Antivirus software is also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to detect, prevent, and remove malware or virus. It was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name.
Antivirus software keeps you safe online, it works to fight blackmailing, identity theft and more so you don’t have to worry about being exposed online.
The best antivirus software on your machine means your banking details are kept private, your emails are not shared and any other personal data is kept between you and only those who you choose to share it.
Microsoft does throw in Defender with Windows 11 and this now works better than ever, offering some serious protection minus the cost. But there are still holes here where a dedicated antivirus program can offer more security. It’s worth noting that this isn’t just a Windows phenomenon – Mac, iOS, and Android devices are also a threat which is why a good antivirus software will cover more than one device on a plan.
In this article, you will learn about the best antivirus software for your device.
1. Bitdefender Total Security
Super powerful security tools that cover a massive range and keep you secure with some of the most up-to-date and high-strength security out there right now.
- Phishing, fraud, and spam defense
- Real-time protection
- Not the cheapest option
- Free VPN included
Bitdefender Total Security is one of the best antivirus software options out there right now and was our top pick for best antivirus to watch out for in 2022. It’s not the cheapest, but for the price, you get a 100 percent detection rate for both viruses and malware. This also combines a digital signature matching engine with heuristic monitoring, when it comes to antivirus to detect both known and unseen threats. The malware detection is 100 percent for both 0-day attacks as well as for detection of the most common spread malware in the last four years.
You get protection against viruses, malware, phishing, spyware, and dangerous websites. You also get Privacy Protection, Parental Controls, Password Management across devices, and safe money features – to name just a few. Plus you get a VPN thrown in and an anti-theft and specific platform software for Mac, Android, and iOS with one license covering up to five devices.
Bitdefender is fast with very little slow down when carrying out common tasks like launching websites. There is some decent customer support on offer and for the price, you really do get a lot of features.
2. Avira Antivirus Pro
This is the cheapest premium Windows antivirus software. If you want the features that a top premium software will offer but without the large price tag, you can’t do any better than what Avira offers. The company offers award-winning antivirus protection, has discrete browser add-ons, and much more.
- Easy to use
- Insanely affordable
- Offers anti-scam protection
- Limited features in comparison to others
- Doesn’t use lots of resources on your PC
Not everyone is looking to spend a ton of money on antivirus software each year, especially if you are unsure of the actual value it will provide for you. Protection is something that you should have on any computer you connect to the internet, and Avira’s Antivirus Pro is the perfect affordable option for everyone. This highly-rated software offers all of the necessities, like anti-scam protection, antivirus protection, a built-in VPN, and more.
With the Pro service, you’ll automatically have all of your downloads, torrents, and cloud storage files scanned as they are being downloaded onto your computer. With the included browser safety checks Avira will automatically block most of the URLs that are known to host malware, and the device protection allows you to whitelist/blacklist USB devices on your computer.
Avira is more of a “full service” company than just a standalone antivirus company. It offers VPN, a password manager, a performance optimizer, and much more. The value is not hard to see when it comes to comparing the features and offerings from Avira at its price to some of what the others are offering at 4 or 5 times the cost per year.
Be sure to get in on this limited-time offer to save big on Avira while protecting your PC from all the bad stuff out there.
3. Norton 360 with LifeLock
Norton 360 is the best antivirus software for a feature-rich experience. Affordable for new users, this offers some of the best protection across the board no matter what your device is.
- Malware and virus protection
- 100GB of cloud backup space
- Expensive after the first year
- Slower on smartphones
- Includes a VPN
NortonLifeLock, as it’s known since splitting off from Symantec, still offers one of the best antivirus software solutions with its 360 system. This means both malware and virus protection with a 100 percent guarantee but with plenty of other features thrown in. Not only do you get a very easy-to-use antivirus setup but there are extras too like a VPN and a massive 100GB of cloud storage available to you.
Other protections include phishing scams, malicious websites, adware, trackers, and cookies. You even have your passwords, when logging into sites, protected to avoid them being taken. Parents can also block content so that children are protected when online.
While this works on lots of devices including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android – with unlimited licenses – it does run slower on smartphones where you may actually notice the slow-down, depending on the age of your device.
4. Kaspersky Internet Security
It is a solid and powerful security system with some excellent extra features. Kaspersky uses very few resources and offers webcam monitoring, safe browsing tools, and automatically blocks malicious sites. There are some mixed feelings about the service, but it works great and doesn’t cost much annually.
- Safe Money feature
- Superb antivirus and malware protection
- Lower protection rating than some
- Low impact on system
The Kaspersky Internet Security is not the basic entry-level nor the top-end but it strikes a balance to offer the best of both. You get the long-standing powerful antivirus and malware protection that this system is famous for, but with a few extras that make it stand out from the competition.
Kaspersky, in my many years of testing antivirus programs, has consistently stopped most threats before files have a chance to download completely. This means, using real-time protection, Kaspersky doesn’t give malware a chance to come close to infecting your computer. Plus, it was one of the few programs that stopped me from accessing every phishing scheme I used during testing. Some of these threats were made to look like legitimate login pages for Facebook, PayPal, Instagram, and Twitter, so I feel very confident in recommending Kaspersky Internet Security for home use.
This basic antivirus program also includes webcam monitoring, along with safe browsing tools that both tag and block malicious websites from being accessed and ensure banking and shopping accounts are accessed from a legitimate website. To give you even more security, all of Kaspersky’s antivirus programs include an in-browser keyboard. This lets you enter usernames and passwords, or other sensitive information, into text fields without worrying that a keylogger will capture it.
5. Microsoft Defender
Microsoft Defender is the best free antivirus software. It comes pre-installed on your computer, which means you don’t need to do anything to get it going. It may not have the biggest feature set, but it’s free and designed for Windows users.
- Powerful zero-day and ransomware protection
- Customizable
- Free and easy to use
- Limited extra features offered
For a simple to use and free option Windows Defender is now a great bit of kit. This comes bundled free with Windows 10, which might make it sound basic, but in reality, it’s not a really powerful antivirus solution. Turned on as standard this will be working in the background – without using much processing power – to keep viruses at bay.
Windows Defender is also good for zero-day attacks and ransomware protections. By default, Microsoft will upload suspect items from your machine to get an online analysis (which you can opt-out of if you don’t want that). Daily updates should be enough to keep you secure locally with malware signatures constantly monitored and updated.
We particularly like the sandbox feature which will place any rogue code into a safe section so that it can be executed without affecting the rest of the system. The tamper protection, which stops malicious apps from changing settings, is also a really useful feature. Emails are screened and this will even stop fileless-malware from being injected into the RAM thanks to a memory integrity feature.
6. Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security
Simple yet very effective protection that you can leave running without having to do anything yourself
- Super antivirus defenses
- Anti-ransomware
- Clean and clear menu
- Not easy to configure
If you want an antivirus software you can install and leave to do its thing then Trend Micro is a great option. Yes, it’s not the most customizable, but that’s because it just works and works well. This has some superb antivirus defenses while remaining very user-friendly.
Antivirus defenses go beyond real-time behavior monitoring with anti-ransomware which it calls Folder Shield. Unlike older versions of this software the resources consumed have dropped a lot and this runs without you noticing it as much when in the background.
In the case of Trend Micro Internet Security, you get a rather unique feature that specifically protects you on social networks. Go for the full Trend Micro Maximum Security and you can expect Mac and mobile protection as well as Windows with 10 devices covered in total. You also get a password manager and secure file vault thrown in for good measure.
7. Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus
Webroot is the best lightweight antivirus system for speed. A very lightweight software that won’t use up system resources while still offering great protection
- Very fast scans
- Independent lab tests are minimal
- Streamlined app
- Decent features
If you want all-out speed from antivirus software that doesn’t lean heavily on your machine’s resources then this is a top option. Webroot offers an installation that takes, at 15MB, just seconds. This starts as it means to go on as the lightweight software runs rapidly on any machine.
Despite the speed, there are no compromises on security. You get solid malware protection, very fast virus scans, and even a smart firewall monitoring system. There are also real-time anti-phishing features, identity theft protection, and plenty more.
Depending on the level you go for this can protect both Windows and Mac as well as mobile devices with up to five devices covered and a password manager included. The tip top tier also offers a 25GB cloud-based backup tool as well as more online privacy features.
8. Sophos Home
It is an antivirus system aimed at families that offers protection across devices, for free.
- Cloud-based control
- Lots of device support
- Free to use
- No scan scheduling
A great free option, aimed at families, is the Sophos Home antivirus software. This is, according to the company, business-grade security, which is built for families. That means it’s very simple to use with a non-intrusive build. It also means it works across lots of devices – 10 PCs, for example, all without paying a cent.
Since the control of each device can be managed in the cloud, this is a great setup for parents that want to keep their kids’ devices locked to a safe level without them adjusting it on the device itself.
The software offers both virus protection and anti-malware as well as anti-phishing and even content controls – again perfect for parents. There is also a premium version available for anyone that wants even more features at a cost.
9. Avast Antivirus
It has lots and lots of features backed by a famed antivirus protection engine
- Very personalizable
- Lots of smart features
- Can slow a PC down
- Password manager
For a feature-rich solution, the Avast Premium Security setup is a superb option. This not only uses the famously powerful Avast antivirus engine but also crams in lots of extras. That means you get a Ransomware Shield, anti-phishing protection at a high level, secure browser, password manager, Wi-Fi network inspector, and a file shredder.
Customization is also a big plus here, with lots of options to tweak and personalize this software to suit your needs. Go for the Ultimate option and you also get a VPN to add to that list of tools you can adapt to suit your needs.
On the downside, the slowdown this can cause is observable at times so having a more powerful machine will help with all this feature-rich cover.
10. ESET Antivirus
This is a great option for expert users that want top-level protection that they can configure as needed
- Complicated for newbs
- Lots of feature options
- Light on resource use
- Highly configurable
If you’re not afraid of diving into some fairly complex menu options to tweak your antivirus as you want it then ESET is a great setup. Not for beginners, this software offers a highly configurable way to streamline an already light-on-resources software.
Expect to enjoy heuristic protection, to keep you safe from more unknown threats as they appear. You also get URL filtering for safer browsing. The NOD32 plan offers some of the best features while keeping the overall system strain low.
This is complicated for new users and some independent testing has returned mixed results. But with a Ransomware Shield, UEFI Scanner, Exploit Blocker, and cloud-powered scanning across up to five Windows devices, this is a very compelling option.
11. AVG AntiVirus Free
If you are looking for something that is free, AVG is one of the best options that you can pick. It’s easy to use, installs in minutes, and if you ended up wanting more from it you could move it to a paid subscription.
- Best antivirus that is free
- Some slow down
- Good protection
- Upgradable
- Works along with other programs
- Lots of ads
AVG’s free antivirus program is one of the easiest to install and use. Its dashboard uses icons for each function with those available colored green and those not ready in red. It does have a lot more features listed on its dashboard than are available with the free program. If you decide to upgrade to a paid subscription, these icons will turn green, too.
One of the best features of AVG is that it works in tandem with other antivirus programs, including Windows Defender. Other programs, during the install process, will notify you of other antivirus programs installed and require you to uninstall them before using their program. AVG lets you use both. It automatically recognizes when your other program is running in the primary position and will take a back seat. With its excellent protection ability, it will snatch up any threats your first security program misses. AVG does a great job of blocking phishing schemes, too.
During testing, I did notice that AVG does have some lag issues. It was most noticeable when I first opened a browser, or while waiting for a video to download or a page to fully load. Once the initial startup was done for any of these functions, I didn’t have any issues. Of course, since this is a free antivirus program, you will notice some ads enticing you to upgrade to AVG’s paid antivirus program. This does add to the slowdown issue a bit, but more often, it’s simply just annoying.
Would you like to read more Malware removal-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
