Best Antivirus Software for 2024
Choosing the best antivirus software for Windows means finding one that keeps your PC safe, doesn’t take up a lot of system resources, is easy to use, and stays out of your way until you need it. Here’s what to look for.
Effectiveness: Antivirus software scans for known viruses and malware and can provide real-time protection. It watches for shady websites and suspicious links to keep you out of trouble. It can also provide ransomware protection and monitor unexpected behavior that could be a sign of new and unidentified viruses and malware. You want antivirus software that can successfully identify these unknown online threats without flagging too many false positives.
Light on system resources: You don’t want antivirus software that’s a drain on your PC’s resources. If websites open slowly after you install a program, apps 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 picks offer a free trial or money-back guarantee to let you try out the antivirus program. So if your system feels sluggish after installing it, you may want to look elsewhere.
Costs and discounts: Don’t just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Check the company’s website for discounts before you buy. Another way to save: The prices we listed above are for 10 devices — if the company offered that package — but you can lower 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 needs to monitor what’s happening on your PC, contact company servers about unusual behavior, and provide good banking protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy. If you want to know 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 by far the biggest target for viruses and malware. Android is in second placewith just under 1% of apps installed on Android devices with Google Play Protect falling into the Potentially Harmful Apps (PHA) category.
The threat to MacOS and especially iOS is low, partly because of the tight control Apple has over its app stores. While the Mac is being attacked via side-loaded apps, it’s rare. If you only download apps from the Mac and iOS app stores and are careful when clicking links and downloading files, you should be able to get by without an antivirus app on Apple devices.
