Windows has a straightforward software removal tool. You can access it via the Start menu, or in the settings interface, and uninstalling is straightforward. Unfortunately, not every piece of software you install will be designed to Microsoft’s strict standards. 

Consequently, files and other data will be left behind. While some of these can be manually deleted, this isn’t always the case. This is why third-party app uninstaller software exists for Windows, and one example of this is Geek Uninstaller.

Developed by Thomas Koen, Geek Uninstaller is free to use, but there is also a paid version published by CrystalIDEA Software, a Belgian company.

We’ve evaluated Geek Uninstaller based on performance and features, pricing, and how it compares to competing apps.

Geek uninstaller: Plans and pricing

While Geek Uninstaller has an attractive price of zero, it comes with no support and no extra features. If you want more from this capable uninstaller tool, you’ll need the paid version, which happily comes with a free trial.

Costing $24.95, Geek Uninstaller PRO has a lifetime license. In an age of annual subscriptions, this is extremely refreshing. You pay just once to use this software, and it is yours. If you want to use Geek Uninstaller PRO on multiple systems, a portable license is $39.95. This option is ideal for tech support engineers, and the tool can be run from USB.

Geek Uninstaller PRO is also available as a bundle with AnyToISO, an ISO creation tool from CrystalIDEA. This is $34.95 for a standard (single device) license, and $59.95 for the portable, multi-system license.

Volume licensing is available on request for both options.

Geek uninstaller: Features

Geek Uninstaller comes with a collection of software removal tools and features.

App removal

Capable of handling standard apps and Windows Store apps, Geek Uninstaller will oversee the main uninstaller tool. It can also check for leftover data and ensure this is discarded, cleaning your PC of this orphaned data. The force removal feature deals with broken apps and software that will not be uninstalled in the usual way.

Portable

When you download Geek Uninstaller, it comes as a zipped-up EXE file. This means the software doesn’t need to be installed. Instead, you simply double-click the EXE to run it. 

As such, Geek Uninstaller can be run from a USB stick, making it totally portable and ideal for anyone performing maintenance or support tasks on multiple PCs. It also runs quickly, displaying the list of installed software without a long scan.

Functional user interface

While other apps might blend into the modern Windows aesthetic, Geek Uninstaller is unpretentiously styled like a classic Windows app. This might be grating for some, but its functional UI relies on classic menu bar and context menu commands. Everyone knows this design language, so there is no confusion when using it to remove persistent software.

Time-saving shortcuts   

A handy feature of Geek Uninstaller is the collection of context menu shortcuts. Right-click on each listed app and you can find more about the software, from its dedicated webpage, to where it is installed on your PC (a File Explorer window opens), and its registry entry. There is also the option to search for the software on Google.

From a PC security point of view, these are useful additions that we haven’t seen on any of the other uninstaller apps, additions that could potentially identify malware. If you find unfamiliar software on a PC, these tools should help you work out exactly what it is.

System requirements

Geek Uninstaller is for Windows 11 and Windows 7 through to 10, 32-bit, and 64-bit (it runs as a 64-bit app). If you’re dealing with an older version of Windows, the Uninstall Tool v3.5.10 is available from the Geek Uninstaller website.

Geek uninstaller: Interface and in use

One area where Geek Uninstaller stands out is its simplicity. It’s one of the most straightforward software programs we have come across. The design looks like that of many Windows apps you’re familiar with.

After launching the app, it brings up a list of all the applications installed on your PC. From that menu, you can right-click any of them, and you’ll see a drop-down of options, including “uninstall” and “force removal.” Clicking any of these two options will begin the process of wiping away an application. Be careful before you uninstall or force-remove any app because there’s no restore option on Geek Uninstaller.

After you right-click, other options in the drop-down menu include viewing an app's entry of the Windows Registry, opening its installation folder, and visiting the app’s official website. Overall, Geek Uninstaller is very easy to navigate. It’s also multi-lingual, supporting around three-dozen languages. 

Geek uninstaller: Support

As noted, there is no support for Geek Uninstaller’s free version.

CrystalIdea maintains a support page for Geek Uninstaller PRO (which the website confusingly refers to as Uninstall Tool). This mainly acts as an index of support articles, but you can also access release notes for each edition of the software. The support articles cover everything from acting as a manual to providing steps for activation, but nothing particularly complex.

There is also a link to the GitHub issue tracker, where you can keep an eye on bugs, problems, or feature request status.

If you run into trouble, the Geek Uninstaller PRO support team can be accessed by email.

Geek uninstaller: Competition

Geek Uninstaller PRO has stiff competition in the third-party uninstaller market. Wise Program Uninstaller, Bulk Crap Uninstaller, and Ashampoo Uninstaller are all well-known alternatives.

How does Geek Uninstaller PRO measure up? Well to start, it has a free version that completes the basic purpose, so if that is all you need, simply use that. Of course, if you need more in-depth functionality, Geek Uninstaller PRO may not measure up to some of the competition. Ashampoo Uninstaller, for example, is extremely feature-packed. Meanwhile, Wise Program Uninstaller is also free and doesn’t have a paid option.

But, you only pay once for Geek Uninstaller PRO – all of the competing paid tools demand annual license payments.

Geek uninstaller: Final verdict

With quite tough competition in the software uninstaller market, Geek Uninstaller and its PRO option need to boast strong features to stand out. Uninstaller tools are common, and the basic functionality is baked into them all. 

So, why should you choose Geek Uninstaller? Well, we noticed two highlights that set this tool apart from the competition, in both free and PRO guises. First, the simple ability to track down each app’s website, installation folder, and registry entry, and initiate a Google search from within Geek Uninstaller. This is an excellent feature for IT support teams and can help determine if a piece of immovable software is malicious.

Second, Geek Uninstaller can be run from a USB stick. That again makes it perfect for IT support, but don’t be distracted – Geek Uninstaller is a handy, simple software removal tool that anyone can use.

We've also highlighted the best free software uninstallers

Driver Genius 22 Platinum is one of several driver updaters on the market promising to optimize your device, enhance your security and maintain high levels of compatibility even as new solutions are released. If you’re assigned the task of keeping several computers up to date, you should know how challenging it is to ensure they’re running the latest drivers at all times. With Driver Genius 22 Platinum, this becomes possible because it can automatically scan your computer and tell you which drivers you should update. 

BVRP, a French software company, is the manufacturer of the software. It uses the Avanquest name for many of its products, including PDF editors, graphic design software, and system utilities and repair tools.

The following review will focus on the Driver Genius 22 Platinum driver updater, looking at various criteria, including pricing, customer support, compatibility, features, and user-friendliness. Taking all these factors into account, we found this to be a great piece of kit requiring minimal manual intervention. 

Driver Genius 22 Platinum: Plans and pricing

Avanquest Driver Genius 22 is available in three versions. The first version is a time-limited free trial that excludes some full software features. The second version is Driver Genius 22 Professional Edition, which costs $30 per year. It’s the full version of the software but without certain features such as System Booster and SSD Speeder. These features are reserved for Driver Genius 22 Platinum Edition, which will set you back $60 per year. The Platinum version is our review’s focus.

There’s a 60-day money-back guarantee for your purchase, which represents a generous timeframe for you to work with the software and decide if it's something you want to commit to. Alternatively, if you are still an adherent of physical media you can pay an extra $9.95 to have Driver Genius 22 Platinum delivered as a disc to your address. 

Features

Driver Genius 22 Platinum comes with all the features you'd expect from a driver updater. Avanquest has been in this game for a long time - hence the 22 in the Driver Genius name - so has accumulated a wealth of understanding regarding the kinds of features that users are after from a driver updater. 

Key features that you can expect from Driver Genius 22 Platinum include:

Automatic Driver Detection

Driver Genius 22 Platinum lets you set schedules to analyze your drivers automatically and report which ones are outdated or defective. Afterwards, you can update or download new ones right away.

Driver Genius Platinum scans your drivers against a database of over 2 million drivers so there's a good chance it will include the one you need.

Backup and Restore

With this software, you can back up your drivers and restore them when needed. You can choose to back up all the drivers you currently use, the original Windows drivers, or select them individually, among other options. 

This feature is essential because some driver updates could cause system malfunctions. If you fall into this category, you can just restore the backup version of whichever driver is causing the issue to fix it. You see similar functionality with many other business tools, for instance, the best cloud storage solutions, which allow file versioning.

Driver Cleanup

This feature allows you to eliminate invalid driver packages from your computer. Doing this frees up space that your system will utilize for other tasks and perform better.

In fact, cleaning optimization is a core component of Driver Genius' offering. As well as being able to uninstall outdated or unwanted drivers, you can use the software to diagnose and resolve network connection or sound issues, identify peripheral devices that may not be working correctly, and unlock hidden options in the display driver control panel.

System Booster

This feature lets you optimize your entire system in one click. It includes;

• Memory configuration
• Advanced management of Windows services
• Optimization tools for system files

SSD Speeder

You can optimize your system to enhance the performance and reliability of your solid-state drives. SSD Speeder and System Booster are exclusive features for the Platinum edition.

Compatibility

It’s compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11. As long as you're a Windows user, you're unlikely to have any compatibility issues with Driver Genius. 

Interface and in use

Driver Genius 22 Platinum has a professional, friendly user interface. We tested it on a Windows 10 laptop and got good results. It found ten drivers needing updates, which we promptly actioned. It took just one click to update all the required drivers.

The main menu includes all the app’s primary features. You can see clear options for

• Driver Update
• Driver Backup
• Driver Restore
• Driver Cleanup
• Toolkit

The Toolkit section includes additional features such as hardware information, system transfer assistance, and fixing sound problems.

Driver Genius 22 is well-organized and free from clutter. It scores very high on user-friendliness. There's also now a dark mode included as an option when you're customizing the user interface. It's far from necessary but represents a nice option for users. 

Support

24/7 technical support is available if you’re a paid user but the free version lacks any technical support, which is disappointing. If you are a paid subscriber, you can contact the company directly through email or telephone and, according to the official website at least, support responds to email queries within 24 hours during working days.

Avanquest also has a user guide and Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ) page, where common issues, like how to activate the software, are covered.  

The competition

IObit Driver Booster 9 Pro is significantly cheaper than Driver Genius 22 Platinum. It costs $40 per year and scans from a database of over 8 million drivers. Avast Driver Updater is also cheaper. It costs $40 per year and has a database of over 8 million drivers.

However, although Driver Genius may not be the cheapest or have the largest database of drivers, it does boast a commitment to reinvention. Already, users can download Driver Genius 23 Platinum, so they can be sure that Avanquest won't stand still as new drivers emerge. The fact that all your drivers are bundled into a single executable file can also greatly boost productivity when you are looking to clean up your drivers. 

Final verdict

Driver Genius 22 Platinum’s features such as Driver Update, Driver Cleanup, Driver Backup, and Driver Restore were sufficient to keep the drivers of the laptop we tested it on in good shape. Admittedly, it did have some drawbacks, such as not finding as many drivers compared to a competitor like Avast. 

We hope that Avanquest expands its drivers' database to catch up with the competition. Given that the company never seems far away from launching another version of Driver Genius, we're sure this is on their agenda. 

We've also highlighted the best driver update software

Auslogics Driver Updater is a device management tool and driver updater for Windows operating systems. Outdated drivers are one of the most common reasons for slow system performance, which can be extremely damaging to productivity. This tool helps you keep those drivers in check. 

Auslogics is an Australian software company. The Driver Updater is just one of many device management tools the company has developed. The company also offers antivirus, malware removal, data recovery, and registry cleaner solutions.

This review will look specifically at Auslogics Driver Updater tool based on various criteria, such as pricing, features, compatibility, customer support, and user interface. Although there are some drawbacks, including download speeds that are on the slower side, they are more than made up for with handy functionality like scan scheduling. This is a driver updater that is certainly worthy of your consideration. 

Auslogics Driver Updater: Plans and pricing

Auslogics Driver Updater is a one-time purchase and the software is available on the company's website for $33.96 at the time of writing. Once you pay, you can download the complete software package. It’s compatible with Windows  7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.

There’s also a free tier available but it is admittedly of slightly limited functionality. Fir example, you can't update multiple drivers at once of schedule scanning with the free version. However, it does mean you can get to grips with the updater more quickly because you can download this one right away without any payment details. It’s suitable for testing the software before making your final purchase decision.

Features

Auslogics Driver Updater includes a number of useful features to ensure your drivers are up to date and your PC is running at peak performance including:

Automatic Scan

As we said, this is only available with the paid version of Auslogics Driver Updater but it may be worth paying for as it means you can automatically scan all your device drivers and highlight which ones need to be updated or not at a time that's convenient. The scan is quick and easy. For example, you can set it to scan all your drivers automatically whenever your system boots up, so your drivers are always up to date.

Automatic Update

After scanning your drivers and seeing which ones need updating, Auslogics Driver Updater lets you update all of them in one stretch through the click of a button, as long as you're a subscriber to the paid version. You need not stress updating them individually, especially when many drivers are involved.  

Driver Backup and Restore

A driver update can cause failures or malfunctions in some cases, but it doesn’t spell the end of your computer system. You can backup your drivers to another device, such as an external hard drive or USB drive, and restore them where needed. 

Scheduler

You can set schedules where the Auslogics Driver Updater will automatically scan your computer for driver updates. For example, you can set it to scan and automatically update drivers where applicable weekly to maintain a superb PC performance. Regular scans of this manner are a primary tool for having a healthy computer. 

Compatibility

The Auslogics Driver Updater is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. This represents a good range of operating systems for Windows users. Those of you that prefer MacOS, can use the built in driver updater from Apple. 

Interface and in use

Auslogics Driver Updater has a simple and user-friendly interface. Downloading the software is as easy as heading to the company’s website and making just a few clicks. You can download the free version with just a click, whereas you need some registration details for the paid version. This is hardly surprising as you'll see something similar when you are choosing between, say, the best CRM and a free CRM. It's hard to say which is the best approach, per se, without knowing your budget, but you will have to come to terms with some restrictions if you choose the free option.  

After downloading the installation file for either the free or paid version, run it, and it takes just a few minutes to install it on your computer completely. Then, it's time to use it. The interface is intuitive, with visible buttons for different functions. On the main dashboard, you have clear buttons to “Back Up,” “Restore,” “Schedule,” and “Diagnose.” If ease of use were the only criteria of our review, we’d give Auslogics a clean 5/5.

Support

Auslogics provides customer support through email and telephone. You can call the company’s customer support line for instant assistance or email them and wait for a response. Ideally, you should choose either of these options based on the urgency of your issue. Note that telephone support isn’t always readily available due to high levels of demand. It's worth noting that you only have access to extended priority support by subscribing to the paid version of Auslogics Driver Updater. 

There's also an Auslogics Support Center with common questions for all of the company's products. For Auslogics Driver Updater, these questions revolve around issues like compatibility, safety, and how to update specific drivers like a graphics driver, network, audio, or any other.

Auslogics also has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page you can consult to resolve commonly encountered problems.

The competition

Auslogics Driver Updater has many competitors, such as Ashampoo Driver Updater, IObit Driver Booster Pro, or DriverDoc. Compared to them, Auslogics is one of the cheapest options despite having similar functionality. For example, Ashampoo costs $19 to download, and DriverDoc costs $40, compared to $33.96 for the Auslogics Driver Updater.

Download speeds for some drivers are not the fastest when using Auslogics, so if you are going to be updating drivers on a regular basis at scale, this could hamper your employees' efficiency levels. Similarly, if you are a free user, you can only update one driver at a time, which will also restrict the speed of your updates - or the general performance of your devices.  

Final verdict

Auslogics Driver Updater represents good bang for your buck. It has a clean interface, good support, and decent functionality. Download speeds could be better but, overall, the Auslogics Driver Updater lives up to its promise of being a handy tool for keeping your device drivers in check. It helps maximize your computer’s performance. 

We've also highlighted the best driver update software

Auslogics Driver Updater is a device management tool and driver updater for Windows operating systems. Outdated drivers are one of the most common reasons for slow system performance, which can be extremely damaging to productivity. This tool helps you keep those drivers in check. 

Auslogics is an Australian software company. The Driver Updater is just one of many device management tools the company has developed. The company also offers antivirus, malware removal, data recovery, and registry cleaner solutions.

This review will look specifically at Auslogics Driver Updater tool based on various criteria, such as pricing, features, compatibility, customer support, and user interface. Although there are some drawbacks, including download speeds that are on the slower side, they are more than made up for with handy functionality like scan scheduling. This is a driver updater that is certainly worthy of your consideration. 

Auslogics Driver Updater: Plans and pricing

Auslogics Driver Updater is a one-time purchase and the software is available on the company's website for $33.96 at the time of writing. Once you pay, you can download the complete software package. It’s compatible with Windows  7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.

There’s also a free tier available but it is admittedly of slightly limited functionality. Fir example, you can't update multiple drivers at once of schedule scanning with the free version. However, it does mean you can get to grips with the updater more quickly because you can download this one right away without any payment details. It’s suitable for testing the software before making your final purchase decision.

Features

Auslogics Driver Updater includes a number of useful features to ensure your drivers are up to date and your PC is running at peak performance including:

Automatic Scan

As we said, this is only available with the paid version of Auslogics Driver Updater but it may be worth paying for as it means you can automatically scan all your device drivers and highlight which ones need to be updated or not at a time that's convenient. The scan is quick and easy. For example, you can set it to scan all your drivers automatically whenever your system boots up, so your drivers are always up to date.

Automatic Update

After scanning your drivers and seeing which ones need updating, Auslogics Driver Updater lets you update all of them in one stretch through the click of a button, as long as you're a subscriber to the paid version. You need not stress updating them individually, especially when many drivers are involved.  

Driver Backup and Restore

A driver update can cause failures or malfunctions in some cases, but it doesn’t spell the end of your computer system. You can backup your drivers to another device, such as an external hard drive or USB drive, and restore them where needed. 

Scheduler

You can set schedules where the Auslogics Driver Updater will automatically scan your computer for driver updates. For example, you can set it to scan and automatically update drivers where applicable weekly to maintain a superb PC performance. Regular scans of this manner are a primary tool for having a healthy computer. 

Compatibility

The Auslogics Driver Updater is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. This represents a good range of operating systems for Windows users. Those of you that prefer MacOS, can use the built in driver updater from Apple. 

Interface and in use

Auslogics Driver Updater has a simple and user-friendly interface. Downloading the software is as easy as heading to the company’s website and making just a few clicks. You can download the free version with just a click, whereas you need some registration details for the paid version. This is hardly surprising as you'll see something similar when you are choosing between, say, the best CRM and a free CRM. It's hard to say which is the best approach, per se, without knowing your budget, but you will have to come to terms with some restrictions if you choose the free option.  

After downloading the installation file for either the free or paid version, run it, and it takes just a few minutes to install it on your computer completely. Then, it's time to use it. The interface is intuitive, with visible buttons for different functions. On the main dashboard, you have clear buttons to “Back Up,” “Restore,” “Schedule,” and “Diagnose.” If ease of use were the only criteria of our review, we’d give Auslogics a clean 5/5.

Support

Auslogics provides customer support through email and telephone. You can call the company’s customer support line for instant assistance or email them and wait for a response. Ideally, you should choose either of these options based on the urgency of your issue. Note that telephone support isn’t always readily available due to high levels of demand. It's worth noting that you only have access to extended priority support by subscribing to the paid version of Auslogics Driver Updater. 

There's also an Auslogics Support Center with common questions for all of the company's products. For Auslogics Driver Updater, these questions revolve around issues like compatibility, safety, and how to update specific drivers like a graphics driver, network, audio, or any other.

Auslogics also has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page you can consult to resolve commonly encountered problems.

The competition

Auslogics Driver Updater has many competitors, such as Ashampoo Driver Updater, IObit Driver Booster Pro, or DriverDoc. Compared to them, Auslogics is one of the cheapest options despite having similar functionality. For example, Ashampoo costs $19 to download, and DriverDoc costs $40, compared to $33.96 for the Auslogics Driver Updater.

Download speeds for some drivers are not the fastest when using Auslogics, so if you are going to be updating drivers on a regular basis at scale, this could hamper your employees' efficiency levels. Similarly, if you are a free user, you can only update one driver at a time, which will also restrict the speed of your updates - or the general performance of your devices.  

Final verdict

Auslogics Driver Updater represents good bang for your buck. It has a clean interface, good support, and decent functionality. Download speeds could be better but, overall, the Auslogics Driver Updater lives up to its promise of being a handy tool for keeping your device drivers in check. It helps maximize your computer’s performance. 

We've also highlighted the best driver update software

Why you can trust TechRadar  We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test. 

Auvik is a cloud-based network monitoring solution that aims to simplify network monitoring and management. The final goal of the entire platform is to increase your efficiency as you support your network. By creating a physical and logical map of your network (routers, switches, firewalls, etc.) you will get automatic network monitoring for all mapped devices. 

While there are metrics that you can track out of the box, it would be helpful to have a greater level of customization when it comes to this aspect, but by no means are the out-of-the-box KPIs bad. Its monitoring capabilities also extend out to devices like PCs, phones, and printers. Auvik has the capability to provide services to multiple separate networks, enabling administrators handling various independent clients to merge all of their networks into one account, thereby simplifying management. 

Plans and pricing

When we head to the pricing tab to navigate the company website, it isn't very reassuring to see that we need to exchange our company credentials- including a business email- in order to get the pricing info.  

If you want to get the exact pricing, which is custom-made, you will have to go through their sales channel. There is a calculator on their website (which sometimes freezes), in which you can calculate an approximate amount of money you will have to pay for the services. Remember that the services are charged per device, and a minimum device number is 5, regardless if you have less than that. We’ve managed to get a rough calculation of $25 per device license, making the service quite pricey. 

We would appreciate a few tiers of plans, that would help less advanced users know exactly what they’re getting and how much it will cost. Playing gymnastics with the calculator or going through the sales team, is not something we find amusing. 

Features

Auvik is designed to monitor your network for events, and provide alerts that can be used preconfigured (with 50 available), or even customized for your needs. The included alerts are based on the best practices from the industry, and range from informational to emergencies. With the custom options available, administrators can also select the frequency to receive the alert.

With Auvik in action, much better control of the network can be performed. Administrators gain access to real time network metrics with data on topology, config history, and device performance, that not only gives a snapshot on current performance, but also can be compared as this data gets stored for years back for comparison purposes. Insights then get revealed, such as if the poor performance is due to the IDP or the internal network, or if the SSL VPN has reached the license limit by tracking the number of simultaneous VPN licenses in use.

Support

Auvik offers a range of resources and tools to assist users in maximizing the platform's support capabilities. These resources include online manuals, a knowledge base, and a user community forum. Additionally, Auvik provides round-the-clock email support and phone assistance during business hours. It sets itself apart by prioritizing partner support and offering a range of services and tools to aid partners in achieving success. These include a partner site, co-branded marketing materials, and dedicated partner assistance.

You have the option of sending a message if you didn’t find an answer to your question in the extensive knowledge database, or if you simply want to get in touch and discuss some specifics. On the support part of the page there is also a prominent support number, so you can always pick up the phone and dial their support for any issues you may have. When it comes to configuration issues, we would recommend consulting the knowledge database or simply the extensive forum, prior to calling support, as you may be directed to the manuals first.

Final verdict

Auvik is a comprehensive network management platform that is packed with various features that aim to help IT professionals manage their networks more easily and faster. The network mapping and management capabilities offer enhanced visibility, and it is fairly easy to set up. 

While some parts are more difficult to configure, overall, we would argue that the platform is designed for ease of use. However, its scalability and performance are really good, allowing you to effectively monitor large networks. 

The pricing aspect could have been done better, but perhaps that comes down to personal preference in the end. Support is fairly decent, with a lot of documentation available on the forums and knowledge base. Therefore, if you’re looking for a powerful network management platform, Auvik could be the solution for you, just keep in mind you will have to pay for the powerful feature set.  

We've also featured the best wireless routers, best Wireless Access Points and the best VPN

AVG Driver Updater is a device management tool made by AVG Technologies, a company based in the Czech Republic. The company is most famous for its antivirus software, but it has other product lines, such as its driver updater. 

AVG Technologies is a leading software company that has existed for three decades. It’s a subsidiary of Avast Software, an organization known for a family of solutions across the Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS operating systems - again, largely focusing on security matters. 

This review will take a look at AVG’s Driver Updater specifically taking into account a variety of factors, including the program’s features, user interface, customer support, compatibility, and pricing.

AVG Driver Updater: Plans and pricing

The AVG Driver Updater costs $40 per year, which works out to be quite expensive compared to similar products on the market. There’s a free trial version, but it has just a few features compared to the paid version and lasts only a month. Thus, the paid version is the practical option to make the most of the driver updater. 

If you do sign up for the paid plan, it’s important to be aware that after your first year is complete, your subscription will automatically renew at the full price annually. Your bank account will automatically be charged for a one-year period, so make sure you are happy to continue subscribing before AVG automatically renews. You will receive an email reminder of your subscription ending up to 65 days in advance but if you don’t want to be charged, make sure you cancel your subscription at least 35 days before your current plan ends. There is also a free trial period of 15 days,  however, which you can sign up for without entering any credit card details.

Features

AVG Driver Updater contains a number of features to keep your system using the latest drivers and running smoothly:

Real-time Scans

You can scan and update your drivers in real time as you perform other functions on your computer. Many driver updaters lack this feature, which means you can carry on with your work, which AVG Driver Updater operates in the background. 

Scan Scheduling

You can set schedules and intervals for the AVG Driver Updater to run automatic scans of your PC’s drivers and produce reports. This feature ensures convenience and keeps you always in the loop regarding your driver updates.

Large Driver Database

AVG’s Driver Updater checks your drivers against a database of over 50 million drivers. Such an extensive database contains virtually any driver you may need, making it your one-stop shop for driver downloads and updates. Computer drivers come in various types, including printer, scanner, audio card, video card and graphics card drivers. Whatever driver you are looking to update, AVG will probably be able to find it. 

AVG Driver Updater is also especially good if you’re a big consumer of video or gaming content. The updater can optimize your gaming and streaming experience by giving you access to the latest audio and graphics driver downloads.

Driver Backup and Restore

You can backup your drivers with AVG’s Driver Updater and restore them when required. This feature is critical because some driver updates can cause performance issues on your PC. You don’t need to panic in such a case when the software lets you backup and restore older versions of your drivers to avert the issue. 

Installs Official Drivers

AVG’s Driver Updater can download and install authentic drivers from over 1,300 leading technology brands. 

Neat User Interface

This tool has a very well-organized user interface that makes it easy to use and navigate through. It’s uncluttered, and all the functionalities are visible to the user. This neat interface ensures that anyone can use the driver updater regardless of their technical knowledge or experience.

Compatibility

AVG’s Driver Updater is compatible with Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10, and 11. 

Interface and in use

The interface of this driver updater is very organized and user-friendly - right from the downloading and installation phases. To download AVG Driver Updater, go to the official website and get the executable file (.exe), either for the free or paid version. Then, run it. 

After installing and launching the software, you’ll see the friendly, uncluttered interface we’re talking about. There are clear buttons for whichever function you want to pick, with no complexity or opportunity for confusion.  

Support

AVG offers customer support through email, live chat, and telephone. You can contact the support team directly via phone or live chat for instant answers or use email and wait for a while. The telephone support varies depending on the country you’re calling from, but it’s generally reliable. Due to customer traffic, the live chat and telephone customer support may be unavailable at certain times. 

However, there are also a number of tutorials and guides on AVG’s site in case you run into problems. The AVG Driver Updater FAQ will hopefully resolve your issue if it’s a common problem, including how to install and use the driver updater, as well as the usual troubleshooting. 

The competition

There are many other competing driver updaters on the market. A few examples are the Ashampoo Driver Updater and Auslogics Driver Updater. AVG’s parent company, Avast, also has its driver updater that’s almost identical except for the name. 

Compared to Ashampoo and Auslogics, AVG is the much more expensive option. It costs $40/year, while Ashampoo costs $19 and Auslogics $11.50 for the same period. While all of them have similar functionality, AVG's driver updater certainly draws from an impressively wide database of drivers - more than 50 million, in fact - so if you do need to update a driver, chances are AVG's updater will locate it. The support you receive, both before and after you've updated your drivers, is also impressive. 

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Final verdict

AVG’s Driver Updater is a dependable tool for keeping your device drivers healthy and improving your PC’s performance. It’s easy to use and has all the necessary functionality you'd expect from a driver updater. Although it is relatively expensive compared to the competition, it does come from a well-respected brand and take the manual burden out of searching for new drivers. 

We've also featured the best driver update software