Avast Software s.r.o. is a Czech multinational cybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Avast has more than 435 million monthly active users and the second largest market share among anti-malware application vendors worldwide as of April 2020. The company has approximately 1,700 employees across its 25 offices worldwide.

Avast was founded by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988 as a cooperative. It had been a private company since 2010 and had its IPO in May 2018. In July 2016, Avast acquired competitor AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product. It is dual-listed on the Prague Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

The company’s main product is the Avast Antivirus along with tools such as the Avast Secure Browser and the Avast SecureLine VPN.

Formerly:            Alwil Software

Type:                     Public

Traded as:           LSE: AVST, PSE: AVST

Industry:              Computer security

Predecessor:     AVG Technologies

Founded:            1988; 32 years ago

Founders:           Pavel Baudiš,    Eduard Kučera

Headquarters:   Prague, Czech Republic

Area served:      Worldwide

Products:             Security software

Subsidiaries:       AVG Technologies,     Piriform,    HideMyAss!

Website:              www.avast.com/index