The Best Antivirus Software We’ve Tested for 2026

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 100% of my 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. Currently, it appears in reports from four of the five labs I follow, with perfect and near-perfect scores across the board. My algorithm yields an aggregate lab score of 9.6 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 the issue occurs. In testing, with no help from the regular antivirus, Bitdefender’s multi-layered ransomware protection proved maximally 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, and 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 minimal interaction, simply start Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and enable its Autopilot feature. 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 do. 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, earning 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 deemed the test worth participating in. Norton is clearly important, as it routinely appears in reports from all five of the labs I follow. Combining results from the five labs, my aggregate score algorithm assigns Norton a perfect 10.0 out of 10 possible points.

Pricing and pricing tiers: Many antiviruses are available for just under $40 for a one-year subscription, with another cluster priced at just under $50. At $59.99 per year, Norton costs more than most antivirus software. To be fair, it also offers more features than most. And if you need to protect multiple devices, including those running macOS, Android, or iOS, you can purchase 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 prevents this danger by blocking 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 managed to encrypt thousands of files outside the 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 external attacks and internal betrayal, without bombarding the unsuspecting user with confusing pop-up queries. Active exploit detection provides another layer of protection against network-based attacks. 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 clean junk files, manage programs launched at startup, and defragment disks. 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 earns top scores from all independent labs and also remains in the winners’ circle in my hands-on tests of antivirus effectiveness.

The old-school enthusiast: Norton’s technology has been combating viruses and other malware for ages, dating back to the MS-DOS era. If you want protection from a known brand with decades of proven chops, Norton AntiVirus Plus is the perfect choice.

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 protective layers, Norton’s experts will log in to your device and manually hunt down the infestation. In the unlikely event that the malware is successful, Norton will issue a refund. To merit 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 in preventing malware downloads from ever reaching my test systems, although its latest test against malware-hosting URLs didn’t quite reach the top. Like Bitdefender, McAfee doesn’t always show the same peak performance in my malware protection test as it does in lab tests. When the two don’t jibe, I give more weight to the labs.

Independent lab test scores: Independent labs highly regard McAfee’s malware-fighting technology. Three of the five labs I follow include McAfee in their current analyses, and it earned a perfect score in most of the latest test reports. Processing its current scores through my aggregate lab test algorithm yields a score of 8.9, out of 10.

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 dropped the Plus from the name and reduced 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 allow you to configure ransomware protection separately from regular real-time antivirus protection, making it easy to test for ransomware. With McAfee, the two are inextricably combined; therefore, 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 prove its worth. 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 making a choice, 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 offers a Virus Protection Pledge in return. If malware gets past its protection, McAfee experts will remotely remediate the infestation; if they are unable to do so, you will receive a refund. It’s a cozy relationship.

Scores in hands-on tests: NOD32 scored a perfect 100% in my phishing detection test and came close with 97% in a test involving protection against malware-hosting URLs. However, in my malware-blocking test, which involves more than 70 curated and analyzed samples, it scored lower than the competition. Its mostly perfect lab test scores don’t align with that last score. When that happens, I give the lab scores more weight.

Independent lab test scores: I follow five independent antivirus testing labs, and four of them included ESET in their latest test reports. Results were almost all perfect, which isn’t common. ESET’s aggregate lab test score is 9.8 out of 10 possible points.

Pricing and pricing tiers: NOD32 costs less than most competing antiviruses. You pay $39.95 per year to protect one PC, plus $5 per additional PC, up to a total of 5.

Ransomware protection: At its higher security suite tiers, ESET adds several ransomware-specific features, including blocking unauthorized apps from changing files and remediating any ransomware activity that occurred before detection. The simple antivirus reviewed here does have a behavior-based detection layer dedicated to ransomware, but that’s all. In testing with other antivirus layers disabled, several ransomware attacks eluded NOD32. One even outsmarted the antivirus with all layers up and running.

Features beyond antivirus: NOD32 does everything an antivirus should and goes well beyond, delving into highly technical territory. Its device control system gives you very fine-grained control over removable devices of many kinds. SysInspector provides a detailed report on your PC and its software. Even if you don’t know how to interpret it, a tech support agent will surely find it valuable. And while it doesn’t come with a firewall, it actively detects and blocks exploit attacks targeting vulnerabilities in the operating system and popular apps.

Score trackers: ESET’s scores from the independent testing labs are unimpeachable—it earned perfect scores from three of four labs that tested it. And it took top scores in some of our hands-on tests as well.

Thrifty users: NOD32’s pricing scheme starts off lower than almost all the competition and lets you subscribe for precisely the number of licenses you need, with no waste.

Tech experts: When faced with a security app that’s both highly useful and highly technical, you dive right in. You’ll have no trouble setting up NOD32’s device control to block promiscuous use of thumb drives, allow a few you’ve vetted as clean, or block most users from access to certain devices while allowing yourself full control.

Scores in hands-on tests. In my hands-on malware blocking test, Emsisoft detected 98% of the samples, the same as Sophos. Incomplete blocking of detected attacks brought Emsisoft’s overall score to 9.4 out of 10. Tested with a newer collection of malware, Avast, AVG, and Norton managed 9.7 points, and Malwarebytes edged them out with 9.8. Most of the rest scored lower than Emsisoft. Its web protection scored 97% against both malware-hosting URLs and phishing fraud. As I discuss below, it managed to defend against a dozen real-world ransomware samples.

Independent lab test scores. In years past, Emsisoft frequently earned excellent scores in AV-Comparatives test reports, and it would at least appear in AV-Test reports, though without reaching perfect scores. But Emsisoft’s participation with those labs stopped about eight years ago. AVLab tested Emsisoft’s business edition, which uses the same antivirus engine as the consumer edition reviewed in PCMag, and gave it a perfect 100% score.

Pricing and pricing tiers. Like ESET, Emsisoft charges just under $40 per year for a single license. Only G Data, which asks $29.95 for one license, costs less. If you have multiple PCs to protect, you can get a three-license Emsisoft subscription for $59.95, or max out at five licenses for $79.95 per year. Emsisoft’s pricing is very middle-of-the-road.

Ransomware protection. Some antivirus apps foil ransomware by preventing all unauthorized changes to files in protected folders such as Documents and Pictures. This often allows ransomware to encrypt many files outside protected folders. Others detect and block ransomware by analyzing its behavior, but in many cases, ransomware encrypts dozens or hundreds of files before it’s detected. In my testing with a dozen real-world ransomware attacks that encrypt files, Emsisoft proved fully effective, detecting all ransomware behavior without allowing any damage to a single file on the test system.

Features beyond antivirus. Emsisoft scans files on access, on demand, and on schedule, and its web protection proved effective at blocking access to dangerous and fraudulent sites. Beyond covering all the basics, its most significant feature is a very thorough remote control and management system. Anything you can do locally, like launch a scan or check for updates, you can also do remotely, meaning you can manage security for your friends and family. A remote-controlled content filter system is more useful in a business setting; it’s not for parental control.

The family tech support wizard. You read PCMag, so chances are your friends and family know you as their local, personal security expert. If you equip your family with Emsisoft, you can resolve any issues without leaving your desk using the comprehensive remote control and management system. And if Uncle Billy just can’t resist tweaking security settings, you can even lock out local control.

The ransomware fighter. The idea of losing your important work to ransomware horrifies you. Sure, any antivirus should fight off ransomware just as it does any other kind of malware, but you want more assurance. Emsisoft builds in ransomware-specific behavior-based detection, and in testing, it performed perfectly, better than any competitor.

Scores in hands-on tests: I gain valuable hands-on experience by testing each antivirus 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 to date. It didn’t fare as well in my straight malware-blocking test, scoring 9.0 of 10 possible points, just a tenth above Microsoft Defender’s score. 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 its scores range from near-perfect to perfect. Running those tests through my aggregate scoring algorithm yields 9.3 out 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 costs $29.95 per year, which is among the lowest prices for a commercial antivirus. You can upgrade 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 activity monitoring, a behavioral detection system called Beast, and the DeepRay machine learning system. In testing, G Data detected all real-world ransomware samples except for a couple that took no action. The behavioral detection systems ran a bit behind, allowing about half of the ransomware samples to encrypt some files before they were quashed. Remember, though, that I couldn’t run this test without disabling regular real-time antivirus protection.

Features beyond antivirus: Throughout its evolution, this antivirus app has incorporated numerous additional 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 on 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: According to the G Data website, the company released the first-ever antivirus program in 1985. Whether or not it was the very first, G Data Antivirus has a long and storied history. Some people lean toward the newest, shiniest antivirus protection, while others prefer a mature program that has 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.

Scores in hands-on tests: Malwarebytes is on a streak in my hands-on malware-blocking test, interrupted by a single fluke low score. In four successive reviews, it scored 9.8, 10, 9.8, 9.3 (the fluke), and 9.9. It’s still on top with 9.8 out of 10 possible points. Malwarebytes earned a very good 96% detection score in my antiphishing test, but didn’t do as well at preventing malware downloads. In my test, using malware-hosting URLs, the system achieved only 83% 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 achieved a top rating from MRG-Effitas and earned a near-perfect Top Product rating from AV-Test. Currently, it holds mixed scores from three labs, resulting in an aggregate score of 7.6.

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 of them. Until recently, that wasn’t the case with Malwarebytes. A single license was $44.99, but after that, the price was $39.99 plus $10 per device, ranging from $49.99 for two devices to $229.99 for 20 devices, with no licenses wasted. The current pricing system offers one-, three-, five-, 10-, and 20-license options. Pricing for one, three, or five licenses is unchanged. A 10-license subscription drops from $129.99 to $119.99, and the 20-pack goes from $229.99 to $169.99.

Ransomware protection: This app’s real-time protection wiped out all my ransomware samples on sight, so I had to disable it before running tests with 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 were encrypted before Malwarebytes intervened, but almost all of these were logs and other unimportant ancillary files.

Features beyond antivirus: Malwarebytes focuses strongly on antivirus basics, while also extending its protection with a behavior-based detection layer that has proven 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 latest edition scans the dark web to see if any of your email accounts were exposed in a breach. It also adds tools, including app startup management, a handy Windows Firewall control panel, and (in Windows 11) a collection of useful system tweaks.

The efficiency fiend: Malwarebytes has a clean, tidy appearance, but more importantly, it runs a full Threat 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.

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 reach its maximum 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 well-established name in enterprise security, which may make promoting the consumer-grade app less of a priority. Sophos doesn’t invest effort in participating in many independent testing labs. However, for the last five years, it has taken AAA certification, the top of the five certification levels, in every test by London-based SE Labs.

Pricing and pricing tiers: The yearly cost to protect one PC with antivirus software typically ranges from $39 to $59. The price per device typically decreases 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” strikes 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 disabled for testing, Sophos detected almost all my ransomware samples based on 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 antivirus 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 keep your family safe without leaving your home base.

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

Scores in hands-on tests: While Webroot doesn’t always perform well in full-scale lab tests, it has achieved 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 prevent malware downloads, it achieved 97% protection. And in my anti-phishing 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 an antivirus to either flag malware immediately or not at all. Over the past 10 years, Webroot has appeared sporadically in tests conducted by MRG-Effitas and AV-Test, yielding mixed results. In the last five years, its only scores have come from SE Labs, mostly AAA ratings, with a sprinkling of AA and A ratings. At present, it holds two lab scores: a 100% detection score from AVLab and an AAA rating from SE Labs.

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. A three-license Webroot subscription for $69.99 looks 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 malicious programs while allowing legitimate programs to 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 has become too accurate; I haven’t been able to simulate an unknown ransomware sample with the latest version. However, my past tests have shown 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 activity from unknown programs and activates if it detects 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.