When you use links on our website, we may earn a fee.
Prices Reflect Discount
Why Trust U.S. News
At U.S. News & World Report, we take an unbiased approach to our ratings. We adhere to strict editorial guidelines, maintain a separate business team, and provide transparency on our methodology.
Norton Antivirus takes second place in our rating of the Best Antivirus Software of 2024. Norton is a well-known name in computer security and brings a wealth of experience. The company offers a wide range of antivirus products at various price points that should serve the needs of almost anyone. Read on for our Norton Antivirus review.
Norton, which comes in at No. 2 in our Best Antivirus Software of 2024, No. 2 in Best Antivirus Software for Macs of 2024, and No. 5 in Most Affordable Mac Antivirus Software of 2024. It has been in computer security for as long as anyone. For example, it developed an antivirus for DOS-based computers in 1989 when the company name was Symantec. Norton remains the granddaddy of antivirus with an array of options at different price points and highly rated malware protection. It’s not the cheapest but does offer hefty introductory discounts.
Ranked #2 in Best Antivirus Software of 2024
Ranked #2 in Best Mac Antivirus Software of 2024 (tie)
Ranked #5 in Most Affordable Mac Antivirus Software of 2024
Pros:
A well-known name in computer security
An identity theft guarantee
A wide range of options at different price points
Cons:
People on a tight budget
People who want the most functionality with iOS
Rated purely for its antivirus software, Norton remains at or near the top of the pack with a research team that uses heuristics and machine learning to stop new threats, known as zero-days. Norton explains the process as “emulation,” or running each file in a lightweight virtual machine to cause online threats to reveal themselves, and then storing virus signatures in the cloud. While subscriptions to Norton antivirus products are priced on the high side, they are fully loaded with features, including a generous cloud data allowance, and offer a 100% protection promise, giving a full refund if your infection cannot be removed.
Professional reviewers also like the fact that Norton offers optional features beyond simple virus protection, including a firewall, virtual private network (VPN), password manager, identity theft protection, parental controls, and more.
Norton offers a choice of four security suites: AntiVirus Plus, Norton 360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe, and Norton360 Premium. The malware protection, highly rated by professional reviewers for its effectiveness, is the same for all plans. Even the lowest-cost option, Norton Antivirus Plus, provides a firewall, password manager, and cloud backup. But the more expensive options give more generous cloud allowance, parental controls, its Secure VPN, and various privacy tools, including webcam protection. In addition, Norton offers a bundled package with its LifeLock identity theft service, which its parent firm acquired in 2017.
The company faced a backlash for including a crypto mining feature with its security products. Norton maintained this is an opt-in feature and not installed without the user’s permission, but some users have complained about it. Norton has argued this will improve the safety of crypto mining and at the same time allow users to earn cash from their idle computers.
Bottom Line:
Norton antivirus offers class-leading antivirus software, along with a variety of other computer security software for complete protection.
Norton offers four antivirus packages that protect both Windows and MacOS computers, as well as bundles that include its LifeLock identity theft protection service.
Norton AntiVirus Plus
Norton AntiVirus Plus is the entry-level antivirus software suite for one PC or Mac. It includes the following:
Norton 360 Standard
Norton 360 Standard offers protection for a single PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet, and includes all features of AntiVirus Plus as well as a few extras:
Norton 360 Deluxe
Norton 360 Deluxe delivers protection for five devices, and increases cloud storage to 50 GB. It includes everything from Norton 360 Standard and extras:
Select + LifeLock
This upgrade includes all the Norton security features and the Norton Secure VPN for five devices along with the LifeLock identity theft protection service.
Norton offers discounts up to 76% of the full price of its security suites. The standard pricing is as follows:
If you're looking for a more affordable option, check out our guide to the Cheapest Antivirus Software of 2024.
These are our two top-ranked antivirus software vendors, and each has a strong lineup at similar price points. Bitdefender’s entry-level offering covers three PCs compared to one for Norton, but Norton includes more features, such as a password manager, firewall, and cloud backup. Some reviewers have noted slower performance from Bitdefender, which has an optimizer for its premium offering. Norton gives the option of adding on its LifeLock identity protection software for an extra fee.
Learn more in our Bitdefender review.
Both Norton and Kaspersky are near the top of our rating and get high marks for malware detection and lightweight software which won’t slow down your computer. The choice comes down to the features in each package and your preference for user interface. Kaspersky has a free version, unlike Norton, and that may be enough for some users. The companies' paid versions have similar pricing, but Norton’s plans include more features like cloud storage and a firewall, even with the lower-priced plans. Each company has some critiques: Kaspersky for its Russian connections and Norton for installing a crypto mining feature.
Learn more in our Kaspersky review.
Price reflects discount.
Price reflects discount.
All of Norton’s antivirus software, identity theft software, and other security-related products are safe to download. Be sure to note the auto-renewal date on your purchase so if you don't wish to renew your services, you will be able to cancel your subscription before you're charged.
Norton says it updates its virus definitions more than 100 times a day. More complete software updates are issued several times a year, typically every month according to Norton. All virus definitions and software updates are conducted automatically and invisibly to the user.
Norton's "passive mode" allows users to temporarily disable antivirus protection, which it advises against. But this "passive mode" allows you to run another antivirus program alongside Norton's for extra protection.
If you need to uninstall Norton antivirus or cybersecurity software, it recommends using Norton Setup Wizard, the same program used when you initially install its products. Alternatively, Norton offers special Uninstall Utilities, which can be found on the Norton website.
Need More Advice?
Our privacy and technology team has done countless hours of research on all sorts of consumer technology products and services. If you have a question that hasn’t been answered in one of our guides, send an email to digital-privacy@usnews.com and we’ll do our best to help.
If you want to save on antivirus software, check out the top Norton coupons.
Related Coupons and Deals
Still looking for more information about antivirus software or trying to find the best antivirus software for you? Explore the directory below to learn more.
At U.S. News & World Report, we rank the Best Hospitals, Best Colleges, and Best Cars to guide readers through some of life’s most complicated decisions. Our 360 Reviews team draws on this same unbiased approach to rate the products that you use every day. To build our ratings, we researched more than 37 antivirus companies and analyzed 16 antivirus reviews. Our 360 Reviews team does not take samples, gifts, or loans of products or services we review. All sample products provided for review are donated after review. In addition, we maintain a separate business team that has no influence over our methodology or recommendations.
U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.
Protect your devices and online privacy. Includes Antivirus, VPN, and Identity Theft Alerts. Covers 10 devices.
Protect your devices and online privacy. Includes Antivirus, VPN, and Identity Theft Alerts. Covers 10 devices.
