Microsoft Defender vs. Norton 360 2025: A Microsoft Classic vs. Norton’s Powerhouse Antivirus

Norton 360 wins this comparison with its budget-friendly options and a complete cybersecurity suite, which includes LifeLock identity theft protection and credit monitoring. Norton's anti-malware protection earned near-perfect scores from independent testing labs.

Microsoft Defender provides additional protection for Windows users, including identity theft protection and device security alerts, which are not available with the free Windows Security program. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, we’ll help you decide whether to go full throttle with Norton 360 or add more protection to Windows Security with Microsoft Defender.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender review at a glance

• Norton: Best for a full security suite
• Microsoft Defender: Best for additional Windows security

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender compared

	Best overall
Star rating	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.9 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Starting price	Starts at $29.99/first yr	Starts at $9.99/mo ($99.99/yr)
Max number of protected devices	10	5 per person (up to 6 people)
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
24/7 customer support
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get Microsoft Defender Read Microsoft Defender Review

Norton 360 pros and cons

As one of the top antivirus programs available, Norton's security suite provides real-time protection against ransomware, spyware, phishing, and other online threats. It also comes with a range of security measures. Norton offers features such as a password manager, a virtual private network (VPN), and identity theft protection. 

Microsoft Defender pros and cons

The starting price for Microsoft Defender is almost as much as the top-tier plan you get with Norton. We want to emphasize that although Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes free with Windows, you can't use Microsoft Defender (the premium plan) without a Microsoft 365 subscription, which starts at $99.99/yr. Comparatively, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select only costs $99.99/first yr.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender: prices

	Our Pick
Price range	$29.99–$299.99/first yr	$99.99-$129.99/yr ($9.99–$12.99/mo)
Money-back guarantee	Yes, 60 days
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get Microsoft Defender Read Microsoft Defender Review

Microsoft Defender plans

Microsoft Defender doesn’t cost anything to download, but to use it, you must first create a Microsoft account and pay for a subscription to Microsoft 365. The lowest price you’ll pay for the software is $99.99/yr or $9.99/mo, which seems somewhat steep when compared to Norton’s starting price of $29.99/first yr for the AntiVirus Plus plan.

If you want the best value for your money and don’t mind sharing a plan with others, then the Microsoft 365 Family plan is the best value. For $3.00 more per month, you get coverage for up to six people as opposed to one. You also get up to 6 TB of cloud storage rather than only 1 TB of storage.

Norton 360 plans

Norton considers the Norton 360 Deluxe plan the best value, and we tend to agree. It’s a solid midway point with protection for five devices, parental controls, and a privacy monitor — all for $49.99/first yr. You also get 50 GB of cloud storage. That’s not as much storage as Microsoft 365 offers, but for most people, it’s more than is needed.

If the Deluxe plan’s cost doesn’t fit your budget, Norton’s AntiVirus Plus plan comes with real-time protection, a password manager, and a firewall. Along with all that, you get 2 GB of cloud backup. We think $29.99/first yr is a fair price for this level of security protection.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender: features

Feature	Our Pick
Manual and scheduled scans
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
Firewall
Device optimization tools
Parental controls
Password manager
VPN
Extras	ID theft monitoring, dark web monitoring, cloud backup, software updater, and more	ID theft monitoring, cloud storage, Microsoft 365 apps
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get Microsoft Defender Read Microsoft Defender Review

When you glance at the table above, you’ll immediately notice a difference in features. Although Windows Defender is good for additional protection, it doesn’t come with all the security options you get with Norton. 

Of course, the plan you choose with Norton affects the amount of cloud storage you have and whether features like dark web monitoring and the Privacy Monitor are included.

With Norton base plans, you receive features such as a firewall, cloud storage, and a password manager. Many antivirus products offer these features separately, so it adds value when you can get everything in an all-in-one antivirus suite. From what we can see, there’s nothing Microsoft Defender offers that you can’t get with a Norton antivirus plan.

Learn more about Norton features:

• Norton Password Manager
• Norton Secure VPN
• LifeLock by Norton

We appreciate that Microsoft Defender alerts you to recommended actions that can enhance your security. You’ll have a view of what settings are active and which ones need to be turned on for better protection. These are cross-device security alerts, meaning alerts are sent to all devices on your plan.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender: test results

When you purchase an antivirus program, you want to know it does the job right. Many products boast about what they can do, but how do you know if it’s true? That’s why we rely on third-party testing sites to deliver the goods. For this review, we used AV-TEST.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender malware protection scores

Feature	Our Pick
AV-TEST Windows score	18/18	18/18
AV-TEST macOS score	18/18	N/A
AV-TEST Android score	17/18	N/A
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get Microsoft Defender Read Microsoft Defender Review

It's no surprise that Microsoft Defender offers excellent performance and protection on Windows. However, Norton had strong scores across the board for protection, performance, and usability across operating systems. Norton achieved perfect third-party test results for Windows and macOS. This means you'll get top-notch protection on all your devices, including Android.

Microsoft Defender does provide protection for Android mobile devices, but third-party labs have not evaluated its performance.

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender: compatibility and customer support

Feature	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Chrome, Edge, Firefox	Chrome, Edge, Firefox
24/7 live chat
Customer support options	Phone, live chat, knowledge base, support forums, social media	Online guides, chat, phone, and form
Learn more	Get Norton Read Norton Review	Get Microsoft Defender Read Microsoft Defender Review

Microsoft Defender, previously Windows Defender, is easy to use, and we had no learning curve with the program’s interface. However, this could be because the software doesn’t include many features. For example, you won’t have a VPN or password manager, to name a couple of advanced cybersecurity features you might miss.

During testing, we noticed that Microsoft Defender directs you to the Windows Security settings for any related antivirus protection. Thankfully, both apps mimic all the other dashboards in your Windows settings, and most of the security features are already enabled.

Norton’s user interface works seamlessly, and we experienced no lag in speed during our testing of the product. We even tried it with multiple browser tabs open. Everything worked without any issues. The full scan took only a few minutes to check over 600,000 files. With Norton, we noticed that as soon as the scan finishes, the number of files disappears. If you want to know how many files Norton checked, you need to look fast.

As we often find when reviewing antivirus software, some features don’t work with macOS. For instance, you won’t get the advantage of the Power Eraser tool or parental controls. But you still get plenty of options if you're a Mac user. The dashboard monitors different categories of personal data Norton checks for on the dark web. The VPN is easy to use and allows you to watch your favorite streaming service.

Although we didn’t need to contact Norton customer support, we were pleasantly surprised by all the options available for assistance. The only customer service feature not listed is email support. Otherwise, you have plenty of ways to get help when you need it. Going above and beyond, Norton also has a support team you can message on Facebook or Twitter. The live 24/7 customer support means you can get assistance anytime, day or night.

Microsoft Defender offers several options for support when needed. There’s a community where you can chat with other users, or you can also log in to your 365 account and fill out a support ticket. Microsoft also has articles that address common issues, such as problems downloading the app.

Microsoft Defender vs. Norton alternatives

We've tested a lot of antivirus software and found Norton to be the best overall. Here's how Norton compares to other top antivirus providers we've tested:

FAQs

Norton vs. Microsoft Defender: Which is better?

Norton is the pinnacle of protection and security features. Granted, some features may not work for Mac users, but that’s nothing new in the antivirus world today. Still, when pitting these two antiviruses head-to-head, we have to go with Norton. There are numerous options available, and you receive solid security protection at a reasonable price.

Microsoft Defender antivirus is a good addition if you have Microsoft 365 and want more protection on your Windows machine than Windows Security can offer. However, it isn’t exactly what one would call a security suite. Norton antivirus is the better software when you want a host of features, such as a smart firewall, secure VPN, password manager, and more.