If you’re curious to know what is the best antivirus of 2023, well, we want to share with you a shortlist of the best antivirus software you can buy now. The reason is simple: it’s very hard to pick one single antivirus and award it with the “Best Anti Virus” label for 2023. There are a lot of excellent security suites from many trusted and acknowledged brands, to we wanted to make sure you had the tools to pick your personal best choice according to your needs.
One thing’s for sure: any antivirus you may choose, it can be expensive. Most – if not all – of the best virus protection software now comes in the form of a subscription service, with fees that can be very on the high side, especially if you need to cover multiple devices for more than a couple of years. Therefore, before we start with our shortlist, we want to share some smart advice.
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How to get the best antivirus at the lowest price
If you want to get one of the best antivirus spending the lowest possible, your best option is Mr Key Shop, a reseller we already covered in our article: Mr Key Shop: What Makes it Stand Out in the IT Industry?
As an ecommerce that’s been active for almost two decades, Mr Key Shop distinguished itself for a very fast, reliable, and 100% legit digital delivery service that delighted over 350k customers and counting. This is what you can see on TrustPilot, where the company scored a perfect “Excellent” score among its loyal customers.
The catalog is overwhelmingly comprehensive: from Microsoft Operating systems, like Windows 11 and Windows 10, to the latest Office 2021 and Office for Mac productivity suites, Mr Key Shop’s got you covered with the best, premium pieces of software. You can also buy the best Antivirus subscription plans, spanning from Kaspersky up to Bitdefender, in a wide choice of editions and plans. And the best part is that you’ll save up to 70% over the official MSRPs, still getting a 100% genuine license, with all the warranties you can expect from a respectable reseller. Each purchase is covered by a full money-back warranty, every transaction takes place via the best and consolidated payment platforms you can imagine (from PayPal to Stripe, from credit/debit card, Pay services from Google, Amazon, and Apple). So, what are you waiting for? Go to Mr Key Shop now, purchase your favorite products, and help save the planet: no parcel will be physically shipped, each order is processed 100% digitally, thus cutting pollutants and waste. This is another reason to love Mr Key Shop, a 100% Eco-Friendly Business!
Before you proceed with this guide, you may want to take a look at other articles we wrote for you: “How to Install Windows 11” and “ Can You Download Microsoft Office for Free? ”.
The best antivirus software of 2023
Picking the best antivirus software of 2023, we factored in different criteria: the overall value, the specific needs a security suite best addresses, and the platforms covered. There is no rigid criterion in place here, all the products we’re going to recommend are equally valid and worthy. However, you might choose one instead of another according to your specific needs.
But, with no further ado, here’s our short list of the best antivirus 2023!
1. Bitdefender – The best all-round antivirus
Pros
- Excellent overall protection
- Fast scan
- Great value
Cons
- Only 200MB per day with the basic VPN
Recommended for: anyone who needs to protect multiple devices against a plethora of online threats.
Bitdefender is one of the most popular and appreciated antivirus brands you can find on the market right now. It covers up to 10 Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices, with a ton of extra features, like a premium VPN and excellent system maintenance tools. Among the other extras, you’ll get a parental control tool and a very effective anti-spam filter, not to mention the Safepay tool which protects your transactions online.
One of the things we like the most is the excellent value, and we consider this as the best antivirus overall. Plus, you’ll also enjoy the mobile versions as well. This suite is particularly effective against ransomware attacks, in increasingly threatening malware that may disrupt your daily operation and get all your most valuable documents lost. Fortunately, Bitdefender’s protection engine is one of the most effective ones, and will keep you safe from all the worst threats online, like Conti, TrickBot and other malware.
There are basically three editions of Bitdefender:
- Antivirus Plus: the basic tier covering just the essentials plus a couple of welcome extras like Safepay and the VPN;
- Internet Security: and intermediate tier which adds a firewall, parental controls and an effective antispam filter;
- Total Security: the top tier, with a set of extra system maintenance tools both for PC, Mac, and mobile.
As a couple of extra tiers, you can also buy a subscription of Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac, and Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android.
You can get Bitdefender Antivirus for sale from Mr Key Shop.
2. Norton – The best antivirus for Windows
Works with: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
Pros
- Lots of features
- Great backup tool
- Secure navigation
Cons
- Detection accuracy could be improved
- Not the best ransomware tool out there
Recommended for: Windows-focused users who want to get the most out of Norton’s engine.
Norton is quite a popular brand in the Antivirus industry, which has been active since the early 1990s. With its latest offerings, Norton 360 became quite a feature-rich security suite, offering many features, a truly useful backup tool, and an excellent malware protection engine.
Norton Antivirus will be particularly appreciated by Windows users, thanks to its complete and fully configurable application, and up to 75GB of cloud backup.
Norton 360 is one of the best picks if you mainly want to protect your personal computer, and is fully compatible both with Windows 10 and Windows 11. Furthermore, you can also benefit from the smart antivirus engine offered by Norton for your Mac, Android, and iOS devices.
Norton 360 comes in three solutions:
- Norton 360 Standard: this tier includes a VPN, 10GB cloud backup, and mobile apps for iOS and Android, covering 1 device;
- Norton 360 Deluxe: this tier covers 5 devices, increasing the cloud backup to 50GB, and adds Parental Controls;
- Norton 360 Premium: the top tier covers up to 10 devices, with 75GB of cloud space.
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3. Avast – The best virus scanner
Works with: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
Pros
- Accurate antivirus engine
- Free VPN
- Lots of features
Cons
- It doesn’t go all the way up compared to the free version
Recommended for: any user whose priority is 100% protection from viruses and malware.
Avast has the best virus scanner in this shortlist, thanks to the excellent antivirus engine. If you need full, accurate protection, Avast can be easily your best choice. There is also a free VPN thrown in the package, together with a high number of features, like a firewall and a web monitor for any data breach involving your accounts.
Maybe, the only downside is that the paid version is not too different from the free plan. However, the VPN is powered by HideMyAss and gives you 5GB a week, and the webcam lock, the URL filter, and the adblock can be appealing.
Avast offers a choice of solutions too:
- Avast Premium Security: basic tier covering 1 device, with banking protection, anti-phishing tools, and harmful websites lock;
- Avast Ultimate: the most complete suite, offering SecureLine VPN, Cleanup Premium, anti-track and anti-fingerprinting features, covering up to 10 devices.
You can also buy SecureLine VPN as a standalone subscription.
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4. ESET – The best antivirus for power users
Works with: Windows, Android, Mac
Pros
- Highly configurable
- Lots of system tools
- Almost no impact on system performance
Cons
- Can overwhelm basic users
Recommended for: very tech-savvy users who want to have complete, granular control over their security suite.
ESET made quite a name for itself among the power users due to a very comprehensive security suite featuring a lot of configurability and granular control over every single setting. Basic users may find this software very complex and complicated to use, however, the interface is not too cramped, and the real-time protection is quite effective.
One of the best qualities of ESET is the near-to-zero impact over the system performance, especially important if you’re relying on your machine for full processing power.
The engine is decent, and offers a good level of protection against ransomware and even mining scripts, with the higher plan offering network and botnet attack protection, firewall, parental controls, and much more.
ESET comes in two main tiers:
- ESET NOD32 Antivirus: the popular security suite that’s been around since the 1990s. You can create blacklists and whitelists for your URLs, check the online reputation of any executable, and use the bootable tool SysRescue to remove the most resilient threats, making it one of the best malware removal tools ever. ESET SysInspector gives the most expert users a full overview of the system, with running processes, HOST, key registry entries, and more.
- ESET Internet Security: the top tier offers some interesting extras, like a fully-fledged firewall, webcam protection, secure home banking operations via an insulated browser, and network monitoring, among the others.
You can also buy a specific version of ESET Mobile Security for Android.
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5. McAfee Antivirus – The best budget antivirus
Work with: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Pros
- Unlimited VPN
- Premium plans offer an excellent value
Cons
- No the best engine
- Basic tiers cover one single device
Recommended for: users looking for a complete and lightweight suite without breaking the bank
McAfee is more often associated with the late founder’s life, however, as a security suite, is worth considering for different reasons.
Unlike other offerings, McAfee includes an unlimited VPN based on the popular TunnelBear service, called Safe Connect. No traffic restrictions, the use of the OpenVPN protocol, and AES-256-GCM encryption are the highlights of this welcome feature designed to protect your privacy and anonymity while you’re online.
The best tool included in McAfee’s plans is the antispam filter, one of the best in the industry, however there is more to love: a secure vault for your crucial files, and some optimization tools for your machine.
McAfee suites run on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, however, the basic plan only covers 1 single device, making the higher offerings more suitable for most users.
The main offerings are:
- McAfee Internet Security: the basic plan, covering 1 device;
- McAfee Total Protection: the most advanced plan, including support for up to 10 devices, and some useful extras like Dark Web monitoring (for any data breaches involving your accounts), a fully-fledged firewall, a password manager, and much more.
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Kaspersky Antivirus – The best antivirus against ransomware
Works with: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
Pros
- Good engine
- Top-tier ransomware tool
Cons
- No too many additional features
Recommended for: users who are particularly concerned about ransomware.
Kaspersky is another historical brand, which has been around since the 1990s, successfully helping users wipe out their machines from viruses, Trojan, and other malware.
In years, the suites from the brand evolved into comprehensive security products addressing a lot of different online threats, resulting particularly effective against ransomware, to the point that the researchers in the firm developed RakhniDecryptor, a powerful tool that unlocks files encrypted with .kraken and .locked extensions after a Rakhni ransomware attack. Kaspersky security researchers also found dozens of different malware tools used in infamous breaches throughout the recent years.
Even the antivirus engine is functional and effective, and the extra features, although scarce, are quite welcome, including a good password manager, a keylogger protection tool, and a Vulnerability Scan feature which helps you stay protected against exploits.
Kaspersky offers different tiers, including:
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus: the basic and most popular tier, a simple and lightweight suite that will help you cover the basics, plus some welcome features that will help you protect your passwords and privacy, among the others;
- Kaspersky Internet Security: and intermediate tier which adds support to Android and Mac devices;
- Kaspersky Total Security: the top tier, including support for iOS devices, the full retail version of Kaspersky Safe Kids to help you track your children while they surf the net or go around your neighborhood, as well as a backup tool for Windows.
You can also buy Kaspersky Internet Security for Android as a standalone product.
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