Antivirus ranking

That said, each additional seat adds protection for desktop and mobile, as well as another password manager license. Who Should Use It: Businesses with fewer than 50 people that want proactive protection against common threats. Avast offers several different antivirus packages for business.

Teams of under 10 can protect themselves with Small Office Protection, which includes ransomware, email and internet protection.

In addition to real-time protection across desktop, mobile and web, Bitdefender offers a suite of threat forecasts that can help you seal up any leaking holes before they become a problem. Before an attack, admins can monitor things like the number of unencrypted web pages employees visit. After an attack, Bitdefender gives you the tools to break down and understand why the attack happened and how to avoid it in the future.

On top of that, Bitdefender leverages machine learning to predict and block threats before they can impact your business. Who Should Use It: Businesses that need to monitor and analyze threats before they can happen. Emsisoft employs four different protection layers to keep your data safe from nearly all threats. It starts with protection from malicious websites in the browser, protecting your business from the most significant threats.

After that, Emsisoft uses machine learning to detect zero-day malware and block it in real-time. That should cover most threats, but Emsisoft goes further. The software uses behavior analysis to detect potentially malicious apps, and it uses that analysis to detect things like ransomware before it can encrypt your data.

Outside of protection, Emsisoft includes a centralized web dashboard for seeing the protection across your business. Here, you can manage your teams, set custom protection policies and much more.

Who Should Use It: Anyone looking for holistic protection that you can manage through a centralized dashboard. F-Secure takes a different approach to business antivirus.

All of its services are centered around F-Secure Elements, which is a cloud-native platform that allows you to choose the protection you need. There are four services available, each protecting a different aspect of businesses.

For most, Endpoint Protection is the most critical element. Powered by AI and based in the cloud, Endpoint Protection can help your business reduce attack surfaces, identify threats from community-sourced data and defend your data in the event a breach happens. Malwarebytes can protect as little as a single device and as many as devices. Those include real-time protection on desktop, ransomware and phishing protection and zero-day exploit detection.

If you have a larger team or need extra security, Malwarebytes has you covered. The premium package includes threat isolation and recovery, ransomware rollback and the ability to add server security. From protecting a few devices in a small office to defending dozens of devices from large attacks, Malwarebytes has something for everyone. Who Should Use It: Malwarebytes offers a scalable platform that fits in the small office as well as it does in the sprawling enterprise. Norton is a household antivirus name, and for good reason.

The business service provides the same excellent protection. That said, it loses a few points due to a limited feature set and high prices. Norton provides the convenience of a personal antivirus with the reach of a business one.

As a cloud-based service, you can easily manage your devices and protection without dedicated hardware. AVG sets itself apart with features such as Linkscanner, which checks links before you open them, and CyberCapture, which sends unrecognized files to AVG for analysis.

Webroot SecureAnywhere for Mac is our choice for antivirus protection that's best for Mac computers. There is still a belief that Mac computers are safe from cyberattacks, and while most viruses are targeted at Windows computers, Macs are vulnerable to other malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and even Apple-targeted viruses.

This software boasts a very small footprint on your computer's operating system but offers very fast security scans and is one of the best at phishing detection. Offering an email address when installing Webroot gives users alerts for new threats.

For those who use both Windows and Mac, Webroot's interface is more similar across platforms than other antivirus software. The main difference is Webroot for Mac doesn't include a firewall. This price covers one device. There is a day money-back guarantee. McAfee Antivirus Plus is our top choice for multiple devices because its subscriptions offer protection for every device in the home for a reasonable cost.

McAfee Antivirus Plus is the one antivirus platform that recognizes the growing number of devices used in a single household, which could include four or more different operating systems. The basic package supports up to 10 devices, support, secure web browsing, and antivirus. The MTP 10 Device plan is for one year for 10 devices, but also includes features such as full protection for the home network, password manager , encrypted storage, and identity theft protection.

Unlimited device protection is also available in one-year subscriptions. Plans come with one to five VPN licenses. Trend Micro was founded in in the U. The company operates worldwide and has many partnerships in the tech industry. Password management and protection are only offered in the product family's highest tier. This version is Windows-only, but Trend Micro offers a Mac version.

The highest tier plan supports mobile operating systems as well. The company offers a day money-back guarantee. Our top choice for malware scanning, Malwarebytes, is the best at removing malware on demand among any providers.

Malwarebytes was founded in Santa Clara, California, in and specializes in protecting home computers and mobile devices. The free version of Malwarebytes is limited but powerful. It doesn't have many advanced features and protections—it simply detects and removes malware. Malwarebytes does an excellent job of capturing, quarantining, and removing malware that is wreaking havoc in your system. You can run a full or quick scan of the free version whenever needed, and it will create a report on your system.

The premium version can be used as antivirus software. The free version runs on-demand, scanning for and removing malware, but should always be used in tandem with more comprehensive antivirus software. While the software is available for multiple operating systems, premium offerings only work on Windows.

A free trial is available for 14 days, but the free version remains on your computer to be used on-demand. Antivirus AV software is designed to detect, block, and remove malicious software on a computer or network. AV software is an advised layer of any cybersecurity system, as it is often the first line of defense to protect the computer before the malicious software burrows too deep. It offers protection to a computer or network and helps prevent the virus or other malicious code from spreading to other devices.

If you've got kids at home, you can get a premium security suite that includes parental controls along with antivirus software. Many suites also include VPN service, password managers, backup software or even identity-theft protection — all bundled more cheaply than if you bought each feature on its own. Each brand's antivirus programs share one Windows malware-detection "engine," but more features get added as subscription prices rise.

Norton LifeLock has even more plans mixing in various levels of protection. The more expensive plans also bundle in antivirus software for Macs and Android devices and offer limited security programs for iOS devices as well.

There are no true antivirus apps for iPhones and iPads. Here's our list of the best paid antivirus programs. Don't forget to check out our list of the best free antivirus software halfway down this page. Kaspersky provides the best antivirus protection overall Kaspersky Total Security combines one of the world's top-rated malware-detection engines with a ton of useful features.

It's the best antivirus software you can buy today. Click here if you're in the U. Bitdefender offers the best value in antivirus software Bitdefender Antivirus Plus combines great malware protection with an assortment of useful features and an easy-to-use interface, all at a very affordable price. Norton packs in everything but the kitchen sink Norton's antivirus products offer a password manager, unlimited VPN data, identity theft protection, parental controls and even online storage.

If you're willing to pay full freight, you'll get almost every kind of digital security you could ever need. Kaspersky Total Security 2. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 3. Norton Deluxe 4. McAfee Internet Security 5. Trend Micro Maximum Security 6. Sophos Home Premium. Our top choice is Kaspersky Total Security, which delivers excellent malware protection, a full complement of extra features and an easy-to-use interface.

Right behind that are the entry-level Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, the best bargain in antivirus software, and Norton Deluxe, which offers a ton of extra features, including unlimited VPN service and LifeLock identity protection. Any of these three would serve you well, but the ideal choice depends on your circumstances. See our section on how to choose the best antivirus software below, or our stand-alone antivirus buying guide. Both offered excellent protection without system slowdowns, but Kaspersky's free program lets you schedule scans, adds a ton of useful extras and had the smallest system impact we've ever seen.

Kaspersky's Windows products have excellent malware-detection scores and a light-to-moderate system-performance impact, the two most important criteria in our rankings. But it's beaten by Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, which has even more features. It has a secure browser, anti-theft protection for laptops, webcam protection and a limited-use VPN client that kicks in when you connect to an open Wi-Fi network.

We think it's the best antivirus software you can buy today. Read our full Kaspersky Total Security review. The best antivirus software you can buy Kaspersky offers excellent malware protection, lots of useful extra features and a light system impact with an easy-to-use interface. 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 an unlimited password manager, a secure browser with a virtual keyboard, a Wi-Fi network scanner, a file shredder, protection against encrypting ransomware and Bitdefender's new 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. Read our full Bitdefender Antivirus Plus review. 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 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 50GB of online storage space.

Two other offerings, Norton Premium and Norton 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 Deluxe review. McAfee's malware detection has improved greatly in the past couple of years, but it's still not quite top-of-the-line.

To get parental controls or one of the best password managers in the business, you'll have to spring for McAfee Total Protection or its sibling McAfee LiveSafe, which comes pre-installed on many new PCs. The multi-device licenses of those two security suites also come with an identity-protection service. But none of the McAfee products have a secure browser or webcam protection, which you often get with other premium antivirus programs. Read our full McAfee Internet Security review.

Trend Micro offers very good protection, but its malware-detection engine creates a heavy system load during scans and returns a fair number of false-positive results. Parental controls, a system optimizer and a file shredder are bundled into the mid-range Trend Micro Internet Security. Trend Micro Maximum Security adds a password manager, a secure browser and file encryption, while the new Trend Micro Premium Security adds a VPN and dark-web monitoring of personal data. However, none of Trend Micro's programs include a two-way firewall or webcam protection, standard with other brands' midrange offerings.

Nor does the premium product have the cloud storage or backup software that some of the best antivirus brands add as enticements to their flagship packages. Read our full Trend Micro Maximum Security review. ESET is one of the biggest antivirus names in Europe, with a very small system-performance load and fast scans.

Its malware-detection rate used to be kind of meh, but has improved markedly in recent lab tests. However, there's no VPN client, backup software or file shredder. ESET's pricing is per device, which is optimal for users who might have more than a few devices to protect.

But if your device count gets into double digits, ESET's costs can add up. Sophos Home Premium does its job economically, offering reasonable protection from malware at an affordable price. Because it's spun off from Sophos' enterprise software for business clients, Sophos Home Premium lacks many of the bells and whistles other security suites offer, such as a password manager, identity theft protection service or VPN service.

What Sophos Home Premium does have is the essentials: ransomware rollbacks, webcam defenses and protection against keyloggers, malicious websites and boot-sector and fileless malware. It also has a web-filter system for parents and an online management console from which you can tweak most of the settings.

Some people might demand more from an antivirus suite, but anyone who would rather buy only what they need will appreciate Sophos Home Premium's just-the-basics approach. Read our full Sophos Home Premium review. One of the most sinister and disheartening aspects of these viruses is that, just like a flu virus, they easily pass from one host to the next.

At any time, you would unwittingly contract a computer virus — and you could also unwittingly spread it to others. To protect your files, data, and identity, you need antivirus software for your computer. But which one should you get? Many of the terms are confusing, and the features may seem to overlap each other. Different programs are designed for specific operating systems, and they vary in their protection, support, and other features.

The most important factor when choosing an antivirus software is compatibility with your operating system. Windows Windows is the most widely used operating system today. All of the antivirus software has at least one Windows version available. Microsoft has released new versions of Windows approximately once a year, with major revisions every five or six months. Modern antivirus software may not work on older versions of Windows.

Companies like Amazon may have some of the older versions of antivirus software on their shelves. If they do, you might be able to find one that works with your version of Windows.

Like Microsoft, Apple has constantly released new versions of its operating system. Make sure the antivirus package you get is compatible with your version of the Mac OS. Linux The Linux operating system is a portable version of the Unix operating system written from the ground up for PCs. Although Linux is now virtually identical to Windows in its user interface, many people still shy away from it. Therefore, it is difficult to find antivirus software for it.

Antivirus software is usually sold according to how many devices it will protect, with a license for each device. PCs and Macs are commonly covered on most packages, and many packages cover up to five devices in any combination three PCs and two Macs, four Macs and one PC, etc. Some will only protect one to three devices, while a few offer protection for an unlimited number of devices. Protection can also be purchased for mobile devices, although this is less common.

Determine how many devices in your home need protection before you start comparing antivirus software. A firewall is a software tool that monitors network traffic, both incoming and outgoing, to determine which traffic to allow or block.

It performs this function based on a predetermined set of security rules. Early firewalls were mainly hardware. Today, a firewall can be software, hardware, or a combination. A firewall is the first and most basic feature an antivirus software package should have.

Online data breaches have become a growing problem in recent years, and identity theft is on the rise. Antivirus companies have stepped up to the plate by incorporating privacy and identity protection in the suite of services offered in their software packages. The implementation can be spotty, which is why we encourage you to investigate our highly reviewed products.