The best antivirus software for Windows 11 in 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

Why we prefer it: The aptly named Malwarebytes takes the highest spot as the most effective antivirus program for Home windows computer systems. This app offers dependable safety in opposition to malware, viruses, and phishing assaults whereas not overwhelming the person with muddle or compelled subscriptions. The free model gives on-demand malware detection and digital footprint scans. If you need a strong protection, the paid model allows you to give real-time safety plus automated scan scheduling.

Notable options embody Trusted Advisor, which offers suggestions to enhance safety, and Browser Guard, a browser extension that blocks threats. Malwarebytes gives a free 14-day trial to check out the subscription.

Evaluate: Malwarebytes

Who it is for: Malwarebytes is nice for anybody who desires fast, dependable safety for his or her laptop that does not require a school diploma to determine. Its person interface may be very pleasant and straightforward to navigate. The free tier is all you may want when you simply need to sometimes scan your PC for any looming threats. However when you favor a set-it-and-forget-it expertise with options like ransomware safety, I like to recommend getting a paid plan.

Who ought to look elsewhere: Many antiviral packages have a cellular app to guard Android and iOS gadgets. Malwarebytes is one in all them, however I would not suggest putting in it in your smartphone. It is not as strong because the desktop model, and signing up for a free trial is complicated.

Malwarebytes features: Home windows, macOS, Android, and iOS help| Free and premium choices out there | Cell apps | Scheduled scanning | Actual-time scanning | Anti-phishing safety | Malware safety | 14-day free trial | Buyer help choices: dwell chat, AI chatbot, e mail,

Why we prefer it: Norton has a number of premium antivirus merchandise, however 360 Deluxe takes the highest spot as the most effective the corporate has to supply. It carries a strong defensive arsenal that retains you and your data protected. You’ve the standard safety features like safety in opposition to viruses, malware, ransomware, and hacking. You additionally get a password supervisor, Darkish Internet monitoring, which scans hidden components of the web to find delicate data, and 50GB of cloud backup.

It is easy to arrange. Upon set up, you may be requested a collection of easy questions comparable to which safety options you need enabled and whether or not you need to activate cloud backup. The person interface of Norton 360 Deluxe is equally as simple to know. Its design naturally guides your eyes to the middle, and the whole lot is plainly laid out.

Who it is for: Norton 360 Deluxe is a superb alternative for individuals who need complete safety protection. It is the plan that gives probably the most worth out of the 4 out there. You get the service’s most important safety options, as talked about earlier, plus the power to cowl as much as 5 PCs, Macs, tablets, or smartphones.

Who ought to look elsewhere: It is among the dearer choices on this checklist. On Norton’s web site, the 360 Deluxe is $50 for the primary 12 months. After that, it rises to $120 per 12 months. If you need one thing extra reasonably priced, Norton Antivirus Plus is $60 after the primary 12 months.

Norton 360 Deluxe features:  Home windows, macOS, Android, and iOS help | Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking safety | Free and premium choices out there | Password Supervisor | Firewall | Deepfake safety | VPN personal web connection | Parental controls | Darkish Internet Monitoring | Cloud backup | Defend as much as 10 gadgets |

Why we prefer it: Defending your PC might be an costly endeavor. Antivirus builders usually cost some huge cash, however fortunately, there are many low-cost choices out there, and TotalAV stands tall as among the finest. Often, it prices $100 for a yearly subscription to TotalAV Antivirus Professional. However proper now, you should buy the service for $30 in simply the primary 12 months. Upon subscribing, you may obtain an in-depth software program bundle able to defending as much as 5 different gadgets on the similar time.

They’re going to be protected in opposition to malware, phishing makes an attempt, and ransomware. Notable options embody a built-in VPN, advert blocker, plus a system tune-up device that may velocity up computer systems by clearing out junk information. AV-Take a look at, an impartial IT safety institute, praises TotalAV for its effectiveness in blocking “zero-day malware assaults” whereas minimally affecting laptop efficiency and being simple to know.

I additionally respect the easy and clear interface. It makes scheduling scans very easy. You will not should search out the device by scouring by way of menus.

Who it is for: I like to recommend TotalTV to anybody who desires an reasonably priced antivirus program to guard their laptop and smartphone. It is splendid for customers or households on a funds who need the good further it offers, just like the aforementioned VPN. Tech novices will respect the clear person interface.

Who ought to look elsewhere: Curiously sufficient, the issues with TotalAV haven’t got something to do with the app itself, however quite the corporate behind it. Some customers have complained on-line concerning the developer’s poor customer support. One Reddit person expressed frustration at how tough it was to cancel their TotalAV subscription.

And whereas it covers the fundamentals properly, energy customers is likely to be upset by the shortage of deeper customization or superior safety controls.

Whole AV features: Home windows, macOS, iOS, and Android help | real-time safety | anti-malware safety | disk cleaner | ad-blocker | VPN | password supervisor | phishing rip-off safety | system tune-up | scheduled scans | cookie blocker | information breach monitoring

Why we prefer it: If cash will not be a problem and also you need to flip your laptop right into a digital Fort Knox, I extremely suggest McAfee Whole Safety. The safety platform is known for its highly effective safety and notorious for a way usually it’s preinstalled in new laptops. There are two most important variations of McAfee Whole Safety: McAfee LiveSafe and McAfee+. The previous is antivirus software program, whereas the latter gives a lot extra.

Who it is for: McAfee Whole Safety is among the finest antivirus packages on the market, and I might extremely counsel it to professionals managing delicate information throughout a number of gadgets. Along with Home windows machines, it offers safety to gadgets operating iOS, macOS, Android, and ChromeOS. Households and customers frightened about rising AI threats or identification theft will respect the whole lot it gives.

Who ought to look elsewhere: I take into account McAfee Whole Safety to be among the finest antivirus packages on the market, if not the finest, when it comes to the extent of safety it offers. However the principle purpose it isn’t on the prime of the checklist is that it is costly. Costs begin at $90 a month for McAfee+, and that is with the low cost.

McAfee+ options: Home windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS help | real-time safety | antivirus safety | firewall | ad-blocker | VPN | password supervisor | identification theft protection | phishing safety | rip-off detector | PC optimizer | password generator |

Why we prefer it: As somebody who performs a whole lot of video video games, there’s nothing extra annoying than getting notifications from my antivirus app that block my view. Avast One is ideal for folks like me due to its Do Not Disturb mode, which stops all notifications from hitting your display. This contains messages from Home windows, different apps, and even the software program itself. What’s significantly neat is that the characteristic is included within the free model of Avast One. Textual content within the app factors out the way it can “remove distractions”, permitting customers to expertise “uninterrupted gaming periods [and] film marathons”.

Naturally, there may be extra to Avast One than simply its one characteristic. The software program can cowl as much as six completely different members of the family in a family with 30 gadgets between them. Avast One additionally screens your social media profiles, searching for any potential indicators of account hacking. And the corporate gives as much as $2 million in protection within the occasion of an identification theft. That is twice as a lot as what McAfee gives.

Who it is for: Avast One is ideal for anybody who desires zero interruptions whereas enjoying video games, watching motion pictures, or working. Households additionally profit from the software program’s multi-device, multi-user protection. It alone can present as much as 30 gadgets on the similar time. If that is not sufficient, it is fairly low-cost too. You will get the Silver subscription for as little as $3 a month.

Who ought to look elsewhere: Whereas the free model of Avast One is a beneficiant bundle, a few of its most superior options are locked behind the costliest plans. Energy customers wanting an all-in-one safety suite with deep customization choices might discover this program too limiting.

Avast One options: Home windows, macOS, Android, and iOS help| Firewall | Antivirus | Community scanning | e mail safety | Do Not Disturb mode | Ransomware safety | Block trackers | PC optimization

Why we prefer it: Initially, I hesitated to incorporate Home windows Safety on this checklist as a result of I assumed the first-party software program would not be excellent. However the extra I used it, the extra I spotted it’s a strong antivirus choice that deserves a spot. 

It is completely able to defending customers from on-line threats. Home windows Safety offers real-time safety in opposition to malware and machine monitoring. It comes with its very personal firewall courtesy of Home windows Defender, making Home windows Safety one of many few free choices to have a firewall. Most firms lock this characteristic behind a subscription price. I ought to point out that a number of the instruments can solely be used with Microsoft Edge. One among these is Remoted Looking, which opens an “remoted searching atmosphere” on the browser to actively shield folks from on-line threats.

Who it is for: Home windows Safety is a wonderfully high-quality antivirus program for individuals who need fundamental on-line safety and do not need to pay for a subscription or set up further apps. It’s an integral a part of Home windows 11, so it’s simple on assets. Sure facets, comparable to its antivirus characteristic, make the most of Microsoft’s cloud computing tech to supply fixed security.

Who ought to look elsewhere: Home windows Safety is fairly barebones for an antivirus program. It lacks superior options like schedules scans, identification theft safety, and an built-in VPN. Plus, to get the very best safety, it’s important to use Microsoft Edge. Third-party browsers will not get the identical stage of help.

Home windows Safety features: Actual-time antivirus| Handbook scans | Sensible App Management | Home windows Firewall | Remoted searching | Home windows Hi there | Parental Controls | Passkey generator | SmartScreen

Why we prefer it: The presence of uBlock Origin on this checklist could seem unusual. In spite of everything, it isn’t an antivirus program; it is an advert blocker. Nonetheless, I might argue that this browser extension is so good at its job that it needs to be acknowledged as an antivirus device.

A lot of uBlock Origin’s effectiveness is tied to its filters. These options actively forestall malware, commercials, spyware and adware, and extra from attacking customers. The lists it makes use of might be discovered on the official GitHub web page. One among them, the Malicious URL Blocklist, is huge. The whole lot on that web page is continually being stopped by the extensions, permitting you to browse the web peacefully. And it sees frequent updates, so uBlock Origin is at all times on the prime of its sport.

Who it is for: uBlock Origin is an effective alternative for individuals who need light-weight, browser-level safety. The extension actively stops malware-infested advertisements, sketchy redirects, and monitoring scripts. Tech-savvy customers will respect the sunshine customization choices. You may add further filters to uBlock Origin, enabling it to dam much more on-line threats, or you would reduce the restrictions to permit sure parts to go by way of.

Who ought to look elsewhere: As acknowledged earlier, uBlock Origin will not be a correct antivirus program, so it does not present full system-wide safety. It’s restricted to simply browsers. Also, on account of adjustments in Chrome, the unique model now not works on Google’s browser. uBlock Origin Lite is a good substitute; nonetheless, it is not as strong.

uBlock Origin features: Advert-blocking | Third-party tracker filter | Open-source | Non-public search | Simple to make use of UI | Customizable | Knowledge backup |

Why we prefer it: Rounding out the checklist is Courageous, an online browser recognized for its highly effective safety features. As ZDNET Contributing Author Jack Wallen explains, “Courageous is probably the most safe Chromium-based browser in the marketplace” exterior of possibly Tor. It mechanically stops “cross-site cookie monitoring, bounce monitoring, fingerprinting, phishing, and malware assaults”. You do not have to tweak the options or set up some random extension.

What’s nice is Courageous’s safety features are completely clear. Click on the Protect icon within the higher nook and you will note the whole lot that the browser blocks. If that wasn’t sufficient, the software program has its personal search engine, aptly referred to as Courageous Search “that defaults to personal searches.” It stops all advertisements of their tracks, letting you browser the web in peace.

Who it is for: I like to recommend Courageous to anybody searching for a safe browser that can shield them from all the hazards lurking on the web. There are different notable options that I uncared for to say. The browser has Velocity Studying Mode. Activating this strikes the whole lot on an online web page, leaving solely the textual content. Wallen even states that the browser is notably sooner than others.

Who ought to look elsewhere: It is arduous to think about a kind of person who would not like utilizing Courageous. Nonetheless, I’ve seen complaints on-line concerning the browser’s lack of customization choices. One specific person on the Courageous Neighborhood web site states the browser’s sidebar feels “cluttered, not intuitive, and lacks flexibility.” They go on to that Courageous has restricted theme help and “animations really feel laggy… making the UI much less pleasing to make use of”.