You will get pop ups from time to time, I do also they are trying to suck you into the pay for pro version, I of course ignore as I pay for nothing only use the Free versions and also have no problems on all 4 of my PC's, over many yrs.

Free antivirus programs are stripped down facsimiles, with features and capabilities removed, of not-free versions from the same software companies. Just like other products and services we all choose from, a thoughtful selection may involve comparisons of what capabilities may be needed or wanted and so worth paying extra for, and which aren't. Some choose based only on price without understanding consequences and alternatives.

Not-free versions can be found at affordable and inexpensive prices, usually much less for a year's subscription than most people pay for one month's internet connection. Many internet service providers make not-free versions available to customers for no charge.

What's right for you may be different from what's right for someone else. Check antivirus product reviews at PCMag or other sites offering unbiased reviews for ideas about which products have the best performance.

More BS as usual, most Pro versions are extended or more comprehensive versions of the home version for home use and are used by big business or offices with many PC's on their shared network. (they need a bloated version) The home versions for average users are just fine and work well and update daily in some cases to keep up with newest threats.

Thanks to both of you for your responses, but I think there may be some confusion. As helpful as your comments are as general advice, in this instance it's not really about being pressured to subscribe to a pay version. The behavior feature is part of the free version (as users of free Avast can see by opening the user interface and going to settings > components). I just didn't know if it had already been there or not and wasn't sure how much extra protection it affords. As it happens, with this morning's reboot the shield shows "on," which leads me to suspect that it has been on ever since it was included in some update in previous months and it just glitched and was shut off yesterday, provoking the notification. ?? If so, I'm probably safe to let it as is as long as the shield itself hasn't been an issue for me thus far.

Thanks again for your feedback, though! :-)

The shield provides a lot of additional protection see here for additional information.

https://help.avast.com/en/av_free/17/settings_sh_idp_main.html

aputernut - Better that you commented in a public way above instead of using another private message with swear words like the one you sent me a few days ago. Here's some information from management of this site

"Please refrain from attacking or insulting other members. Abusive remarks, name-calling and rudeness are disrespectful and are not tolerated. You are welcome to disagree with others, but please do so in a respectful manner."

Thanks, zep. That confirms my inclination to let things be (as long as I found out it's on anyway). :-)

Seems to me the Behavior Shield feature was added on a version update a few months ago and isn't/wasn't enabled by default. Avast monitors itself for which protection features are enabled and duns the user when some that are considered important are not active.