☑ Update in February 2025
Choosing the best antivirus software for your computer can be a daunting task due to all the criteria that must be considered. You may be interested in a basic security solution for your PC or laptop, or a highly advanced system that’s capable of protecting your entire household against viruses, hacker attacks, and fraud.
Bitdefender is one of the world’s leading providers of consumer cybersecurity products and a pioneer in antivirus protection. This brand has won multiple antivirus awards from leading online.
✓ Highly-rated virus detection
✓ Chat safely in popular social
✓ Includes a basic package with premium features
✓ Surf the web safely
SCORE: 9.8/10
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Norton Antivirus is more than just a trusted name within the antivirus industry. It offers a suite of powerful security features, excellent malware detection rates, and anti-phishing protection, along with internet security tools such as a VPN and password manager.
✓ Strong protection against viruses, malware
✓ Easy-to-navigate interface
✓ Includes a basic package with premium features
✓ Includes VPN, password manager, and parental controls
SCORE: 9.6/10
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McAfee antivirus is generally considered a good option, with high detection rates and a variety of features. However, some reviews note that it may not be the best choice for everyone.
✓ Real-time protection
✓ Multi-platform support
✓ Easy to download and set up
✓ Virus Protection Pledge
SCORE: 9.3/10
Visit MCAFEEAntivirus software is the best, easiest, and most reliable way to keep your device safe from all types of cybersecurity threats. Using traditional malware databases and advanced machine-learning tools, antiviruses are able to quickly detect and safely remove these threats from all of your devices. And thanks to their real-time malware protections, they can prevent malware from infecting your system in the first place.
But modern antiviruses are much more than just malware scanners. They come with a wide range of additional tools to protect your entire online experience. Top brands include security features like web protections to secure your browsing, firewalls to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic, virtual private networks (VPNs) to keep your online sessions private, parental controls to help you keep your kids safe online, and password managers to ensure your passwords are unbreakable.
Antivirus software protects computers and devices from “malware” and “viruses” which are general terms used to refer to any software that is designed to harm computers. Specific common malware also include worms, Trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, spyware, adware, botnets, ransomware, and more
At the most basic level, antivirus software helps to scan the files and programs on your computer to see if any part of its code matches its database of known malware. It may also look at how your computer is behaving and if certain file structures seem odd. This could signal that there is a new type of malware that has not been logged in its database. If any malware is found, it will remove it from your system.”
Even though your Mac or PC has in-built protection, it only provides you with a very basic level of security. Many won’t be able to provide you protection from ransomware, spyware, and more. This leaves a lot of your sensitive personal information still vulnerable to being accessed or stolen. The best antivirus software listed above will provide you with the complete protection you need because they have the latest updates of the viruses and malware that are out there
Also, don’t assume that you can rely on your safe computer habits along with your computer’s in-built security to avoid viruses. Even the most experienced users can be tricked into entering websites or downloading programs with malware. There is just no way for humans to correctly judge what is “suspicious” anymore. Malware has been found on completely normal-looking websites with topics like fishing or ice skating. The only way to protect your computer and your information is by using antivirus software that examines the code of the file or application that comes by your system.”
There are many free antivirus software, but I wouldn’t recommend them. Some collect user data to sell to marketing companies, or worse — are hosting malware themselvesAlthough some free antivirus software are decent, they only provide a very basic level of security. Such services usually have a free version to allow you to have an idea of what their service offers with the expectation that you will upgrade to their full service to get complete protection.
The antivirus software listed above have affordable monthly rates while giving you a whole range of security features (like antivirus, network protection, parental control). This way, you won’t have to worry about the capabilities of your antivirus software in protecting you from the negative effects of malware — like identity theft, computer crashes, and more.”
