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The best antivirus software helps protect your Windows computers and the data stored on them against malware and other online threats. While Microsofts own Windows Defender may be good enough to keep your PC free from viruses, it cant match the extra features you get with paid antivirus software.

All of the Windows antivirus programs on this list have their own malware-detection engines. However, its the features and the included extras that help justify their higher price. Likewise, you can also get the best free antivirus software for your PC for a taste of what these paid antivirus programs offer.

These are the best antivirus programs weve tested and reviewed along with some free antivirus software options halfway down this page. If you want even more features like a VPN and password manager in one package, youre going to want to check out the best internet security suites. At the same time, you can also get Mac antivirus software and Android antivirus apps to keep your other devices safe online.

Best overall

The best antivirus overall

Norton 360 Deluxe combines excellent malware protection with loads of extra features like backup software, a password manager, a VPN and more. It can get expensive but you get everything together in one subscription.

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Best value

2. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

The best antivirus value

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus offers very good malware protection with lots of useful extra features like a password manager, Wi-Fi scanner, a hardened browser and more. It also has a light system impact during active scans for viruses.

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Best features

3. Kaspersky Total Security

The best antivirus for features

Kaspersky Total Security provides excellent malware protection with lots of useful features like a firewall, backup software, parental controls, a password manager and more. Its VPN is limited but software for your Mac as well as Android and iOS apps are also included with your subscription.

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Best for big families

The best antivirus for big families

McAfee has improved its malware protection over the years and it's a great choice if you want to protect lots of machines on a budget. It also includes a password manager as well as protection for multiple platforms.

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Best for banking

5. Trend Micro Maximum Security

The best antivirus for banking

Trend Micro has very good malware protection as well as a password manager and secure browser for banking. It also includes dark web scans and a VPN.

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Best performance

6. ESET Smart Security Premium

The best antivirus for performance

ESET provides very good protection with very little impact on system performance. It also includes file encryption, a password manager and parental controls.

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Best for simplicity

The best antivirus for simplicity

Sophos offers decent malware protection at an inexpensive price. It also encrypts keyboard data and includes parental controls as well as webcam protection.

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Almost everything you could ever need

Anti-theft: No

Backup software: Yes

Firewall: Yes

Game mode: Yes

Hardened browser: No

Parental controls: Yes

Password manager: Yes

Ransomware rollback: No

Webcam protection: Yes

VPN: Unlimited

Excellent malware protection

Parental controls, backup software, online storage, password manager, webcam protection, unlimited VPN

LifeLock identity protection with top tiers

Heavy slowdown during full scans

Can get expensive

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 360 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 50 GB of online storage space. Two other offerings, Norton 360 Premium and Norton 360 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 360 Deluxe review.

The best value antivirus software currently available

Anti-theft: No

Backup software: No

Firewall: No

Game mode: Yes

Hardened browser: Yes

Parental controls: No

Password manager: Yes

Ransomware rollback: Yes

Webcam protection: No

Virtual keyboard: Yes

VPN: Limited upsell

Wi-Fi scanner: Yes

Very good malware protection

Lots of useful extra features

Light system impact with active scans

Heavy background system impact

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 a secure browser with a virtual keyboard, a Wi-Fi network scanner, a file shredder, protection against encrypting ransomware and Bitdefender's 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.

A fourth product, Bitdefender Premium Security, is basically Total Security with unlimited VPN usage, a cross-platform password manager and priority tech support.

But the best deal is the Bitdefender Family Pack, which puts Total Security on up to 15 devices for (a frequently discounted) $120 per year.

Read our full Bitdefender Antivirus Plus review.

Excellent protection with plenty of useful extra features

Anti-theft: Yes

Backup software: Yes

Firewall: Yes

Game mode: Yes

Hardened browser: Yes

Parental controls: Yes

Password manager: Yes

Ransomware rollback: Yes

Webcam protection: Yes

Virtual keyboard: Yes

VPN: Limited upsell

Wi-Fi scanner: Yes

Excellent malware protection

Stalkerware protection

Password manager, parental controls

Limited VPN usage

Microphone protection hard to enable

Read more:
The best antivirus software 2024: Free and paid options - Tom's Guide