That means you can try out Bitdefender for a full month before committing to buying. Norton delivers good basic protection — although some of the independent test lab results have been a little mixed — alongside a wealth of features, including webcam protection and dark web monitoring the latter is for US users only, mind , an impressively smart firewall, plus a system of parental controls. The parental controls are top-notch, by the way, including in-depth monitoring systems to keep an eye on what your kids are doing online, and even GPS tracking for their mobile devices.
There are some truly worthwhile extras included here, too, like a fully integrated Norton VPN which could be a big money-saver in itself and 50GB of online backup storage ditto. Pricing is highly competitive compared to rivals, so you should definitely consider this Norton package compare it to the company's other offerings with our guide to choosing your Norton plan — particularly for family usage given the very thorough parental controls.
Kaspersky Total Security is another veteran of the security world and, as you might expect, it delivers top-quality defenses plus a very light touch in terms of using hardly any system resources. New for are performance options to minimize any battery drain for laptop users as well. The latter is an excellent parental controls system with some smart social media monitoring tools. Trend Micro is highly ranked by the independent testing labs, and it offers sterling multi-layered anti-ransomware defenses, too.
The package also gives you first-class URL filtering for safer web browsing, and this system is smartly configurable.
It also boasts data theft prevention countermeasures, a secure vault for storing sensitive files, and a decent integrated password manager. Less tech-savvy types will appreciate the ease of use here, which also goes for the capable mobile apps. Avast is best known for its excellent free security product, but the firm also provides an impressive all-round security solution in the form of Avast Ultimate. This is another offering which bundles a full VPN, giving you far more protection online than a typical antivirus suite, and making Avast Ultimate a value-packed buy for those who are also thinking of picking up a cheap VPN.
Avast Ultimate also sports a decent password manager, a secure browser, and some excellent network protection measures. This suite has plenty of options for experts to play with in terms of configuration, and has good enough defenses, backed up by a commendable Ransomware Shield for extra protection on that front. But these niggles aside, if you need a VPN as well as regular virus protection, Avast Ultimate is a great choice.
Webroot majors in being incredibly lightweight and fast-performing. Yet despite this minimal impact on your machine, Webroot Internet Security Plus comes with plenty of features. That includes parental controls, webcam protection, network monitoring, additional network protection, and an anti-theft feature for Windows devices allowing for location tracking, and more is an interesting bonus.
Furthermore, Linux systems are covered here, as well as Windows and Mac computers. However, while ESET delivers lots of features, their quality can be variable. For example, the system of parental controls is very barebones, but the password manager is well fleshed-out.
ESET also offers plenty of configuration options, which will please experts, although computing novices may find it tricky to get to grips with in some respects. Smart Security Premium does provide some interesting extras, including the aforementioned password manager, and a secure file vault to protect any sensitive data on your PC, which some folks will doubtless find very useful additions. There is a lot to like here, including a good price, good performance, and useful extra features.
See links to all of our antivirus reviews at the bottom of this article. The pricing now covers fewer devices, but you get a good number of extra features such as Dark Web Monitoring and VPN access, making for an overall excellent value.
If Windows 10 is already working, why add anything else? If its built-in security suite, Windows Security, performs on par with the best of the free AV options—as we discovered in our roundup of the best free antivirus —why add the extra baggage of a third-party program?
To learn more, see our video on How to use Windows Security , or read our full review. This antivirus suite, which provides highly rated protection, strikes a nice balance between complexity and simplicity: Four category icons at the top let you dive deeper into the suite, but if all you need to do is a scan, that option is right there in the center of interface.
These days, many security suites come with extras such as a backup service for your most essential files, Android apps for mobile security, a more advanced firewall, family protection read: child restriction features, and the right to use the program on multiple PCs.
Whether you need those extras depends on your personal situation. First, we take a look at the interface to determine how easy or complicated it is. The parental controls, which are otherwise excellent, don't work on Macs. Neither does the cloud-backup service, and if you have more than one PC, you might fill up its GB of backup storage after a year or two. Then there's the sticker shock. If you really need and can afford all those extras, then Norton with LifeLock Ultimate Plus is a no-brainer.
What if you don't want or need identity-theft protection or cloud-backup software, but still need an unlimited VPN? Premium Security combines Bitdefender's very good malware detection and easy-to-use interface with a huge assortment of extra features. These include a few that Norton doesn't have, such as ransomware rollbacks, a super-secure web browser for online banking, anti-theft software for laptops and a file shredder.
Bitdefender Premium Security also has parental controls for all four major platforms, but its unlimited password manager and dedicated webcam and microphone protections work only on Windows.
Read our full Bitdefender Premium Security review. Kaspersky has the best record on beating malware in third-party lab tests, hands-down. Its password manager works across all four major platforms, and its parental controls also fully cross-platform are second only to Norton's.
Like Bitdefender, Kaspersky offers anti-theft features for laptops, ransomware rollbacks and a secure browser mode for online banking, but Kaspersky's browser works on Macs as well as on Windows. It also offers file encryption and unique protection against "stalkerware" used by jealous partners. However, while Kaspersky offers backup software, like Norton, it doesn't provide online storage for those backups, but instead sends you to your own Dropbox account.
Read our full Kaspersky Total Security review. Norton isn't the only antivirus maker with an identity-theft-protection service. The package also includes McAfee's protection against malware, the True Key password manager, Safe Kids parental controls, file encryption, file shredding, a firewall and unlimited VPN service for up to five devices. Like many McAfee antivirus subscriptions, Total Protection Ultimate nominally protects up to 10 devices but in practice is unlimited.
The downsides are that neither the VPN nor the parental controls work on Macs, and that there's no webcam protection, hardened browser or backup software. But if you want all-encompassing protection at a bargain rate, you could do a lot worse than McAfee.
There's also what Trend Micro calls "ID Protection," which actually just monitors the dark web for your data and can be accessed only through mobile apps. My favorite feature is Home Network Security which gives you full control over all the devices connecting to your Wi-Fi network and it also reinforces your firewall against malware attacks. McAfee Total Protection is an excellent antivirus package that is particularly great at securing Wi-Fi networks. The Family plan is one of the best value family antiviruses on the market, covering lots of devices for a low price.
And all McAfee plans are protected by a day money-back guarantee. BullGuard includes extras like parental controls, a firewall, anti-phishing protection, identity theft protections, and cloud backup. In addition to optimizing and improving gameplay, BullGuard has helpful cybersecurity protections, like a firewall, anti-phishing protection, and identity theft protection.
Avira also has an excellent Safe Shopping browser extension which identified and blocked more phishing sites in my tests than most competitors. The extension is also very useful because it also blocks browser tracking, preventing companies from tracking your online activity and delivering ads based on your browsing habits. One other cool thing about this extension is that it helps you find the best shopping deals online.
Using the VPN, I was able to browse the web, stream video, and download files with minimal or no speed loss — which is pretty great for a bundled VPN.
Avira has a lightweight cloud-based antivirus engine with perfect detection rates as well as excellent web protection. Avira Prime also has a VPN, a password manager, a game booster, system tune-up, and more. Learn More — Avira Prime. Panda Dome Complete has a good malware scanner, an easy-to-use interface, and more additional features than most competitors.
Panda Dome Complete offers good malware protection and is one of the most feature-rich internet security suites on the market — although not all of its extra features are that good. Panda detected most of my test malware, and I was impressed with its intuitive interface and unique features like the Rescue Kit. Learn More — Panda Dome Complete.
Kaspersky also has comprehensive parental controls, a good password manager, and a solid VPN — although the VPN is pretty limited. While Kaspersky offers good protection, I think all of its plans are a little bit too expensive when compared to competitors with a similar amount of features.
All Kaspersky purchases come with a risk-free day free guarantee.
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