Hundreds of antivirus products exist, each claiming to deliver the best security at the best price. Although it may seem overwhelming, finding your ideal antivirus is relatively straightforward.

Caution should be practised. Some antiviruses include hidden malware apps. Therefore, choosing only brands that have proven themselves is essential.

Any antivirus software should at least provide protection against new and advanced malware types (viruses, spyware, rootkits, worms, trojans, and ransomware). Each antivirus brand mentioned on this page provides industry-leading protection against malware of all kinds.

Most antivirus software is included in robust internet protection packages containing several cyber-security features such as:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN): a secure Internet connection protecting your online activity.
• Password manager: Store link details and protected passwords.
• Parental controls: Specialized family security software.
• Each feature improves your device's native security systems. And the more you encrypt your computer, the less exposed you are to online hackers and the less vulnerable your credit card numbers, login information and sensitive data would be.

But how do you identify which products offer the best protection?  We'll compare and rank the best antivirus software on the market for stability, features, performance and price.

How to pick the best antivirus software?

Choosing the right antivirus solution can be a tough decision, there are many options, and the best security isn't always the most expensive.  Here are several points to consider before committing:

• Determine the features you need. Basic virus security is necessary, but other safety features are also important. When using public WiFi networks, select a product that includes a VPN. If you have children, you need parental controls. The more comprehensive products on this list, including Norton 360, have advanced features.
• Determine the type and number of devices you need to protect. You probably have more than one device virus protection. For example, you can use the best Norton, McAfee subscriptions on 10 devices, including smartphones, to buy multiple licences. However, Panda offers no iPhone app, and Cylance offers no mobile security.
• Take advantage of free trials. Several publishers we list give free trials without any commitment. For example, your first month of using Panda is free. And almost everyone else gives a money-back guarantee, for example, TotalAV offers a 30-day money-back period, while Norton's money-back period is 60 days.
• Test the software. Spend time checking your chosen product. If not happy, contact the brands customer service team. Or just ask for a refund, these publishers have a very good reputation and will accept all legitimate refund requests. You can test all the products on this list at no cost before choosing the right one.

What to expect from an antivirus product?

• Enhanced malware protection: We only suggest products that have proven successful against the most sophisticated malware threats, not only viruses, but also spyware, rootkits, ransomware, and anything that can damage your data.
• High-quality features: most antivirus software brands offer extra security features. However, most of the time, these extras are just flashy gadgets that slow down your computer and affect system performance. The products on this page include valuable tools that are genuinely useful and effective, not just flashy extras.
• Speed and efficiency: The best antivirus products are lightweight and should operate smoothly, even on older or slower machines and on all operating systems.
• User-friendly: If you're a hobbyist or an expert, you need virus security. We have checked each antivirus software on this list to make sure that almost everyone can easily configure and use it.
• Good value for money: Antivirus software can be a significant investment, so we need to take into account all relevant factors such as web and browsing security features, number of devices protected, and whether a free trial or money-back guarantee is available.

1- Kaspersky 

Kaspersky's renowned, comprehensive anti-virus security adds impressive additional features to help you keep online secure.

Purchasing and using online banking services are risky activities without proper protection, you are vulnerable to theft of your financial information. Falling victim to a  banking Trojan horse or keylogger can have dire consequences.

Many antivirus suites provide online payment security, but Kaspersky's "Safe Money" solution is the best. It can detect whether you're about to pay or use online banking services. You can open a stable, malware-impenetrable "sandboxed" browser window and use Kaspersky's Virtual Keyboard to bypass keyloggers. This offers a safe environment to protect your financial details, if you often shop online or use Internet banking services regularly.

Kaspersky's anti-virus engine consistently produces some of the industry's best performance against all malware forms. Kaspersky Internet Security product line is 100 % successful in malware defence testing. It also contains a very useful feature, "Restore Assistant," which can help restore Windows after infection with malware.

It is a powerful, well-designed antivirus suite performing flawlessly in malware detection.

2- Norton's

Norton provides unbeatable malware security and works well on all platforms and operating systems. This well-designed and well-maintained Internet security suite keeps your sensitive information safe, private, and protected.

Norton uses a single, powerful scan engine to manage all the latest and most advanced threats. Norton Antivirus is very simple to use, but it also provides advanced user settings.

Norton's 360 plans have outstanding features. Even with Norton 360 Standard (the cheapest plan), users get real-time malware protection, unrestricted VPN access, password manager, and 10 GB protected cloud storage.  This is an extraordinary benefit for this level antivirus product.

Higher plans also have some significant advantages: more licenses, more storage space, and access to state-of-the-art parental control software.

Norton 360 is a powerful tool, inexpensive, reliable, easy-to-use. This is one of the best choices if you're looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use antivirus with some of the market's best internet security protections, all at a great price.

Norton provides 100% guaranteed malware protection and a myriad of great features - limitless VPN, password manager, secure storage, and more. All Norton plans also include a 60-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free.

3- Avira

Avira has one of the world's best antivirus engines, producing consistently flawless test scores. Avira incorporates this powerful antivirus engine in a number of Internet security packages. We selected Avira 's premium antivirus bundle as part of this page: Avira Prime, which includes the premium version of each Avira product, including the following features:

• Real-time malware protection.
• Password manager
• VPN (unlimited data).
• Advanced ransomware protection.
• Optimization of confidentiality.
• System optimization.
• Premium Android / iOS apps.

Avira's System Speedup is a very useful maintenance tool to help your computer run smoothly and free up hard drive space. Avira system optimization tools include:

• Startup Optimizer: Allows quicker device startup.
• Power Boost: Assigns all resources to a single task: perfect for gaming.
• OnWatch: automatically cleans the device according to predefined requirements ( e.g. if you exceed 1 GB of temporary files).

Avira's software is also very light. Even with Avira 's comprehensive background scanning, you can use computers with little to no slowdown. Therefore, Avira Prime is an excellent investment if your machine runs slowly or is frequently out of hard drive space.

4 – TotalAV

TotalAV's anti-virus engine runs on software from Avira. So, although TotalAV is a newer brand, it uses some of the market's most trusted cyber-security technologies.

TotalAV also has an easy-to-use interface. It's the most visually appealing antivirus. With a few clicks from your home screen, you can access all of TotalAV's functionality, making it very easy to use. If you're unfamiliar with antivirus software, you'll probably enjoy its simplicity.

TotalAV also provides several additional security features:

• Password manager.
• VPN.
• Protection against phishing.
• Protection against Spyware
• Performance optimization.

Most of its features are fantastic (except for phishing, which we believe requires some improvement). TotalAV's Performance Optimizer will clean up even more room than Avira 's System Optimizer. Avira has more options and is much more mature. But if you're not looking for anything "advanced," TotalAV is a good option.

TotalAV has a powerful antivirus engine and many features. Its appealing, user-friendly nature makes it suitable for new users who need safe , easy-to-use software. TotalAV's plans all provide a wide variety of features, all built for optimum user-friendliness. Finally, all TotalAV transactions have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4 – TotalAV

TotalAV's anti-virus engine runs on software from Avira. So, although TotalAV is a newer brand, it uses some of the market's most trusted cyber-security technologies.

TotalAV also has an easy-to-use interface. It's the most visually appealing antivirus. With a few clicks from your home screen, you can access all of TotalAV's functionality, making it very easy to use. If you're unfamiliar with antivirus software, you'll probably enjoy its simplicity.

TotalAV also provides several additional security features:

• Password manager.
• VPN.
• Protection against phishing.
• Protection against Spyware
• Performance optimization.

Most of its features are fantastic (except for phishing, which we believe requires some improvement). TotalAV's Performance Optimizer will clean up even more room than Avira 's System Optimizer. Avira has more options and is much more mature. But if you're not looking for anything "advanced," TotalAV is a good option.

TotalAV has a powerful antivirus engine and many features. Its appealing, user-friendly nature makes it suitable for new users who need safe , easy-to-use software. TotalAV's plans all provide a wide variety of features, all built for optimum user-friendliness. Finally, all TotalAV transactions have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

5- Bullguard

With its three subscriptions, BullGuard provides strong malware protection and many additional features including intuitive parental controls, safe and easy cloud storage, and a highly effective firewall.

BullGuard's best feature is the Game Booster. This manages machine resources to ensure all video games run smoothly. It also stops pop-ups from interrupting your gaming session. Everyone hates how most antiviruses slow down their machines or show pop-ups while playing.

It's really irritating, and at some point it gets really tempting to turn off virus security, but it would leave you vulnerable to malware. By triggering BullGuard Game Booster, you won't find any slowdown in machine output. In reality, Game Booster games run faster because it isolates all other active applications on a single processor core. Game Booster alone is not a sufficient reason to choose BullGuard. But Bullguard's anti-virus engine also works well.

BullGuard is a popular gamers antivirus and a great alternative for non-gaming users. Use the 30-day free trial to see how it works before you decide.

6- Bitdefender

Bitdefender has grown into one of the largest players in the cybersecurity software industry, with more than half a billion users worldwide.

In addition to being a powerful and highly effective antivirus solution, with perfect detection rates, Bitdefender offers one of the most comprehensive security suites on the market.

Here are some of Bitdefender Total Security's many features:

• On-demand, real-time protection against malware.
• Web protection, including protection against phishing, fraud and spam.
• Anti-theft tools.
• Optimization tools.
• VPN.
• Parental control.
• Password manager.

Bitdefender provides every cybersecurity tool imaginable in its Total Security subscription.

 Naturally, quality precedes quantity, and all these features are exceptional. Bitdefender Total Security offers powerful optimization tools, reliable anti-theft software, and easy-to-use, fast VPN.

Most importantly, Bitdefender's antivirus engine is extremely powerful. Advanced Threat Defence constantly monitors any active applications for suspicious behaviour while layered ransomware protection protects your files from encryption.

The only downside is that the software is relatively complex, and installation and configuration are particularly time consuming. But if you have the time to configure it properly, you will benefit from a particularly powerful antivirus.

7- Trend Micro

Japanese cybersecurity company Trend Micro offers a wide range of antivirus subscriptions, including:

• Internet Security. Protects up to 3 devices (PC only) with malware, internet privacy and parental controls protection.
• Maximum Security. Protects up to 10 devices (all operating systems), plus a password manager, online banking protection and system cleaning tools.
• Maximum Security (Premium Service). Protects up to 5 devices, plus 24/7 premium support and specialized virus removal service.

All of Trend Micro's features work fine (although Norton's parental controls are much better). However, protection against phishing is where the brand stands out. Phishing scams are becoming more common and can be very difficult for antiviruses to detect. Cybercriminals can duplicate websites (a tactic known as "domain spoofing") designed to trick you into giving away your personal details and passwords. Web browsers like Chrome and Firefox come with some form of phishing protection built in. However, this basic protection is not enough.

Trend Micro's anti-phishing feature scores exceptionally well in phishing protection tests, detecting more scam websites than its competitors.

Some of the customer support options offered with the Maximum Security Premium Service subscription are impressive.

8-  Panda

Panda offers its smart cloud-based virus detection and user-friendly interface through 5 different subscriptions. Panda provides its powerful security solution to all users, regardless of their budget.

1- Free: Includes real-time virus protection and antivirus for Windows, plus VPN (limited to one virtual location and 150MB of data per day).

2- Essential: Adds Android and macOS malware protection, WiFi protection, and external device scanning.

3- Advanced: Adds parental controls, ransomware protection and safe browsing.

4- Complete: Includes Data Shield to encrypt your personal data, a password manager and tools to optimize your device.

5- Ultimate: Unlimited VPN access with 22 locations and priority technical support available 24/7.

There is a big price difference between the more expensive subscriptions and the entry-level ones. But with monthly subscriptions and the first month free, you can find the product that meets your needs risk-free. Each of these subscriptions offers fantastic value for money.

Even Panda Dome Free is quite good and provides real-time virus protection, something that many free antivirus products lack. We believe that Panda Dome Advanced offers the best value for money, thanks to its excellent ransomware protection and parental controls.