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4 plans available, all including antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, and a secure password manager
Option to add VPN connection, dark web monitoring, privacy monitoring, and more
Available for up to 10 devices depending on plan
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Norton is a popular name when it comes to antivirus and malware protection. We believe that reputation comes with good reason. Norton’s security suite has high malware detection rates and offers comprehensive real-time protection against phishing, spyware, ransomware, and more.
You also have plenty of security features with this software. If options such as a password manager, a virtual private network (VPN), and identity theft protection are items you can get on board with, then Norton may be the antivirus for you.
We’ll look at what you’ll get with the Norton 360 antivirus suite to let you decide whether the options are right for your needs.
4 plans available, all including antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, and a secure password manager
Option to add VPN connection, dark web monitoring, privacy monitoring, and more
Available for up to 10 devices depending on plan
| Price | $29.99–$99.48/first yr |
| Free plan | No |
| # of devices protected | Up to 10 |
| Malware scans | Manual and scheduled |
| Firewall | Yes |
| Phishing protection | Yes |
| Parental controls | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Norton 360 Antivirus |
Norton ranges in price from $29.99–$99.48/first yr. The more budget-friendly options include Norton Antivirus Plus, which covers one device, and Norton 360 Standard, which protects up to three PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones.
If you're looking to cover lots of devices, you can opt for Norton 360 Select and get even more coverage for 10 devices along with extra cloud backup and LifeLock identity theft protection. There’s also the middle-ground Norton 360 Deluxe plan for people who want something in between.
Norton Antivirus Plus is a great option for those looking for basic antivirus protection. Plus, it comes with 2 GB of cloud backup and the Norton password manager.
However, Norton really shines when it comes to its 360 suites. You'll get options like a VPN, dark web monitoring, parental controls, and LifeLock identity theft protection depending on how far you climb up the subscriptions.
If you have Windows Defender, you should know that it’ll be disabled automatically when you install Norton 360 on your device. That helps with more efficient protection while not slowing down your computer with numerous processes using the same functions.
Norton 360 products come in three main flavors: Standard, Deluxe, and Select.
The Standard plan starts at $39.99/first yr, the Deluxe plan starts at $49.99/first yr, and the Select plan, which includes LifeLock, starts at $99.99/first yr. There's also a more basic version, Norton AntiVirus Plus, which costs $29.99/first yr and provides coverage on one device.
Prices for Norton 360 seem to be on par with other antivirus software costs. For example, you can get Malwarebytes for $44.99–$99.99/yr with coverage for up to five devices.
McAfee offers some similar features with price points that are close to Norton at $39.99–$219.99/yr, but you may find a few more options with Norton 360, such as webcam protection and cloud storage.
| Norton AntiVirus Plus | Norton 360 Standard | Norton 360 Deluxe | Norton 360 Select + LifeLock | |
| Price for first year | $29.99/first yr | $39.99/first yr | $49.99/first yr | $99.99/first yr |
| # devices supported | 1–5 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| Compatible with | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Manual and auto scan | ||||
| Phishing protection | ||||
| Firewall | ||||
| Real-time protection | ||||
| Password manager | ||||
| VPN | ||||
| Dark web monitoring | ||||
| Parental controls | ||||
| Privacy monitor | ||||
| LifeLock identity theft protection | ||||
| Cloud backup | 2 GB | 2 GB | 50 GB | 250 GB |
| Details | View Plan | View Plan | View Plan | View Plan |
Norton offers the standard antivirus features, including protection against malware, phishing, hacking, and other cyberthreats, along with Norton's Virus Protection Promise. If your device is infected with a virus that can't be removed by Norton or its experts, then you'll get your money back.
We also love Norton for including lots of additional features, so you can rely on Norton for most if not all of your cybersecurity needs. One of Norton's standout features is the Secure VPN, which is included with every 360 plan. Any time you can get more security while browsing online, that’s an automatic win for cyber safety.
If you use a PC, you also have access to the Power Eraser tool. The tool removes malware threats from your device, but it’s only compatible with computers running Windows OS.
If you have a Mac, there are still plenty of features available, such as phishing protection and the silent firewall. We’ll cover those in depth so you can see how each one works to protect your information.
Along with a database of known malware, Norton 360 uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze all files entering your device and then blocks the ones deemed to be malicious. Advanced machine learning gives the software a better chance at catching those stealthy viruses.
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You’ll also get behavioral protection when installing new applications. Your Norton software classifies the apps that access your network connection. If one of those apps behaves suspiciously, Norton reports it to you.
Although Norton 360 doesn’t offer a free antivirus suite, you can get a free standalone malware removal tool. Norton Power Eraser is an app specifically designed to remove even the sketchiest computer viruses. These include malware such as fake security software and scareware.
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You don’t have to install this app for it to work. Just note it’s a free download for Windows only, so this option is not yet available for Mac users. You can simply download it and run the program to remove threats from your device.
Norton 360 comes with Norton Safe Web, which analyzes the websites you browse and helps detect spyware, viruses, malware, and other online threats.
You’ll get website safety ratings based on the Norton Safe Web analysis. The best part is that you’ll have a rating before you visit the websites, so it offers more protection by helping you avoid malicious content.
The Norton Safe Web browser extension helps guard your information while you’re online. With this extension, you may see a red warning in your Norton desktop app when visiting unsafe websites. Safe Web alerts include:
The Norton Safe Web extension is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
With the Norton Safe Web feature, you’ll also have the Link Guard protection that looks for URL reputations when links appear in your emails and social media pages. If a URL is suspicious, Link Guard gives you a warning before you click the link or share it with others.
We were pleasantly surprised to find the Norton Smart Firewall feature for more advanced online threat protection. The firewall monitors your network traffic and keeps unwanted apps and users from accessing your device and information.
The Smart Firewall is also designed to detect cryptojacking attempts and prevent them from running in your web browser.
It also checks for potential data leaks with its Intrusion Prevention System. If a leak gets discovered, it stops the network traffic to keep further damage from happening. You can also adjust your firewall settings based on your preferences.
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Norton 360 offers two layers of security protection to block threats before they have a chance to compromise your device: the Intrusion Prevention System and Proactive Exploit Protection.
Having both of these security layers helps to protect your device against a range of online threats. Norton recommends that you keep these settings turned on for the best security protection.
The Norton Intrusion Prevention System scans all network traffic for security vulnerabilities. The system analyzes your home network to detect security threats that try to gain unauthorized access to your device.
The IPS works with your firewall to detect malware and prevent it from accessing your network. Norton makes using this function easy as it’s integrated into the Safe Web Feature, and it also works on Windows and Mac devices.
Norton's Proactive Exploit Protection works by recognizing a range of malicious behaviors and then blocking only the software that mimics those behaviors.
This zero-day protection feature guards against attacks that can happen when new software is released, so there’s no waiting to discover and remove the threat in the future. PEP works with Windows devices but is not available for macOS.
Some of the notable bonus features you’ll find with Norton 360 antivirus are parental controls and the Norton Secure VPN. You also get dark web monitoring and SafeCam, which both protect against unique threats to your data and privacy. We’ll cover these in more detail below.
SafeCam is a feature that helps protect your webcam from being hacked. SafeCam alerts you if there are attempts to access your webcam and blocks unauthorized access. Unfortunately, it’s only offered for Windows at this time.
With the Norton Parental controls, known as Norton Family, you get security protection for the whole family. Parents can see their children’s online searches and video views. There’s also age-appropriate monitoring and settings to control screen time limits during school time.
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This feature is offered for Windows 7+, Android 8+, as well as the current and previous two versions of iOS.
You need a unique password for each of your online accounts to keep your information safe. But with numerous accounts, that can become a hassle, to say the least.
With Norton’s password manager, you can create complex passwords that are harder to hack while storing them securely in your online encrypted vault. This feature is available across platforms so you can enjoy it with a browser extension on desktop or with a mobile app for iOS or Android.
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Norton Secure VPN is included with Norton 360 and helps keep your devices secure when using public Wi-Fi, as many of these networks aren’t safe. The VPN hides the internet data going to and from your device, so your personal information won’t get picked up easily by hackers.
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Cybercriminals use the dark web to buy and sell your personal information. With Norton dark web monitoring, you get a notification if your information is found floating around the forums of the dark web.
The service regularly searches places where information is frequently traded to make sure your data stays secure. You can enter information like email address, phone numbers, credit card details, and more for monitoring.
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With LifeLock identity theft protection, Norton scans for the use of your personal information and looks for threats. You’ll get an alert to all possible threats by phone, email, text, or mobile app.
There’s also live, U.S.-based identity restoration specialists available to resolve identity theft issues. With this plan, you have $1 million worth of coverage for lawyers and other experts to help work through identity theft problems as well as up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement.
Norton Cloud Backup stores and protects your files and documents to prevent data loss in case of hard drive crashes, stolen devices, and possible ransomware. You can create a cloud backup for specific files and even copy files from your computer to the cloud.
At this time, Norton Cloud Backup only works with Windows OS.
The European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR) offers tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of cybersecurity products. It tests for malware, potentially unwanted programs (PUAs), and phishing attempts. The samples provided mimic each of these to really give your cybersecurity product a run for its money.
Although Norton regularly undergoes third-party testing, EICAR can be a great way to learn about the effectiveness of your antivirus program when third-party test results aren’t available.
Norton 360 passed all of the EICAR tests that we threw at it. It immediately removed the malware test file, blocked the potentially unwanted app (PUA) test file from downloading, and blocked the phishing test webpage. When combined with its stellar third-party test results, you can rest assured that your device could be protected with Norton.
| Test | Norton 360 score |
| Malware detection | Pass |
| Potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) detection | Pass |
| Phishing detection | Pass |
Norton 360 was scrutinized by AV-TEST to determine its effectiveness when detecting malware and protecting devices.
During its latest rounds of tests, AV-TEST gave Norton 360’s Windows, macOS, and Android products perfect scores for protection, performance, and usability.[1, 2, 3] Having had mark downs on its Windows product in the past, we were pleased to find that Norton aced all of its tests, including no false positives on any of the tested devices.
| Test type | Windows 10 score | macOS Ventura 13.6.1 score | Android 11 score |
| Protection | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 |
| Performance | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 |
| Usability | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 | 6.0/6.0 |
We installed Norton 360 Standard on a MacBook Air running Big Sur version 11.3. Everything available for the macOS worked exceptionally well. There were no hiccups when we had multiple browser tabs open and we saw no performance issues while running virus scans.
From the Device Security section, we performed a quick scan and a full scan to test Norton 360. With the full scan, it analyzed over 600,000 files in less than 10 minutes. Our only complaint is that as soon as it finishes the scan, the screen shows you it’s done and the number of files disappears. Fortunately, no malware was detected.
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The Quick Scan took less than one minute and flew through 1,030 files. No threats were found with that scan, either.
We also tried the junk file cleaner, which only took several minutes to run. We didn’t have many files to move but can see where this feature could be extremely beneficial when you want to get rid of files and documents you no longer need.
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None of the features we used were difficult or had a steep learning curve. But because we use a MacBook, there were features we didn’t have access to that Windows users get to enjoy. We would’ve liked to have as many options for macOS, but this isn’t out of the ordinary for most antivirus programs.
When you decide to purchase Norton 360, be sure it’s compatible with your device and browsers. Some devices aren’t supported and certain parts of the software may not work on your operating system. Norton 360 is compatible with:
Browser extensions for Norton SafeWeb:
We didn’t have to contact support for anything during our review, but Norton’s Help Center features trending topics and a community forum to help get you the support you need.
Outside of using the Norton website, you can also message its support team on Facebook or Twitter. There’s also a chatbot support feature, which is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Phone support is also offered seven days per week, 24 hours a day. You fill out a brief form and get a case number to give to the agent. There’s also a dropdown box to select your country and get a toll-free phone number to call.
Norton is one of our favorite antivirus software, but that doesn't mean its perfect. It lacks certain features for Mac and it could be pricey depending on your antivirus needs. Here are some other antivirus programs to consider:
Norton 360 with LifeLock Select is worth it for anyone who wants a feature-rich antivirus and around-the-clock customer service for identity theft issues. The Select plan comes with LifeLock identity theft protection as well as a VPN, parental controls, and antivirus protection that’s been highly rated by third-party testers.
McAfee is better than Norton if you want to cover more devices with a cheaper subscription plan. But Norton is better than McAfee if you want real-time dark web monitoring and 24/7 phone support.
Norton’s cost varies depending on the plan you get, but the cheapest option, Norton AntiVirus Plus, is $29.99/first yr, which amounts to around $1.67/mo for your first year. The most expensive plan, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select, is $29.99/first yr, which amounts to $8.33/mo for your first year.
Norton is not a Chinese company but is instead part of a company called Gen Digital. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, in the U.S.
In 2022, NortonLifeLock purchased Avast, which makes it the fourth antivirus brand acquisition the company has made. Other antivirus brands acquired by Norton’s parent company Gen include Avira, AVG, and CCleaner.
With all the benefits you get with Norton, such as parental controls, dark web monitoring, and webcam protection, there’s no doubt Norton is a superior antivirus.
The only drawbacks to using this software are found if you're an Apple aficionado, as some security tools won’t be available for macOS. If you want tons of options with a premium product offering incredible security, Norton is still at the top of its game with all of the available plan options.
Of course, the best antivirus software is the one that meets your needs and budget. So if Norton 360 antivirus doesn’t check off all the boxes, other antivirus software such as AVG and TotalAV might be worth a look instead.
4 plans available, all including antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, and a secure password manager
Option to add VPN connection, dark web monitoring, privacy monitoring, and more
Available for up to 10 devices depending on plan
[1] AV-TEST Product Review and Certification Report – Jan-Feb/2024
[2] AV-TEST Product Review and Certification Report – Dec/2023
[3] AV-TEST Product Review and Certification Report – Jan/2024
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