What is The Best Antivirus 2024? – Navigating the internet without an antivirus is anxiety-inducing. Every link in the pop-up looks suspicious, and if your device starts bugging or slowing down, you might think you are done. Today, let’s talk about the best antivirus 2024 options, all thoroughly tested and reviewed and able to provide solid protection and peace of mind.
By the way, I’ll leave a link to all the antivirus providers that I mentioned, along with their best current deals, in the description box at the end of this article, so check it out if you want to access the most affordable pricing options.
Best antivirus tested!
Now, let’s start with my top three best antivirus picks
These three have been market leaders for years, and they prove it time and time again with great independent malware testing results. In the latest AV-TEST Antivirus 2024 testing batch, both Norton and Bitdefender got a 100% protection rating against older and newer, aka zero-day malware.
TotalAV scored 5.5 out of six, this time due to slightly lower zero-day malware detection AV-Comparatives testing also yielded similar results, though out of the three, Bitdefender showed the highest offline detection rate, once again earning an Advanced Plus badge.
Not for the first time, and definitely not the last. While I can’t replicate such extensive testing in-house, I did run my own test with 100 malware samples.
As expected, Bitdefender took the lead here. It detected 93 malware files, but it’s worth noting that the scan took almost three hours. That said, the CPU usage was from 18% to 66% max, which means that if you really need to, you can still use your computer during the scan.
Now, TotalAV caught 81 threats in a matter of 27 minutes using a max of 48% of the CPU, so it turned out to be the most lightweight option out of the three.
The highest CPU load came from Norton. At times it went up to 75%, this isn’t bad, considering it caught 91% of the malware samples in less than an hour, but it does mean that it’s better to leave your PC alone during a full scan.
Overall, I think it’s pretty clear that Bitdefender is the most powerful option in terms of malware scans, but you need to understand that the scan is just one small piece of the overall malware protection puzzle.
Which antivirus has the best features?
So let’s talk about security features. Right off the bat, there are a lot of tools that all three Best Antivirus 2024 picks share.
Obviously, they all can do malware scans, and there are multiple types of them in each app. The full system scans hold the most protection power for when your device is already infected, but you can also find scans
that check your device for vulnerabilities. For example, Norton’s Smart scan evaluates the overall state of your device points out any problematic spots, and then tells you how to fix them.
I also really like Bitdefender’s Rescue Environment scan, which gets rid of the sneaky advanced threats that can’t be removed while the operating system is running.
Of course, in an ideal scenario, no malware would get on your device in the first place, and in this case, the main layer of security comes from real time protection features.
Each best antivirus candidate has this tool, and it’s usually active by default watching over your device 24/7. If you’re worried about ransomware, all three providers have tools to fight against it.
With Norton and Bitdefender, you even get an opportunity to back up your most important files to the cloud, which might be helpful if you ever lose or damage your device. Now, another layer of protection comes from a firewall. It’s a feature that constantly monitors the outgoing and incoming traffic of your device, and it checks all of it for suspicious activity.
Now, in the Bitdefender app, this feature is called Privacy Firewall, while Norton has a Smart Firewall.
Both of them are going to keep you safe, but Norton’s version is slightly more advanced with extensive customization options.
TotalAV doesn’t have this feature, but it does work well in conjunction with the Windows Defender Firewall still providing all-around protection this way. If we do a quick TotalAV review, this antivirus has a couple of different features up its sleeve.
You can get the total Adblock to get rid of all kinds of ads,
video ones included, and they offer a simple but decent VPN as well.
I also like their System TuneUp tool, which I use to clean out junk files from my device. To be fair, TotalAV has the least amount of features from the three best antivirus for Windows 11 and 10 candidates, so it can feel a bit lackluster. But because of this, the antivirus is lightweight and therefore does a great job for older devices.
Now, when it comes to a Bitdefender review, just like TotalAV, it has pretty neat tools to clean out junk. Then you get an Anti-Theft tool that lets you find and even remotely lock your device. There’s also the profiles feature, which optimizes my device for specific occasions, like eliminating notifications while watching movies, among a bunch of other tools.
I want to mention the Bitdefender VPN as well, but keep in mind it does have a daily 200-megabyte bandwidth limit, which is a bit ridiculous.
What about Norton Antivirus? Well, after my Norton Antivirus review, I can tell you this one is the most packed out of all of them. From system optimization tools to parental controls and even dark web monitoring that watches out for data leaks related to my information.
They also offer a VPN and a password manager as well, even if it’s pretty basic. Now, all of the antiviruses have apps for all of the main operating systems, but the Windows apps are the most advanced, yet no matter what device you use, the apps look really similar.
That said, these three antiviruses are a bit different in terms of ease of use. For a while now, TotalAV has been my favorite suggestion for beginners, and you can probably see why. It’s laid out very intuitively and all the features have explanations.
Bitdefender is pretty similar in this regard with a very user-friendly interface, but since it has more features, it can be slightly more intimidating for novice users.
Norton makes Bitdefender’s app a walk in the park. As I’ve said before, Norton Antivirus is stuffed with features, and nearly all of them are highly customizable.
Plus, almost every feature and setting opens in a new pop-up window, which adds even more chaos and confusion. If you’re not afraid to tinker with it, Norton can become an extremely powerful security tool.
Now, with all that said, which antivirus is the most worth it? Well, for that, let’s look at pricing and value.
Supported devices
You might be surprised that this best antivirus for PC pickup is one of the most affordable options on the market, as this AV is the best fit for advanced users. In my opinion, the best plan to pick is Norton Deluxe, especially since you get the full feature set with it.
Plus, if this antivirus doesn’t fit you, it does have an impressive 60-day money-back guarantee, while the other two options only get you half that. Now, Bitdefender’s pricing is very similar, and considering their excellent malware detection rates, and the plethora of features, it’s a very great deal. I recommend going straight to the Total Security plan, as unlike the cheapest plan, it covers all of the main operating systems and includes a lot more features, especially the firewall, which significantly raises the overall security level that you get. TotalAV also has a plan with the same name, but their favorite plan mine is actually Antivirus Pro, as it covers all the security bases for a very cheap price.
By the way, you might not see the same pricing as me if you just google these plans. If you want access to the best deals, use the links in the descriptions or scan this QR code.
Best VPN + Antivirus bundle
Anyway, I have one more suggestion for the best antivirus software for Windows 10 and 11, specifically an antivirus and VPN bundle with a bigger emphasis on the VPN part. This is a VPN Pro channel after all. In this case, I do recommend taking a look at Surfshark.
Why? Well, let’s do a really quick Surfshark Antivirus review. It’s been one of the market-leading VPNs for quite some time, and they introduced an antivirus back in 2022. Right away Surfshark got AV-TEST certified though it is a bit sad that they’re not part of any new independent testing batches, especially since they’ve upgraded so much in the past two years. In our recent testing, Surfshark Antivirus managed to do even better than TotalAV, which already says a lot. Just keep in mind that it’s more resource-intensive, especially during a full scan.
Sure, Surfshark AV is not as extensive as the other three best antivirus software options, but you do get multiple scanning options, real-time protection, and even some extra features like webcam protection.
That said, the VPN is an absolute powerhouse. You can access thousands of servers across 100 countries, all of them RAM-based for guaranteed privacy. Surfshark VPN also works well both for streaming and torrenting and with the Clean Web tool, it becomes one of the best ad blockers you can get.
Not to mention all the extra Surfshark One features like a private and unbiased search engine or Surfshark Alert that watches out for data leaks. While this might sound like a lot, the app is actually very user-friendly and intuitive as well.
Every single feature has a little explanation of what it does, and the app remains easy to use no matter which platform you use it on.
Yes, even Linux. Pricing-wise, it is a bit more expensive than the other providers, but most of it comes from the VPN side. Funnily enough, the VPN is actually one of the cheapest options you can get, especially if you use the discount in the description box.
Now, with all that said, what is the best antivirus for you?
Conclusion: What is the best antivirus 2024?
If you’re still unsure, let’s do a quick recap. For exceptionally strong security, but a beginner-friendly app, choose Bitdefender. Meanwhile, Norton might be a better fit for you if you’re an advanced user.
TotalAV is like the middle ground between the two, and since it’s lightweight, it’s going to be a great choice for older PCs.
Finally, if you need an antivirus and VPN bundle, the Surfshark One plan is by far the best choice. I hope this antivirus review 2024 helped you out.
