TotalAV Reviews

As the complete security suite that it is, features are abundant with TotalAV. While the antivirus section is pretty intuitive and allows anyone to customize the scanning patterns, the rest of the suite is equally easy to follow and use, which makes TotalAV suitable for all kinds of users. Those with less knowledge of the functions can rely on the preset recommended settings to secure and optimize their devices without worries, while those looking to shape the program to their needs will also be pleased with the abundance of options.

Additionally, TotalAV also sells extra complementary services that can be bought separately, such as an antivirus ebook, priority support, family protection, and more. But what makes TotalAV all the more interesting is its rich arsenal of tools that are already integrated into the software.

TotalAV starts off strong. As soon as it’s installed and the account is successfully authenticated, a smart scan with preconfigured settings will be automatically performed on the device. It won’t take long and it’s a warm welcoming committee from the company, who immediately demonstrates the software’s skills to new users before handing them control of the full package.

This quick scan is completed in less than five minutes and can run silently in the background without disturbing any other tasks. When complete, the result screen shows a thorough checking of each discovered issue arranged by the section of the program they’re categorized by – antivirus, computer optimization, and so on – at which point users are in command once more to dictate the fate of their system and its flaws.

This lighter scan is enough for most people and thanks to the 24/7 real-time protection that TotalAV offers, full system scans don’t need to be run so often. However, quite unlike the quicker analysis, the full one actually does have a noticeable impact on the overall performance of the device, so it’s good to only opt for it every once in a while. Our test with the preset configurations took less than 50 minutes – which is quite positive – and even though the slowdown was never intolerable, it was surely harder to perform other tasks in the meantime. The good news is that, just like with the smart scan, configurations can be altered at any time to make it faster by avoiding certain files or paths.

But a good way to avoid having to do this in-depth scan while using the computer is by scheduling it to a specific time, which of course TotalAV allows. This protection is extended to USB and other removable drives, too, which are automatically analyzed once connected.

The antivirus section of TotalAV is a true charm, but the suite is not limited to just this. It also provides a vast range of features for extended protection, with the computer optimization tools being one of the biggest highlights. From startup programs that slow the device initialization to spying cookies stored with the different browsers, TotalAV finds all these little issues quite easily and can resolve them directly within the app. There’s also an app uninstaller and an entire section dedicated to disk cleaning, which will check for duplicate files and other junk data in the system. The fate of these files is once again up to the user, who can also manually check the results and carefully choose what should be maintained or deleted.

But because nowadays secure passwords are more important than ever, TotalAV also boasts a password manager. This digital vault stores all the account credentials for any used websites and services behind an encrypted master password and, just like the VPN, is entirely built into the program and therefore doesn’t require any additional download.

Many security suites of today still have some sort of device exclusivity, either leaving mobile platforms out of the equation entirely or even focusing on a specific operating system. But TotalAV completely ditches this concept by being compatible with all major devices, ensuring both computer and mobile users can enjoy its benefits. The software runs on Windows XP+ and macOS X 10.8+ computers, while iOS and Android mobile devices are also compatible so long as they’re at least versions 11.3 and Oreo 8.1, respectively.

However, it’s important to note that smartphone protection is exclusive to TotalAV Ultimate, the same pack which also supports the maximum number of five devices per account.

Instead of having making its pricing too confusing and overelaborate, TotalAV opts for simplicity. The company gives its clients three product options, each available for one year. These each come with a cost that matches their range of features and the various number of devices available.

With this in mind, the cheapest option is called Essential and costs $19.95. It can be a good choice for a single computer since only one device per license is supported and because the password manager, smartphone protection, and some other features are not included.

The Pro version also doesn’t support mobile either, but does include up to three devices per license for a price of $39.95. The best choice is Ultimate, though, which leaves nothing out of the pack and increases the maximum number of devices to five. This is the most complete option and therefore the most expensive, costing a total of $59.95. Still, considering the set of features available, it’s actually a very attractive price that translates to around $5 per month, even less if you consider the five possible installations included.

What’s included in every plan, though, is the handy 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows for a full month of risk-free testing, which ends up being very useful as there is no free trial after the first initial scan. Payments methods include credit card and PayPal.

Good customer service is just as important as a good program, and TotalAV can’t be criticized in this aspect either. In fact, the attention given by the company to its customers starts with well-elaborated FAQ and knowledge base pages, which help by replying to all sorts of questions and also feature set-up guides, tutorials, and more.

However, if more direct contact is required then there’s no lack of options here either, with 24/7 support via email, live chat and phone for certain countries. Social media is another reliable option, as TotalAV replies to its customers on Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram.

It’s great to see features such as a VPN and a password manager fully integrated into an intuitive and multiplatform program that also delivers several disk cleaning and device optimization tools. The customization level is also good to satisfy any user hoping to fully shape every feature to their personal needs. But the best impression comes from the price, which for all of this is surprisingly cheap. The package makes TotalAV one of the best of the industry and a solid alternative for security and privacy enthusiasts.