The Best Antivirus for Windows in 2022

With 34 years in the industry, ESET is one of the oldest antivirus companies. It’s almost as old as Windows itself!

Let’s see if the leader from Slovakia is going strong today.

ESET Best Features

ESET uses its famous NOD32 antivirus for Windows 10 as the base malware scanning and removal tool. It has a few scanning options—checking specific files, an external device, or a full system.

Better yet, ESET’s scans are cloud-based, meaning your computer doesn’t have to sift through a massive malware database. This dramatically lowers the resource overhead, making it one of the most lightweight systems.

Complete scans are admittedly a bit slower than those of other Windows 10-compatible antiviruses, but NOD32 has excellent detection rates.

ESET combines a firewall and a spam filter with protection from phishing and suspicious sites to keep you safe online.

It has several levels of warning if you try to visit a potentially unsafe site or download a suspicious file. ESET goes further than most systems, adding webcam protection and encrypting keystrokes to prevent websites from spying on you.

The system can track your home network, detect intrusion signals, and warn you if the connected devices are vulnerable (or have weak passwords).

It might even catch your neighbor connecting to your WiFi.

The antivirus for Windows 10 can be used to encrypt your files so no one with access to your computer can get to them. And if you’re worried about theft, ESET includes quite a few tools to track your device, prevent thieves from getting to the data, and even message whoever has it.

ESET’s host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) monitors processes, files, and registry keys on your computer.

It hardens your system against uncommon attacks, safeguards weak points like browsers, and prevents malware from disabling the antivirus protection.

Lastly, ESET throws in a password manager with the antivirus for Windows 10. You have to install it separately, but it can help keep track of all your security codes.

The lack of a VPN aside, ESET’s features are quite powerful.

ESET Ease of Use

ESET has a fairly intruitive interface. The main page is mostly taken up by its Android mascot with links to easily access separate ESET services, like malware scanning and the password manager.

Still, the antivirus is easy to use and non-obtrusive. It will only notify you when necessary, with few false alarms.

Best of all, it’s light on the resources and has a gaming mode that stops all notifications when running a program on fullscreen. It’s the top antivirus for Windows 10 in terms of user experience.

Another handy feature is ESET's Running Processes. You can think of them as the Windows Task Manager on steroids. It gives you a much better idea of what kind of processes and drivers are running and lets you optimize system performance.

Overall, the solution is straightforward to use. Let’s see if it’s also affordable.

ESET Pricing

ESET has three pricing plans:

• ESET NOD32 Antivirus—$79.98 for three years
• ESET Internet Security—$109.98 for three years
• ESET Smart Security Premium—$139.98 for three years

You can also pay annually or biennially. Smaller installments are an option, but this makes the service more expensive compared to the other entries in our list of the best antiviruses for Windows 10.

The base plan includes just antivirus and anti-ransomware software. Going up to Internet Security, you get local network protection, phishing protection, HIPS, and more.

The largest plan adds a password manager and a file encryption tool on top of the previously mentioned features. It provides an extra security layer and it’s perfect if you want nothing but the best security for Windows 10.

Verdict

ESET is a fantastic service for the average user. It has a nigh-impenetrable set of protection features, as well as a few nice add-ons like a password manager. This, plus the relatively affordable per-device prices, makes it an excellent choice.

With 20 years in the business and millions of customers, Bitdefender is one of the biggest antivirus providers in the world. It boasts about checking 30 billion threat queries against its database daily.

Let’s see if it offers the best antivirus for Windows 10.

Bitdefender Best Features

The Bitdefender antivirus system can perform quick or full-systems scans or only go through custom files. It checks potential threats against a massive cloud-based database, meaning the service is both effective and light on PC resources.

Real-time protection works in a similar manner, scanning new files for malware. It stops keyloggers and safeguards webcams from unwanted access.

Bitdefender will also automatically back up your files if ransomware gets in, making it the best computer antivirus for Windows 10 in this regard.

The phishing protection will warn you about suspicious sites.

If you are sure a site is safe, you can whitelist it with a single click. There is also an array of security measures to ensure you can log into sites and pay for services online safely.

The larger plans include a system optimization tool. It can delete residual or unnecessary files to make your OS run faster.

This security software for Windows 10 also includes a password manager and VPN. Although only the most extensive plan comes with unlimited VPN traffic, it’s still a pretty sweet deal.

Remote features include locating your device on a map and locking or wiping files if it’s stolen.

A nice touch that other top antiviruses for Windows 10 lack is that Bitdefender can shred files permanently, making them unrecoverable. That can come in handy if you want to sell your device or are worried about tech-savvy thieves.

Lastly, Bitdefender has robust parental controls. You have a bunch of options to limit device usage and block apps or websites.

As you can see, Bitdefender is one of the most feature-rich security programs for Windows 10.

Bitdefender Ease of Use

Bitdefender is relatively easy to set up. Once you download the file, it will take you only about five minutes to get it up and running. The program will take you through the key parts of the interface and offer to run an initial scan.

From there, using the security software for Windows 10 is self-explanatory. Everything is arranged into neat pages accessible from the sidebar. Bitdefender is entirely beginner-friendly.

In fact, it's so beginner-friendly, it might annoy advanced users. The program doesn't always give you the full details of potential threats and lacks the granular controls of ESET, for example.

If you want an easy setup, though, Bitdefender is the best antivirus for Windows 10 in 2022.

Bitdefender Pricing

Bitdefender has three standard pricing plans. 

• Bitdefender Internet Security—three devices, $34.99 for the first year, $79.99/year afterward
• Bitdefender Total Security—five devices, $39.98 for the first year, $89.99/year afterward
• Bitdefender Premium Security—ten devices, $64.99 for the first year, $149.99/year afterward 

Device optimization is reserved for Total Security. The most advanced plan adds VPN usage and priority support.

Still, the key features are there even on the entry plan. If you want to install Bitdefender on up to 15 devices, you can get a largely discounted deal with a family plan.

Bitdefender has a range of business plans too. They include much more robust features, network defense, risk analytics, and a cloud dashboard to monitor the status of your systems.

Verdict

Bitdefender has a comprehensive suite of services, terrific ease of use, and affordable plans. Plus, it is a good antivirus for Windows 10 if you want to protect multiple devices, be it at home or in a business environment.

Norton is one of the most famous antivirus programs. It is owned by NortonLifeLock, previously known as Symantec and a giant in the security world.

Let’s see how it measures up against the best computer security software for Windows 10.

Norton Best Features

Norton is one of the most feature-packed antivirus programs for Windows.

Let’s start with the more standard tools. It comes with:

• Malware protection
• Ransomware protection
• Blocking suspicious sites
• An array of scanning options
• Phishing protection
• A smart firewall
• A webcam blocker

What’s more, Norton is so confident in its protection measures that it will refund you if any malware gets past its antivirus for Windows 10.

And it doesn’t stop there. Norton throws in quite a few other features.

For one, you get 10/50/100GB of cloud backup storage. You can copy the most important files to it for safekeeping.

It also comes with a full password manager. You can generate secure passwords and always have access to them from the software.

All plans include a VPN. The number of devices you can use it on depends on your antivirus plan. Norton has the best internet security for Windows 10 if you need extra online security.

The two larger plans include robust parental controls and dark web monitoring. The latter means Norton monitors common dark web marketplaces for personal info and notifies you if anything is stolen.

Norton has the edge over most solutions on this list. It has real agents infiltrate dark websites and collect stolen data, so you will learn faster if your info does fall into someone's hands.

And if you’re really worried about identity theft, the largest antivirus for Windows 10 plan comes with LifeLock.

It includes a whole slew of features to help, like credit monitoring, ID verification monitoring, data breach alerts, stolen wallet protection, identity restoration service, and more.

The ID theft protection company even guarantees to reimburse customers for personal expenses and lawyer fees. Note that LifeLock is only available for the US and certain countries of Europe.

If you think that’s a lot of features, you’re right. Norton is one of the best anti-malware for Windows 10 in this department.

Norton Ease of Use

Norton’s interface is… well, alright. The features aren’t exactly hidden but are sometimes hard to find. Plus, it is possible to get a bit lost in a sea of windows when doing a security scan.

The fact that the program is extremely feature-rich doesn’t really help. For every option you click, there are dozens of sub-tools to explore. It can be the best antivirus for Windows 10 for power users but not the most encouraging for beginners.

Norton Pricing

Norton has a range of plans and sells many of its services separately from the antivirus. For this review, we’ll cover the three major antivirus plans. Just know that you might find another suitable offer if you’re looking for a specific tool.

Here are the plans:

• Norton 360 Standard—one PC, $24.99 for the first year, $84.99/year after that
• Norton 360 Deluxe—five PCs, $24.99 for the first year, $104.99/year after that 
• Norton 360 with LifeLock Select—five PCs, $79.99 for the first year, $149.99/year after that

The Standard plan includes the key features and will be great for most users. The Deluxe offer adds parental controls and the privacy monitoring tool, so it’s the best antivirus for Windows 10 if you’re using it for the whole family. LifeLock Select is there if you need identity theft protection, too, hence the higher price.

Verdict

Norton is a true power user tool with robust malware removal options, cloud backups, a VPN, and identity protection services. You’d be hard-pressed to find such a complete suite of security features.

McAfee is one of the most popular antivirus programs, established back in 1987 by McAfee associates, which, in turn, is founded by the notorious John McAfee. The antivirus went through many iterations and was owned by multiple companies.

Here, we review McAfee Total Protection by McAfee Corp—a public company owned mainly by Intel and TPG Capital.

Let's see if it offers the best PC protection for Windows 10.

McAfee Best Features

McAfee starts with fairly basic scanning tools. It can do a full or a quick scan, and any suspicious files get automatically deleted. Unfortunately, there’s no quarantine option, so you won’t be able to investigate potentially unwanted files.

The software adds network protection and a safe browsing tool—pretty standard features to protect you at all levels. Overall, the service does a decent job of protecting you from malware, ransomware, and phishing.

McAfee’s performance optimization is a welcome surprise. Not only can its antivirus compatible with Windows 10 ensure key apps have enough system resources, but it also optimizes browsing sessions.

This includes stopping websites from doing certain things like autoplaying videos (handy on sites with video ads). It prevents cryptojacking attacks, too—hijacking PC resources to mine crypto.

All but the smallest plan also includes a one-year trial for McAfee Gamer Security.

This is a standalone software that offloads malware detection to the cloud, prioritizes game access to system resources, and includes resource and performance monitoring. It provides the best Windows 10 virus protection for gamers.

Each plan includes a password manager. McAfee is partnered with True Key here, which is a solid solution. Note that you can only store 15 passwords without paying extra, which is quite limited.

A VPN service is included across the board too. You can enjoy private browsing with industry-standard encryption. It guarantees the best internet security for Windows 10 on all plans.

All subscriptions let you encrypt the files in your storage as well. It’s a very handy security measure if you share a computer with someone or are worried about theft. The same goes for deleted files—you can shred them to prevent data recovery software from getting to them.

The three larger plans include identity theft protection. It monitors the web for any leaks of personal info. It also has reimbursement for stolen services and insurance covering recovery costs (up to $1 million).

It’s the best antivirus for Windows 10 in terms of ID protection.

Lastly, the larger subscriptions include McAfee Safe Family, which is mostly a basic parental control tool. It can limit access to various websites, restrict device usage time, and monitor activity.

Overall, McAfee is a relatively feature-rich solution, although it relies on add-on services a bit more than on actual malware prevention and removal.

McAfee Ease of Use

McAfee is designed with beginners in mind. You can find all the significant options easily enough and get a good overview of security measures.

That said, finding the more advanced features of the antivirus for Windows 10 is a bit more complicated. The more granular options are jumbled under the gear icon on the main page.

The naming conventions are inconsistent with other major systems as well. It all makes it hard for power users to configure the antivirus.

If you just want an easy setup, though, McAfee is as good of antivirus as any.

McAfee Pricing

McAfee Total Protection has four pricing plans.

• Single Device—One device, $34.99 for the first year, $79.99/year afterward
• Individual/Couples—Five devices, $39.99 for the first year, $99.99/year afterward
• Family—Ten devices, $44.99 for the first year, $119.99/year afterward
• Ultimate—Unlimited devices, $69.99 for the first year, $159.99/year afterward

Overall, this top Windows 10 antivirus software offers good value for money.

The features in the subscriptions are mostly the same. The only difference is that the smallest plan doesn’t come with the VPN and gamer security add-ons.

The two plans in the middle also have ID theft protection, but there’s a catch. It only works if you have auto-renewal turned on, except on the largest plan. McAfee uses the same trick for its VPN service.

Verdict

McAfee grew to be a solid antivirus program over the years. It has plenty of extra features and is one of the best antivirus software for beginners.

Kaspersky is an antivirus established by Kaspersky Lab, a security company from Russia. The first version of the antivirus was made in 1987 as a response to the Cascade virus.

It has made significant improvements over the years, so let’s see how they work now.

Kaspersky Best Features

Kaspersky has various scanning options, including full, quick, selective, and system vulnerability scans. They are all fairly good at catching and removing known malware.

And if the best computer security software for Windows 10 finds something suspicious that’s not in its database, it uploads it for further evaluation. This system works so well, it once caught and uploaded a hacking tool from an NSA researcher's computer.

The vulnerability scanning is generally not amazingly effective, though.

Kaspersky’s browsing protection includes phishing blockers, webcam protection, encryption of payment details, and more. The antivirus goes a step further than most and includes an ad blocker and anti-tracking features. This ensures top virus protection for Windows 10 in terms of privacy.

Kaspersky also includes a fully-featured VPN tool with its plans. However, it only comes with 300MB of daily traffic without purchasing a separate VPN plan, which is slim for most users.

Kaspersky has a cleanup option for killing unnecessary processes, deleting unused files, and erasing common bloatware. The latter are mostly unneeded programs included with the OS by default (Windows 10 has no shortage of those).

And if you want something deleted permanently, just use Kaspersky’s shredder to put it beyond the reach of data recovery tools. If you’d just like to lock your info, the antivirus software for Windows 10 has nice encryption tools.

Standard parental protection features are in the mix too.

Lastly, the software includes a password manager. However, this is limited to 15 different logins without paying extra, which is quite slim.

It's worth noting Kaspersky had some issues a few years back when the US government banned its use due to potential affiliations with the Russian government. But according to security experts, Kaspersky is completely safe to use, and there is no evidence of data theft.

Despite this, Kaspersky moved its infrastructure to Switzerland data centers and got SOC 2 Type 1 certified, ensuring proper measures to reliably and securely handle operations. It’s nice to see one of the best antivirus software go above and beyond to reassure its customers.

Kaspersky Ease of Use

Kaspersky's interface is very well-designed. You can access everything through easily noticeable buttons and all notifications are stored in one place. Moreover, the platform only displays the functions unlocked under your plan, so you never have to trudge through tools you can’t use.

A nice addition is Kaspersky’s built-in virtual keyboard, which safeguards you from keyloggers. You can access it directly from the antivirus and use it to input important data (like your social security number).

Overall, it’s easy to toggle the options and use all tools. It’s definitely among the top ten antivirus programs.

Kaspersky Pricing

Kaspersky has three main pricing plans:

• Kaspersky Antivirus—$29.99 for the first year, renews at $39.99/year
• Kaspersky Internet Security—$44.99 for the first year, renews at $59.99/year
• Kaspersky Total Security—$59.99 for the first year, renews at $79.99/year

Note that the prices above reflect annual deals for one device. You can also pay for multiple devices or prepay for two years and get a hefty discount.

The initial plan is very affordable but fairly basic, including antivirus, phishing protection, and performance optimization features. It's a good choice if you only want standard security software for Windows 10 without bells and whistles.

The Internet Security package is much more robust, including various add-ons like a VPN, safe browsing tools, and some parental controls. The largest plan just adds file encryption, a password manager, and a child GPS locator.

The small and mid-range subscriptions have an awesome price tag for the features they offer. But since the password manager is somewhat limited, the Total Security plan isn't really worth the extra $15.

Verdict

Kaspersky is a solid antivirus with affordable single-license and multi-license solutions. It’s a top-rated antivirus for Windows 10 with privacy and security guaranteed by third-party auditors.

Established in 2010, Heimdal Security is a relatively young cybersecurity company. Its home antivirus went through multiple iterations over the years and today comes in two flavors.

We cover both.

Heimdal Security Features

The first part of the suite is Heimdal Next-gen Antivirus. It covers the more traditional features like malware scanning and a robust firewall.

Heimdal might just have the best virus scanner for Windows 10. It can perform seven different scan types, quarantine files, erase them, and group them by risk category.

Heimdal Threat Prevention takes care of the passive measures to ensure your security is tight. For one, it automatically patches common entry points for malware, like web browsers.

It scrubs all traffic for various malware, ransomware, and spyware. It also features real-time protection that not only scans files but inspects traffic at the packet layer too. It can kill connections to potential threats before anything gets into your PC.

The antivirus software for Windows 10 also has various browsing protection measures. It automatically blocks phishing sites and other websites known for spreading malware.

Lastly, it allows you to securely input personal info like banking details and detect potential data leaks. That way, you can ensure no one gets their hands on your critical info.

Other than that, the software doesn’t include many over-the-top extras. It focuses more on strong threat removal and patching up potential holes in your system.

Heimdal Security Ease of Use

Heimdal Security is fairly easy to set up and use. The interface is divided between the antivirus and threat prevention features. All are easily accessible and won’t give you any trouble.

Overall, it's one of the better-designed security programs for Windows 10.

Heimdal Security Pricing

Heimdal Security has three pricing plans—one for the antivirus, one for threat prevention, and one that combines the two.

• Heimdal Next-gen Antivirus Home—$59.95
• Heimdal Threat Prevention Home—$69.95
• Heimdal Premium Security Home—$99.95

These costs are for a one-year license and up to three devices. You can go up to ten devices or prepay for two or three years and get lower rates.

As you can imagine, the pricing gets rather complicated, so we won’t list all options here. You can check out all deals on HemidalSecurity.com.

Overall, the prices are reasonable, considering you get possibly the best PC protection in 2022.

Verdict

Heimdal Security is perfect if you want a solution specialized in powerful malware removal and intrusion prevention rather than a whole suite of colorful services. It can secure several devices easily and at an affordable price.

Malwarebytes was established in 2006, making it among the newer programs. It started off as free antivirus software but eventually expanded to premium services.

Let’s see what its home antivirus offers to Windows users.

Malwarebytes Best Features

Malwarebytes starts with standard malware detection features and the typical scanning options. It compares threats against a malware database and looks at crucial markers to find potential issues.

The system’s real-time protection tool scrubs the files coming in to block any malware, ransomware, and other potentially unwanted programs.

It can block phishing sites if you accidentally visit any. The best AV for Windows 10 has a browser guard extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge for this purpose. It can also stop ads and trackers and protect your online privacy.

Other than that, Malwarebytes includes a VPN into its largest plan.

The VPN is solid—it includes support for Wireguard tunneling, 30 locations, and some streaming services. However, there’s no killswitch and torrenting is prohibited, so it’s not the ideal choice for all uses.

All features are standard yet functional, making it one of the best virus software for Windows 10.

Malwarebytes Ease of Use

Malwarebytes is fairly simple to set up, has a very intuitive interface, and easy-to-find options. It also likes to boast about being easy on the resources.

The only annoying thing is that Malwarebytes has no full system scans, as opposed to most of the top Windows 10 antivirus systems. Instead, you have to go for a custom scan and just choose to check everything. It’s not a massive inconvenience, but it’s not the ideal way to go about it.

Despite that, Malwarebytes is a relatively user-friendly option.

Malwarebytes Pricing

• Premium One Device—$3.33/month
• Premium Five Devices—$6.67/month
• Premium + Privacy Five Devices—$8.33/month

Note that the billing is done annually.

The plans have mostly the same features. The only difference in the Privacy package is that it includes the VPN with the deal.

Malwarebytes is one of the few antiviruses with fixed prices. This makes it the best antivirus for Windows 10 in the long term.

Lastly, Malwarebytes has a 60-day money-back guarantee, which is longer than standard. It gives you a solid window to test out the software before you commit.

Verdict

Malwarebytes is an affordable solution that focuses on basic features without many bells and whistles. If you want standard computer protection with basic VPN features, it’s very cheap in the long term.