Norton antivirus review

Norton is the household name when it comes to antivirus. While it’s not cheap and has somewhat confusing plan options, Norton is an antivirus suite that offers robust protection with a ton of features. Even the cheapest options offer extended features and, minor quirks aside, this is an antivirus software solution that gets the job done.

There are four versions of Norton’s antivirus, and all of them come with the following features:

• Real-time threat protection
• Password manager
• Smart firewall (PC or Mac)
• 100% virus protection promise
• 24/7 support
• PC cloud backup

The data included in the PC cloud backup increases based on the Norton antivirus plan: 2GB for AntiVirus Plus, 10GB for 360 Standard, 50GB for 360 Deluxe, and 100GB for 360 Premium. The Norton 360 products also include a secure virtual private network (VPN) and SafeCam for PC features. Paying for Norton 360 Deluxe or Premium includes these additional features:

• Parental control
• School Time
• Dark web monitoring
• SMS security

The Norton installation process is more convoluted than McAfee. Where McAfee lets you download the app or computer software and then create a basic account, Norton makes you jump through the hoops of inputting payment details (again, even for the short trial).

It’s not an overly complex process, but it does feel like there are unnecessary steps, and there’s even more clicking to install the Windows software. Mercifully, the Android app is a lot more straightforward, particularly if you already have an account.

The Windows download for Norton is a smaller file that starts an installation wizard, which downloads additional data before installing the antivirus software. Be sure to have any other non-Microsoft Defender antivirus uninstalled to avoid potential compatibility clashes (you should only have one antivirus software installed at a time).

The Windows installer does its thing with some simplified information titbits relating to basic ‘did you know?’ phishing and ransomware descriptions. Once installed, you’ll be guided through setting up your My Norton features, which you can skip but I’d advise following the helpful (and short) features tour.

I used the Norton 360 Deluxe plan for my recent tests but I’ve had extensive experience with Norton 360 Premium in the past. Everything you need from Norton antivirus is accessible on the My Norton dashboard, with at-a-glance info for which features are activated.

Norton lets you run a quick scan or force a live update if you want the latest threat signatures. Here, you can also run a quick scan, which analyses your files and commonly infected areas. It took under two minutes to complete my tests. Alternatively, tap the drop-down arrow next to ‘Open’ to configure the type of scan.

Checking for dark web information takes you to your Norton account via browser, which is where you’ll see any alerts. It’s a similar story for Norton’s parental controls, which opens a browser window offering a 30-day trial for Norton Family. It’s a shame this isn’t included in more versions of Norton antivirus by default.

Norton’s VPN automatically connects to the nearest server, with some great advanced security features like ad-tracker blocking and specifying the apps you want to be excluded from the VPN.

The real reason you buy antivirus software is for protection from viruses and malware. Because it’s not a straightforward process to test viruses and malware on devices without compromising them, we rely on the extensive ongoing tests provided by authorities in the antivirus space.

Norton scored incredibly well in the recent real-world protection tests from AV-Comparatives, on par with Bitdefender but ahead of McAfee. In fact, Norton earned a perfect scorecard, with 100% of threats blocked.

Check out the table below for the key differences between Norton and its most popular antivirus peers.

Norton is the antivirus service by which all others are measured. It’s packed with features and incredibly easy to use once you get past the elongated installation process (at least on Windows). Ultimately, it works, whether you keep it perpetually in the background or want to tinker.

That said, you’ll pay for the privilege and it’s a shame you have to exchange payment details for a short seven-day trial. In terms of costs, Norton isn’t cheap, but the results more than justify the cost if you’re after ultimate peace of mind.

Our antivirus testing starts with basic feature comparisons, including pricing and whether there’s a free version or easily accessible free trial. Letting people try before they buy scores well with us. Then we check to ensure antivirus software includes critical features like real-time protection and speedy scanning tools, ideally without a massive performance impact on compatible devices.

The ease of installation is then evaluated as well as how well an antivirus service guides the user and encourages them to explore additional security settings (where available). Antivirus software that also includes extended features—like a VPN, password manager, digital file shredder or other bolt-ons—scores points for versatility.

Ultimately, though, we always go back to how well an antivirus service performs on key metrics: namely, threat protection and performance impact. For these factors, we defer to the extensive ongoing testing data that’s readily available from antivirus authorities AV-Comparatives and AV-Test. If antivirus software scores well in those external tests, it has a great chance of scoring well with us, too.

Below are the answers to some of the most pressing Norton questions.