Internet security reviews

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 you can buy right now will protect a household's worth of PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android phones from malware, phishing scams and malicious websites.

Norton with LifeLock Ultimate Plus. Specifications Anti-theft: No. Backup software: Yes. Firewall: Yes. Game mode: Yes. Hardened browser: No.

Parental controls: Yes. Password manager: Yes. Ransomware rollback: No. Webcam protection: Yes. VPN: Unlimited. Reasons to avoid - Heavy slowdown during full scans - Parental controls, cloud storage don't work on Macs. Bitdefender Premium Security. Specifications Anti-theft: Yes. Backup software: No. Hardened browser: Yes. Ransomware rollback: Yes. Reasons to avoid - Heavy background system impact - Password manager only for Windows. Using the VPN, I was able to browse the web, stream video, and download files with minimal or no speed loss — which is pretty great for a bundled VPN.

Avira has a lightweight cloud-based antivirus engine with perfect detection rates as well as excellent web protection. Avira Prime also has a VPN, a password manager, a game booster, system tune-up, and more. Learn More — Avira Prime. Panda Dome Complete has a good malware scanner, an easy-to-use interface, and more additional features than most competitors.

Panda Dome Complete offers good malware protection and is one of the most feature-rich internet security suites on the market — although not all of its extra features are that good. Panda detected most of my test malware, and I was impressed with its intuitive interface and unique features like the Rescue Kit.

Learn More — Panda Dome Complete. Kaspersky also has comprehensive parental controls, a good password manager, and a solid VPN — although the VPN is pretty limited. While Kaspersky offers good protection, I think all of its plans are a little bit too expensive when compared to competitors with a similar amount of features.

All Kaspersky purchases come with a risk-free day free guarantee. Learn More — Kaspersky Total Security. Malwarebytes Premium is an easy-to-use internet security suite for users looking for malware and web protection… and not much else.

Malwarebytes also comes with a browser extension that prevents phishing attacks, blocks sites with malware including cryptojackers , and removes ads. Malwarebytes is a highly effective anti-malware program, but it lacks most of the additional features I want to see in an internet security suite. The company offers a generous day money-back guarantee on both plans. Learn More — Malwarebytes Premium.

Most of the products on this list are primarily intended for Windows although they all work well on Mac , so I decided to add one more that focuses on protecting Macs. Intego has excellent real-time malware protection which blocked all of the Mac-specific malware samples I threw at it — including newer spyware samples that macOS antiviruses from competitors like Panda missed. I also really like the phishing detection feature, which blocked more suspicious sites in my tests than Safari or Chrome.

However, because it is installed on your computer, it runs a large number of unnecessary processes in the background, causing your computer to run slowly and sluggishly. You can usually customize the schedule, though scanning your entire PC daily is probably unnecessary, and waiting for more than a week between scans is unsafe. Antivirus programs frequently offer two different types of scans: 'quick' and 'deep' or 'full' scans.

Schedule a full scan for your software once a week. McAfee has a significant performance advantage, as demonstrated by AV-Comparatives. McAfee's Total Impact Score is 1. Bitdefender internet security scored 99 percent in my hands-on anti-phishing test, the same as Norton.

However, McAfee and Trend Micro managed percent detection in their own recent tests. This means all four of these companies provide excellent fraud protection. Kaspersky Anti-virus is less expensive than Internet security. While Internet Security is more expensive, its features make up for the cost. In addition to Kaspersky Anti-virus, Kaspersky Internet Security offers a high level of protection through its sophisticated tools.

I'm the founder of VSS Monitoring. I have been both writing and working in technology in a number of roles for dozens of years and wanted to bring my experience online to make it publicly available. McAfee Total Protection.

Menu Disclosure Privacy Policy. Why is internet security important? Protection against malicious email attachments. Protection against ransomware. Firewall protectors. Parental control. Best Internet Security Software Reviews.

Protection type. Security suite. Secure VPN Service. Parental controls. Phishing protection. File encryption. Password manager. McAfee Total Protection Pros. McAfee Total Protection Cons. Norton Deluxe Technical Specifications:. No-limit VPN. Firewall protection. Secure VPN. Online backup. Norton Deluxe Pros. Norton Deluxe Cons.

Total AV Technical Specifications:. Real-time antivirus protection. Cloud scanning. Web protection. Total AV Pros. Total AV Cons. Avira Antivirus Pro.

Avira Antivirus Pro Technical Specifications:. Internet Security suite. Game booster mode. File shredding. Network traffic manager. File recovery. Avira Antivirus Pro Pros. Avira Antivirus Pro Cons.

Features: Incredible malware protection ensures that you are safe from the latest threats Integrates easily across all major platforms to ensure everyone is secure Several plans make it easy to get the coverage you need to stay safe User-friendly interface makes antivirus management a breeze Robust protection that keeps you safe at all times If you want some of the best protection against malware, Malwarebytes is a solid buy that works hard to keep you safe from attacks.

Back in the day, Malwarebytes was pretty limited in its protection. Malwarebytes Technical Specifications:. Malicious URL blocking. Antivirus protection. Exploit protection. Malware protection. Ransomware protection. They are also good for blocking cyberbullies and predators. Kaspersky Internet Security includes internet filter categories that make it easy to quickly block harmful content, including vulgarity, profanity and violence.

The best internet security software comes with multiple licenses or a single license that can be used to protect multiple computers or mobile devices at once. Sometimes, the only difference between a top-rated security program and the best premium security suite is the number of licenses you get.

You can usually find deals that make the first year cheaper though. Premium-grade software typically goes one step further to include all the security tools a developer has to offer. Because premium security solutions have more tools than internet security software and include additional user licenses, they typically cost more. You'll find him covering everything from smartphones and home computers to 3D printers and headphones.

He's also our resident cocktail expert. Included in this guide: 1. Premium security: Bitdefender Total Security. Reasons to avoid - Some packages offer poor value compared to others. Norton Reasons to avoid - Multi-device coverage locked in more expensive tiers. Kaspersky Kaspersky doesn't put a foot wrong, surpassing our already high expectations. Reasons to avoid - Parental controls locked to premium option.

Avast Premium Security. Avast's free offerings are second to none, but it struggles to justify the costs. Reasons to avoid - Heavy performance impact - Better offerings elsewhere. McAfee Total Protection McAfee's single program solution is great, but it falls short of its rivals. Reasons to avoid - Outdone by the competition.

Reasons to avoid - Some issues with false positives. Trend Micro Antivirus Plus.