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AVG Zen

Neil J. Rubenking
 & Neil J. Rubenking Principal Writer, Security

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
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65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
Unfortunately, these Avenger appearances amount to nothing more than super-brief cameos, and their gameplay impact is minimal. Unfortunately, The Winter Soldier - Security
3.5 Good

The Bottom Line

The free AVG Zen tool lets you install and monitor AVG security products on all your PCs and Android devices, or monitor existing installations. Supported applications include a security suite, a free antivirus, a PC tuneup tool, and a privacy management tool.

Pros & Cons

    • Lets you install and monitor AVG security on all your PCs and Android devices.
    • Attractive interface remotely tracks completeness and security status of your installations.
    • Can monitor security for friends and family.
    • Free!
    • After 30 day trial, AVG suite reverts to free antivirus and AVG tuneup tool loses advanced features.
    • No Mac support at this time.

It's not so hard to manage antivirus or security suite protection for one device, but when you've got several devices, or a household full of devices, keeping track of security can get tough. The free AVG Zen utility lets you monitor security for all of your PCs and Android devices; Mac support is planned by mid-2014.

Cross-platform multi-device security suites typically cost money, and most come with a fixed number of licenses that let you install protection on your various devices. Zen doesn't work that way. When you install it on a PC, it helps you install 30-day trials of AVG Internet Security 2014£30.37 at Amazon UK and AVG PC Tuneup. If you don't purchase the suite after 30 days, it reverts to AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014; the tuneup tool cuts back to a limited set of features. You can also use Zen to monitor existing installations of AVG software.

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Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, these Avenger appearances amount to nothing more than super-brief cameos, and their gameplay impact is minimal. Unfortunately, The Winter Soldier - Security

AVG Zen

3.5 Good

The free AVG Zen tool lets you install and monitor AVG security products on all your PCs and Android devices, or monitor existing installations. Supported applications include a security suite, a free antivirus, a PC tuneup tool, and a privacy management tool.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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