20 Best Antivirus Software of 2026

For individuals and small businesses seeking reliable antivirus software, Norton offers a practical solution focused on real-time protection. It continuously scans for malware, ransomware, and other threats to help keep devices secure as risks emerge. With a straightforward setup and ongoing background protection, Norton suits users who want dependable security without constant manual checks.

Why I Picked Norton

I picked Norton for its robust real-time antivirus protection, which is essential for safeguarding your business against a wide range of online threats. The inclusion of a secure VPN ensures your team's data remains private and secure, a critical feature for maintaining confidentiality. Additionally, Norton's cloud backup provides peace of mind by safeguarding your important business data against unexpected losses. These features together create a strong defense system that addresses key security challenges faced by small businesses today.

Norton Key Features

In addition to real-time antivirus protection, Norton offers:

• Password Manager: This feature securely stores and manages your passwords, allowing your team to access accounts without the hassle of remembering multiple credentials.
• Dark Web Monitoring: Keeps an eye on the dark web for your personal information, helping you take action before identity theft occurs.
• Device Security: Provides comprehensive protection across multiple device types, ensuring each is secure from threats, regardless of operating system.
• Financial and Social Media Monitoring: Alerts you to potential risks related to your financial accounts and social media profiles, helping you to mitigate issues before they escalate.

Norton Integrations

Native integrations are not currently listed by Norton.

Malwarebytes is an advanced antivirus and antimalware solution for Windows, macOS, Chromebook, iOS, and Android devices. It offers 24/7 real-time protection against malicious phishing websites and harmful software like trojans and spyware.

Why I picked Malwarebytes: I picked Malwarebytes as it offers powerful malware protection at an affordable cost for small businesses. You can get its business plan for endpoint protection at almost the same rate as the personal plans of other antivirus services. I think Malwarebytes is an excellent value-for-money antivirus and antimalware solution that's effective and reliable.

Malwarebytes Standout Features and Integrations:

In my view, the standout features of Malwarebytes are Ransomware Rollback and Browser Guard. The rollback feature creates local backups of your files and enables you to restore them in case of a ransomware attack. With the Browser Guard extension, Malwarebytes blocks third-party trackers and protects you against online scams and malicious programs during internet browsing.

Malwarebytes supports Windows, macOS, Chromebook, iOS, and Android devices.

Sophos MDR (Managed Detection and Response) is a managed enterprise security service that provides 24/7 threat hunting, detection, and response by a team of cybersecurity experts. It can also integrate with your existing security stack for comprehensive protection.

Why I picked Sophos MDR: I chose Sophos MDR because of its robust security features and personalized expert support for small and medium businesses. I think it is a perfect choice to manage digital security for your business when you do not have a dedicated IT team.

Sophos MDR Standout Features and Integrations:

I think the standout feature of Sophos MDR is the full-scale incident response, where their team of experts can execute an extensive set of responsive security actions on your behalf. I also like their expert hunting capability that involves proactive threat hunts by highly-trained analysts to detect and eliminate more threats than security products alone.

Sophos offers integrations with other third-party security solutions like Fortinet, Check Point, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, Okta, and Darktrace. You can install it on Windows, macOS, and Linux devices.

ESET NOD32 is an effective antivirus program powered by machine learning. It doesn't interfere with system performance, so it’s an ideal choice for users who need powerful malware protection without compromising on speed.

Why I picked ESET NOD32: I chose ESET NOD32 because of its advanced machine-learning capabilities to detect malware without a significant impact on system performance. I think what makes it so effective is that it has a machine learning layer that runs locally in addition to the ESET Machine Learning in the cloud.

ESET NOD32 Standout Features and Integrations:

The standout features of ESET NOD32 include Intel Threat Detection Technology for solid ransomware protection, UEFI Scanner, and Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS). I believe its Intel TDT feature gives it a competitive edge as it enables access to Intel machine-learning models for advanced threat detection.

ESET NOD32 supports Windows, macOS, and Android devices.

Trend Micro is a cloud-based antivirus software without the extra bells and whistles. Its global threat intelligence network provides real-time protection against major online threats like ransomware and spamware with minimal impact on performance.

Why I picked Trend Micro: I chose Trend Micro because of its efficient and lightweight cloud-based protection. It has an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to set up and use with. Since it’s cloud-based, it's low on system resources and it’s always updated to the latest standards for protection against evolving malicious threats.

Trend Micro Standout Features and Integrations:

Two features that caught my attention most are its Folder Shield and Pay Guard features. Folder Shield gives you the ability to protect specific folders from unwanted modifications due to ransomware or malware attacks. The Pay Guard feature secures your online financial transactions to ensure a safe shopping and banking experience.

Trend Micro Antivirus only supports Windows devices in its starting plans called Antivirus Plus and Internet Security. You need to upgrade to the advanced Maximum Security plan to use it on Mac, Android, iOS, or Chromebook.

Norton antivirus is a powerful and reliable security software to fight phishing attacks, ransomware, and other malware. It comes with advanced layers of security and a smart firewall to provide a shield against online and offline threats.

Why I picked Norton: I picked Norton because of its comprehensive threat protection against all types of attacks, along with its out-of-the-box support for cloud backups and password manager. It protects your sensitive data from ransomware and enables a safe browsing experience with a password generator and smart firewall.

Norton Standout Features and Integrations:

In my opinion, the standout feature of the Norton Antivirus Plus is that it comes with advanced firewall protection. Most other solutions give firewall support only in higher plans.

Norton antivirus works with all major browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, to provide web security and anti-phishing protection. It is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. It also integrates with Microsoft Outlook for email security and spam filtering.

F-Secure Total Security is a cross-platform antivirus service. It protects your systems against malware and phishing attacks while ensuring a safe online web browsing experience.

Why I picked F-Secure: I chose F-Secure because of its excellent real-time malware protection along with its additional web protection features. It can isolate your browser from other processes to secure your online and banking transactions.

F-Secure Standout Features and Integrations:

Some of the standout features of F-Secure include breach alerts and Wi-Fi protection. Its expert assistance in the event of a breach is an essential feature to me as it ensures proactive action in case of sensitive data leaks. The Wi-Fi protection feature secures your connection, so even if you are using your system remotely on public Wi-Fi, you don’t have to worry about security.

F-Secure is available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is a powerful antivirus program for Windows devices. It comes with exceptional ransomware defense capabilities with add-on features to optimize performance.

Why I picked Bitdefender AntiVirus Plus: I chose Bitdefender because of its multi-layered ransomware protection. It combines advanced behavioral detection technology with a data-protection layer to encrypt and safeguard your important files. I also appreciated the ability to automatically tweak your device settings for performance optimization.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus Standout Features and Integrations:

I think the standout feature of the Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the Advanced Threat Defense that can take instant action in the event of any suspicious activity. It closely monitors your device and works against threats like trojans, worms, zero-day exploits, rootkits, and viruses.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus works only with Windows devices.

Avira Prime is a cross-platform, antivirus solution that shields your devices from malware and other online threats. It supports multiple devices and comes with useful add-on features for businesses.

Why I picked Avira Prime: I picked Avira Prime because it is an effective cross-platform antivirus solution for small businesses. It supports 25 devices with a single license, which can include devices running on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS. If you have a small team, I think Avira Prime is an ideal choice to secure their systems and protect your critical business data.

Avira Prime Standout Features and Integrations:

The standout features of Avira Prime are password management for business accounts and system optimization functionality. I found these features helpful to ensure well-functioning systems and good password security for the online tools that small teams need for their jobs.

Avira Prime can run on PCs, Macs, web browsers, and mobile devices.

Webroot is a lightweight and fast antivirus platform that protects Windows and Mac devices. It's completely cloud-based, so offers real-time protection against the latest malicious threats without taking up space on your system.

Why I picked Webroot: I picked Webroot because of its ease of use, quick setup, and blazing-fast scans. I think Webroot is ideal if you need versatile and efficient antivirus software that is lightweight on your devices.

Webroot Standout Features and Integrations:

Some of the standout features of Webroot are built-in firewall and network protection, real-time anti-phishing, and identity theft protection. Its firewall and network monitor can block unauthorized traffic while your usernames, account numbers, and other personal information are secured with its identity protection. On top of Webroot's faster setup and scans, I think these features further enhance the credibility of Webroot as an effective antivirus software.

Webroot supports PCs and Macs.