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Sophos is best known as a business antivirus package with strong central management. The version for personal use, called Sophos Home, builds on that business experience with a home version that also features central management. What Sophos provides most of all is simplicity. If you want antivirus protection that defends against malicious ransomware with little fuss, read our Sophos Home review.
Ranked #12 in Best Antivirus Software of 2024
Ranked #11 in Best Mac Antivirus Software of 2024
Best for:
Low cost protection
Includes mobile management app and web dashboard
Good keylogger protection for most browsers
Not recommended for:
Ineffective parental controls and webcam blocking
Above average impact on system resources
Sophos Home focuses on simplicity and affordability. There’s only one product each for Windows and Macintosh computers now that the free version has been eliminated. (A free trial is available.) Sophos Home Premium doesn't have any support for your mobile devices, although there is a mobile control app. There is a free 30-day trial, but after that it costs $59.99 (on sale for $44.99 for the first year) per year for up to 10 PC or Macintosh computers. Sophos Home will scan your computer for existing viruses and malware, and it will block new attacks in real time.
On the downside, professional reviewers have found that Sophos Home offers limited webcam protection and limited parental controls. In addition, professional reviewers have criticized Sophos Home for having limited features and a greater-than-average impact on system resources and performance. Content filtering is only supported with a limited set of browsers. Some features commonly found in antivirus packages, such as a virtual private network (VPN), password manager, and file shredder aren't included with Sophos Home. That being said, it does provide the ability to monitor up to 10 devices remotely, and the software is relatively affordable.
Popular Antivirus Software
Price reflects discount.
Price reflects discount.
Sophos offers one product line for consumers called Sophos Home. There are two versions of Sophos Home, one for Windows and one for Macs. In addition, Sophos offers a wide variety of security software for business users on mobile platforms, for servers, and for cloud platforms. It also offers a management platform for business users. While the company’s primary focus is on the enterprise, it uses that technology to benefit home users. Sophos Home costs $59.99 for 10 devices, but the current sale price is $44.99.
Sophos Home PC
Sophos Home Mac
Sophos Email - prices individually quoted
The Sophos effort towards simplicity extends to the pricing structure of Sophos Home. There's one price: $59.99 for Sophos Home for up to 10 Macintosh and Windows computers. As with many antivirus software companies, first-year prices are often discounted. There are no other consumer products. Sophos does sell a number of business and enterprise products, with prices quoted individually.
The primary aspect of Sophos is simplicity. The Sophos Home antivirus comes in one version for PC and Mac, with licenses for 10 devices. There are no other options. While reviewers have found that Sophos has some strong points, such as its central management app, it does not include features common in similar products, such as support for mobile devices. Likewise, it does not support a tuneup function, a VPN, or email protection. While it’s cheap, it’s not as well equipped as AVG or other AV products against which it competes. This is one case where saving a few bucks might not be worth it.
Learn more in our AVG review.
Malwarebytes outscores Sophos Home in head-to-head antivirus tests, and it has a number of features that Sophos Home lacks, such as an all-in-one cybersecurity dashboard highlighting your security status in real time. In addition, Malwarebytes has far less system impact compared with Sophos Home, and it’s able to coexist with other antivirus software, which Sophos Home can’t. Sophos no longer has a free version, which Malwarebytes has retained. While Sophos Home has a remote management capability that Malwarebytes lacks, that isn’t enough for Sophos to come out on top. Unless the cheap price for 10 devices is the overwhelming difference for you, Malwarebytes is the better choice.
Learn more in our Malwarebytes review.
Price reflects discount.
Price reflects discount.
All Sophos antivirus packages include a host of highly effective antivirus and malware protections. However, Sophos antivirus software lacks some cybersecurity features that many other antivirus software vendors include, most prominently a VPN. Instead of a single all-inclusive solution, Sophos sells a number of different cybersecurity protections that can be used on their own or with its antivirus software.
Sophos 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 Sophos. All virus definitions and software updates are conducted automatically and invisibly to the user.
Sophos'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 Sophos for extra protection.
If you need to uninstall Sophos antivirus or cybersecurity software, it recommends using Sophos Setup Wizard, the same program used when you initially install its products. Alternatively, Sophos offers special Uninstall Utilities, which can be found on the Sophos website.
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.
