While no antivirus software can guarantee 100 percent virus protection (though some programs, like Norton, come with such a guarantee), all of the options we reviewed here will enhance the protection of your Windows 10 computers beyond what Windows Defender can provide. Windows 10's bundled virus protections do a solid job securing PCs from internet threats, but it's no match for a dedicated computer protection program. Windows Defender has come a long way and now scores pretty high in third-party security tests for detecting and protecting against malware. You won't get extras like a VPN or parental controls for a price that isn't much cheaper than the competition and there are antivirus performance questions still floating around, so this is lower down on our list for now. As such any threat that has caused damage can be annihilated and the changes rolled back so you're secure and running as normal. Only this does that by monitoring locally until the cloud smarts decides action needs to be taken. You still get protection against viruses, established or new, malware, phishing, hacks and more.

This is thanks to an antivirus program which runs minimally, locally, but keeps its big AI brain up in the cloud. The install package is just 4MB, so that can give you some idea of how little this affects the performance of your machine. Webroot Secureanywhere is a very, very light way to get your device protected. Limited lab test results as different detection style You don't need to go for the full bells and whistles package though, and most of the Norton 360 options offer comprehensive cover for your computer. There's even a Million Dollar Protection package, should this go to court.

Even if this does happen, Norton can also help restore your identity with a dedicated team of fraud specialists. The LifeLock part of this package monitors the web to detect uses of your personal information, alerting you if someone has gained access to your identity. And should you get a virus, Norton says it will give your money back. You also get a password manager, VPN, free cloud storage of 100GB, plus credit history monitoring, credit alerts and data breach notifications. This is a great option for identity theft protection and financial coverage for your computer.Įxpect online protection for your machine (and other devices) against viruses, ransomware, malware, spyware using a firewall and more.

There are lots of packages to pick from but at-the-top end 360 LifeLock Select is fantastic. Norton, as a long standing security software solution, is simply one of the best.

The best pc protection software reviews