Best Antivirus Software Protection: As we all spent much more time online in the past year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there has also been a dramatic increase in cybercriminal activity. Google registered a record two million phishing websites in 2020, almost 20% more than the previous year, and detected an average of 46,000 new phishing websites each week.

Of course, the best way to protect yourself from viruses and malware is to stay away from phishing sites and not respond to emails from shahs asking you to transfer funds to them. But with such a proliferation of scams, it is difficult to keep your computer 100% safe, even if you have a Mac. This is even more true if your computer is used by multiple family members, and especially if you have children who go online.

One of the best ways to protect yourself is by installing antivirus software, which will protect you not only from computer viruses, but also from phishing attempts, malware, trackers, adware, and spam. Many also come with additional services like VPN, dark web monitoring, and password protection, and some are even free! To help you decide which software to choose, we’ve highlighted our picks for the best antivirus software below.

McAfee Antivirus

• Starts at $ 35 per year
• 30 day money back guarantee
• Up to 10 protected devices
• Available for Windows and macOS
• VPN, firewall and password manager
• Optional identity theft protection

McAfee is perhaps the oldest name in virus protection. It first introduced its antivirus software in 1987, long before we had to worry about phishing and spam. However, the company has kept up to date and still offers premium protection in the form of several different packages. While plans start at the $ 35 promotional rate for McAfee’s first single device plan year, their family plan is a much smarter option, offering stronger protection for more devices (10 in instead of just one) for just $ 10 more. Like other services, McAfee is compatible with Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS devices and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. In addition to the protections you would expect (virus, spam, malware, etc.), it comes with VPN, firewall, and password manager. Plus, if you sign up for automatic renewal, you get identity theft protection and a free year of Gamer Security, consisting of cloud-based virus protection, game enhancement technology, and robust system monitoring. Even better, McAfee has 24/7 support service.

Vipre Antivirus

• Starting at $ 15 per year
• Available for Windows and macOS
• Malware, Spyware, and Ransomware Detection and Removal
• 30 day money back guarantee
• Advanced protection features available
• US-based support

Fortunately, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to get excellent virus protection. Vipre offers an antivirus subscription plan for just $ 15 a year to protect five devices. But while their basic plan, Antivirus Plus, will protect you against viruses, malware, spyware, and ransomware, we recommend that you go for their top-tier protection, Ultimate Security Bundle, especially if you own a Windows machine.

With the Ultimate Security plan, you also get antispam protection to prevent phishing attempts, a firewall to block suspicious network traffic, anti-tracking, a blocker for your webcam and microphone, a scanner that checks if your information is being shared on the dark web and an unlimited VPN to use with all your devices. Living up to its name, Ultimate Security Bundle will give you complete peace of mind. Even better, right now it’s only $ 40 for the first year ($ 140 thereafter), which is $ 100 off its regular price. Also, if you’re not completely satisfied, Vipre offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bitdefender Antivirus

• Free version available
• Premium edition starting at $ 30 per year
• Available for Windows and macOS
• VPN included with Antivirus Plus
• Behavioral detection as well as virus definition analysis
• Battery saving mode for notebooks

They say the best things in life are free, and while we know that’s not always true, Bitdefender’s Antivirus Free Edition justifies it. While the company offers free antivirus software for Mac desktops and laptops, as well as Android devices, Bitdefender works particularly well with Windows machines.

Bitdefender was designed to be fast and annoying, so that it doesn’t consume much of your computer’s res. Rather than performing time-consuming scans or displaying advertisements or suggestions, Bitdefender works in the background, monitoring activity, and using behavior detection. Then when it detects something suspicious, it takes action. This is particularly good news if you are a gamer who wants virus protection but doesn’t want the software to consume valuable processing power.

Bitdefender’s free edition protects against phishing by detecting and blocking suspicious websites and scanning for malware, viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, zero-day exploits, rootkits, and spyware. For those who want additional protection or a VPN, Bitdefender offers two additional levels of security starting at $ 30 per year.

Norton Antivirus

• Starts at $ 20 per year
• Up to 10 protected devices
• Available for Windows and macOS
• Comprehensive VPN protection and password management
• Credit control services available with LifeLock Select
• Cryptocurrency mining option

First released more than 30 years ago, Norton has long established itself as a trusted brand in virus protection. As such, you get added peace of mind when you subscribe to one of Norton’s four levels of protection. And you can try Norton with a seven-day trial.

While Norton’s antivirus protection starts at just $ 20 for a year of Antivirus Plus, we suggest you go for Norton 360 Premium, as you can currently get your first year for $ 95 off its regular price. For $ 30, you can protect up to 10 devices, including Mac and Windows machines, as well as smartphones and tablets.

Norton will protect you against viruses, spyware, malware, and ransomware and it comes with features like Smart Firewall, 100GB cloud backup, a VPN, and a password manager. Even better, there are parental controls to keep your kids safe online. Also, Norton just announced that it will add cryptocurrency mining capabilities, so you could get some of that subscription fee back.

Kaspersky Total Security

• Starts at $ 30 per year
• You can pay for the number of devices you need
• Phishing protection on all products
• Available for Windows and macOS, as well as smartphones
• Secure vault for document storage
• Parental controls and content blocking options

Another trusted name in antivirus software, Kaspersky, like others on this list, offers various levels of protection, and right now, they’re all half there. Your basic tier starts at $ 30 for the first year and will protect three devices, but for just $ 20 more ($ 50), you can upgrade two tiers to your Total Security package, which not only gives you additional services, but will also protect two more. machines.

This subscription will protect you against viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, and phishing email, and will defend against network attacks. It also has payment protection to prevent hackers from stealing your credit card information, a vault to store confidential documents, password protection, parental controls and an adult content blocker, and a two-way firewall. It also comes with a GPS locator for kids and blocks webcam spies from accessing your computer’s camera.

Sophos startup

• Starts at $ 60 per year
• Free trial available
• Up to 10 protected devices
• Available for Windows and macOS
• Phishing protection on all products
• Password and webcam protection

Sophos makes things simple by offering a level of cybersecurity. Its Sophos Home service is compatible with Mac and Windows PCs, as well as with Android and iOS devices. For $ 60 a year (or less if you choose to buy a two- or three-year plan), you get good protection. It begins by doing a deep scan of your device for viruses, Trojans, rootkits, spyware, and more. Then it continues to protect against such threats, as well as AI intrusions, in real time. Protects against webcam invasions and encrypts your keystrokes to keep your passwords protected against hackers. Sophos also blocks phishing and other suspicious sites and automatically analyzes your downloads. And it comes with parental controls and filtering options to keep your kids safe. Protection for 10 devices is included in your subscription, as is 12-hour live email and chat support.

Avast Antivirus

• Free version available
• Premium version starts from $ 70
• 30 day money back guarantee
• Available for Windows and macOS
• Wi-Fi protection included
• Protection against ransomware

Another free and lightweight option, Avast is available for Mac and Windows machines, as well as Android and iOS devices. Its machine learning virus protection is designed to defend your computer without slowing it down. Avast uses smart analysis to detect and block viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, and phishing before they affect or infect your machine. It also scans your computer for vulnerabilities and inspects your Wi-Fi network for weaknesses and strangers taking advantage of it. If you need them, Avast also offers additional premium services for a fee.

Trend Micro Antivirus

• Starts at $ 30 per year
• Up to 10 protected devices
• Available for Windows, macOS, Chromebook, and smartphones
• Antiphishing protection as standard
• VPN included
• Support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Trend Micro, like its competition, offers several levels of virus protection, but its Premium Security Suite is our favorite. One thing that sets it apart from other software and services is that it works with Chrome devices in addition to Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS machines. As such, it is a great option for families with children who use Chromebooks for homework, especially since it supports up to 10 devices.

At $ 70 the first year ($ 130 thereafter), Trend Micro’s cloud-based AI technology provides proactive protection against viruses, malware, phishing, spam, ransomware, and other threats. It also protects against identity theft by monitoring the dark web for your information and checking for data breaches to see if your email address, credit card number, passwords, or bank account details have been leaked. You also get a VPN that protects your network when you are at home and keeps your mobile devices safe when using public Wi-Fi networks. Additionally, Trend Micro provides 24/7 support for when you need it, including remote diagnosis and repair.

Of course, if you don’t feel like parting with your hard-earned money, there are plenty of free antivirus software options to choose from.

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