At first glance, TotalAV Security has a lot to offer: an antivirus, VPN, ad blocker, and password manager, all rolled into one. But are all these features equally high quality, or is TotalAV just trying to stand out as a one-stop shop? I’m going to do a TotalAV Antivirus review to answer, is TotalAV any good? And see how it compares to the market.
Is TotalAV Safe?
Starting with an important question, is TotalAV safe? Independent Institute results show that TotalAV is only improving in terms of removing malware from devices. In recent AV comparative testing, TotalAV managed to block 98% of threats. In AV-TEST Institute, it gained 100% in 0-day and a four-week-old malware detection.
Furthermore, in my own TotalAV test, I put 100 files on my PC to see if they’re detected as malware by a full scan, guess what? TotalAV did really well here, detecting 81 malicious files. All things considered, TotalAV is reputable, and it has proven that it can not only protect but remove threats from users’ devices.
Features and Functionality
So if you’re looking to stay safe with this antivirus, you can use the link in the description to get it even cheaper. Otherwise, features are an important consideration as well. TotalAV has real-time protection. That’s a vital feature to make sure your device is protected at all times.
There’s ransomware protection as well. Now, this might not seem like important stuff to the average user, but considering ransomware has become a highly profitable business for cyber criminals, it’s good that TotalAV will notify you of any threats and put them in quarantine. Then there’s a WebShield browser extension.
By utilizing an extensive threat intelligence database, this feature can analyze and categorize web content. Essentially, it’ll stop your device coming into contact with any harmful websites. The premium plans give you extra optimization perks like System Tune-Up. This scans and removes any duplicate or junk files.
This is said to improve your device’s performance, but I can’t say I noticed any significant difference here. They even block ads and trackers as you browse, and the higher-tiered subscriptions add a tremendous amount of value and security that doesn’t go unnoticed. These come in the form of a VPN and password manager.
Password Manager
I discussed at the beginning whether these were more of an advertisement to entice you into a subscription, but don’t really deliver in terms of functionality. Well, after some testing, I can say the password manager can compete with standalone products. It’s located right there in the TotalAV app and can be integrated into your browser with an extension.
It lets me do most everyday password management tasks like store, autofill and generate unique passwords. Everything’s locked behind a master password and encrypted for ensured security.
VPN
So what about the VPN? I’ve got to say it is bold for TotalAV to even enter the market, considering how highly competitive and innovative it is. With that in mind, yeah, it does what any VPN should, masks your IP address and anonymizes your Internet traffic. Not only that, but it uses solid encryption and has a kill switch to make sure your data is not leaked. Total VPN has a no-logs policy, meaning they didn’t store your activity, but this is yet to be audited.
On the other hand in terms of server selection, there’s a fair amount for basic activities with servers across 35 countries. Some of these are fast as well. While that’s not the biggest server list, considering how cheap the bundle gets with my discount, you’re still getting a good value for your money.
Real talk, is there room for improvements? Yes. Total VPN is lacking security audits. They’re yet to implement RAM-only servers, which can’t retain user data by design and are much more secure. Then, advanced capabilities and certain activities like streaming aren’t possible. Yet it is fully equipped to make your browsing and online experience more private.
Additional Considerations
Another small caveat that other reviews of TotalAV won’t mention is the missing firewall. Having said that, your built-in PC firewall should be more than enough alongside a good antivirus. TotalAV is truly considered a full cybersecurity suite after all said and done. But are these tools easy to use?
Taking a look at ease of use, an important consideration when choosing an antivirus, TotalAV is often praised for being user-friendly. With simple apps, it’s clear to see why. The mobile apps mirror the desktop versions in terms of having full functionality, except the iOS version can’t run system scans. Now, I don’t think this is a huge issue because of their built-in iOS protection and complementary features.
The desktop has a clear layout. Features are easy to find through icons on the left. This is where all the tools we’ve covered can be found, and you just need to tap their icon, and it’ll take you into their main page. If I want to schedule a scan, I head here, and adjusting any scan customizations are found through here. In comparison to, say, TotalAV versus Norton, it’s nice, everything is neatly tucked away.
There’s no need to download additional apps or have things open in various windows. Also, despite having a lot of features, I don’t think beginners will get overwhelmed. It’s all clear and not that complicated. Oh, impressively, TotalAV also only consumes about 8% of my system RAM while running in the background.
So it’s not a resource-heavy antivirus that is going slow down my PC.
Pricing and Conclusion
Getting into the nitty-gritty, though, how’s the price of TotalAV? Generously, they do have a forever free plan, though I’d argue this is only really for basic protection and maybe to trial run the software. Why? Well, it’s lacking really important security stuff like real-time or ransomware protection and can only be used on one device.
If you want more security, you’ve got to look into their entry-level plan, which isn’t expensive by any means. This is a good plan for basic users that aren’t looking for a full security suite and only need a couple of devices protected. Now that I’ve compared the most important categories, I can answer, is TotalAV legit? And I think by now it’s clear the answer is, yeah, totally.
Is there room for improvement? Sure. It’d be good if they implemented a firewall and added a few more tweaks to their VPN. But as an antivirus provider, it is easy to detect and remove malware effectively, and it can work in real-time to keep your device safe, making it one of the best antivirus options currently.