AVG AntiVirus Free vs ClamAV

AVG AntiVirus Free: what it's good at

AVG AntiVirus Free blocks viruses, spyware and other malware in real time, and scans links, downloads and email attachments before they can execute. It shares a detection engine with Avast, and is a solid no-cost baseline for a home Windows machine.

• Real-time malware detection
• Email attachment and download scanning
• Performance scan for junk files
• Free for personal use

ClamAV: what it's good at

ClamAV is an open-source antivirus engine widely deployed for scanning mail gateways, file servers and uploads. It is command-line and integration oriented rather than a consumer desktop suite, which makes it the natural pick for scripted or server-side scanning.

• Fully open source
• Designed for mail and file server scanning
• Scriptable command-line interface
• Frequent signature database updates

Which should you choose?

Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.

Both run on Windows, macOS. Only AVG AntiVirus Free supports Android. Only ClamAV supports Linux. If open source matters to you, ClamAV publishes its source code and AVG AntiVirus Free does not.

We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is AVG AntiVirus Free better than ClamAV?

Neither is universally better. AVG AntiVirus Free lightweight free antivirus with web and email protection, while ClamAV open-source antivirus engine, standard on mail servers. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.

Are both really free?

AVG AntiVirus Free is free tier and ClamAV is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.

Can I install both?

Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.