Best Antivirus Software for Windows and Mac Computers

24/7 Support : Get Started

USA Toll Free +1(877)368-0677

In an era when malware is a looming threat to personal computers—not to mention smartphones, routers, and even TVs—the benefits of antivirus software are obvious. But given the wide range of options, it’s tough to choose the one that provides the best protection. Despite constant threats, many people choose to go without any at all.

That’s why we put more than 30 antivirus programs, including about 10 free offerings, to the test, exposing computers running Windows 10 and macOS to a host of malware samples and malicious websites.

To evaluate the programs’ scam-fighting capabilities, we tossed in 200 phishing web pages, too. These are sites that try to trick consumers into providing sensitive information, such as passwords. Then we looked at how easy each AV program was to use and whether its operation had a negative effect on the computer’s overall performance.

This year, for the first time, we've also given each of the programs a data-privacy score, using the open-source guidelines outlined in the Digital Standard. The score is a measure of how the company says it collects, shares, and uses your data. And it factors in the ability each company gives you to control your data. The analysis is based on an evaluation of publicly available materials, including privacy policies, terms of use, and service statements.

As a result, you'll see some significant changes in the rankings. A few antivirus programs that previously had earned a CR recommendation no longer do.

ESET Internet Security (Windows) and ESET Cyber Security Pro (Mac) both lose the distinction, in large part because of ESET's Fair data-privacy score. Our testers found that the company did not grant users sufficient ability to control their personal data, enough information to fully grasp how the data might be shared, and assurance that data collection is limited to what’s required for the operation of the product.

Bitdefender received a Good data-privacy score, but our testers found similar concerns with the controls for personal data use and the info on how data might be shared. And that was enough to pull Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac below recommended status.

Other Windows programs lost recommended status primarily due to protection performance concerns. That list includes Avira Free Security Suite, Avira Antivirus Pro, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition, and Bitdefender Internet Security.

In response to our data-privacy findings, Bitdefender released a statement saying the personal information of users is collected only when necessary and only used to “maintain, improve, and build better services.”

“We do not share the personal information of our users with third parties,” the company says, “except for specific reasons like legal obligations, hosting services, support channel communications, and marketing services for our own needs.”

Tony Anscombe, ESET’s chief security evangelist, released a similar statement saying that “for privacy concerned users, we limit the amount of personal data to the minimum required in order to activate the product.”

Both companies told CR that they extend protections provided under Europe’s relatively robust GDPR privacy law to users worldwide, but those protections are not fully outlined in their U.S. privacy policies, according to CR’s review.

Glen Rockford, the privacy program manager for CR’s Digital Lab, says companies need to make such policies explicitly clear (in writing and in legally binding documents) so that consumers know at all times which policies apply.

“While we are happy that the companies were responsive to our concerns and take data privacy seriously,” he says, “we believe it is essential that consumers know precisely where they stand and have clear recourse.”

For a full breakdown of the test results, see our updated antivirus software ratings. And here are some recommendations and tips based on what we learned.

Finding the Right AV Package -

You don’t have to pay for solid AV protection. Avast Free Antivirus got high marks from our testers for its ability to stop threats against Windows computers. AVG Antivirus Free and Kaspersky Security Cloud Free also performed well.

Avast, which also owns AVG-branded antivirus products, came under fire last year when it was revealed that the company was using its antivirus products to collect user data, which it then sold. The company says it has since ceased this practice. Our testers rate the company's software Very Good, overall, for data privacy.

The Windows 10 Defender software that comes installed on new Windows computers didn't offer strong enough data security protections to receive CR's recommendation this time around, but it did receive an Excellent rating for data privacy, primarily because built-in protection does not expose your personal data to more third parties.

But paid programs have extra benefits. Shelling out money—generally $40 to $70—does get you additional protection, says Richard Fisco, who heads electronics testing for CR. Case in point: In addition to its top-rated malware-fighting abilities, F-Secure SAFE offers a parental filter and banking protection, along with anti-ransomware and spyware technology. Other paid products provide firewalls, spam filters, password managers, and email protections.

Another benefit to a paid program? With one of these, you don’t get peppered with pop-ups asking you to upgrade from the free version, Fisco says. “They can be almost as annoying as adware that pops up on social media and other websites, and constantly bugs you to buy something,” he says.

Our new Advertising rating helps you determine how troublesome those pop-ups could be.

Opening your wallet does not guarantee you a better product. HitmanPro Alert, $55, posted some of the lowest scores in our ratings when it came to malware protection without offering any meaningful extras. It also received just a Good rating for data privacy. Panda Dome Advanced performed almost as badly and received a Fair rating for data privacy, putting it near the bottom of the pack in that area.

Yes, Macs need AV, too. Less malware is aimed at Macs than at PCs, but that’s changing, Fisco says. The amount of malware written for Macs continues to rise. And though Windows PCs have Defender built in, Macs don’t come with anything comparable. As a result, Apple fans can’t afford to ignore cyberthreats any longer.

“And if you don’t protect yourself and you get an infected file,” Fisco says, “you can pass that malware on to a friend with a Windows PC.”

If you’re looking for free antivirus software for Mac computers, we recommend Avast Security for Mac. The top paid options include Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac and F-Secure SAFE. All three of these options received Very Good ratings for data privacy.

Download the software from trusted sites. If you click on a pop-up ad promising free AV protection, you could easily end up with malware on your computer. The ads are a common scam employed by cybercriminals. To be safe, go straight to the source and manually type in the web address for the company that offers the product you want to use.

The Best Free Antivirus Software for 2022

Looking for the best free antivirus software? We’ve compiled insights from the best antivirus software review sites and summarized them here. If you need free antivirus protection for Windows 10, 8, or 7, here are the independent experts’ top anti-malware picks — including our top-ranked AVG AntiVirus FREE.

• Avast Free Antivirus

• AVG AntiVirus FREE

• Avira Antivirus

• Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition

• Kaspersky Security Cloud Free

• Microsoft Windows Defender

• Sophos Home Free

Best Antivirus Software 2022 -

The best antivirus software keeps you safe online and by you that means your digital self – you know, the one that has all your banking and personal details stored. To keep them tucked away safe and private, the best antivirus software works to fight blackmailing, identity theft and more so you don't have to worry about being exposed online.

The best antivirus software on your machine means your banking details are kept private, your emails are not shared and any other personal data is kept between you and only those who you choose to share it with.

Sure, Microsoft does throw in Defender with Windows 10 and this now works better than ever, offering some serious protection minus the cost. But there are still holes here where a dedicated antivirus program can offer more security. It's worth noting that this isn't just a Windows phenomenon – Mac, iOS and Android devices are also at threat which is why a good antivirus software will cover more than one device on a plan.

1. Bitdefender Total Security

The best antivirus software overall

Bitdefender Total Security is one of the best antivirus software options out there right now and was our top pick for best antivirus 2021. Sure, it's not the cheapest, but for the price you get a 100 percent detection rate for both viruses and malware. This also combines a digital signature matching engine with heuristic monitoring, when it comes to antivirus to detect both known and unseen threats. The malware detection is 100 percent for both 0-day attacks (web and email) as well as for detection of the most common spread malware in the last four years.

You get protection against viruses, malware, phishing, spyware and dangerous websites. You also get Privacy Protection, Parental Controls, Password Management across devices and safe money features - to name just a few. Plus you get a VPN thrown in and an anti-theft and specific platform software for Mac, Android and iOS with one license covering up to five devices.

Bitdefender is fast with very little slow down when carrying out common tasks like launching websites. There is some decent customer support on offer and for the price you really do get a lot of features.

When it comes to antivirus options, there is absolutely no shortage out there. Odds are that by now you have heard of brands like Bitdefender, Avira, Norton, Kaspersky, and more. Knowing which ones of these to pick is probably the hardest part of the process. Over the years there has been a lot of stuff said about antivirus software, and people tend to have very strong opinions about whether or not you even need to be using it.

Unfortunately, creators of malware and viruses aren't going anywhere, and they are actually only getting smarter. They continue to look for new ways to get in and infect your PC, but luckily the antivirus companies are getting smarter as well. You may not find a need on a daily basis to have one of the best antivirus software options installed on your computer, but that's ok. If you are looking for some peace of mind and extra security, it's well worth checking out the whole list here and spending a bit of money to keep your stuff protected.

A few bucks a month proves to be a very small amount of money in the grand scheme of things when you think about how much personal data is on your computer that you need to protect. Let's continue looking at the other options for best antivirus software in 2021 for your computer now.

2. Avira Antivirus Pro

Cheapest premium Windows antivirus software

Not everyone is looking to spend a ton of money on antivirus software each year, especially if you are unsure of the actual value it will provide for you. Protection is something that you should have on any computer you connect to the internet, and Avira's Antivirus Pro is the perfect affordable option for everyone. This highly-rated software offers all of the necessities, like anti-scam protection, antivirus protection, a built-in VPN, and more.

With the Pro service, you'll automatically have all of your downloads, torrents, and cloud storage files scanned as they are being downloaded on to your computer. With the included browser safety checks Avira will automatically block most of the URLs that are known to host malware, and the device protection allows you to whitelist / blacklist USB devices on your computer.

Avira is more of a "full service" company than just a standalone antivirus company. It offers VPN, a password manager, a performance optimizer, and much more. The value is not hard to see when it comes to comparing the features and offerings from Avira at its price to some of what the others are offering at 4 or 5 times the cost per year.

Be sure to get in on this limited-time offer to save big on Avira while protecting your PC from all the bad stuff out there.

3. Norton 360 with LifeLock

The best antivirus software for a feature rich experience

NortonLifeLock, as it's known since splitting off from Symantec, still offers one of the best antivirus software solutions with its 360 system. This means both malware and virus protection with a 100 percent guarantee but with plenty of other features thrown-in. Not only do you get the very easy to use antivirus setup but there are extras too like a VPN and a massive 100GB of cloud storage available to you.

Other protections include phishing scams, malicious websites, adware, trackers and cookies. You even have your passwords, when logging into sites, protected to avoid them being taken. Parents can also block content so that children are protected when online.

While this works on lots of devices including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android - with unlimited licenses – it does run slower on smartphones where you may actually notice the slow-down, depending on the age of your device.

4. Kaspersky Internet Security

A solid and powerful security system with some excellent extra features

The Kaspersky Internet Security is not the basic entry level nor the top-end but it strikes a balance to offer the best of both. You get the long-standing powerful antivirus and malware protection that this system is famous for, but with a few extras that make it stand out from the competition.

Kaspersky, in my many years of testing antivirus programs, has consistently stopped most threats before files have a chance to download completely. This means, using real-time protection, Kaspersky doesn't give malware a chance to come close to infecting your computer. Plus, it was one of the few programs that stopped me from accessing every phishing scheme I used during testing. Some of these threats were made to look like legitimate login pages for Facebook, PayPal, Instagram, and Twitter, so I feel very confident in recommending Kaspersky Internet Security for home use.

This basic antivirus program also includes webcam monitoring, along with safe browsing tools that both tag and block malicious websites from being accessed and ensure banking and shopping accounts are accessed from a legitimate website. To give you even more security, all of Kaspersky's antivirus programs include an in-browser keyboard. This lets you enter usernames and passwords, or other sensitive information, into text fields without worrying that a keylogger will capture it.

Kaspersky has gotten a pretty bad wrap because of the accusations made a few years back about possible filtering of information, gathered from Kaspersky users' computers, to the Russian government, As a precaution, the U.S. banned the use of Kaspersky programs from being used on any of its departments' computers. But for most users, Kaspersky is just fine to use.

5. Avira Antivirus Free

A great free antivirus that works on mobile

Avira offers a great paid premium antivirus that we've covered above, but the company's free option is also worth a mention in our list. While it may not have the same features and options, it's quite comprehensive when it comes to antivirus protection. It offers a free VPN, anti-scam technology, and is completely ad-free still.

One thing that sets Avira's free antivirus apart from the competition is that it also has counterparts for mobile devices. You can install it on Android and iOS devices with ease.

The company does not sell user data as part of the free program, so be sure to download it today and give it a try!