The best antivirus software 2024: Free and paid options – Tom’s Guide
The best antivirus software helps protect your Windows computers and the data stored on them against malware and other online threats. While Microsofts own Windows Defender may be good enough to keep your PC free from viruses, it cant match the extra features you get with paid antivirus software.
All of the Windows antivirus programs on this list have their own malware-detection engines. However, its the features and the included extras that help justify their higher price. Likewise, you can also get the best free antivirus software for your PC for a taste of what these paid antivirus programs offer.
These are the best antivirus programs weve tested and reviewed along with some free antivirus software options halfway down this page. If you want even more features like a VPN and password manager in one package, youre going to want to check out the best internet security suites. At the same time, you can also get Mac antivirus software and Android antivirus apps to keep your other devices safe online.
Best overall
The best antivirus overall
Norton 360 Deluxe combines excellent malware protection with loads of extra features like backup software, a password manager, a VPN and more. It can get expensive but you get everything together in one subscription.
Read more below
Best value
2. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
The best antivirus value
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus offers very good malware protection with lots of useful extra features like a password manager, Wi-Fi scanner, a hardened browser and more. It also has a light system impact during active scans for viruses.
Read more below
Best features
3. Kaspersky Total Security
The best antivirus for features
Kaspersky Total Security provides excellent malware protection with lots of useful features like a firewall, backup software, parental controls, a password manager and more. Its VPN is limited but software for your Mac as well as Android and iOS apps are also included with your subscription.
Read more below
Best for big families
The best antivirus for big families
McAfee has improved its malware protection over the years and it's a great choice if you want to protect lots of machines on a budget. It also includes a password manager as well as protection for multiple platforms.
Read more below
Best for banking
5. Trend Micro Maximum Security
The best antivirus for banking
Trend Micro has very good malware protection as well as a password manager and secure browser for banking. It also includes dark web scans and a VPN.
Read more below
Best performance
6. ESET Smart Security Premium
The best antivirus for performance
ESET provides very good protection with very little impact on system performance. It also includes file encryption, a password manager and parental controls.
Read more below
Load the next 1 products...
Best for simplicity
The best antivirus for simplicity
Sophos offers decent malware protection at an inexpensive price. It also encrypts keyboard data and includes parental controls as well as webcam protection.
Read more below
Almost everything you could ever need
Anti-theft: No
Backup software: Yes
Firewall: Yes
Game mode: Yes
Hardened browser: No
Parental controls: Yes
Password manager: Yes
Ransomware rollback: No
Webcam protection: Yes
VPN: Unlimited
Excellent malware protection
Parental controls, backup software, online storage, password manager, webcam protection, unlimited VPN
LifeLock identity protection with top tiers
Heavy slowdown during full scans
Can get expensive
All of Norton's antivirus products offer excellent malware protection, and the once-heavy system-performance load is much lighter. The number of extra features each program has varies, but the sweet spot in the lineup is Norton 360 Deluxe.
It includes a password manager that works on all major platforms, unlimited VPN service, dark-web personal-data monitoring, parental controls and up to 50 GB of online storage space. Two other offerings, Norton 360 Premium and Norton 360 Platinum, give you more online storage and expand the antivirus and VPN coverage to 10 and 20 devices, respectively.
If you want full-on identity protection, Norton offers three bundles with varying degrees of LifeLock service and even more online storage. Their subscription prices run well into the triple digits, but still cost less than if you were to buy the identity protection, password manager, cloud-backup storage and antivirus software separately.
Unlike some of the other best antivirus software makers, Norton doesn't offer a file shredder, file encryption or secure web browser with any of its products. Yet every other digital-protection service you could possibly ask for is included with at least some of its bundles.
Read our full Norton 360 Deluxe review.
The best value antivirus software currently available
Anti-theft: No
Backup software: No
Firewall: No
Game mode: Yes
Hardened browser: Yes
Parental controls: No
Password manager: Yes
Ransomware rollback: Yes
Webcam protection: No
Virtual keyboard: Yes
VPN: Limited upsell
Wi-Fi scanner: Yes
Very good malware protection
Lots of useful extra features
Light system impact with active scans
Heavy background system impact
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is our top choice among entry-level antivirus products. It has very good, if not perfect, malware-detection scores. Its active scans don't add much to the background system impact, but that background load is a bit heavy.
It also offers the most value, with a secure browser with a virtual keyboard, a Wi-Fi network scanner, a file shredder, protection against encrypting ransomware and Bitdefender's web-privacy software features often found only with pricier antivirus packages.
The midrange Bitdefender Internet Security adds parental controls, webcam protection and a two-way firewall, while Bitdefender Total Security tops off the lineup with an anti-theft feature for laptops, a system optimizer and licenses for Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android.
A fourth product, Bitdefender Premium Security, is basically Total Security with unlimited VPN usage, a cross-platform password manager and priority tech support.
But the best deal is the Bitdefender Family Pack, which puts Total Security on up to 15 devices for (a frequently discounted) $120 per year.
Read our full Bitdefender Antivirus Plus review.
Excellent protection with plenty of useful extra features
Anti-theft: Yes
Backup software: Yes
Firewall: Yes
Game mode: Yes
Hardened browser: Yes
Parental controls: Yes
Password manager: Yes
Ransomware rollback: Yes
Webcam protection: Yes
Virtual keyboard: Yes
VPN: Limited upsell
Wi-Fi scanner: Yes
Excellent malware protection
Stalkerware protection
Password manager, parental controls
Limited VPN usage
Microphone protection hard to enable
Read more:
The best antivirus software 2024: Free and paid options - Tom's Guide