The Best Antivirus Protection Software of 2022

1. TotalAV Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Malware Protection

Editors Rating:

9.7 /10

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All-Around Digital Security Protection

TotalAV ranks high on the list because of how extensively it protects its users from various types of cyberthreats. It doesn’t just protect you from malware, especially with the highest tier of TotalAV protection. It comes with antivirus software, a virtual private network (VPN), a password manager, and a device tuneup tool. The antivirus software alone gets you real-time protection from malware as well as the options to scan manually or on schedule.

Our tests show that TotalAV is excellent at detecting malware. In fact, our scheduled and manual scans detected the malware we hid inside .zip archives, which means TotalAV is really on the hunt for malware no matter where or how deep it hides within our files. That being said, the software’s real-time protection feature failed to catch some of the malicious files we hid. But considering that scheduled and manual scans are both available even in the TotalAV free version, we’re impressed by its malware detection.

2. Kaspersky Antivirus - The Best Free Antivirus Software

Editors Rating:

9.6 /10

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Editor’s Note: The German cybersecurity agency BSI put out a warning that the anti-virus software developed by Moscow-based Kaspersky poses a threat of “a serious hacking attack.” This warning comes as Russia’s invasion and attacks on Ukraine escalate.

Kaspersky responded that it is a privately-managed company with no ties to the Russian government and that the BSI warning was politically motivated. We will keep you updated on this development as new information comes forward.

Antivirus Protection for $0.00

Kaspersky’s most premium antivirus license, the Kaspersky Total Security, costs at least $26.99 per year. If you’re on a budget, however, there’s a very capable free antivirus software from Kaspersky, named the Kaspersky Security Cloud Free. We say it’s capable because it was one of the only two antivirus tools we tested that aced our virus detection with an impressive 100-percent score.

The free software uses the same virus database as the paid version, which means if the premium version can detect the virus, so can the free version. Additionally, the free version includes both on-demand and real-time malware detection, plus it has extra features — like a VPN and password manager — similar to that of the premium version. Granted, the bonus features are limited with the free version, but they’re free and you can use them indefinitely.

3. Norton Antivirus - The Best Cross-Platform Antivirus Software

Editors Rating:

9.5 /10

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Mobile Device Protection At Its Finest

What’s impressive about Norton is that it excelled at detecting malware no matter what platform we used it on. On our desktop computers, both Mac and Windows, Norton scanned and found even the malware we hid several folders deep. It’s also amazing how streamlined the desktop apps were, which made it easier for us to set up schedules and start scans on-demand.

We were most impressed by the mobile apps, particularly the Android app. According to an independent audit by AV-TEST in March, Norton is capable of detecting 100-percent of real-time attacks as well as widespread malware designed for Android. We tested the app ourselves, and while we didn’t have as many samples as AV-TEST, we were able to conclude that Norton can, in fact, detect a wide range of Android malware. We’d also like to point out that the user-experience on mobile really stood out. The apps were clutter-free, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to navigate. Case in point: It only takes one press of a button to start a scan, and there are even widgets available so you don’t have to open the app.

4. Surfshark Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software For Digital Security

Editors Rating:

8.9 /10

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Surfshark is better known for its virtual private networks, but recently, it added malware protection to its tool belt. Surfshark combines VPN protection with antivirus software, identity monitoring, and secure browser for all-around digital security.

Current Surfshark VPN users can add Surfshark Antivirus for $1.49 a month, while non-users can pay as low as $3.98 a month for the whole deal — VPN, antivirus, password manager, and safe search included. Surfshark antivirus features on-demand scanning, scheduled scanning, and real-time malware detection on Android. And since it uses the same app as the VPN, users get a seamless meshing of vital digital security tools.

5. McAfee Antivirus - The Most Affordable Antivirus Software

Editors Rating:

8.8 /10

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Antivirus Protection On A Budget

If you’re on a budget, McAfee is an affordable but premium option. Pricing starts at $29.99 for the first year, which works out to just over $2 per month, for the McAfee All-In-One Protection (formerly Total Protection). In addition to antivirus licenses, all All-In-One Protection plans include access to a VPN and basic identity monitoring. If you choose the more expensive plans, you’ll gain access to identity theft insurance, removal of your personal information from data broker sites, and lost wallet protection, too.

Let’s talk about the antivirus software from McAfee. McAfee solidified its name in the industry for being one of the oldest antivirus companies. Over the years, new features have been added to its software, and one that stands out is real-time protection. With this feature, viruses and malware are caught even before they have a chance to execute. McAfee does that by scanning files and programs in real time as you open them. A lot of brands offer this feature, but Mcafee was one of the best we’ve tested at executing it.

6. Bitdefender Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Malware Detection

Editors Rating:

8.7 /10

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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 10 devices and that there’s a free version of the software that is just as capable of detecting viruses.

7. Trend Micro Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Web Protection

Editors Rating:

8.6 /10

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“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.

8. Avast Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Mac

Editors Rating:

8.5 /10

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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.

9. ESET Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Windows

Editors Rating:

8.4 /10

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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.

10. Vipre Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Android

Editors Rating:

8.3 /10

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Android Security Like No Other

Vipre offers antivirus and device security solutions for Windows, Mac, and iOS, but its Android security solution really stood out. Aside from the usual virus protection that Android antivirus apps provide, the Vipre Android Security app included features we typically don’t see in other Android antivirus apps. For starters, the Autopilot feature acted as our security advisor, letting us know of potential weaknesses in our Android settings. The app also allowed us to lock some apps, like our photo gallery, so that only we can access them using our fingerprints. And aside from digital security, Vipre provided our Android phones physical security. The Snap Photo feature, in particular, snapped a front camera picture of anyone who tried and failed to unlock our phones.