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Choosing the best antivirus software for Windows means finding one that keeps your computer safe, doesn’t take up a lot of system resources, is easy to use, and doesn’t get in the way until you need it. Here’s what to look for.
Efficiency: Antivirus software runs virus scans for known viruses and malware and can offer real-time protection. It monitors for questionable websites and suspicious links to keep you out of trouble. It can also offer protection against ransomware and monitor for unexpected behavior that may be a sign of new and as-yet-unidentified viruses and malware. You want antivirus software that can successfully identify these unknown online threats without noting too many false positives.
System Resource Light: You don’t want antivirus software that takes up your computer’s resources. If after installing the program, websites open slowly, applications download or open slowly, or file copies take longer than expected, you may want to try another service. The good news is that all of our offerings offer a free trial or money-back guarantee to let you try out the antivirus, so if your system feels slow after installation, you might want to keep looking.
Price and discounts: Don’t just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Before you buy, check the company’s website for discounts. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices – if the company offers this package – but you can reduce your costs with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices. You can also find discounts on an app’s Amazon page.
Privacy: To be effective, antivirus software must monitor what’s going on with your computer, contact the company’s servers for unusual behavior, and provide robust bank protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy. If you want to learn more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share.
Protection for other platforms: Microsoft is far away the biggest goal for viruses and malware. Android is secondwith just under 1% of apps installed on Android devices with Google Play Protect in the Potentially Dangerous Apps or PHA category.
The threat to MacOS and especially iOS is low, in part because of the tight control Apple has over its app stores. While Mac comes under attack via sideloaded apps is rare, and if you only download apps from the Mac and iOS app stores and are vigilant when clicking on links and downloading files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices.
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