The Best Antivirus Protection Software of 2021

Feature Highlight

• 1. Norton - The Best Antivirus Software Overall

  Editor's Rating

  9.9

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Affordable introductory prices starting at only $14.99
  • 24/7 phone and live chat support
  • Highly-rated iOS and Android apps
  • Lots of extras (cloud backup, parental control features, etc.)

  Cons

  • Prices will more than double after the first year
  • A history of class-action lawsuits due to alleged security breaches
  • Not the best desktop app experience
  • Collected a ton of user data and shared it with third parties

  

  Mobile Device Protection At Its Finest

  Although we liked the Mac version of the antivirus software, we were particularly impressed by how well Norton performed in the mobile app category. For starters, both the iOS and Android apps had an average of 4.7 out of five stars rating. The apps received much praise for being easy to install and use and for offering a high level of protection. On top of that, independent audits performed by AV-TEST in September showed that Norton detected 100 percent of all prevalent Android malware between the months of May and August 2020. So performance-wise, Norton stood taller than the rest. Of course, we tested Norton’s mobile apps ourselves as well, and they were indeed a lot better than their desktop counterparts in terms of usability.

• 2. Kaspersky - The Best Free Antivirus Software

  Editor's Rating

  9.6

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Comprehensive set of features even for the free version
  • Behavior-based malware detection
  • 100 percent detection in our virus detection test
  • Extra features like password manager and VPN

  Cons

  • Alleged ties to the Russian government
  • No phone or live chat support for free users
  • iOS app has limited features
  • 2019 security flaw that allowed hackers to spy on users’ browsing data1

  

  Antivirus Protection for $0.00

  For the sake of our tests, we purchased a Kaspersky Anti-Virus license. But for budget-conscious consumers, there’s a very capable free edition that can get the job done and then some. We say it’s capable because it was the only software aside from Bitdefender that aced our virus detection test. This free version, called the Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, offered the same level of protection as the paid versions, including on-demand and on-access malware detection and behavioral detection. It had bonus features, too, although they’re more toned down compared to the paid versions. For instance, the free password manager stored up to 15 passwords and the VPN only allows up to 200 MB usage per day. Still, considering that it’s free, we appreciated that Kaspersky went out of its way to offer premium protection.

• 3. McAfee - The Most Affordable Antivirus Software

  Editor's Rating

  8.8

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Antivirus packages starting at $19.99
  • Real-time detection of threats
  • Customizable firewall protection
  • Easy to navigate apps

  Cons

  • Lengthy scans
  • Alleged security breach by Russian hackers in 2019
  • Real-time and background scans affected system performance
  • Frequent notifications when you turn off some features

  

  Antivirus Protection On A Budget

  If you’re on a budget but you still want premium antivirus protection, then McAfee is the perfect choice. For only $19.99 per year, we downloaded McAfee’s famed Total Protection software into one computer and enjoyed its full features. Now, we know that single device protection isn’t for everybody. If you have more than one computer, or if you want to share your antivirus with a partner or a roommate, then the five-device Total Protection package ($24.99 per year) is another budget-friendly option. To make the deal even sweeter, it includes a VPN, identity theft protection, and web protection features as well. We particularly liked the addition of VPN, as it changed our IP address to protect us from hackers and help retain our online privacy.

• 4. Bitdefender - The Best Antivirus Software for Malware Detection

  Editor's Rating

  9.5

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Perfect score in our virus detection test
  • Protects up to 15 devices
  • Affordable pricing starting at $29.99 for the first year
  • Behavior-based malware detection

  Cons

  • History of security breaches that affected customers’ privacy
  • Low iOS app ratings
  • No free trial but has a free version with limited features
  • Price likely to increase after the first year

  

  No Place to Hide for Viruses and Malware

  One of the highlights of our antivirus software tests was the virus detection test, wherein we played a game of hide-and-seek with each software. We downloaded five virus-infected files, hid them deep in our hard drives, and then performed a full scan to see how many they could detect. Of the 40 software we used, Bitdefender was one of the only two that detected all five files. That goes to show that Bitdefender is a cut above the rest when it comes to detecting cyber threats. And, on top of that, it’s affordable, considering that it can protect up to 15 devices and that there’s a free version of the software that is just as capable of detecting viruses.

• 5. Trend Micro - The Best Antivirus Software for Web Protection

  Editor's Rating

  9.1

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Great Windows, iOS, and Android apps
  • Social media privacy scanner
  • “Firewall booster” for Windows
  • Monthly and yearly subscriptions

  Cons

  • Clunky Mac app
  • Requires way too many computer restarts when installing or updating
  • The full scan option was buried deep beneath the app’s settings
  • No firewall

  

  “Oversharer Protection”

  We, like most millennials, tend to overshare on our social media profiles, which is why we appreciated Trend Micro’s Privacy Scanner feature. Basically, it checked our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn’s settings to check for privacy concerns. In our case, we were advised to change our Facebook privacy settings because, as it turned out, anyone who visited our profile could find our phone number and email address. Trend Micro didn’t make any changes by itself; we still had to manually change who could see our personal information, but it’s nice to have a feature that looks for such possible concerns.

• 6. Avast - The Best Antivirus Software for Mac

  Editor's Rating

  9.0

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Comprehensive virus protection features
  • Easy to install and download on Mac
  • Free version for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices
  • Affordable pricing for up to 10 devices

  Cons

  • No phone or live chat support
  • Pop-ups despite paying for the premium version
  • Sold anonymized browsing data of users to third parties
  • Extensive data collection

  

  Broad Virus and Malware Protection

  We tested both the free and premium versions of Avast, and to our delight, both editions offered protection against viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and ransomware. Now, it’s pretty run-of-the-mill for Windows antivirus tools to offer protection against those types of threats. But for Apple computers, which are more secure than Windows (but still vulnerable to a growing number of attacks), that level of protection is just right. That’s why Avast is the best antivirus software for Mac.

  Did you know: Although there are fewer viruses that target Apple products, the number has grown remarkably over the past few years. In 2017, there was a 270 percent increase in Mac viruses compared to 2016, and the number of threats have increased ever since.2

• 7. ESET - The Best Antivirus Software for Windows

  Editor's Rating

  8.7

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • Trustworthy Windows app (NOD32)
  • Detected 80 percent of threats in our virus detection test
  • Email scanning for Windows Live Mail and Outlook
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

  Cons

  • Cluttered user interface makes it harder to access some features
  • Less frequent updates compared to other software
  • NOD32 is pretty basic compared to other ESET products
  • $39.99 per year is expensive for a single device

  

  Best Protection for Windows

  ESET NOD32 and its trademark picture of a human-like robot has been a common sight in Windows computers for decades. And there’s a reason why it’s a preferred Windows antivirus for many (including ourselves). Although NOD32’s features were basic compared to the other security suites offered by ESET, it’s a sturdy and trustworthy antivirus that reliably detected malware, adware, spyware, and ransomware. In fact, in our virus detection test, NOD32 scored a solid four out of five. That’s better than more than half of the other antivirus software we tested. Aside from that, ESET directly integrated a scanning feature into our Windows email apps, namely Live Mail and Outlook. The scan looked for suspicious attachments and prevented us from opening them. Being on the receiving end of countless email chains from co-workers and friends, this was a feature we really appreciated.

• 8. Vipre - The Best Antivirus Software With No Contracts

  Editor's Rating

  8.7

  /10

  How We Review

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  Pros

  • One-time fees instead of contracts
  • Protection for individuals and businesses
  • No history of security breaches, privacy violations or lawsuits
  • Detected 100 percent of widespread malware in past month

  Cons

  • In our tests, only detected one out of five viruses
  • No money-back guarantee
  • Personal subscription only covers one device
  • Online help center is pretty limited

  Best Antivirus Software With No Contracts

  If you’re a commitment-phobe, then you’ll love the fact that Vipre doesn’t require any contracts. Rather, we paid a one-time fee for their subscriptions, each of which covered one device. On top of that, we had 30 days to try the antivirus software out before we actually got charged, taking the risk out of the purchase. And when it came to detecting malware, Vipre performed perfectly, one of the only options on this list to get an 100 percent in tests from AV Labs. To learn more about Vipre, read our page on Vipre’s pricing.