Keep Your PC, Phone, and Privacy Protected With These Antivirus Deals

Why Do I Need an Antivirus Program?

Being connected online opens up your devices to a host of threats and they can become infected by downloading malware from a malicious attachment, visiting sketchy websites, or even hidden on an innocuous USB drive. A quality antivirus product will stand between you and the hazards of the World Wide Web.

What Is the Best Antivirus?

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Norton AntiVirus Plus received perfect and near-perfect scores from independent testing labs, Bitdefender from three labs and Norton from four. Both earn high scores in our hands-on tests, and both offer more features than some security suites, including a hardened browser for financial transactions, Wi-Fi security monitoring, a feature that blocks ad trackers, and automatic detection of missing security patches. These two get our Editors’ choice stamp of approval and should be at the top of your list of possible options.

What Is the Best Free Antivirus? 

Avast One Basic received the PCMag Editors’ Choice award in addition to its “Outstanding” rating, earning excellent lab scores on multiple platforms and offering protection for Android, iOS, MacOS, and Windows—all for free. If you’re looking for a more typical antivirus rather than an almost-suite, AVG Antivirus Free uses precisely the same antivirus protection engine as Avast, but without the crowd of suite-level features. Our experts have put together a comprehensive list of free antivirus solutions for you to check out at your leisure. 

Can I Get a Free Trial?

The nice thing about free antivirus apps is that you can try a bunch before picking your favorite. But really, you can do the same with most commercial antivirus apps. Our top antivirus picks all offer a free trial, either for 30 days or 14 days. With some there are no strings attached. Others, such as Norton and McAfee, require that you sign up with a credit card and cancel before the trial ends. In addition, many of them also offer a 30-day or 60-day money-back guarantee.

Which Antivirus Brands Offer the Biggest Discounts?

Just about every antivirus rewards new customers with a first-year discount, meaning you don’t pay list price until the second year. These discounts change frequently, but they’re always clearly marked on the app’s pricing page. If price is a big factor for you, do a price-check on all the antiviruses you’re considering and then purchase the one you prefer right away, while the discount is still current.

Are There Big Antivirus Discounts During Amazon Prime Day or Cyber Week?

Antivirus companies really want you as a customer, and they’re willing to drop prices dramatically to capture your interest. As with ongoing discounts, just what kind of bonus you get changes all the time. If a big sale week is imminent, you can certainly benefit by waiting to see just how low antivirus can go.

What Is the Best Antivirus for Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Windows 10 and Windows 11 are currently “live,” so all recommendations featured on PCMag are made with these operating systems in mind. That could mean anything from well-known names like Norton and McAfee for everyday PC users or a brand like ESET NOD32 Antivirus for the super techie types.

What About Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender comes with Windows and takes over your protection when there’s no other antivirus installed. It’s a viable free option, and certainly better than going without protection. Our editors felt that it’s “a good way to keep you and your computer safe. It is, however, not the best.” If you want more comprehensive coverage, you should look into one of the commercial apps suggested above.

How Do We Test Malware, Spyware, and Virus Defenses?

We subject every antivirus app to a series of hands-on tests, both to measure its success and to gain experience with its workings. This includes testing its malware defenses using real-world threats that we gather and analyze in house. To check a program’s handling of brand-new malware, we test each antivirus by trying to download malware from a large collection of extremely new malware-hosting URLs supplied by MRG-Effitas, noting what percentage of them it blocked. And we measure how effectively the antivirus detects phishing frauds and scams.

How Do We Test Ransomware Defenses?

Advanced antivirus programs may add a layer of protection specifically aimed at foiling ransomware; however, the moment ransomware slips past your antivirus, you’ve already lost access to your important documents. We test those layers by turning off all the other forms of detection, then releasing real-world ransomware, safely contained in isolated virtual machines.