefully before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is AVG AntiVirus Free good enough on its own?

For most home users, yes. The free tier uses the same detection engine as the paid plans and includes real-time protection, web and email shields, a basic firewall and folder-based ransomware protection. Independent labs rated AVG’s protection at the maximum level in 2025. Paid plans mainly add an enhanced firewall, webcam protection and multi-device coverage.

Does AVG conflict with Windows Security (Defender)?

No. When you install a third-party antivirus such as AVG, Windows Security automatically switches its real-time protection into passive mode to avoid conflicts. You do not need to disable Defender yourself, and it can still be used for occasional manual scans.

How much does AVG cost in 2026?

The free version costs nothing. Paid plans are priced in US dollars and change with promotions: AVG Internet Security commonly starts around US$4.99 per month for the first year (about US$59.88), renewing near US$99.99 per year for up to 10 devices, while Ultimate renews higher and adds a VPN and other tools. Check AVG’s official site for current New Zealand pricing, and note the renewal price before subscribing.

Did AVG sell users’ browsing data?

The data-selling case involved Avast, AVG’s sibling brand, through a subsidiary called Jumpshot, which was closed in January 2020. In February 2024 the US FTC finalised a US$16.5 million settlement over data collected from 2014 to 2020 and banned the sale of browsing data for advertising. Current products under Gen Digital let you opt out of optional data sharing in the settings.

Which operating systems does AVG support?

AVG offers apps for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Feature sets differ by platform — for example, some Windows-specific tools are not available on mobile — but core malware and web protection is available across all four.