Antivirus software review top ten reviews

The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices.

You may also find discounts on an app's Amazon page. To be effective, antivirus software needs to monitor what's going on with your PC, check in with company servers about unusual behavior and should provide sound banking protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy. But if you want to know more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share.

Protection for other platforms. Microsoft is by far the biggest target for viruses and malware. While the Mac does come under attack via side-loaded apps, it's rare, and if you download apps only from the Mac and iOS app stores and keep your guard up when clicking links and download files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.

Best free Windows antivirus Microsoft Defender. Jump to details. See at Microsoft. See at NortonLifeLock. See at Bitdefender. Best on-demand Windows malware removal Malwarebytes.

See at Malwarebytes. Solid subscription antivirus alternative McAfee Total Protection. See at McAfee. Another good subscription option Trend Micro Maximum Security. See at Trend Micro. See at ESET. Alternative free Windows antivirus Sophos Home. See at Sophos. Our recommendations Looking for free antivirus protection, malware protection or virus detection, willing to pay for an antivirus program that offers broad internet security coverage across all your devices, including from ransomware and phishing, or need to remove a computer virus or malware from your PC right now?

Best free Windows antivirus. Microsoft Defender. Best antivirus subscription for Windows. Windows and Mac computers have built-in firewalls, but many antivirus programs come with their own firewall program too. These programs offer you a way to stay anonymous online, by encrypting your network signal and bouncing it off another server. This prevents websites from knowing where you are. They can also be used to access content that is region-locked.

Some antivirus and internet security programs come with VPN access included. It was a tight contest, but in our opinion BitDefender edges it as the best antivirus software on the market. With the basic antivirus package, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus you get protection against viruses, spyware, ransomware and just about any other malicious kind of ware there is no word on how it handles Tupperware.

It really was a close contest for our top spot, but nipping right at the winners heels was Norton Antivirus Plus. Again, you get an exceptional antivirus suite that protects you against all kinds of online threats including viruses, spyware and ransomware. And again, Norton can back up those claims with excellent results in industry antivirus tests from experts like AVTest and AV Comparatives where Norton scored perfect marks in the most recent round of testing.

On the extras front, you also get access to a password manager along with 2GB of online cloud storage to help protect your most vulnerable files that could otherwise be lost if your home computer was compromised. But as an antivirus program first and foremost, Kaspersky is peerless. You get protection from viruses, spyware, malware, ransomware, Delaware, and a whole host of common hacking techniques. When tested recently by antivirus experts at AV Test and AV Comparatives, Kaspersky Anti-Virus scored perfect marks, blocking every single malicious file that was sent against it.

The only reason to look elsewhere is if you value some of the added extras that other programs bring, like VPNs and password managers, or if you only need to cover a single device. What would you say if we told you that one of the best antivirus softwares on the market costs absolutely nothing?

Nada, zilch, bupkis. There are no hidden fees or delayed costs. Avast Free Antivirus offers you the same levels of protection as many of the other big names in the field, covering your devices from attacks by viruses, spyware and various other forms of malware. It performs excellently too, blocking between While other companies have tiered their offerings, McAfee only offers a single antivirus solution called McAfee Total Protection. When it comes to antivirus protection, McAfee has been one of the big names for years now and it still offers a great product, though some of the competition might have started to pull away.

The antivirus stood up to between You get a ton of other features rolled into the package, including a firewall, password manager, file shredder, and a secure VPN. It comes with fantastic additional features to keep your system secure, such as banking protection for safe online shopping, and safety tools to protect your entire family, including time limits and content blocking.

This protection extends beyond your desktop computer, too, with a device finder that can help you track down a lost Android or iOS device - and remotely lock or wipe it too, to keep data safe.

We like that this antivirus software program runs lightly - making it ideal for an older system. Another pro is the clean, easy-to-use interface. It has a reputation for being easy to use too. AV-Comparatives, for example, reports a comparatively high number of false positives; while AV-Test found very high accuracy and no issues with false positives. VIPRE Advanced Security is the easiest antivirus software program to install and use among the antivirus programs we tested.

It takes just seconds to install, and the program files are barely 2MB in size some antivirus software can more than MB , with no bulky signature updates to hog your bandwidth. Aside from the core protection, it comes with smart behaviour monitoring, accurate real-time antiphishing, a firewall and network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and other bonus features.

But when they are tested, they score well - and certainly our tests revealed solid, reliable protection. We have thoroughly researched antivirus packages and security software from a wide range of companies including all of the big names in internet security.

So here are the best free antivirus programs based on their protection, system impact, ease of use and extra features. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free 2. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition 3. Windows Defender Antivirus 4. Avast Free Antivirus 5. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free Antivirus may be the best free antivirus program we've ever seen.

It has excellent malware protection, a decent set of extra functions and features, and a system-performance impact so small that our computer actually sped up after we installed the program. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition has been officially discontinued, and we're not sure how long Tom's Guide readers can still download it.

It's the best "set it and forget it" free antivirus option. It's now one of the best antivirus programs altogether. You don't have to install or download it — it's already on your PC. If you want an unlimited password manager or a hardened web browser, Avast Free Antivirus might be for you. Its malware protection is much better than it once was, although its performance impact is fairly heavy.

Avast's stepsister AVG has the same malware-detection engine, but lacks Avast's full slate of useful extra features. But it does have a file shredder and system optimizer. We have to mention one program that's not antivirus software, but which we recommend anyway: Malwarebytes Free. While antivirus tries to stop malware from infecting your machine, Malwarebytes functions as the cleanup crew, sweeping out less-harmful adware or potentially unwanted programs that the antivirus software ignores.

It works well alongside any antivirus program. Kaspersky doesn't talk much about its free antivirus product, and you might have a hard time finding the free Kaspersky software download page on the company's website.

That's too bad, because Kaspersky Security Cloud Free is the best free antivirus product we've ever tested. We've never seen such a combination of excellent protection and extra features in a free antivirus program. It's got a bright, comprehensible interface, a lot of customization potential and Kaspersky's unbeatable malware protection.

The program also lets you schedule scans, and its performance impact was so small that it actually sped up our test machine a bit. Kaspersky's useful extra features include a file shredder, an on-screen keyboard and an email scanner. The password manager and VPN service are fairly limited, however, unless you pay. Read our full Kaspersky Security Cloud Free review. Bitdefender has officially discontinued Antivirus Free Edition, and it will be supported only until June 30, We still love it and you can still get it , but proceed at your own risk.

Compared to premium paid antivirus programs that are big, heavy and loaded with extra bells and whistles, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is like a '60's sports car, stripped to the essentials but still providing plenty of power.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition offers nothing but the basics. There's no password manager, no gaming mode, no quick scans and no scan scheduling. You can manage the software from the program's System Tray icon, but you don't really need to interact with Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition after its installation.

Yet Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition has the excellent Bitdefender malware-detection engine, which sits just below Kaspersky and Norton in the lab-test rankings. It's the best free antivirus software if you want a security solution that you can set up and then forget about. It's also perfect if you need to protect the computer of an elderly relative but don't have time to manage antivirus software from afar.

Read our full Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition review. Microsoft's built-in antivirus software is now a heavy hitter. While Windows Defender, aka Microsoft Defender Antivirus, doesn't quite beat Norton or Kaspersky in malware-protection lab tests, it comes out ahead of Avast, AVG and most other free antivirus products while operating almost entirely behind the scenes. You won't be getting many extra features with Windows Defender itself, yet Windows 10 does have parental controls, a gaming mode and protections for its own Edge and Internet Explorer browsers.

There's no built-in VPN, but you also won't be bothered by pop-ups trying to upsell you to paid antivirus software. As for a password manager, there's a stealth one built into the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android and iOS that syncs with the Edge browser, as long as you're signed into your Microsoft account on all devices. We still recommend going for Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, which has even less of a system impact, better malware protection and more useful extras, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with using Windows Defender as your primary antivirus solution.

Read our full Windows Defender review. Avast Free Antivirus has the best assortment of extra goodies of any free antivirus program, including a hardened browser, a gaming mode, a Wi-Fi network scanner and a recently added ransomware shield.

Unfortunately, the unlimited password manager has been discontinued. The program is also very customizable, letting you tweak its appearance and functions to suit your style. It even offers limited access to Avast's VPN service.

However, Avast Free Antivirus caused a pretty heavy system load in our testing and its scans took a long time. It also kept nagging us to upgrade to Avast's paid antivirus protection, and played bait-and-switch with features that looked like they were free but weren't. Most significant of all, the malware protection in Avast Free Antivirus is a peg down from Kaspersky's or Bitdefender's, whose free programs also bothered us less about paid upgrades and had lighter system loads.

Read our full Avast Free Antivirus review. AVG shares a decent, if unspectacular, malware-detection engine with its corporate sibling Avast while having a much lighter system-performance impact.

While the latter is almost a free security suite with lots of bells and whistles, AVG AntiVirus Free is the quiet, neglected child that gets the hand-me-downs.

The good news is that AVG's wide range of customization options and its file shredder and system optimizer are still available, and its interface is open and easy to use.

Worst of all, given its middling malware detection and dearth of extra features, there's no convincing reason to choose AVG AntiVirus Free over the built-in and overall better Microsoft Defender. Malwarebytes Free, formerly called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, is not antivirus software. Instead, it's a very useful malware-removal tool. What's the difference?

Unlike antivirus software, Malwarebytes Free can't prevent a PC from being infected. But it does an excellent job of cleaning out malware that's already on your system, as well as removing legal adware and potentially unwanted programs that antivirus software often ignores. Malwarebytes Free doesn't interfere with any antivirus software that's already installed, so it's perfectly safe to install it alongside one of our recommended brands. Just don't upgrade to the paid Malwarebytes Premium, true antivirus software that does poorly in lab tests and which will conflict with other AV programs.

We recommend Malwarebytes Free as a complement to any of the best antivirus programs, free or paid. Read our full Malwarebytes Free review. Before you buy antivirus protection, figure out what you need. If you have young children at home, then consider midrange antivirus products, most of which include parental controls.

Do you want an all-encompassing security solution? Or are you a techie who understands and the risks of using the internet? Ransomware is a big — and criminal — business. If the attacker has used bit encryption standard these days your chance of recovering your files without that key is zero. Anti-ransomware will detect ransomware by its unique profile or according to an updated list of ransomware that has been identified or both.

It will prevent it from being installed, quarantine it, and alert you to its presence. A rootkit is a collection of malicious computer software designed to access restricted areas of a computer and mask its true purpose while doing so. Rootkit installation is often the result of a corrupt website or malicious download. For this reason, an anti-rootkit feature is important and possibly vital in an antivirus software.

Real-time monitoring uses various techniques such as signature detection and heuristics to detect malware-like behavior. It continually scans the local file system and memory for anomalies.

It scans emails as you download and before you open them. Webcam manufacturers design their cameras for maximum connectivity and ease of use. Unfortunately, that leaves them open to hacking by unscrupulous individuals who can use them to spy on you or your children. Oftentimes, they can be remotely activated once the malware is installed or connects to your device.

Software that comes with the devices is often the target of hackers. Once they get into that, the camera is completely vulnerable since it is accepting commands from a legitimate source.

Webcam protection presents some unusual challenges since it has to protect third-party software from itself. Parental controls are an important tool for keeping your children away from inappropriate content online, as well as protecting them from online predators. If you have children, your antivirus software needs to have parental controls. Telephone This is the best option and the one that is least likely to be offered. Employee salaries are always a big cost of doing business and the one companies constantly try to reduce.

Online Online customer support can be a database of FAQs, real-time chat with an employee, or chat with a robot. Antivirus manufacturers often add features that sound great but are better purchased separately. These features include password managers, online storage, and VPNs virtual private networks.

The price per device is a better method. Unfortunately, when it comes to antivirus software, price and performance are rarely related. Some of the best products are in this price range, offering great features and coverage for multiple devices.

At installation, allow at least an hour for your antivirus to load and do a complete system scan. When the antivirus is loading, always choose the advanced option that lets you pick and choose what you want installed.

A full system scan can take a while. One of the most popular antivirus software is McAfee Total Protection. It has one of the lower prices on the market but allows you to protect an unlimited number of devices: PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets.