The Best Antivirus Software for 2025

Scores in hands-on tests: Year after year, Bitdefender hovers at or near perfection in independent lab tests. And year after year, it doesn’t fare quite as well in my hands-on malware protection tests. It did manage to detect 99% of our real-world phishing samples, though, and I can’t argue with its thick stack of lab honors.

Independent lab test scores: The independent testing labs routinely grant Bitdefender perfect scores, with an occasional score that’s merely near-perfect. At present, it appears in current reports from three of the four labs I follow, with perfect scores all around except for one just short of perfection. My algorithm yields an aggregate lab score of 9.8 points (out of 10) for Bitdefender, putting it among the best.

Pricing and pricing tiers: At $49.99 per year for one license and $69.99 for three, Bitdefender costs more than many of its competitors. Not a lot more, but more. Take a look at how much more you get, though, and you’ll realize it’s still a bargain.

Ransomware protection: Bitdefender’s Advanced Threat Protection relies on behavioral monitoring to detect malware, including ransomware. Behavioral detection doesn’t kick in until the ransomware does something, so it’s conceivable a few files might get encrypted before Bitdefender gives it the boot. A separate Ransomware Remediation feature kicks in to restore files if that happens. In testing, with no help from the regular antivirus, Bitdefender’s multi-layered ransomware protection proved effective.

Features beyond antivirus: The Plus in the name Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is there for a reason. This app does everything you’d expect, and does it well, plus a lot more. Ransomware protection, a hardened browser for your financial transactions, VPN protection for your online connections, a feature that smacks down ad trackers, automatic detection of missing security patches...the list goes on. You can use it on Windows or macOS, and even apply any spare licenses to protect your mobile devices.

The laid-back user: If you want comprehensive protection with little interaction, just fire up Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and turn on its Autopilot. Now you can sit back and do, well, anything you want!

The feature collector: Sure, you could buy an antivirus utility that merely does the minimum an antivirus must. But you want one that does more—way more. Bitdefender’s collection of features beats out many security suites, and there’s no padding. All the added features actively improve your security or privacy.

Scores in hands-on tests: While Norton didn’t hit 100% in any of my hands-on tests, it came very close in all of them, which is more than most competitors can say. Norton detected phishing sites at 99% accuracy and prevented malware downloads from 99% of my sample malware-hosting URLs. In my malware blocking test, it detected 97% of the samples and thoroughly quashed their activities, scoring 9.7 out of 10 possible points. That’s quite an array of top scores.

Independent lab test scores: If an antivirus appears in test reports from an independent lab, it means that the lab considered the app important enough to test, and the security company considered the test worth its participation. Norton is clearly important, as it routinely graces reports from all four of the labs that I follow. Combining results from the four labs, my aggregate score algorithm puts Norton at 9.6 out of 10 possible points, an impressive achievement.

Pricing and pricing tiers: Quite a few antiviruses sell for just under $40 for a one-year subscription, and there’s another cluster at just under $50. With a yearly price of $59.99, Norton costs more than most. To be fair, it also offers more features than most. And if you need to protect multiple devices, even devices running macOS, Android, or iOS, you can get a five-pack for $84.99 per year.

Ransomware protection: When ransomware hits, it holds your most important documents hostage until you pay up to have them decrypted. It can be a nightmare. Norton’s Data Protector component heads off this danger by preventing all unauthorized changes to files in protected folders. With real-time protection, behavioral detection, and exploit protection turned off, Data Protector caught all but one of my real-world ransomware test specimens. Some attackers did manage to encrypt thousands of files outside the set of protected folders—you’ll want to make sure you’ve protected all important locations.

Features beyond antivirus: There’s much more to Norton than just antivirus. Its firewall protects against outside attacks and betrayal from within, without bombarding the unsuspecting user with confusing pop-up queries. Active exploit detection provides another layer of protection against attack. Norton’s backup system archives your files in the provided online storage, and the software updater ensures your apps have the latest security patches. Tune-up tools serve to clean up junk files, manage programs launched at startup, and manage disk fragmentation. To top it off, your subscription can protect Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices.

The score tracker: Which antivirus should you buy? Well, which one gets the best scores? For folks who rely on the hard numbers, Norton is hard to beat. It gets top scores from all the independent labs and also stays in the winners’ circle in my hands-on tests of antivirus effectiveness.

The old-school enthusiast: Norton's technology has been fighting viruses and other malware for ages, dating back to MS-DOS. If you want protection supplied by a known brand that has established its chops over decades, Norton AntiVirus Plus is just what you need.

The loyal customer: When you buy antivirus protection, you expect it to do its job, right? Norton makes that expectation explicit with its Virus Protection Pledge. If malware eludes all the protective layers, Norton’s experts will log into your device and chase down the infestation by hand. In the unlikely event that the malware wins, Norton refunds your money. To get this promise, you must show your loyalty by signing up for automatic renewal, but that’s only reasonable.

Scores in hands-on tests: Along with a few other regulars, McAfee routinely tops my phishing protection test, detecting 100% of the real-world phishing pages. It also scores well at preventing malware downloads from ever reaching my test systems, though its latest test against malware-hosting URLs didn’t reach the very top. Like Bitdefender, McAfee doesn’t exhibit the same peak prowess in my malware protection test that it does in lab tests. When the two don’t jibe, I give more weight to the labs.

Independent lab test scores: The independent labs adore McAfee's malware-fighting technology. Three of the four labs I follow include McAfee in their current analyses, and it earned a perfect score in all but one of the latest test reports. Processing its current scores through my aggregate lab test algorithm yields an impressive score of 9.8 points, where 10 is the maximum.

Pricing and pricing tiers: For many years, a McAfee AntiVirus Plus subscription offered unlimited cross-platform antivirus protection for all your devices. However, in late 2023, McAfee chopped the Plus from the name and cut back on coverage. The current McAfee AntiVirus remains a powerful choice for a single Windows PC, but doesn’t extend to other platforms. It no longer offers unlimited devices or even the usual volume discounts for multiple licenses. To get unlimited protection from McAfee, you must upgrade to the McAfee+ security suite. That’s what McAfee hopes you do. You won’t even find the $49.99 McAfee AntiVirus on the McAfee website. Rather, you must seek it from third parties like Amazon and Best Buy.

Ransomware protection: Many antivirus apps let you configure ransomware protection separately from regular real-time antivirus protection, which makes ransomware testing easy. With McAfee, the two are inextricably combined, so instead I tested using brand-new hand-modified copies of my samples. The regular antivirus still wiped out half of those on sight. The rest managed to at least launch, giving the behavioral detection system a chance to shine. McAfee caught all but one of the file-encrypting ransomware specimens, but the one that slipped through encrypted 10,000 files and displayed its ransom note. A wiper-style whole-disk attack also succeeded. And again, all of McAfee’s protective layers were turned on during this test.

Features beyond antivirus: McAfee AntiVirus has long been more than a simple antivirus app, but some of its bonuses have fallen by the wayside. It no longer includes the vulnerability scan or home network management components, and the App Boost and Web Boost features have departed. The developers found that customers just weren’t using those. However, it still integrates a basic firewall, and its WebAdvisor browser extension flags unsafe links in search results and social media. It can foil snoops by cleaning up traces of computer and browser activity. Its File Shredder permanently deletes sensitive files beyond forensic recovery, and it even detects and prevents cryptojacking. There’s a lot here.

The score tracker: Some consumers like to get a feel for different antivirus apps before choosing, while others cut straight to the scorecards. Is that you? McAfee earns excellent scores from the independent testing labs, reaching perfection in almost every test. It also tops out some (but not all) of my hands-on tests.

The loyal customer: When you show your loyalty by signing up for automatic renewal, McAfee, in turn, offers a Virus Protection Pledge. If malware gets past its protection, McAfee experts will remotely remediate the infestation; if they can’t, you get your money back. It’s a cozy relationship.

Scores in hands-on tests: Until recently, Malwarebytes was on a streak in my hands-on malware blocking test, scoring 9.8, 10, and 9.8 in three successive reviews over the last few years. That score dropped to 9.3 of 10 possible points earlier this year when I tested it just after completing my new malware collection. For now, I consider that one poor score to be a fluke. Malwarebytes earned a very good 95% detection score in my antiphishing test, but didn’t do as well at preventing malware downloads. In my test, using malware-hosting URLs, it only achieved 88% protection.

Independent lab test scores: Early in its existence, Malwarebytes didn’t participate in lab tests at all, as the developers contended that its advanced techniques weren’t compatible with standard testing. Over the years, it has popped up in some tests, with scores ranging from dismal to perfect. In 2022, it took perfect scores from MRG-Effitas and AV-Test; AV-Comparatives also certified its protection, though not at the highest level. In 2023, it aced MRG-Effitas and got a near-perfect Top Product rating from AV-Test. But it hasn’t appeared in the reports I track since then, so I don’t have any current scores to view and analyze.

Pricing and pricing tiers: Most antivirus apps offer a volume discount of some kind for those needing to protect multiple devices. However, the discount tiers don’t always jibe precisely with your needs. Suppose an antivirus offers subscriptions for one, three, five, or 10 devices, but you need seven. You’ll have to buy 10 licenses and waste three. That’s not the case with Malwarebytes. A single license costs $44.99, but after that, the price is $29.99 plus $10 per device, from $49.99 for two devices all the way up to $229.99 for 20, with no licenses wasted.

Ransomware protection: This app’s real-time protection wiped out all my ransomware samples on sight, so I had to disable real-time protection before running tests using real-world ransomware specimens. With regular protection crippled, Malwarebytes still detected all my file-encrypting ransomware samples. As can happen with behavior-based detection, a few files on the test system got encrypted before Malwarebytes moved in for the kill, but almost all of these were logs and other unimportant ancillary files.

Features beyond antivirus: Malwarebytes focuses strongly on antivirus basics, though it does extend its protection with a behavior-based detection layer that proved effective against ransomware. Its exploit protection system is hard to test, as it only reacts to exploits that match an actual vulnerability on the victim system.

The efficiency fiend: Malwarebytes has a clean, tidy appearance, but more importantly, it runs a full scan in minutes, where the average app takes hours, or at least an hour. If you want an app that takes care of business expeditiously, this one’s for you.

The thrifty user: Do you hate paying for things you don’t use, like paying for 10 antivirus licenses when you only need six? Malwarebytes has the cure. With Malwarebytes, you can put in an order for precisely the number of licenses you need, up to 20, so there’s no waste.

Scores in hands-on tests: I put Sophos through my hands-on tests, which yielded scores ranging from very good to perfect. Reaching that perfect score, Sophos fended off malware downloads from 100% of the malware-hosting URLs I threw at it. In my simple malware blocking test, it detected 98% of the samples and earned 9.6 out of 10 possible points. Sophos didn’t max out its score in my test using recently discovered phishing frauds, but its 95% detection score is still very good.

Independent lab test scores: As I mentioned, Sophos is a big name in enterprise security, perhaps making promotion of the consumer-grade app less of a priority. Sophos doesn’t invest effort in participating with many independent testing labs. However, for the last four years, it has taken AAA certification, the top of five certification levels, in every test by London-based SE Labs. Without multiple scores, I can’t derive an aggregate lab score, but a four-year span of perfection speaks for itself.

Pricing and pricing tiers: The yearly cost to protect one PC with antivirus can be $39, $49, or even $59. The price per device typically goes down with multi-license subscription tiers. Sophos, by contrast, has a single pricing tier—protect 10 devices (Windows or Mac) for $59.99. Per device, that’s about $6 per year, lower than almost any competitor.

Ransomware protection: “Zero-day ransomware” is a phrase to throw fear into the hearts of security professionals. Zero-day means it’s so new that standard antivirus techniques don’t recognize it, so spotting it based on behavior is the only possibility. With normal real-time protection completely suppressed for testing, Sophos detected almost all my ransomware samples by their behavior. The only ones it missed were those that didn’t take any action—no behavior, no detection. And unlike many competitors, it smacked down all the attacks before they could encrypt even a single document.

Features beyond antivirus: You manage Sophos through an online console, sending instructions to the tiny local agent on each device. Tiny or not, the agent packs in plenty of bonuses, including ransomware protection that aced my tests, defense against exploit attacks, an admittedly less-effective parental control content filter, protection for financial transactions, webcam hijack prevention, and more. It’s small, but mighty.

The thrifty user: You want to keep your family group safe from malware, but you don’t want to break the bank. A Sophos subscription lets you protect up to 10 PCs or Macs for the same price as a single Norton installation. Now that’s a bargain!

The family tech support: Are you the default security expert for your extended family or circle of friends? Are you tired of driving across town to rescue your beloved uncle after he clicked something he shouldn’t have? With Sophos Home Premium, you can take good care of your peeps from your own home base.

The organizer: The local Sophos agent takes up minimal space on your computer. Configuration and tracking get punted upstairs to the online console. If you’re not the account manager, you’ll hardly notice Sophos. And if you are, well, you’ve got a single spot to manage all your installations.

Scores in hands-on tests: While Webroot doesn’t always work well with full-scale lab tests, it has turned in some excellent scores in hands-on tests. In my simple malware blocking test, it correctly identified 99% of the samples as malicious and scored 9.7 out of 10 possible points. Challenged to detect dangerous websites and head off malware downloads, it scored 97% protection. And in my antiphishing test, it detected 100% of the fraudulent websites. That’s an awesome collection of scores.

Independent lab test scores: Webroot’s delayed-action detection isn’t a good fit for most standardized lab tests. The labs mostly expect that an antivirus will flag malware immediately or not at all. In the past 10 years, Webroot has popped up occasionally in tests from MRG-Effitas and AV-Test, with mixed results. In the last five years, its only scores have been from SE Labs, mostly the top AAA rating, with a sprinkling of AA and A ratings. Its current certification at the AAA level isn’t sufficient to generate an aggregate lab score, but it’s a good sign the antivirus is doing something right.

Pricing and pricing tiers: At $49.99 to protect a single computer, Webroot is on the medium-high side, with many competitors coming in $10 lower. Three Webroot licenses for $69.99 look better, though, and at five licenses for $89.99, you’re paying about $18 per device. That’s still slightly high compared with most, but certainly better.

Ransomware protection: Webroot eliminates bad programs and lets good ones run unhindered. For unknowns, it applies close scrutiny and checks with the cloud, keeping a journal of any changes the program makes. After a thumbs-down from the cloud, Webroot wipes the program and reverses those journaled changes. In the past, I’ve been able to demonstrate for myself that the journal-and-rollback system reverses the effects of ransomware. More recently, the app’s detection is too good; I haven’t been able to simulate an unknown ransomware sample with the latest version. But my past tests show that it works.

Features beyond antivirus: Despite the name, Webroot Essentials covers more than the antivirus essentials. For starters, your subscription comes with a full subscription to LastPass Premium, in case you don’t have a password manager. A firewall component monitors network usage by unknown programs and kicks into high gear if the app detects any ransomware. You’ll also find some bonuses of a technical nature, like a list of all active processes, a detailed report of Webroot’s activity, and a collection of advanced features for cleaning up after malware.

The organizer: Do you believe that good things come in small packages? Webroot is one of the smallest antivirus apps around, with an installer that would fit on a single diskette.

The tech expert: Not every consumer is ready to confront a list of active processes or manually restore system settings damaged by malware. If you’re ready to face those and other technical features and could run a custom malware removal script without flinching, Webroot may be just the thing for you.

Scores in hands-on tests:. I get good hands-on experience by putting each antivirus through testing with real-world threats. The tests also provide useful scores for comparison. G Data fended off 97% of malware downloads in my malicious URL blocking test, which is its best score in all my tests. It didn’t fare as well in my straight malware blocking test, scoring 9.0 of 10 possible points, just a tenth above what Microsoft Defender scored. And its phishing detection score of 91% puts it in the bottom half.

Independent lab test scores: Two independent labs include G Data in their latest reports, and it got just short of a perfect score from one, good enough to earn it the tag Top Product. The other lab honored it with one perfect certification and two certifications just below perfect. Poured into my aggregate scoring algorithm, this combination comes out as a respectable 9.3 of 10 possible points.

Pricing and pricing tiers: If you’re looking for a bargain, you’ll like G Data’s pricing. A single license goes for $29.95 per year, among the lowest for a commercial antivirus. You can up that to three licenses for $39.95 or five for $49.95. That five-license price is the same as what you pay to protect a single device with Bitdefender, McAfee, or Webroot, and a single Norton license runs even higher.

Ransomware protection: With G Data, you get multiple layers of protection against malware. In addition to the usual real-time protection, it includes ransomware-specific detection, a behavioral detection system called Beast, and the DeepRay machine learning system. In testing, G Data caught all the real-world ransomware samples except a couple that took no action. The behavioral detection systems ran a bit behind, letting about half the ransomware samples encrypt some files before quashing them. Remember, though, that I couldn’t begin to perform this test without disabling regular real-time antivirus checking.

Features beyond antivirus: Throughout its evolution, this antivirus app has picked up many bonus security tools. With the regular antivirus disabled, its behavior-based ransomware protection layers proved effective. An exploit detection component scored better than most competitors in testing. Other bonus features include spam filtering, BankGuard protection for financial transactions, active defense against keyloggers, and fine-grained control over startup programs.

The feature collector: Viruses and Trojan Horse programs are common threats, blasted by every antivirus. G Data also takes up arms against exploits, ransomware, keyloggers, attacks on financial transactions, and spam, with startup program control as well. If you’re looking to get all the protective features you can from your antivirus, look no further.

The old-school enthusiast: The G Data website states that G Data released the first antivirus program in 1985. Whether or not it was the very first, G Data Antivirus has a long and storied history. Some folks lean toward the newest, shiniest antivirus protection, while others prefer a mature program that’s had plenty of time to shake out any weaknesses. G Data Antivirus is a full-fledged utility with numerous security bonuses. It’s just the thing for those seeking a barrel-aged antivirus tool.