What internet security should i get

For not much more money — or indeed Multi-Device is sometimes even cheaper, with the deals McAfee offers periodically — you get a sound security suite which protects up to five Windows or Mac computers, and Android or iOS devices.

US customers also benefit from a useful additional extra in the form of identity theft protection. The UI also suffers from some annoying quirks, but nothing too frustrating. Independent test lab reports suggest McAfee Total Protection offers solid enough defenses, if not class-leading. Another security suite worth considering is one from BullGuard , which offers multi-layered defenses backed by advanced machine learning to stop current and future malware threats.

BullGuard Premium Protection also gives gamers a treat with its Game Booster optimization feature, which is designed to improve performance while gaming and it works well enough, by all accounts.

Furthermore, BullGuard Premium Protection represents a solid value proposition for those looking to cover many devices. So, while a firewall and parental controls might be missing from Avira Prime — and any kind of backup facility for that matter — you do get some nifty stuff instead. That includes a decent VPN — with full unrestricted access — and some seriously high-quality PC maintenance tools.

In fact, in the latter case, Avira Prime works out as storming value for money, providing a solid engine to keep you safe, and that Avira VPN on top to keep you safer still online. Others, however, may miss the aforementioned core suite features like parental controls, of course. Whereas antivirus software provides a basic level of protection for your system, full internet security expands on capabilities such as scanning files and software, activity monitoring and vulnerability search with features tailored for Internet use.

These might include a firewall, anti-spam controls, ad blockers, webcam protection, keylogger protection, parental controls and credit card safeguards.

There might also be additional protection against web-specific types of malware such as spyware and adware. However running so many different types of program might mean that internet security suites use more of your system resources than conventional AV. There are many advantages to purchasing a premium internet security suite from a trusted vendor, but it is perfectly possible to create your own modular suite by picking the most suitable free products.

While this might mean you save money, it does mean you have to do much of the work yourself. You will have to identify the best components, whether its virus protection, firewall or backup software, and fix any problems yourself.

The more components you introduce will increase complexity and system resource use. You will also suffer from the pitfalls of using free services such as frequent adverts urging you to upgrade. Using a premium internet security suite means the vendor integrates several services into a single package that can be managed from a single interface. If you do want to build out your own suite, then you can pick the best of individual components in the following advice guides:.

All of the products on this list offer effective capabilities, so the difference is in additional capabilities. If there is a particular type of threat that concerns you, such as ransomware or phishing, check to see if there are specific protections included.

Banking safeguards, firewalls and parental controls are also areas you should consider — especially if there are multiple users on your computer. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Personal information—such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, bank account information, and credit card numbers—is at risk.

That data is then available on the dark web and can be used to ruin your financial life. In fact, the personal information of people with a high credit score can sell for relatively little on the dark net. Cyberattacks on companies are also costly. Installing the right antivirus software at home or your business is one step you can take to ensure you don't become a future statistic. Current antivirus software has moved beyond detecting viruses to providing malware and other attack protections.

With hundreds of antivirus software solutions available, it can be hard to decide which is best for you. We also considered features such as multiple device protections and free version offerings. Here are our top picks. Our choice for the best overall antivirus software because its paid version offers the most well-rounded protection. Bitdefender was founded in and is headquartered in Bucharest, in southern Romania. The company has over 1, employees with offices all over the world.

The paid version includes Safepay for financial transactions, multi-layer ransomware protection, and vulnerability assessments. A virtual private network VPN is also offered with an additional subscription fee. There is a day free trial. Norton with LifeLock keeps improving on its history as a top antivirus option with its PC maintenance features, making it the best for Windows computers.

Norton introduced its first antivirus software in under the Symantec umbrella. Symantec purchased LifeLock in , and in , after the enterprise division of the company was sold, the name was changed to NortonLifeLock. The company is based in Tempe, Arizona.

Norton with LifeLock won best antivirus for Windows because of how it has continued to build on its history of protecting Windows machines. The identity theft protection capabilities of LifeLock alone give this product an edge. There are several versions of this product, so users can pick the features they need, but even the lowest level offers PC maintenance utilities including the ability to produce a faster bootup and 2GB of cloud backup.

The amount of cloud storage increases based on the package level. Webroot SecureAnywhere for Mac offers excellent phishing detection and fast scanning ability specifically designed for Macs.

And its scans are fast — scanning over , files in under 2 hours. Intego has a few package options. Starting at , Intego is a bit more expensive than the competitors, but then again, most competitors offer very basic programs for Mac users typically only malware scanners.

If you need a Windows antivirus, any of the other ones on this list are better choices. Get Protected with Intego Now. TotalAV has an excellent antivirus scanner and a couple of really good extras, all inside a very intuitive dashboard — making TotalAV a particularly great choice for beginner and non-technical users. TotalAV Antivirus Pro is a good entry-level package for users looking to protect up to 3 devices, and it costs.

TotalAV Total Security adds a password manager, ad blocker, and protection for up to 6 devices for. TotalAV has a powerful antivirus engine and a good range of features inside a user-friendly dashboard — I recommend TotalAV for first-time users just needing something safe, secure, and easy to use.

And all TotalAV purchases have a day money-back guarantee. On the other hand, McAfee has some pretty good extra features. This provides an easy-to-read map of all devices on your home Wi-Fi network, giving you total control over your online security and allowing you to lock out intruders. The virus infected our Wi-Fi router, giving hackers a backdoor into our entire home network.

McAfee alerted me to this unauthorized access attempt and immediately stopped the attack! However, users who want to protect multiple devices should consider the Multi-Device plan that also includes identity theft protection for US users or the Family package which adds excellent parental controls.

McAfee Total Protection offers an impressive range of internet security protection for all computers and mobiles. All Total Protection packages include a commitment-free day money-back guarantee. Get Protected with McAfee Now. Avira does have cheaper plans, including Internet Security , but Prime is the only package that includes advanced system optimization, the VPN, and mobile apps. You can try out Avira risk-free with a day money-back guarantee.

Get Protected with Avira Now. Kaspersky also lets you use a virtual keyboard when handling online payments to avoid keyloggers. However, parents will want to check out Kaspersky Total Security , which provides some of the best parental controls on the market for up to 10 PCs, Macs, Androids, and iOS devices, for. Kaspersky offers a well-designed antivirus package with a good anti-malware scanner and useful extras like a secure browser for online finances.

Get Protected with Kaspersky Now. BullGuard offers powerful anti-malware protection, along with many additional features — including an excellent gamer booster, a customizable firewall, a performance optimizer, intuitive parental controls, and identity theft protections. I also think BullGuard has one of the best phishing protections around, scoring perfect results when I tested it against hundreds of fake websites.

During my tests, Game Booster increased my frame rate and decreased my load times while playing high-performance games like Destiny 2: Beyond Light and Apex Legends — I was honestly impressed! This feature helped BullGuard rank as the 1 best antivirus for gamers. BullGuard Antivirus includes malware and phishing protection, game booster, and coverage for 1 device.

BullGuard Internet Security adds multi-device coverage, performance optimization, and parental controls. BullGuard Premium Protection also includes a home network scanner and identity theft protection. There's also what Trend Micro calls "ID Protection," which actually just monitors the dark web for your data and can be accessed only through mobile apps.

On the antivirus side, Trend Micro does very well in lab tests of malware detection and also provides ransomware rollbacks, a file shredder, file encryption and a system optimizer. Trend Micro's malware engine has a remarkably small impact on Windows system performance when running in the background, but can eat up a fair amount of resources during full scans.

Read our full Trend Micro Premium Security review. ESET is one of the biggest names in antivirus protection in Europe, and while its top-end Smart Security Premium suite doesn't pack in VPN service, backup software or identity protection, it's still remarkably light, fast and efficient. ESET Smart Security Premium does have a password manager, parental controls, anti-theft protections for laptops, dedicated webcam protection, a dedicated secure browser and even home-network-management software.

It even includes bare-bones antivirus software for Linux machines, and its Windows malware-detection engine does very well in lab tests. The only downside is that the parental controls don't work on iOS. Most antivirus brands tier premium subscriptions at five, 10 and sometimes 15 devices.

So do you really need all these extra features with your antivirus software? Well, it's hard to argue against using a password manager. Beyond that, you have to consider your personal circumstances. If you've got young kids or teenagers at home, then you might want parental-control software to keep tracking of what your children are doing online or to track the physical location of their phones. If you're a person of means, then investing in identity-theft protection might be wise.

If you travel a lot, you'll want to use a VPN while in hotel rooms and airport lounges. To get a better idea of the stand-alone services these premium security suites compete with, visit our buying guides for the best identity theft protection , best cloud backup services, best parental-control apps and best password managers. You just have to decide which ones you really need. Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy.

He has also been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul driver, code monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews. One of the best internet security suites will protect a household's worth of PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android phones from malware, phishing scams and malicious websites.