Best Antivirus

Best antivirus software
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Antivirus software is one of the most important systems running on your device. The right antivirus setup helps keep you safe online, so you don’t have to worry so much about your security. Food antivirus software protects your home computer or other devices from viruses, spyware, malware, phishing schemes, keylogging, and much more. The best antivirus systems will always be up to date and even use artificial intelligence to work on new attacks. Here are the best antivirus solutions for maximum protection of your devices.

Best overall

antivirus software boxshot

(Image credit: Amazon)

McAfee Total Protection 2021

Works with PCs and Macs

Everything you need to secure your family’s devices is included with McAfee Total Protection, including encrypted online storage, protections for cryptocurrency accounts, and near-perfect malware security. This antivirus program also has a secured VPN that blocks your online identity, so it’s more difficult for your online activities to be tracked or for your digital identity to be stolen. McAfee is compatible with both PC and Mac computers.

Best for ID monitoring

antivirus software boxshot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Norton 360 Deluxe 2021

Great for cell phones

What makes Norton 360 invaluable is its partnership with LifeLock to help protect your identity. It keeps an eye on black markets and alerts you if any personal information is sold. This includes medical and criminal records. Norton also has safe browsing tools that warn of malicious websites, a VPN to protect your online identity and special banking tools to ensure financial information is secure as you bank and shop online. Add in great antivirus protection and Norton 360 makes a good computer protection solution.

Best for families

best antivirus boxshot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Kaspersky Total Security 2021

Parental controls

Kaspersky Total Security has excellent malware protection, but it adds more security tools that are important for keeping the whole family safe. One of these tools is its Safe Kids parent controls. This lets you monitor what your kids are watching online, set time limits, and block inappropriate content. Other tools included with Kaspersky are network monitoring, data encryption, a VPN, and a password manager. It also has webcam protection to keep people and programs from accessing your webcam without your permission.

Best network monitoring

antivirus software boxshot

(Image credit: Amazon)

ESET Internet Security 2021

Closely monitors all devices

ESET Internet Security does an excellent job of blocking threats entering through internet downloads, network communications, and stopping potentially infected websites from loading. EST uses a Host Intrusion Protection System (HIPS) to monitors your network connection and all devices connected to it, including gaming systems and cell phones. It will alert you if any suspicious communication or files attempt to breach the network.

Best for gaming

antivirus software boxshot

(Image credit: Amazon)

Avast Premium Security 2021

Best for gamers

If you’re an online gamer, Avast Premium Security is the antivirus program you want. It has a gamer mode that recognizes when you visit an online gaming site and automatically redirects some resources away from non-critical functions so you can play without experiencing slowdown or being interrupted by popup notifications. Avast will still keep an eye on your computer and stop threats, notify you if you attempt to download a corrupted file, or visit a dangerous website.

Can antivirus software remove existing viruses?

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Antivirus programs are able to find some viruses that already exist on your computer, but most malware is hard to detect once it’s in your system. This is because many of these threats are designed to block antivirus software, and others are disguised to look like real programs so they’re difficult to spot. In addition, while antivirus software can remove some existing malware, it can’t repair the damage the threat may have caused.

If your computer is infected with malware, we recommend seeking out a professional to help remove the viruses. Most local computer stores have professionals on hand who can remove malware for you or can recommend someone close by. Larger retailers usually have dedicated teams who can repair your device, though they often require membership sign-ups.

Once your computer is clean, you should install a good antivirus program. This will keep the system clean by blocking malware from downloading and infecting your computer to begin with.

Top Ten Reviews Staff

This is the staff profile for the Top Ten Reviews team. If you see this author, you're looking at an article that was created as a collaborative effort from the TTR editorial team. This profile denotes an actual member of staff, and not any of the contractors used by Top Ten Reviews. You'll find their work under Top Ten Reviews contributor.