AVG Antivirus was founded in 1991. It operates as a subsidiary of Avast Antivirus Technologies.
The initials AVG stand for Anti-Virus Guard.
The production of a free version enabled the company to grow substantially. Clients can purchase more advanced features, but the basic antivirus software is free to use.
As of 2021, the company states that it has 200 million active users and another 100 million who use the software on their mobile devices.
As of 2014, there are numerous reports dating back to 2012 that the AVG SafeGuard Toolbar installs itself without the consent of the user, as a side effect of installing other applications. It uses quite a bit of RAM and once installed, it is virtually impossible to completely remove it.
Despite rave reviews, the software is not without flaws. One hacker found that they could trick the software into becoming data wipers.
AVG maintains a corporate office in San Mateo, California.
