Best Internet Security Software

Computers & Internet 0 Comments

If you are looking for more protection for your PC on the internet than just an antivirus program, then internet security software is for you. These security software suites cost more than antivirus software and use more resources, thus slowing your computer down more, but they provide additional features besides just malware protection such as a firewall, antiphishing, and antispam capabilities.

When purchasing internet security software there are a few things you should keep in mind. First make sure it is compatible with your current operating system. Most versions come with 1 year of coverage and then you must pay a renewal fee to keep it up to date, but some allow you to buy a lifetime license which costs more initially, but can save you money in the long run. You also can either download the software directly (some even have a 30 day trial period) or purchase the box with discs and install it.

The main criteria we used to rate each software suite besides the price was protection – how well they protect your machine, performance – how much they slowed system performance and used system resources, and usability – how easy they are to use. To aid us, we used data gathered from www.av-test.org and www.av-comparatives.org along with other user reviews.

Below is our list of the top 10 rated best internet security software with reviews of each.

9.3
#1)

Kaspersky Internet Security

Kaspersky Internet Security Find on Amazon
Very good protection scores from the top testing labs and a price of $29.99 for one year for one device makes Kaspersky Internet Security our choice for the best internet security software. It is also lightweight and won’t affect system performance very much.

Kaspersky Internet Security helps protect you from viruses, cryptolockers, spyware. It also has a secure browser to encrypt online transactions and provides VPN service of up to 200 MB/day.

9.3
#2)

BitDefender Internet Security

BitDefender Internet Security Find on BitDefender.com
BitDefender Internet Security can be bought on sale for about $40 for up to 3 devices for one year. It has almost near flawless malware protection that is on par with Kaspersky, although it does use slightly more system resources.

Bitdefender Internet Security 2020 won the Outstanding Product award from AV-Comparatives, as well as Best Protection, Best Performance and Best Repair from AV-TEST. It protects your Windows PC against all types of online threats, while also including a secure VPN with up to 200 MB/day for complete privacy.

Buyers should be aware that Bitdefender Internet Security is only available for Windows computers.

9.2
#3)

Norton 360 Deluxe

Norton 360 Deluxe Find on Amazon
If you buy Norton 360 Deluxe from Amazon you will get 15 months of service on up to five devices for just $27.99. This software combines excellent protection with one of the most useful interfaces around. In recent testing the protection scores were on par or better Kaspersky or BitDefender. However, during scans it can bog down your system a bit.

In addition to real-time threat detection, Norton 360 Deluxe also offers a secure VPN, password manager, parental control, 50 GB cloud backup, and dark web monitoring powered by LifeLock.

The only slight negative of Norton 360 Deluxe is that it uses more system resources than any other internet security software on this list.

9.1
#4)

Avast Premium Security

Avast Premium Security Find on Amazon
With Avast Premium Security you can get 2 years of service on one PC for just $39.99. It uses few system resources provides solid protection against all online threats, including spoofed websites and ransomware.

Avast Premium Security also includes an advanced firewall and data shredder.

9.1
#5)

AVG Internet Security

AVG Internet Security Find on Amazon
AVG Internet Security is also available for two years on one PC for $39.99. Avast actually bought the formerly independent AVG so it is no surprise that they perform virtually the same in terms of protection and use of system resources.

9
#6)

Avira Internet Security

Avira Internet Security Find on Avira.com
Avira Internet Security is a bit more expensive than some other products at $57.99 for one year on one PC, although you can get a good price break if you pay for multiple years in advance. In lab testing it ranks at or near the top in threat detection and protection, however, it does use more system resources than average.

Avira Internet Security has a lot of good features like antivirus and ransomware protection, a password manager that can create unique and strong passwords, and an included Browser Safety add-on that detects phishing sites and prevents ad networks from tracking you. However, it does not have a firewall or parental controls.

8.9
#7)

ESET Internet Security

ESET Smart Security Find on ESET.com
ESET Internet Security was tied for the top score from the leading consumer magazine. It costs $50 for one year. It rates a bit below the top tier programs in terms of protection, but in some testing it was the best performing (used the least amount of system resources) of any software on this list. It works on Windows, Mac, Android and Linux devices.

ESET Internet Security provides protection from viruses, ransom attacks, hackers, and provides a safe browser for safe shopping and banking.

8.9
#8)

BullGuard Internet Security

BullGuard Internet Security Find on BullGuard.com
Costing about $60 BullGuard Internet Security scored high marks from AV-Test. It provides a broad set of features including antivirus, antispam, firewall, parental control, antiphishing, backup, and more. The firewall is one of the best, however, and BullGuard was also good at preventing phishing and blocking malicious URLs.

8.8
#9)

McAfee Total Protection

McAfee Internet Security Find on Amazon
The cheapest internet security software on our list is McAfee Total Protection which sells for just $17.99 for up to three devices for one year. It provides complete malware protection, secure browsing, and an impressive password manager.

On the downside McAfee Total Protection rated near the bottom in terms of overall protection, although it is very lightweight – in fact it was second to ESET in terms of using few system resources.

8.7
#10)

G Data Internet Security

G Data Internet Security Find on Amazon
Wrapping up the top 10 best internet security suites is G Data Internet Security which sells for a very affordable $20.97 for one year on one device. Both detection and performance were below average when compared to all the other offerings on this list.

G Data Internet Security does offer a lot of features including a virus scanner, firewall, anti-ransomware, anti-spam, BankGuard, cloud backup, parental controls, and exploit protection.

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