(We also review many stand-alone products that provide such services.) The differences lie in the extra features that each product offers, such as parental controls, password managers, backup software, identity protection or online storage.

But each product by a single brand will detect Windows malware just as well as its stablemates. Most antivirus makers sell three or more kinds of Windows products, each more expensive than the last. Most antivirus users want a set-it-and-forget-it option, but sometimes it's good to get under the hood and tweak the software to your liking.ĪVG Antivirus FREE does not include privacy protection or an app locker. This is especially important for older, slower PCs that need antivirus software the most. You'll want to read Tom's Guide reviews of antivirus software to see how much each product slows down a machine, both in the background after it's installed and during active malware scans. Just keep in mind that you'll be paying for a yearly subscription to a software license, so factor in paying the same price, or a bit more if you got an introductory discount, again next year. For example, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus has built-in ransomware protection, a file shredder, a hardened browser for secure surfing and a password manager. Some free antivirus products will protect your machine extremely well from malware, including Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition and even Microsoft's built-in Windows Defender.īut the paid products tend to have many more extra features, especially on Windows. The same brands also make the best Mac antivirus software. Based on monthly testing by the independent labs AV-TEST (opens in new tab) and AV-Comparatives (opens in new tab), Bitdefender, Kaspersky Lab, Norton and Trend Micro offer the best malware detection among Windows, Mac and Android AV products, free or paid, followed closely by Avast and AVG.

The best anti malware software