Best antivirus software 2023

Using antivirus software protects your desktops and mobile devices from more than just malware. While viruses, ransomware, rootkits, and bots are still dangerous threats, the best antivirus software keeps you safe from phishing schemes, keyloggers, spyware, adware, and even identity theft.

Your Windows PC comes with Microsoft Defender already installed on i. For many, it is good protection. But it's a good idea to add additional layers of security because a single program can't catch everything. And over the years, third-party testers have seen the vulnerabilities and damage that come with putting full faith in Microsoft Defender alone.

We have tested the antivirus solutions in this guide to learn how well they stop threats, any impact on our computers' resources, the difficulty of using them, and how advanced tools and services work. We'll point out the best and the worst of each software and any special circumstances where one might be better for you. To start with, here are our top three antivirus software.

Our top 3 picks

Bitdefender Total Security: stopping threats before you know you're at risk
Bitdefender monitors your computer in real-time to stop malicious files before they have a chance to start downloading. Other benefits include a firewall, password manager, and VPN access.

Bitdefender is an all-around great value for the level of protection and number of security tools you get. Try Bitdefender free for 30 days.

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Avast One: a full antivirus security suite
Avast is packed with the best security tools including a VPN, a secure firewall, and lots of automation. And if you're on a budget, Avast Free includes several of these, too, although more limited.

One of the best perks of Avast is its gamer mode so you're fully protected without being interrupted by unnecessary scans, popup messages, or drag. Get started with Avast for free.

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Norton 360 with Lifelock: malware and identity theft protections
With Norton, you can protect your devices from malware and cyber criminals from using your identity all with the same security suite. With its family plan, your kids will have their identities monitored, plus give you parental controls

Norton 360 comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out for a while and see if it's what you and your family need.

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The best antivirus in 2023

The best antivirus softwar goes beyond simply blocking threats from downloading to your device. It should include a solid firewall to keep network threats from entering your system and provide advanced tools for privacy and identity protection. Here are several we recommend.

Best antivirus software overall

Bitdefender Total Security consistently does a great job of stopping malware threats before they even have a chance to start downloading to your device. And most threats don't even make it into the quarantine folder, because Bitdefender recognizes them and immediately scrubs them away. This means there are no remnants to infect your computer.

This antivirus software recognizes ransomware, so the risk of you falling victim is pretty tiny while using Bitdefender. And when you're browsing online, Bitdefender's safe browsing technology will block websites that have known threats hidden in them.

With the Total Security package, you get to protect your family from other threats, too. For starters. Bitdefender has webcam monitoring to make sure no program or person accesses it without your permission. There are also parental controls so you can filter web content and monitor exactly what your child is viewing online.

Bitdefender also includes a password manager to help you remember login credentials and create passwords that are hard for snoops to decipher. There are extra protections so keyloggers can't watch what you're typing and steal your credentials that way.

You also get a VPN with Bitdefender, which is a pretty good and reliable one. However, you do have a cap on how often and how long you can use it each day. But it's enough to shield you when doing your most important business online.

There are some problems with using Bitdefender. The biggest is it doesn't do well if your computer is already infected with malware. In fact, most antivirus programs don't do well on existing infections. But after using malware removal tools, Bitdefender will easily take it from there to keep malware off your devices in the future.

Best antivirus security suite

Avast is probably the top downloaded antivirus software around the world. It recognizes most threats, including ransomware, and zero-day threats to keep you extra protected. 

Avast snatches the threat during the download process and places it in the quarantine folder. After several days it will be completely deleted so no part remains on your computer.

As an added bonus, Avast comes with a firewall to keep an eye on your network connection. This is especially helpful if you're connecting your laptop to public networks and hotspots. You also get unlimited access to the Avast VPN services.

Another tool included with Avast One is webcam monitoring. This ensures no program, individual, or company can use your webcam to spy on you.

For gamers, Avast is the bomb! Its gaming mode is the absolute best! Avast recognizes when you're in an online game and will minimize the resources it uses while you play. You're still fully protected, but you won't have to worry about slowdown, popup messages, or even scheduled system scans until after you're done playing.

Avast Free is limited in its security offerings, but it still includes quite a few. It won't monitor your webcam, and it doesn't have a password manager. But you can use the VPN. You'll just be limited in your daily use, and can only access one server.

Avast Free is also only compatible with Windows operating systems. This means you can't protect your mobile devices, including cellphones, with this antivirus. But overall it is easy to use and offers great protection without costing anything.

Best antivirus with ID protection

With identity theft as big of a threat as ransomware, Norton 360 makes sure to tackle them to give you a lot of security and privacy. It is bundled with LifeLock, the leading identity theft protection service.

On the antivirus side, Norton stops threats in real-time to keep malware from infecting your computer. It has a robust firewall to make sure threats don't come in through your network connection and not just through internet downloads. You also get webcam monitoring and parental controls.

As with many of the best antivirus software, Norton comes with a VPN to protect your online identity and keep your browser history from being tracked or logged. And you're not limited to how often or how long your use it each day.

LifeLock keeps an eye on your information and alerts you if it's found on the dark web. This information includes your social security number, bank account and credit card numbers, and login credentials including passwords. It will also keep a lookout if criminals use your identity for medical care or as an alias.

One of the best services included with Norton 360 Select is that if your identity is compromised, LifeLock will help you restore your identity. This includes walking you through the forms you must submit to the IRA and credit reporting agencies.

Norton is one of the few antivirus programs that have a monthly subscription option. This allows you to get a feel of the service before committing to it long-term. However, both the monthly and yearly subscription cost is pretty hefty and it gets more expensive after the first year introductory price.

Best of the rest

Many cellphone providers offer antivirus protection as part of their plans, and often they recommend McAfee. There's good reason to use McAfee for mobile protection. It's really good and stops threats in real time. This means McAfee recognizes threats before they can fully download and stops them quickly.

Another good feature of McAfee is fairly easy to use, even if you haven't used an antivirus software program before. The default settings are strong enough to give you adequate protection, so you don't need to worry about configuring anything.

All McAfee computer protection software comes with a password manager and a secure firewall. You also get unlimited access to the McAfee VPN. This is a great feature that hides your computer's IP address and your online identity, so your online browsing activity can't ever be tracked back to you.

One perk for using McAfee+ Premium is you get identity theft monitoring as part of the deal. McAfee will keep an eye out on the dark web for any of your personal information and will let you know if it is ever sold or compromised.

McAfee+ Premium doesn't help you regain your identity, but there are other programs, like McAfee+ Advanced and Ultimate that both have additional identity recovery tools. These programs also have parental controls for more family protection.

Overall McAfee+ Premium is a good deal and lets you protect an unlimited number of devices. However, the under $50 subscription is only for the first year. After that, the price jumps substantially high to almost $150 per year. Also, on some devices, you may notice a slowdown because McAfee is pretty heavy on its resource use.

One of the best features of Trend Micro Antivirus is its safe banking tools. These give added protections while you shop or are logged into your online financial accounts so that important and personal information isn't stolen.

Another great feature of Trend Micro is its safe browsing. It is super sensitive to fake websites and will block you from those with malicious files or that have phishing schemes on them. For example, it recognizes when a fake Paypal link is clicked and won't let you get through to the website.

Trend Micro is really good at detecting all sorts of threats, including ransomware, and stops malware in real-time before it has a chance to infect your device. It also has a firewall booster that helps protect network connections. This is especially helpful if you're using a public internet hotspot.

Trend Micro has been around for a long time and is a very trustworthy antivirus software. But it does have its drawback. With its basic Antivirus+ Security program, you don't get a lot of extra tools. Password managers, webcam protections, and identity theft monitoring are nonexistent. But other Trend Micro programs do include some of these.

This antivirus program is really easy to use because it uses simple words and comes with the best functions preset by default. However, it does take a long time to run scans on your computer, and you may notice some slowdown during them.