From McAfee to Norton and Malwarebytes, there are many options available to people who are looking to find the best antivirus for PC.
For all PC-owners, and for gamers especially, it’s important to keep yourself safe and protected when using the internet and a good antivirus should be an important part of your repertoire. You don’t want to have your save files corrupted, or your MMO game logins leaked so that any digital criminal can steal all your well-earned resources – not to mention card details and any other private information that’s stored on your PC.
So what’s the best antivirus for PC? Well, many gamers are content with Microsoft Defender. Built-in with all modern Windows platforms, Microsoft Defender provides a solid antivirus, along with malware defence, biometric logins (e.g. fingerprints), and more. By all means, it’s not a bad place to start, but what about those who aren’t fond of Windows Defender? Or those who are looking for something a little more comprehensive?
We’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ve gone over eight of the best antivirus providers, weighing up the costs and benefits of each one in order to help you better defend your own PC.
The best antivirus providers for PC are:
The best antivirus for parental control.
McAfee is a business that, I’m sure, needs no introduction. For the few who don’t know, it’s provided internet security solutions around the world since the 1980s, so you know it knows its stuff. It offers a selection of different packages. These are your options:
McAfee Ultimate Plan McAfee Ultimate Plan $159.99 $74.99 per year Subscribe Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.
The best antivirus for malware.
Big players in the internet security arena for almost two decades, Malwarebytes provides antivirus protection and other services to both individuals and businesses alike. Not only is it good for protecting your devices from being infected from viruses at the first instant, but it’s also useful for removing viruses from infected devices. It offers the following protection plans:
Malwarebytes PREMIUM + PRIVACY Malwarebytes PREMIUM + PRIVACY $99.99 per year Subscrie Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.
The best antivirus for gaming.
Good old Norton. Another mainstay in the internet security world, providing antivirus software since the early 1990s. If you plan on going for this stalwart, you may be pleased to learn that it offers a service specifically for gamers, which will probably be particularly appealing to readers. At $44.99 for the first year (and $99.99 for each year after) Norton 360 for Gamers offers all of the following:
Additionally, Norton has what it calls the 100% Virus Protection Promise, where in the event that any of your devices contract a virus that bests its software, you will get your money back.
Norton 360 for Gamers Norton 360 for Gamers $99.99 $44.99 first year Subscribe Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.
The best free antivirus.
If you’d like to save a pretty penny and explore free solutions, then Avast is worth a look. While the basic antivirus and firewall protection is completely free to use, you can then build your own internet safety package on top of that by paying for additional internet features, many of them geared towards enhancing your computer experience beyond simple security features. Additional premium features include:
It’s a good choice for anybody who might not be interested in all of the features that the comprehensive packages of other providers include. Here, you pay only for the features that are most important to you.
The best affordable antivirus.
Another option for those who are looking for a free or affordable antivirus solution. Funnily enough, it’s actually owned by Avast, but it provides quite a different service. At $59.88 for the first year (and $119.99 afterwards), you can access AVG Ultimate, which brings together all of the following:
It’s a great all-rounder, helping to maintain safety, privacy and performance for you while you surf across the oceans of the net.
AVG Ultimate AVG Ultimate $9.99 $4.99 per month Subscribe Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.
The best antivirus with a VPN.
Surfshark is best known in the internet security world as VPN providers, and sure enough, we list it in our best VPN for gaming guide. However, it also provides an antivirus solution, and when it comes to keeping yourself protected online, VPNs and antiviruses go together like cheese and onions. If you opt for the Surfshark One package, you gain access to all the following benefits:
The best antivirus for personal use.
Based in Finland, F-Secure is another well-established antivirus provider and has solutions in place for both business and personal use. Similar to Avast, F-Secure takes steps to ensure that you’re not paying for anything you don’t want to use. When you visit its website, you’re given a series of questions to answer to determine the right package for you. The questions ask you to choose which aspects of cyber security are in important for you, encompassing:
Once you’ve done this, you can choose the right package for you. Of course, if you want all the internet security features that the brand provides, then F-Secure Total is one to look at, with $67.49 for the first year and then $89.99 for each year afterwards.
The most comprehensive antivirus.
Another antivirus provider that specialises in solutions for personal-use and businesses alike. With over two decades of experience under its belt and 500 million systems using its software, it is another fine choice and one that offers a number of different internet security packages, with two focused on antivirus software:
If you want to step things up a bit and access more of its services, consider the following:
These are just a few highlights from its selection and if you visit the website, you’ll find a long list of security packages, with many of them tailored for use on specific types of device.
So those are our choices for the best PC antivirus. We hope that this helps you to narrow down your options and choose the option that’s right for you. If you want more cyber security content, take a look at our best VPN deals guide.
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Adam Randall Ecommerce Writer
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Gaming since 1997, Adam’s taste in video games is very broad. From sailing the ocean in Sea of Thieves, to building nice houses in Minecraft or even going on a platforming adventure in Yooka-Laylee – Adam loves all the things the video game world provides.
