Best antivirus for a netbook

How badly did malware scans slow performance? How well did the program detect and remove malware? Does the program offer useful additional tools? Some of our newer performance tests were done on a Lenovo ThinkPad T with a 2.

To assess a program's impact on system speed on both Windows and macOS, we used our own custom tests, which measure how long a CPU takes to match 20, names and addresses on an OpenOffice or Excel spreadsheet.

The longer it took the laptop to finish either test, the heavier the performance impact. Each lab subjects the major antivirus brands' products to stress tests involving thousands of pieces of malware, including hundreds of previously unseen samples. Kaspersky antivirus products have been banned from U. Because the company is Russian and antivirus software can peer deep into a PC, using Kaspersky software would create an unacceptable risk for persons and organizations involved in national security and critical infrastructure.

However, we still think Kaspersky software is perfectly safe for home users. We've seen no evidence to convince us otherwise. Kaspersky researchers are well respected throughout the antivirus industry, and the company has publicly exposed Russian cyberespionage campaigns as well as those from the United States and other countries around the world.

Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy. He has also been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul driver, code monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews. If you use a Windows PC, you'll need to have one of the best antivirus programs installed, whether free or paid. View Deal. Bitdefender offers the best value in antivirus software. Norton packs in everything but the kitchen sink.

Kaspersky Total Security. Specifications Anti-theft: Yes. Backup software: Yes. Firewall: Yes. Game mode: Yes. Hardened browser: Yes. Parental controls: Yes. Password manager: Yes. Ransomware rollback: Yes. Webcam protection: Yes.

Virtual keyboard: Yes. VPN: Limited upsell. Wi-Fi scanner: Yes. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. Specifications Anti-theft: No. Backup software: No. Firewall: No. Parental controls: No. Webcam protection: No. Reasons to avoid - Heavy background system impact. Norton Deluxe. Hardened browser: No. Ransomware rollback: No. VPN: Unlimited. Reasons to avoid - Heavy slowdown during full scans - Pricey. McAfee Internet Security. Virtual keyboard: No. Reasons to avoid - Very heavy performance hit - No parental controls on mid-priced tier.

Trend Micro Maximum Security. Specifications Backup software: No. Reasons to avoid - Heavy performance hit during scans - Many false positives on some tests. Game mode: No. Password manager: No. Wi-Fi scanner: No. Reasons to avoid - So-so malware protection - Moderate performance penalty during scans - Lacks VPN, password manager, file shredder.

Kaspersky Security Cloud Free. Specifications Email scans: Yes. Password manager: Limited. Ransomware reversal: Yes. Scan scheduler: Yes. Support options: FAQs, forums. Upsell nag factor: Moderate. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition. Specifications Email scans: No. Ransomware reversal: No. Scan scheduler: No. Upsell nag factor: Minimal. Reasons to avoid - No extra features whatsoever - No quick scans or scan scheduling. Windows Defender Antivirus. Password manager: Yes, with other Microsoft apps.

Upsell nag factor: Nonexistent. Reasons to avoid - Some features work only on Microsoft products - Hard to schedule scans. Avast Free Antivirus. Specifications Email scans: Separate tool. Hardened browser: Separate tool. Password manager: Not any more. Ransomware reversal: Shield only. Support options: : FAQs, forums. Upsell nag factor: Omnipresent. Reasons to avoid - Password manager discontinued - Mediocre malware protection - Heavy system hit during scans.

Upsell nag factor: Inescapable. Reasons to avoid - Middling malware protection - Slow full-system scans - Almost no extra features. Malwarebytes Free. Reasons to avoid - Installs trialware of paid version - Manual definition updates. Paul Wagenseil. Topics Antivirus. See all comments I will prefer Kaspersky antivirus licensed software. So wait, wasn't Kapersky implicated in a security vulnerability that the AV software was providing metrics on user data and phoning home with it?

Is that a question or a statement. I don't see anything about a virtual keyboard in Bitdefender; how do I find it and how does it work?

Do the authors of these articles take into consideration anything except how well they perform as antivirus software? Avira also has a very user-friendly interface, and it comes with a good range of additional tools, including a decent VPN, good anti-phishing tools, and a browser extension which helps you find the best online shopping deals.

Download Avira Now. TotalAV is really good at virus detection — it uses the same cloud-based antivirus scanner that Avira uses. I was able to quickly and easily delete over 8 GB of junk and duplicate files, remove useless and unwanted apps, clear browser cookies, and a lot more — significantly improving the overall speed of both my Windows and Mac laptops. TotalAV has both a really good virus scanner and easy-to-use optimization tools.

It caught virtually all of my malware samples during testing, and it cleared out a lot of space from both of my laptops.

All TotalAV purchases come with a day money-back guarantee. Download TotalAV Now. BullGuard uses virus databases and machine learning to identify and block all kinds of malware, including zero-day threats — it caught most of the malware in my testing, but it missed a few adware and spyware files that the others on this list found.

I tested this feature while playing Destiny 2, and BullGuard actually increased the frame rate on my gaming laptop. BullGuard also provides a range of internet security features for both gamers and non-gamers, such as:. The home network scanner is pretty cool. It ran an in-depth threat scan of all the IoT devices connected to my network, including my printer, baby monitor, and security camera. Norton and McAfee offer similar protection, but only for US-based users.

BullGuard has a good anti-malware engine that also improves CPU performance when gaming. BullGuard offers a day money-back guarantee for all premium purchases. Download BullGuard Now. Intego is my favorite antivirus for MacBooks in During my tests, Intego detected and removed all of the malware samples from my device, including Mac-specific spyware and ransomware.

Intego has great parental controls as well, which let users create lists of allowed websites and block access to entire categories, like gambling or adult sites. You can try out Intego on your MacBook risk-free with a day money-back guarantee. Download Intego Now. Both Windows and Mac have some built-in security tools that provide a little protection against certain viruses. Avira is definitely one of the most reliable antivirus programs around — its perfect detection rates are hard to beat.

It is powerful, yet extremely lightweight at the same time. My favorite extra feature is the Software Updater, as it makes life so much easier by automating the boring yet important task of keeping software up-to-date!

Download Avira Now. BullGuard offers a really good anti-malware engine with some decent extras and a unique game booster which optimizes PC performance during gaming. Performance boosting aside, BullGuard also offers some other internet security protections, such as:. The firewall is really good, but the parental controls failed to block most of the inappropriate content in my testing. BullGuard has a good malware scanner, a decent range of extras, and an advanced game booster that increases frame rate and decreases load times during gameplay.

Download BullGuard Now. Panda Dome has a good antivirus scanner and a few unique security features that are really useful. Panda Dome made it super easy for me to encrypt really important work documents behind a secure password to safeguard them from malware and ransomware.

The Rescue Kit disinfects PCs that are already blocked by malware — this is useful for those emergency situations where a device is completely inaccessible. Simply load the Rescue Kit onto a USB drive, plug in the USB drive into the infected device, boot it, and Panda will automatically erase malware and make the device usable again. Download Panda Dome Now. Kaspersky provides a secure malware scanner for Windows along with some excellent additional features and a very intuitive dashboard.

But the multi-device plans for up to 10 devices including Mac, Android, and iOS are a much better value. Kaspersky Total Security is a top-level security program that is super easy to use and navigate. Download Kaspersky Now.

Malwarebytes also has really good phishing protection, with near-perfect detection rates, as well as a decent VPN. Download Malwarebytes Now. Trend Micro has a good malware scanner and decent internet security tools for Windows users. Trend Micro has a good cloud-based malware scanner as well as decent extras like data breach monitor and email phishing protection. Download Trend Micro Now. ESET provides an advanced anti-malware engine and diagnostic tools for security experts — while ESET is a good choice for highly tech-minded users, most users should look elsewhere.

ESET provides secure antivirus protection along with some unique features for advanced users. If comprehensive system usage reports and device encryption tools sound like an appealing extra, then ESET is a great choice. If you have no idea what those features are, then check out one of the other programs on my list. Cylance is an ok choice for users without any previous experience using an antivirus, but there are much better choices, even for non-technical users.

Cylance provides a good AI-based malware scanner and not much else. Cylance is available for up to 10 users, and it offers a day money-back guarantee. Download Cylance Now.