Question & answer

Are Avast and AVG the same company?

The short answer

Yes, AVG and Avast are the same company. Avast bought AVG in 2016 and both now belong to Gen Digital. Gen Digital also owns Norton, Avira and LifeLock. Because they run the same detection engine, Avast and AVG get nearly identical lab scores. Pick the interface you like best and never pay for both.

In detail

The consumer security market looks crowded until you look at who owns what. In 2016 Avast bought AVG, its old Czech rival. In 2022 Avast merged with NortonLifeLock to form Gen Digital. That one company now sells consumer security under at least five brands. The five are Norton and LifeLock plus Avast, AVG and Avira.

For Avast and AVG the overlap goes beyond ownership. Both use the same scanning engine and threat cloud. The independent labs score them alike. AV-TEST gives both the same marks in its home-user test. AV-Comparatives publishes its ratings for both on its own website. What still differs is the interface, the bundled extras and the upsells you see.

Both brands stay alive because of their reach. AVG and Avast each have hundreds of millions of installs. Each brand is better known in different countries. For you as a buyer this keeps things simple. See them as one product in two jackets and pick the interface you like best. Be a little skeptical of any "Avast vs AVG" review that names a dramatic protection winner. The engine on both sides is the same.