Avast Secure Browser

Start Browsing Safely: How to Set Up Avast Secure Browser on Your Windows Device

In today's digital age, safeguarding our online privacy and data security has become more critical than ever. As we browse the internet, we leave behind digital footprints that cybercriminals can trace and exploit. This is where Avast Secure Browser comes in – a private browser designed to protect your online activities and sensitive information.

Developed by Avast, a renowned cybersecurity software company, Avast Secure Browser is a Chromium-based browser that prioritizes user privacy and security. In this article, we will explore the key features of Avast Secure Browser, its performance and speed, cross-platform availability and sync, user experience and interface, privacy and security management, and how it compares with other browsers.

Key Features of Avast Secure Browser

Avast Secure Browser offers a range of powerful features designed to enhance your online security and privacy:

Built-in Ad Blocker: The browser automatically blocks online ads, improving website load times and protecting you from potentially malicious links hidden within advertisements. You can choose to hide all ads or just the most intrusive ones.

Powerful Anti-Phishing Technology: Avast Secure Browser employs advanced anti-phishing measures to safeguard you from malicious websites and downloads, keeping your sensitive information secure.

Bank Mode: This feature provides an extra layer of security when online banking or shopping, ensuring that your personal details remain hidden and protected from prying eyes.

VPN Integration: The browser includes a built-in VPN that encrypts your connection and masks your IP address, allowing you to browse the web anonymously and securely. Avast Secure Browser PRO offers an unlimited, fast VPN with over 30 locations for even greater privacy.

Data Encryption: Avast Secure Browser encrypts your browsing data, bookmarks, downloads, IP address, DNS queries, and more, shielding your information from hackers and eavesdroppers.

Privacy Guard: This feature prevents advertisements from loading on the web pages you visit, further enhancing the speed and safety of your browsing sessions.

Anti-Fingerprinting: The browser provides excellent protection against fingerprinting by offering fake data whenever software attempts to copy your identity or steal your digital attributes.

Extension Guard: Avast Secure Browser's Extension Guard feature ensures that only trusted extensions are installed, protecting you from potentially harmful add-ons.

Security & Privacy Center: The browser offers a centralized console for managing your online activity and adjusting security and privacy settings, including the Browser VPN, AdBlock, and advanced settings.

Private Mode: Besides the default mode, Avast Secure Browser offers a Private Mode for truly anonymous, incognito browsing. When you close the browser, this mode automatically deletes all browsing data and history when you close the browser.

With these robust features, Avast Secure Browser provides a comprehensive solution for users seeking to safeguard their online privacy and security without compromising on performance or convenience.

Performance and Speed

Avast Secure Browser is built on the Blink v8 engine, the same engine used by Microsoft Edge Chromium [3]. While the additional security features may slightly impact the browser's speed compared to Chrome and Microsoft Edge [3], the new 'Zermatt' version of Avast Secure Browser has significantly improved performance [11].

In speed tests, Avast Secure Browser scored an average of 87.53 in speed tests, which is lower than other popular browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Safari [10]. However, the 'Zermatt' update has introduced several performance enhancements, including:

Optimized RAM and CPU usage: This feature allows for faster browsing by efficiently managing tabs [11].

Extended battery life: The 'Zermatt' version can prolong laptop battery life by up to 20% [11].

Efficient resource management: The browser now uses less memory and manages resources more effectively [11].

Despite the slight speed trade-off, Avast Secure Browser offers high performance and includes a dedicated user console, the Security & Privacy Center, to manage online security and privacy needs. The browser also blocks all annoying ads, trackers, and snoopers, ensuring fast loading speed and market-leading encryption [9].

Cross-Platform Availability and Sync

Avast Secure Browser is available for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS devices, allowing users to sync their data across all platforms. The browser offers a feature to share bookmarks and browser history across devices using end-to-end encryption, ensuring that communications are secured and inaccessible to third parties throughout the syncing process.

To enable syncing, follow these steps:

Open Avast Secure Browser.

Click the Account icon to the right of the address bar, then select Turn on Sync.

Enter your Avast Account credentials, then click Continue.

Select which data you want to sync between devices, then click Confirm sync.

Once Avast Sync is enabled, the Account icon to the right of the address bar turns blue. To adjust your sync settings, click the Account icon, then click Settings (the gear icon).

Avast Secure Browser supports the following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows 11 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education

Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit

Apple macOS 14.x (Sonoma)

Apple macOS 13.x (Ventura)

Apple macOS 12.x (Monterey)

Apple macOS 11.x (Big Sur)

Google Android 8.0 (Oreo, API 26) or later

Apple iOS 15.0 or later

The latest release, 'Rainier,' includes two major updates: the introduction of the mobile browser for iOS and the ability to sync browsing history and bookmarks between platforms from the user's Avast account. The iOS version has been built with full data encryption at its core, including AES-256 and the latest TLS/SSL cryptographic protocols for the data transport layer.

Avast Secure Browser for iOS supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod on iOS 13.0 and above, and is available for download here. Additional built-in security and privacy features available with Avast Secure Browser for iOS include:

A lightning-fast VPN that encrypts all data in motion and at rest

A media vault that stores and encrypts downloaded files

Anti-tracking technology that prevents websites, advertisers, and other web services from tracking online activity

Built-in Adblock to improve website load time (browser speed)

Customizable browsing modes including Secure Mode, Secure & Private Mode, and Custom Mode

User Experience and Interface

Avast Secure Browser offers a user-friendly interface that seamlessly integrates with the user's existing browser, making it easy to navigate and use. The browser's key features are conveniently organized in the Security and Privacy Center, allowing users to access and manage their online security and privacy needs effortlessly.

While Avast Secure Browser provides confidence-inspiring security features, it does have some minor drawbacks. Users may experience difficulty managing notifications, and there is a lack of clarity regarding the automatic activation of Bank mode. However, these issues are relatively minor compared to the browser's overall ease of use, as evidenced by its impressive 4.5 ease-of-use rating based on user reviews.

Avast Secure Browser is also compatible with other Chrome-based add-ons, further enhancing its functionality and customization options. This compatibility allows users to tailor their browsing experience to their specific needs and preferences. In comparison, Firefox offers good speed, low RAM usage, and easy tab organization, but it may experience slow tab switching and occasional issues with CSS animations and older HTML codes.

Privacy and Security Management

Avast Secure Browser offers a comprehensive suite of privacy and security features to protect users from various online threats. The browser, developed by trusted cybersecurity experts, focuses on user privacy by not tracking online activities and data, automatically blocking ads, and allowing users to pair it with the free Avast antivirus for extra protection [8]. Avast Secure Browser has been awarded the top position in an Anti-Phishing comparative test by AV-Comparatives [1].

The browser's built-in Security & Privacy Center provides a console of tools and features to manage online activity [5]. Users can adjust security and privacy settings through the Settings menu, including Browser VPN, AdBlock, and Advanced settings, through the Settings menu [5]. Avast Secure Browser offers a Bank Mode for secure online payments and banking activities [8]. It also protects users from fingerprinting by offering fake data when software tries to copy user identity or steal digital attributes [8].

Avast Secure Browser PRO, the paid version, includes automatic encryption of internet connection via VPN and ad/tracker blocking [4]. It offers a Virtual Private Network (VPN) feature that disguises the user's location [5] and allows choosing from over 30 VPN locations [4]. The premium browser offers a built-in VPN with unlimited bandwidth, enabling users to browse the internet privately and access any site or content, including blocked and geo-restricted sites [9]. Avast Secure Browser PRO is available for $5.99/month for one month, $2.33/month for two years, and $3.33/month for one year, supporting up to 5 devices with a 30-day money-back guarantee [9].

Comparison with Other Browsers

Compared with other popular browsers, Avast Secure Browser holds its own regarding user ratings and performance compared to other popular browsers. Based on user reviews, Avast Secure Browser has a rating of 4.4 out of 5, which is comparable to Firefox's rating of 4.42 [17]. However, Google Chrome has a slightly higher rating of 4.8 [19].

While Avast Secure Browser may be slower than some competitors like Microsoft Edge, it offers the advantage of a faster ad rendering speed due to its pre-installed ad blocker [3]. This feature sets it apart from other browsers and enhances the user browsing experience.

Avast Secure Browser also competes with other privacy-focused browsers, such as Opera, but offers the unique advantage of working as an add-on to existing browsers [8]. This flexibility allows users to maintain their preferred browser while benefiting from Avast's advanced security and privacy features. Additionally, Avast Secure Browser collaborates with other well-known browsers, serving as a complementary tool rather than a direct competitor [8].

Conclusion

Avast Secure Browser is an excellent solution for people who want to be more secure and private when they're online. It has many features to help you, including blocking ads, stopping fake websites, and encrypting their data. It's not the fastest browser, but it's very good at keeping you safe.

Whether you use the internet a little or a lot, Avast Secure Browser can help you. It works on different devices and is easy to use. You can be sure that your online life is protected from dangerous threats.