Norton AntiVirus Plus Review: Everything You Need in an Antivirus, and More

Norton AntiVirus Plus Review: Everything You Need in an Antivirus, and More | PCMag

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Editors' Choice 4.5 Outstanding this.$refs.template.innerHTML, onCreate: (instance) => this.tippyInstance = instance, onShow: (instance) => { this.escapeHandler = (e) => { if (e.key === 'Escape') instance.hide(); }; window.addEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); }, onHide: (instance) => { if (this.escapeHandler) { window.removeEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); this.escapeHandler = null; } }, onMount: (instance) => { const closeBtn = instance.popper.querySelector('[data-tooltip-close]'); if (closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => instance.hide()); }, }; }, }">   What Our Ratings Mean 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies. The Bottom Line Norton AntiVirus Plus is a highly effective antivirus that combines top-tier malware protection with a strong firewall, backup tools, ransomware defenses, and extra security features that make it worth the cost for anyone who wants more than basic antivirus coverage. Per Year, Starts at $59.99 $29.99 for 1 Devices on 1 Year Norton Antivirus Plus Plan See It PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Pros & Cons Perfect scores in independent lab tests Excellent scores in hands-on tests Ransomware Protection foils ransomware attacks New protection for AI agents Intelligent firewall Includes vulnerability scan and other suite-level features Relatively expensive Poor score in one hands-on test Norton AntiVirus Plus Specs Name Value tr:nth-of-type(n+6)]:hidden" :class="{ '[&>tr:nth-of-type(n+6)]:!table-row': open }"> On-Demand Malware Scan On-Access Malware Scan Website Rating Malicious URL Blocking Phishing Protection Behavior-Based Detection Vulnerability Scan Firewall More Specs

You can get an antivirus app that just covers the basics—cleaning up malware infestations and foiling any new attacks. Or you can get an antivirus that does a lot more, like Norton AntiVirus Plus. With Norton, you get a powerful firewall, a cloud-based backup system, ransomware deterrence, protection for your AI agents, and more. It gets top marks in independent lab tests and in most of our own tests. Yes, it costs more than some competitors, but you get the Norton name and decades of malware-fighting experience, combined with more features than many security suites. It easily earns our Editors’ Choice award for antivirus software alongside the equally excellent Bitdefender AntiVirus Plus. You can read a direct comparison of the two here.Pricing: Premium Cost, Premium ProtectionAt $59.99 per year for a single license, Norton is more costly than many antivirus tools. The most common price for a single, standalone antivirus license is just under $40, about $20 lower than the average. That’s the price for antivirus apps from Emsisoft, Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security, and ZoneAlarm Pro Antivirus, among others. For many of those, you get three licenses for $59.99 or even less. E