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Scan and block viruses, ransomware, malware, spyware and more.
Enjoy full access to Total Protection features like web protection, password manager and ID protection.
Extend protection to your PCs, Macs, and mobile devices from our easy-to-use console.
Just 3 easy steps -
• Download your free trial
Sign up to begin your 30 day free trial.
• Connect up to 10 devices
Compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android devices
• Sit back and enjoy your PC
Scheduled scans keep your PC protected, without slowing it down
What is included in the free antivirus software trial?
The free antivirus software trial offers all the features of McAfee Total Protection, such as antivirus, web protection, password manager and identity protection.
McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge that includes our 100% Guarantee: Viruses removed or your money back, available with auto-renewal.
Can I use antivirus for mobile?
McAfee Total Protection is compatible with laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile devices. This free antivirus trial allows you to protect up to 10 devices.
How to choose the best Windows 10 antivirus for you ?
As with all kinds of software, you need choose Windows 10 antivirus programs according to your needs and your budget. The best bang for your buck lies with Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, as it's fairly inexpensive and has an unlimited password manager, a file shredder and its own secure browser.
If you've got deeper pockets and only one single PC to protect, you might consider Norton AntiVirus Plus or Norton 360 Standard. Both give you an unlimited password manager, and Standard adds unlimited VPN service and dark-web personal-information monitoring.
If you've got Macs and Android devices to cover as well as Windows 10 machines, McAfee AntiVirus Plus will take care of you at a bargain rate — $60 covers 10 devices. But McAfee's malware defenses are not quite as good as those of Norton, Bitdefender or Kaspersky.
Of course, if all you want to do is keep your PCs free from malware, then Kaspersky Anti-Virus is the best choice. It doesn't do much but block malware, phishing emails and dodgy websites, but it does it better than the rest.
How we test the best Windows 10 antivirus programs ?
We evaluated each Windows 10 antivirus program based on its interface, performance, protection and extra features.
Was the program intuitive and user-friendly? Did malware scans badly slow system performance? Was it effective at detecting and removing malware? Did the program come with any useful additional tools?
Our tests were performed on a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 with a 2.5GHz Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage containing 43.3GB of files.
To gauge each program's impact on system performance, we used our custom Excel test, which measures how long a PC takes to match 20,000 names and addresses on a spreadsheet. The longer the task takes, the heavier the system impact.
For malware-detection performance, we referred to the results of tests conducted by three independent labs: AV-TEST in Germany, AV-Comparatives in Austria and SE Labs in England.
Each lab periodically subjects major antivirus programs to stress tests involving thousands of pieces of malware, including hundreds of "zero-day" samples that the software has to learn to recognize.
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10 Best Antiviruses for Windows 10 -
I tested the most popular antiviruses on the market on multiple Windows 10 devices, and I rated them on malware detection, internet security, and overall value. I found ten Windows 10 antiviruses which were the best of the best.
But it wasn’t easy. There’s a lot of really bad software out there. Even some well-known brands didn’t offer the level of protection I expected. Even if they had decent malware detection rates, many of them kept giving me false positive scan results. Others either slowed down my PC, were too buggy, or were extremely overpriced.
But the antiviruses listed here protect all kinds of Windows devices — home PCs, office PCs, gaming PCs, and multimedia PCs — for a reasonable price.
1. Norton 360 — Best PC Security Suite in 2021
Norton 360 is the gold-standard of antivirus software. The antivirus engine — powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning — is excellent at protecting against all cybersecurity threats.
I’ve tested many Windows 10 antiviruses for security, and Norton was among the best, scoring a 100% detection rate. Norton’s malware-fighting SONAR system provides guaranteed virus protection against all cyber threats.
Norton’s 360 package includes:
• Antivirus protection. Guarantees 100% protection against the most advanced viruses and malware, including ransomware and spyware.
• Cloud backup. Securely store up to 75 GB of important files to Norton’s dedicated cloud.
• Integrated firewall. Scans at the network level for cybersecurity threats.
• Parental controls. Advanced settings to ensure kids are safe online.
• Secure VPN. Fast bandwidth speeds with unlimited data and a wide range of server locations.
Norton also offers a range of browser extensions designed for internet security, all of which performed really well in my tests — blocking all phishing links and malicious sites that I tried to access.
Norton is pretty easy to use for first time users, and it didn’t slow down my PC, unlike many other antiviruses I tested. The scanning engine is pretty lightweight — I was able to watch movies and edit videos while the antivirus scanner was running without any drain on my CPU.
All of Norton’s 360 packages are an incredible value for the money. My girlfriend and I first tested Norton’s 360 Deluxe package thinking we could just get a refund within the 60-day money-back guarantee period if we didn’t like it. But after trying almost all other antivirus software, this was the one we decided to keep.
Bottom Line:
Norton’s range of cybersecurity features performs far better than most other antiviruses. The software is fast and easy to use, and Norton guarantees that all PCs will remain completely protected against cybersecurity threats. If you need a high-powered Windows antivirus, Norton is the best there is. There’s a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out and see if you like it.
2. Bitdefender Total Security — Best for Advanced Malware Protection
Bitdefender Total Security uses a powerful cloud-based anti-malware engine that doesn’t slow down Windows computers — I was extremely impressed with how smoothly Bitdefender ran on my PC, not affecting my CPU or RAM (even during full scans).
Bitdefender offers 3 layers of malware protection to keep Windows computers safe:
• Advanced threat defense. Uses machine learning to recognize malware (including ransomware) by continuously analyzing a PC for suspicious behavior, blocking threats immediately.
• Ransomware remediation. Backs up important data if any suspicious activity is detected and restores the data after the threat is removed.
• Safe files. Blocks unauthorized programs from accessing files or folders, similar to iOS’s secure sandboxing protection.
Bitdefender offers some excellent additional features as well, including comprehensive anti-phishing protections, a lightning-fast VPN (limited to 200 MB per day), and some of the best parental controls on the market.
Bitdefender caught more phishing sites in my testing than most competitors, the VPN removed geo-strictictions without a significant speed drop, and the parental controls made it easy for me to filter unsafe content and receive alerts when my children left a predefined safe location.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus includes features like real-time antivirus scanning, anti-phishing protection, and Wi-Fi network scanning, while the Internet Security plan offers a secure firewall and Bitdefender’s parental controls. Both of these plans cover up to 3 Windows devices, but if you’re looking for coverage on up to 5 devices, including Macs, Androids, iPhones, or iPads, then Bitdefender Total Security is the best choice.
Bottom Line:
Bitdefender Total Security delivers complete malware protection with a cloud-based antivirus backed by machine learning. Bitdefender offers smart multi-layered protection and it’s packed with cutting-edge privacy and security features, including secure sandboxing, anti-phishing protections, a fast VPN, and good parental controls. You can try out Bitdefender risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. TotalAV — Best for Windows Performance Optimization Tools
TotalAV has a really strong anti-malware engine — with good antivirus scanning, real-time protection, identity protection tools, and some of the best PC performance optimization tools I’ve tested.
The performance optimization tools include:
• Junk and duplicate file cleaner.
• Easy-to-use application uninstaller.
• Startup program manager.
• Web browser junk file cleaner.
My girlfriend and I both tested these features on our Windows 10 devices. My girlfriend found over 18 startup programs which were seriously slowing down her laptop’s startup times. The Startup Manager feature made it really easy to remove all of these unnecessary startup programs — which sped up the startup time by around 4 minutes.
The junk cleaner found over 8 GB of useless files that were clogging up my hard drive, so I could actually make room for my video software.
TotalAV has 3 plans — Antivirus Pro comes with the anti-malware engine and the optimization tools, and it covers 3 devices. Internet Security adds on a VPN, and it covers 5 devices. Total Security adds on an ad blocker and a password manager, and it covers 6 devices. And all TotalAV purchases come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
TotalAV is my favorite antivirus for device cleaning and optimization tools. The antivirus protection is really good, and it makes cleaning and speeding up PCs really simple — even my non-tech girlfriend found it easy to use. And both the antivirus engine and the PC optimizer come with TotalAV’s cheapest plan. You can test it out using the 30-day money-back guarantee.
How I Rated the Best Antiviruses for Windows 10 ?
I wanted to make sure that I could find programs that offer significant improvement over the built-in security protections offered by Windows — here’s what I looked for in my testing:
• Malware detection rate. All of the antiviruses on this list have either perfect or well above average malware detection rates.
• Web protection. I tested features like anti-phishing protection, VPNs, secure browsers, and anti-tracker tools to make sure that these antiviruses could keep users safe online.
• Performance. I need my antivirus software to operate seamlessly in the background without slowing down my computer. All of the software on this list performs well without draining my PC’s resources.
• Innovative features. I always add extra points for any exciting and genuinely useful — not gimmicky! — features. I tested each antivirus to see if their additional features were actually worth it.
• Value. All of the antiviruses on this list provide advanced cybersecurity protection at a decent price.
