F-Secure Antivirus Review 2025: Is It Worth the High Cost?

F-Secure is among the best antivirus programs you can buy, but it has some protection gaps. It doesn't include a proprietary firewall, which is surprising considering its price point. 

On the other hand, F-Secure often earns top marks from third-party testers like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives and from our in-house testing. We like that it maintains an up-to-date database of the current cyberthreats, so you can rest assured you're being protected from the latest malware and phishing threats around the clock. 

In our review, we'll cover our hands-on testing of F-Secure, its wide range of features, subscription plans, and more.

At a glance

Prices	$49.99–$84.99/yr
Free plan	No
# of devices protected	1 - 25
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled scans
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	No
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Extras	VPN, password manager, identity monitoring
24/7 customer support	Yes
Learn more	Get F-Secure

We last tested F-Secure on December 3, 2025.

Our experience

We tested F-Secure Total on our MacBook running macOS Tahoe. The download and setup was a breeze, with all important settings automatically enabled after download. 

The only active setup we needed to do was set up the Browsing Protection by F-Secure extension. This was displayed directly on our list of tasks, so it was easy to find the extension link and dismiss the tasks for browsers we don't use. 

Once the setup was complete, we went over to the Device Protection tab to start running scans. We were disappointed that the macOS program only has one scan type, listed as Virus and spyware scan. It's described as scanning the most vulnerable files. 

We ran this scan and it finished in about one minute. Unfortunately, it didn't find the malware dummy files we had downloaded prior to installing F-Secure. 

There was also no full scan we could test to see if F-Secure could find these files. We've tested the Windows program in the past, which includes more scan options, so this is limited to the macOS program. 

Overall, we found F-Secure to have an intuitive and user-friendly interface, so it's a great choice for anyone who needs easy-to-use antivirus software with all the bells and whistles. We'd recommend it for Windows users for the most comprehensive protection. 

Who is F-Secure best for?

• Recommended if you need a comprehensive, high-performing protection if budget isn't a concern.

F-Secure has two plan options: Internet Security and Total. F-Secure Internet Security provides antivirus protection and internet security, hence the name. 

But we think F-Secure Total is the better option due to its wide range of robust features for privacy and security. Some of these features include a virtual private network (VPN), a password manager, identity monitoring, and more. 

Parents who want to ensure their children are safe online will appreciate F-Secure's parental controls. With F-Secure, parents can filter unwanted content, including blocking inappropriate websites and apps on compatible computer devices, mobile phones, and tablets; it also lets you set screen time limits.

Gamers will also appreciate F-Secure's Gaming Mode feature, which prevents interruptions and reduces system resource usage, providing an optimized gaming experience by pausing scheduled scans from running in the background. 

However, F-Secure has a high starting price, so budget-conscious users may need to look elsewhere. 

F-Secure prices and subscriptions

F-Secure has two plan types that range from $49.99–$84.99/yr. You can also customize your pricing buy supporting one to 25 devices or selecting between one-year or two-year protection.

F-Secure Internet Security focuses on keeping your device protected from malware, phishing, fraud, and other cyberthreats. F-Secure Total enhances the Internet Security package by including other cybersecurity products like a VPN and a password manager. 

	F-Secure Internet Security	F-Secure Total
Price for first year	Starts at $49.99/yr	Starts at $69.99/yr
# of devices supported	1 - 25	1 - 25
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Firewall
Real-time protection
Ransomware protection
Parental controls
VPN
Password manager
Identity monitoring
Learn more	View plan	View plan

The starting cost of F-Secure is quite high compared with the starting plans of other antivirus programs:

• TotalAV Antivirus Pro: Starts at $19.00/first yr
• Norton Antivirus Plus: Starts at $29.99/first yr
• McAfee Essential: Starts at $39.99/first yr
• F-Secure Internet Security: Starts at $49.99/yr

F-Secure is a high performer, but it may be hard to justify the price when so many other products start for much lower. 

F-Secure security features

F-Secure offers comprehensive protection against a wide range of cyberthreats. It's always automatically scanning in the background, but you can also manually run quick scans and full scans. 

F-Secure can also scan USB storage devices, such as flash drives, and check whether any threats are present. (Excellent for spotting keyloggers!)

Its standout features include advanced parental controls, which enable parents to monitor and manage their children's online activity, and its Gaming Mode feature, which keeps gamers protected from malware threats on the web while ensuring performance isn’t compromised. 

Malware and antivirus scan

F-Secure Total provides a variety of scanning options, including quick and full scans. You can also scan USB storage devices. 

The scans we ran manually were quick and efficient. They also clearly provided the scan results along with options to clean or ignore the threats found. 

You can also schedule a scan directly from the settings. You can customize the frequency, the day, and the starting time.

We highly recommend performing a full scan periodically rather than relying on quick scans alone because quick scans may overlook hidden malware on your device.

Phishing protection

F-Secure has various settings dedicated to secure browsing that are all enabled with your download:

• Browsing Protection: Blocks you from accessing harmful websites
• Banking Protection: Activates when you access your bank's website or other online payment sites
• Trusted Shopping: Notifies you of any fake or untrustworthy sites while online shopping

F-Secure also has the Browsing Protection extension, which you can add to Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. It warns you if the website you're visiting is unsafe and it blocks ads. 

Firewall

F-Secure doesn't have a proprietary firewall; instead, it works with your operating system’s built-in firewall. It works seamlessly with Windows Defender Firewall, providing an extra layer of protection against network threats.

For example, Windows Defender Firewall monitors incoming and outgoing traffic on your device and allows you to set up and configure controls to block any unwanted IPs and ports. 

Additionally, the firewall alerts you with a pop-up notification when it detects suspicious activity so that you can take action accordingly. 

Real-time protection

Real-time protection is provided for web browsing, emails, and apps, thanks to its advanced malware detection and removal capabilities. 

Additionally, F-Secure's proprietary security cloud stores malware and other cyberthreat data. Data analysis of these cyberthreats is refined by AI, algorithms, and machine learning. And it’s combined with the help of humans who report new threats in real time around the world. 

Ransomware protection

F-Secure's Ransomware Protection monitors folders and blocks any suspicious activity. There's also the DeepGuard feature, which monitors installed applications and prevents suspicious applications from accessing the internet without your permission. 

DeepGuard can block new and undiscovered threats such as malware, exploits, and other harmful applications that try to make changes to your computer. 

It also prevents suspicious applications from accessing the internet, which is excellent for preventing malicious actors from remotely using your device for nefarious reasons such as fraudulent online banking transactions or botnet-driven DDoS attacks.

Anti-fraud protection

F-Secure Banking Protection protects your device while making banking transactions online. It automatically launches a secured browser when you navigate to a banking site, which isolates the banking session from the rest of your online activity. 

It also blocks attempts by malicious actors to intercept the session or steal sensitive data and clears any data on the clipboard after a banking session is completed.

Bonus features

In addition to its antivirus protection, F-Secure Total comes with bonus features for privacy and identity protection.

Privacy features:

• Privacy VPN: Can be used to browse the web securely and anonymously
• Kill switch: Stops data traffic from bypassing the VPN
  
• Tracking prevention: Prevents ad trackers from building a profile of you

Identity protection features:

• ID monitoring: Scans the dark web for your driver’s license, Social Security number, email, and more
• Password Vault: Creates strong and unique passwords to sync across devices
  

F-Secure test results

The antivirus programs we review undergo three categories of testing:

• Scan efficiency: Do the antivirus scans detect existing cyberthreats on your device?
• EICAR tests: Can the antivirus protect from cyberthreat test files?
• Third-party test reviews: How has the antivirus performed during third-party testing?

F-Secure passed all three types with ease. Our virus scans were fast and efficient. It passed all three EICAR tests we threw at it. And it has high scores from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. 

Scan efficiency

• Result: Found no EICAR files

Prior to installing F-Secure, we downloaded several malware dummy files and spread them across our laptop. Then, we ran F-Secure's Virus and spyware scan to determine if it could detect these preexisting "malware" files. 

	Virus and spyware scan
Time spent	1 minute
# of files scanned	76,793
Did it find EICAR files?	No EICAR files found

F-Secure's quick scan was complete in under one minute, which is in the sweet spot of under one minute for quick scans. However, F-Secure detected zero threats on our device. 

Unfortunately, F-Secure's macOS program only has one scan type, so we couldn't determine if the full scan would've detected these files. 

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

We conduct in-house antivirus testing using test files developed by the European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research, also known as EICAR. It has an extensive library of cyberthreat test files to test for capabilities like malware detection, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing page detection.

Test	F-Secure score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Pass

F-Secure blocked the malware detection and drive-by malware download files. And unlike previous tests, F-Secure blocked us from accessing the phishing test site, so it passed all three tests with ease.

AV-TEST results

• Result: F-Secure's Windows and Android app had perfect results, but the macOS app struggled with performance

AV-TEST is an independent organization that evaluates the performance of antivirus software. The criteria tested were malware protection, impact on device performance, and ability to detect true cyberthreats (referred to as usability). 

Test type	Windows score	macOS score	Android 12 score
Protection	6/6	6/6	6/6
Performance	6/6	4.5/6	6/6
Usability	6/6	6/6	6/6
Total	18/18	16.5/18	18/18
Date	October 2025	September 2025	September 2025
Link to test	Link	Link	Link

F-Secure earned perfect scores for its Windows and Android programs. It also received the maximum amount of points for protection and usability on its macOS program.

However, the macOS program struggled with the performance tests. It had a 67% average influence on computer speeds while launching standard software, and the industry average was only 14%. 

It also had a 70% average influence on computer speeds while installing frequently used apps, and the industry average was only 26%. F-Secure's macOS program has received the same performance score over the last three AV-TEST cycles, so we're not confident that improvements will be made to fix this.

AV-Comparatives results

• Result: F-Secure earned top protection scores but struggled with performance impact test

AV-Comparatives is another independent organization that's dedicated to testing security software. For desktop programs, it compares programs based on their real-world protection rates, malware protection rates, and performance impact. It also compares antivirus apps for their mobile security. 

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)	macOS security
Score	99.9%	99.1%	99.99%	28.5	99.8%
Platform	Android	Windows	Windows	Windows	macOS
Date	July 2019	July - October 2025	September 2025	September 2025	June 2019
Link	Link	Link	Link	Link	Link

F-Secure received top marks for real-world protection and malware protection. It received the fourth best score for real-world protection, tying with Bitdefender and Microsoft Defender. Avast, AVG, and Norton all received the top score of 100%. 

It also came in second place for malware protection, having tied with Avira, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and more. The top score was 100%, so F-Secure wasn't far behind. 

However, F-Secure struggled with the performance testing, coming in 17th out of 18 for performance impact. For reference, the lowest impact score was Kaspersky's 3.0.

Finally, F-Secure received a 99.9% protection rate on Android and a 99.8% on macOS. For both devices, the most recent results are from 2019, which are several years out of date. But this shouldn't be a cause for concern because most antivirus software focus on submitting their Windows programs for testing. 

SE Labs results

• Result: 99%

SE Labs is the final organization we refer to for antivirus testing. It calculates protection accuracy ratings against general and targeted attacks and its legimate accuracy rating based on false positives detected. The total accuracy rating is based on these two scores. 

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Protection accuracy rating	98%
Legitimate accuracy rating	100%
Total accuracy rating	99%
Date	2021 Q4
Link	Link

F-Secure was a top performer with SE Labs. It received a 99% protection score, having defended against 100% of general attacks and 96% of targeted attacks. It also had zero false positives. 

Note that these are the most outdated F-Secure results, so the other third-party results are likely more accurate.

F-Secure compatibility

When it comes to compatibility, F-Secure Total has got you covered. This antivirus is designed to work on a variety of devices and platforms, so you can keep your data and devices protected no matter what you're using. 

Here are the platforms and devices that F-Secure works on:

• Windows 10 and 11
• macOS 12 (Monterey) or newer
• iOS 17.0 or newer
• Android 10.0 or newer

Browsing Protection by F-Secure is available on the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

F-Secure customer support

To reach a support agent, you can either call F-Secure support or use the live chat on its website. Live chat is available 24/7, while phone support is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. It’s also available in other countries in Asia, Europe, and the U.K. with their own hours and phone numbers.

Live chat was easy to use and quick to respond. We were asking our agent about specific features, and they were clear in their answers. 

If you prefer self-help, F-Secure’s website has a collection of support articles available in multiple languages (mainly European and some Asian).  There's also a community forum where you can ask questions and get help from other users. 

Top alternatives

F-Secure is a top-notch antivirus, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. We've compiled the following recommendations if F-Secure isn't right for you:  

FAQs

Bottom line: Is F-Secure good?

F-Secure is an above-average antivirus. We liked that it offers robust antivirus protection plus additional features like banking protection, a VPN, a password manager, identity monitoring, and more. 

Plus, it's great for parents who want to keep their children safe online with its parental control features and for users who want to game safely without slow performance with its Gaming Mode feature.

But it's not the most budget-friendly option out there either, especially because it doesn't have a firewall. 

Overall, we recommend F-Secure Total to anyone looking for robust antivirus protection with additional features that keep their devices and online activity secure, but we think there are better options for less elsewhere, such as our recommended alternatives.