10 Best Antivirus Software for Windows (Free & Paid)

Keeping perhaps the best Windows 10 (and Windows 11) antivirus programs installed on your PC will convey first-rate protection against malware, ransomware, phishing scams, and different attacks — all without being excessively expensive.

A portion of these programs accompanies a two-way firewall to supplement the Windows one. Others offer a secure browser for online banking and shopping, “rollback” of files that have been encrypted by ransomware, and advanced protection to shut down a wide range of nasties: phishing emails, malicious web links, fileless malware, or boot-sector infections. And every one of them supports the two Windows 10 and Windows 11.

In any case, these economical, section-level programs don’t give a large portion of the additional features that you get with higher-estimated internet security suites. A couple of the best Windows 10 antivirus programs offer VPN administration or password managers, and none has parental controls.

We’ve taken a gander at the best Windows 10 antivirus programs to perceive how well they secure you against malware contamination, the amount they delayed down your system, and the amount you ought to be paying. Because everybody has various necessities, we’ve likewise got tips on the best way to pick the best Windows 10 antivirus software for you.

List of 10 Best Antivirus Software for Windows

1. Norton 360

Norton 360 is the best quality level of antivirus software. The antivirus engine — powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning — is phenomenal at securing against all cybersecurity threats.

Norton was among awesome, scoring a 100 percent detection rate. Norton’s malware-fighting SONAR system gives guaranteed virus protection against all cyber threats.

Norton’s 360 packages incorporate:

• Antivirus protection. Guarantees 100 percent protection against the most advanced viruses and malware, including ransomware and spyware.
• Cloud backup. Securely store up to 75 GB of important files to Norton’s committed cloud.
• Integrated firewall. Scans at the network level for cybersecurity threats.
• Parental controls. Advanced settings to guarantee kids are safe online.
• Secure VPN. Quick bandwidth speeds with unlimited data and a wide scope of server locations.

Norton additionally offers a scope of browser extensions intended for internet security, all of which performed really well in tests — blocking all phishing links and malicious sites that I attempted to get to.

Norton is really simple to use for first-time users, and it doesn’t dial back a PC, not at all like numerous other antiviruses which are tried. The scanning engine is lightweight — I had the option to watch motion pictures and edit videos while the antivirus scanner was running without any drain on my CPU.

Beginning at just INR1,490/year, each of Norton’s 360 packages is an amazing incentive for the money.

Review:

Norton’s scope of cybersecurity features performs much better than most other antiviruses. The software is quick and simple to use, and Norton guarantees that all PCs will remain totally protected against cybersecurity threats. Assuming you really want a high-powered Windows antivirus, Norton is awesome there is. There’s a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can give it a shot and check whether you like it.

2. Bitdefender Total Security

Bitdefender Total Security uses a strong cloud-based anti-malware engine that doesn’t dial back Windows computers — it is incredibly impressive with how easily Bitdefender runs on PC, not influencing CPU or RAM (in any event, during full scans).

Bitdefender offers 3 layers of malware protection to guard Windows computers:

• Advanced threat defense. Uses machine learning to perceive malware (counting ransomware) by continuously breaking down a PC for suspicious behavior, blocking threats right away.
• Ransomware remediation. Backs up important data assuming any suspicious movement is distinguished and restores the data after the threat is taken out.
• Safe files. Blocks unauthorized programs from getting to files or folders, like iOS’s secure sandboxing protection.

Bitdefender offers some incredible additional features too, including extensive anti-phishing protections, a lightning-quick VPN (restricted to 200 MB each day), and the absolute best parental controls on the market.

Bitdefender found more phishing sites in my testing than most competitors, the VPN permitted me to safely and anonymously peruse the web without a significant speed drop, and the parental controls made it simple for me to filter unsafe content and get alerts when my nephew left a predefined safe location.

Estimated at INR1,780/year, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus incorporates features like real-time antivirus scanning, anti-phishing protection, and Wi-Fi network scanning, while the Internet Security plan offers a secure firewall and Bitdefender’s parental controls for INR2,380/year. Both of these plans conceal to 3 Windows gadgets, however assuming you’re searching for coverage on up to 5 gadgets, including Macs, Androids, iPhones, or iPads, then, at that point, Bitdefender Total Security (INR2,670/year) is the most ideal decision.

Review:

Bitdefender Total Security conveys total malware protection with a cloud-based antivirus backed by machine learning. Bitdefender offers smart multi-layered protection and it’s loaded with state-of-the-art security and security features, including secure sandboxing, anti-phishing protections, a quick VPN, and great parental controls. You can evaluate Bitdefender sans risk with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. TotalAV

TotalAV has a really strong anti-malware engine — with great antivirus scanning, real-time protection, identity protection tools, and the absolute best PC performance optimization tools I’ve tried.

The performance optimization tools include:

• Junk and duplicate file cleaner.
• Simple-to-use application uninstaller.
• Startup program manager.
• Web browser junk file cleaner.

I tried both these features on my Windows 10 gadgets. The Startup Manager highlight made it really simple to eliminate these superfluous startup programs — which accelerated the startup time by around 4 minutes.

The junk cleaner found north of 8 GB of useless files that were obstructing my hard drive, so I could really account for my video software.

TotalAV has 3 plans — Antivirus Pro (INR1,410/year) accompanies the anti-malware engine and the optimization tools, and it covers 3 gadgets. Internet Security (INR2,900/year) adds on a VPN, and it covers 5 gadgets. Total Security (INR4,380/year) adds on an ad blocker and a password manager, and it covers 6 gadgets. And all TotalAV buys accompany a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Review:

TotalAV is my favorite antivirus for gadget cleaning and optimization tools. The antivirus protection is great, and it makes tidying and speeding up PCs really basic — even my non-tech friend thought that it is not difficult to use. And both the antivirus engine and the PC optimizer accompany TotalAV’s least expensive plan. You can test it out using the 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. McAfee Total Protection

McAfee Total Protection has a superb malware scanner — recognizing more than 99.7% of the malware in my testing. It’s additionally got probably the best features of any internet security suite, including:

• Web protection tools. Accompanies Wi-Fi scanning, smart firewall, and anti-phishing protection.
• Battery optimization. Offers a choice to reduce battery drain on PCs.
• System tune-up. Further develops a PC’s performance by eradicating superfluous files that might dial back PC operations.
• File shredder and file encryption. Securely erases files or delivers them unreadable if there should arise an occurrence of theft.
• Vulnerability scanner. Scans and installs important Windows and application updates.
• Secure VPN. Scrambles internet traffic with good bandwidth speeds and unlimited perusing data.
• Identity theft protection (US as it were). Monitors credit reports for unusual activity and incorporates a sizable insurance payout.

I really like McAfee’s web protections — McAfee recognized phishing sites that Chrome and Edge missed, and the Wi-Fi network scanner gave me notifications at whatever point any progressions occurred on my network. Plus, the firewall gives dynamic protection against network-based hacking threats.

Beginning at INR2,970/year, McAfee Total Protection is an extraordinary worth, offering huge loads of great features for up to 10 gadgets (counting Androids, Macs, and iOS gadgets), just as a phenomenal discount for 2-year subscriptions. McAfee is additionally the just antivirus on this rundown to offer coverage for unlimited gadgets, however this is just accessible for US users.

Review:

McAfee offers magnificent malware protection alongside a tremendous assortment of additional security features. I was really intrigued with McAfee’s web protections like anti-phishing, Wi-Fi scanning, and secure VPN. McAfee likewise accompanies useful additional items like system tune-up tools, a file shredder, and identity theft protection (US users just), has one of the most affordable 2-year plans of any antivirus on my rundown, and gives a no-risk 30-day money-back guarantee.

5. Avira Prime

Avira’s Prime package really dazzled me with it’s antivirus engine — it got exceptionally high detection rates and low false positives during my testing. Utilizing cloud-based technology to make scan speeds very fast and accurate, it scored a 100 percent detection rate against both old and new malware samples.

In addition to the state-of-the-art virus scanner, Avira offers:

• PUA shield. Secures against potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that can be concealed within legitimate software.
• Firewall manager. Optimizes firewall settings based on desired levels of security.
• Web protection. Ensures against all kinds of malicious web content and phishing sites.
• Email protection. Scans email attachments to check for malware and harmful links.
• Software updater. Automatically updates many popular programs.

Outdated programs can open systems to threats, so I was happy to find that Software Updater identifies outdated programs and automatically updates them. It found 17 programs on my PC that desperately required updating — some of which hadn’t been updated for a very long time — and it downloaded and installed all updates automatically.

I tried the Avira Prime package (INR4,450/year) which includes Avira’s Phantom VPN (with unlimited browsing data) and secures up to 5 devices, including Macs, Androids, and iPhones. While it’s not as cheap as Norton’s 360 Deluxe package, all of the additional features this package offers actually makes Avira Prime a great value for the money.

Review:

Avira is definitely one of the most reliable antivirus programs around — its ideal detection rates are hard to beat. It is strong, yet incredibly lightweight at the same time. My favorite extra feature is the Software Updater, as it makes life such a great deal easier via automating the boring yet important task of keeping software state-of-the-art!

6. BullGuard

BullGuard offers a great anti-malware engine with a few good extras and an interesting game booster which optimizes PC performance during gaming.

I gave BullGuard a shot my gaming PC with one or two games, including Half-Life: Alyx, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and Fortnite. I tried my CPU performance, RAM usage, frame rate, and load times — and I was astounded to find that BullGuard significantly further developed my PC’s performance in each of these categories!

Performance boosting aside, BullGuard also offers a few other internet security protections, for example,

• Firewall.
• Parental controls.
• Cloud backup manager.
• VPN (separate purchase only).
• Identity theft protection (US, Canada, and EU only).

I viewed BullGuard’s extra features as hit or miss. The firewall is great, yet the parental controls failed to block the greater part of the inappropriate content in my testing. Notwithstanding, BullGuard’s identity theft protections are superb, providing real-time credit monitoring through Experian’s international network. BullGuard’s VPN is respectable, yet I wish it was packaged with BullGuard’s premium plans instead of asking users to pay extra.

The most basic package — BullGuard Antivirus (INR1,780/year) — is just the antivirus and the game booster, and it only covers 1 device. On the off chance that you want the majority of the features mentioned above, you’ll have to get BullGuard Internet Security (INR2,230/year). BullGuard Premium Protection (INR2,970/year) also adds the ID protection and a network scanner.

Review:

BullGuard has a decent malware scanner, a nice range of extras, and an advanced game booster that increases frame rate and decreases load times during gameplay. I’m not a fan of BullGuard’s user interface, and the parental controls could be vastly improved. Nonetheless, all of different features are great — assuming you’re looking for an affordable and secure antivirus for your gaming PC, then, at that point, BullGuard is a decent option.

7. Panda Dome

Panda Dome has a decent antivirus scanner and a couple of novel security features that are really useful.

These were the protections that made Panda stand out in my testing:

• File encryption.
• File shredder.
• PC Rescue Kit.

Panda Dome made it very easy for me to encrypt really important work records behind a secure password to safeguard them from malware and ransomware.

The Rescue Kit disinfects PCs that are already blocked by malware — this is useful for those emergency situations where a device is totally inaccessible. Basically load the Rescue Kit onto a USB drive, plug in the USB drive into the infected device, boot it, and Panda will automatically erase malware and make the device usable again.

Panda’s most advanced packages are quite costly compared to different brands that offer a similar range of features (and cover more devices) for less money. In any case, I downloaded the reasonably estimated Panda Dome Essential package — which includes real-time malware scanning, a Wi-Fi scanner, and even a VPN (with 150 MB each day) for INR1,430/year.

Review:

Panda’s antivirus scanner performed completely in my tests, and I really enjoyed a portion of the additional features — especially the Rescue Kit. I wasn’t intrigued with a portion of different features, however, and I also think that Panda’s packages are a little overrated. That said, they in all actuality do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so it’s 100 percent worth trying Panda to check whether it’s the best antivirus for your PC.

8. Kaspersky Total Security

Kaspersky gives a secure malware scanner to Windows along with some brilliant additional features and an extremely intuitive dashboard.

Kaspersky’s real-time malware scanning engine recognized a noteworthy amount of viruses, spyware, and ransomware in my testing.

Kaspersky also has:

• Anti-phishing. Blocks tricky websites from stealing your data.
• Safe money. Secures shopping and banking in a special secure browser.
• Privacy protection. Guarantees outside programs aren’t accessing webcams or microphones without permission.
• Parental controls. Blocks unsafe content and track device location.

Evaluated at INR2,230/year, Kaspersky’s Antivirus plan is fine in the event that you’re looking for essential protection for Windows. However, the multi-device plans for up to 10 devices (including Mac, Android, and iOS) are a vastly improved value. At INR3,340/year, Kaspersky’s Total Security plan is a similar cost to Norton’s 360 Deluxe package — however Kaspersky could be a decent option for users who need a more basic interface.

Review:

Kaspersky Total Security is a high level security program that is really easy to use and navigate. Assuming you’re looking for an easy, set-and-forget antivirus for your Windows PC, Kaspersky is a good option — and it accompanies a without commitment 30-day money-back guarantee.

9. Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is a straightforward virus scanner with great malware detection rates — in my tests, Malwarebytes’ on-demand scanner distinguished around 90% of the test malware, however its real-time protection blocked almost close to 100% of the same files — on par with the absolute greatest names in the industry, as TotalAV.

Malwarebytes also has great phishing protection, with near-amazing detection rates, as well as a nice VPN. While Malwarebytes’ VPN isn’t as feature-rich as standalone VPN competitors, it’s as yet an alright decision for users looking for an easy-to-use VPN with fast speeds.

Unfortunately, Malwarebytes doesn’t have any different features, however its minimalistic plan and lack of extra features may appeal to users who are looking for a basic antivirus program.

That said, starting at INR2,970/year, Malwarebytes is similarly valued to Norton and Bitdefender, the two of which give significantly greater cybersecurity protections. In any case, in the event that you’re interested, Malwarebytes has a 60-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no danger in trying it out.

Review:

Malwarebytes is a decent malware scanner with phishing protection — you can upgrade to Malwarebytes’ most costly plan to get a VPN, yet that’s it. In the event that you’re looking for greater functionality, take a glance at different brands on this rundown. In any case, assuming that you’re good with a minimalistic antivirus, Malwarebytes is a respectable option. All of Malwarebytes’ plans accompany a generous 60-day money-back guarantee.

10. Trend Micro

Trend Micro has a decent malware scanner and respectable internet security tools for Windows users.

I think it’s really cool the way that Trend Micro shows users which sites are safe — it offers a basic color coding system to rank Google search results from green (safe) to yellow (unsafe) to red (dangerous).

Trend Micro also includes:

• Data breach monitoring.
• VPN.
• Password manager.
• Secure browser.

I really like Trend Micro’s data breach monitoring, which uses encryption to search online databases for passwords, logins, and even credit card information that could be susceptible to hackers.

Trend Micro’s VPN doesn’t give an exceptionally fast connection, especially to international servers, however it’s a viable way to keep your online activity hidden.

Assuming you’re looking for intuitive web protections and a decent malware scanner, then, at that point, Trend Micro (INR1,480/year) is a good decision — yet I think it needs to give a couple of more premium features to compare with similarly evaluated competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

Review:

Trend Micro has a decent cloud-based malware scanner as well as good extras like data breach monitor and email phishing protection. I think it’s a little bit overrated, however it’s a lightweight program that has a few decent internet security protections.

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