European Alternatives to Avast
American antivirus from Gen Digital (formerly Czech). Free and premium protection with AI-based threat detection.
Avast Features
- Real-time antivirus protection
- Anti-ransomware protection
- Wi-Fi vulnerability detection
- Anti-phishing protection
- Secure browsing
- AI threat analysis
Price: Free / 3-10 EUR/month (premium)
Why leave Avast?
- Jumpshot scandal: Avast secretly sold user browsing data to over 100 companies including Google, Microsoft and Pepsi through its Jumpshot subsidiary
- FTC fine of $16.5 million in 2024 for collecting and selling browsing data while claiming to protect user privacy
- Acquisition by Gen Digital (NortonLifeLock) in 2022: the Czech company came under American control, subjecting European users' data to US jurisdiction
- CLOUD Act: As a subsidiary of a US company, Avast is subject to the CLOUD Act allowing the US government to access data even stored outside the United States
Recommended : Bitdefender
Romanian antivirus and global cybersecurity leader. Complete protection with VPN, multi-layer anti-ransomware and password manager.
Country : RO
Compatibility Scores
- Migration : 90/100
- GDPR : 95/100
- Features : 92/100
- Overall Score : 93/100
Bitdefender Features
- Real-time protection
- VPN 200MB/day
- Multi-layer anti-ransomware
- Safepay (secure browsing)
- Password manager
- Parental controls
Price: 40-80 EUR/year
Why this choice?
Bitdefender is the #1 choice to replace Avast. Same protection without the data selling scandals. Romanian company (EU) guaranteeing real privacy.
Switch from Avast to Bitdefender
Strengths
- Perfect AV-TEST scores for several years
- Multi-platform (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)
- Free version available without data selling
- Headquarters in Romania (EU) - native GDPR compliance
- VPN and password manager included
- No user data selling scandal
Weaknesses
- Full VPN requires payment (200MB/day free)
- Limited iOS support compared to Android
- Renewal price higher than first year
All Alternatives
- Bitdefender (RO) — Score : 93/100 (Recommended)
- F-Secure (FI) — Score : 92/100
- ESET (SK) — Score : 89/100