In a test by AV-Comparatives, Avast One Essential and Avast Free Antivirus had the highest detection rates.

Avast One Essential and Avast Free Antivirus both achieved the top spot in a phishing detection comparison test. Avast One Essential is our comprehensive protection service that includes antivirus, VPN, data breach monitoring, and device cleanup tools that help users stay private and safe. To make sure we’re offering the best protection on the market, we asked independent third-party AV-Comparatives to conduct an impartial test pitting our anti-phishing security against the other leading brands. 

In an AV comparison, Avast Free Antivirus and Avast One Essential blocked 99% of phishing attempts, which was more than any other brand. AV-Comp tested the products against 250 phishing URLs over a two-week period in January 2022. The phishing products were tested on a Windows 10 system running Google Chrome 97.0. 

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In a browser comparison, Avast Secure Browser came out on top with a 95% block rate, ahead of Microsoft Edge at 80%, Firefox at 77%, Opera at 56%, and Google Chrome at 34%. Avast Secure Browser is not just a privacy-first browser, it’s also loaded with the latest and greatest in anti-phishing technology. “Recently, Avast has excelled in the anti-phishing category,” commented Andreas Clementi, Founder and CEO of AV-Comparatives, “which is bad news for opportunistic cybercriminals who often depend on the high success rates of phishing attacks as a means of generating greater return on investment.”

“In 2021, our threat detection engine has identified and blocked nearly four million unique phishing URLs each month on average,” said Siggi Stefnisson, Head of Avast Threat Labs. “Phishing is one of the most common threats for both businesses and consumers, often because it’s easier to exploit the human condition through urgency, fear or pressure than it is to hack a system. Phishing attacks – particularly those which are targeted and personalized – and phishing URLs have become so widespread, hard to identify as malicious, and successful in achieving their goals of theft, fraud, and corporate espionage, that it’s of paramount importance we maintain an industry-leading detection rate to apply to our products and services so our customers remain safe and secure online.”

For more details, see the full report.