Kaspersky Antivirus Review 2024: Is This Russian-Based Software Safe?

Discover the pros and cons of Russian-based Kaspersky and see if it’s worth the hype or a major security risk.
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4.1
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Kaspersky's website

Antivirus Software
Kaspersky
  • Competitive introductory price
  • Unique features such as an on-screen keyboard
  • Unclear data sharing practices

Kaspersky is no longer available for sale to U.S. consumers due to its ties to Russia. Here are the best alternatives to keep you safe if you're in the states.

Kaspersky is a good antivirus product with a troubled history. It has always rated highly on independent test results, and our own hands-on testing has found that its one of the best antivirus options when it comes to effective virus detection. 

Unfortunately, Kaspersky was named a threat to national security because of its ties to Russia, ultimately leading to it being completely banned from sale in the United States starting September 2024. In response, Kaspersky holds that the decision was made purely for political reasons rather than anything to do with the product itself.[1] 

Despite the high-stakes drama, we took a deep look into the infamous antivirus software to see how well it performs for people living outside the U.S.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Lots of reporting data
  • Packed with additional features
  • Unique features such as an on-screen keyboard
Cons
  • Fewer features on Apple devices (macOS and iOS)
  • Unavailable to U.S. residents
In this article
Overview
Our experience
Who is Kaspersky best for?
Cost
Features
Test results
Compatibility
Customer support
Alternatives
FAQs
Bottom line: Is Kaspersky good?

Kaspersky antivirus overview

Price $27.99–$38.99/first yr
Free plan Yes
# of devices protected 1 - 10
Malware scans Manual and scheduled
EICAR test results 3/3
Firewall Windows only
Phishing protection Partial — no Safari support
Compatibility Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Extras Ad blocker, VPN, password manager, parental controls, Web cam and mic blocking, performance optimization, data leak checker, private browsing, safe money, secret vault, file shredder, Wi-Fi safety
24/7 customer support Yes — Premium plan only

How we test and rate antivirus software

We use our proprietary grading rubric in all of our testing, which considers ease-of-use, third-party testing scores, internal testing scores, price, compatibility, and features offered, among other metrics. 

This means that our testing process is designed to ensure that the product isn't too confusing, protects as it claims, and offers you a lot for a reasonable price. We download and run each program on our own computers on home networks, just like you would. Our ratings reflect the real-world performance of the antivirus product. This ensures that we can recreate a similar experience for you and give our best advice on whether or not it's worthwhile.

To learn more about how we test, check out our full antivirus testing methodology here.

Our experience testing Kaspersky

We tested Kaspersky on a Windows laptop based in Canada. We were impressed by the sheer amount of features the Premium tier included and found that everything worked as advertised.

We were able to get the app installed and set up with no issues. The user interface was sleek, but there's a lot of information to take in so it may take some time to get used to it. 

Kaspersky dashboard

We started with a quick scan and were happy to see it only took a couple minutes. The full scan took almost half an hour, but was able to find some fake virus files we hid on the computer, which is a good sign. Kaspersky automatically removed the offending files, but you can toggle manual threat management off or on if you’d rather isolate and delete the files yourself.

While running the scan, we didn’t notice any slowdown of normal usage on our computer. You also have a bunch of advanced settings you can play with to zero in on the type of files and locations you want to scan.

Types of Kaspersky scans

On top of the scans, Kaspersky boasts some impressive features. The web plugin reports on blocked trackers. It also provides a separate keyboard to avoid keylogging and has a section specifically for financial transactions.

Kaspersky also kept us on top of various security issues on our computer. This included letting us know when a new device connected to our Wi-Fi:

Kaspersky new device on Wi-Fi

It also detects if an app is accessing your webcam, which can do wonders for your peace of mind. Unfortunately it kept telling us that Google Chrome was accessing our webcam, which according to forum users is because Chrome will periodically check if it can still access it. 

Kaspersky webcam access

One thing to note is the PC version has many more features than the Mac version. Mac users will find they get much less bang for their buck. In our initial tests on a Macbook, the scans all worked well, but the extra features were either tedious to set up or just not available.

Overall, we found Kaspersky has a clean, user-friendly interface and relatively straightforward controls. If the security woes aren’t a concern, Kaspersky is an easy and affordable solution for someone looking for enhanced web monitoring. 

Who is Kaspersky best for?

  • Recommended for PC users who want excellent protection proven by AV-TEST results but also understand the controversy over the country of origin of the product.

If you're outside of the United States and aren't worried about potential Russian intervention, then Kaspersky is one of the best antivirus you can get. It blows independent tests out of the water, provides more extra features than you can dream of, and does it all swiftly and efficiently.

But if you're a Mac user, be prepared for less fancy features. And if you're in the United States, well...plan to find an alternative.

Kaspersky cost

Kaspersky offers three products for home users: Standard, Plus, and Premium. Standard price starting at $27.99/first yr, Plus starting at $33.99/first yr, and Premium starting at $38.99/first yr. The renewal price is subject to change. 

Kaspersky’s pricing is on par with other products offering similar features, such as Norton 360 ($29.99–$99.99/first yr), McAfee ($29.99–$249.99/yr), and Bitdefender (Free–$40.99/first yr).

Kaspersky Standard Kaspersky Plus Kaspersky Premium
Price for first year $27.99/first yr $33.99/first yr $38.99/first yr
# devices supported 1, 3, or 5 1, 3, or 5 1, 3, 5, or 10
Compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS Windows, macOS, Android, iOS Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Manual and auto scan
Real-time protection
Online banking protection
Phishing protection
Firewall
Ransomware protection
Performance optimization tools
VPN
Password manager
Identity theft protection
Parental controls
Details Learn More Learn More Learn More

Kaspersky offers a free product that will scan your machine. It also offers a 30-day trial and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Kaspersky antivirus features

The best features of the Kaspersky Standard antivirus product are the web monitoring and scanning features:

  • Web antivirus
  • Web tracking
  • Online banking protection
  • URL advisor
  • On-screen keyboard
  • Full scan
  • Quick scan
  • Scheduled scan

Malware and antivirus scan

Kaspersky offers both manual and automatic scanning features. You can do a full or quick scan at any time. There is also the option to schedule a scan. Running a full scan while still using your device doesn’t seem to be a problem.

The full scan took about 30 minutes. The product app on the desktop showed percentage progression and gave an estimated remaining scan time. The estimated scan time wasn’t accurate, as most aren’t, and changed as the percentage of scan progressed.

Kaspersky full scan ongoing

The quick scan took less than 20 seconds.

Neither scan was difficult to perform. The control panel has easy-to-use buttons and displays all the information necessary.

You can also create scheduled scans so you don't have to remember to manually scan your computer every day. Kaspersky gave you lots of options for setting up a schedule, including running one every minute — likely useful if you're doing something you feel is high risk.

Kaspersky scheduled scan options

Phishing protection

Kaspersky boasts anti-phishing and anti-spam features. It seems, however, that these features are exclusively for the Windows product. If you’re using a Mac, Kaspersky has plenty of features for privacy, but setting up phishing and spam protection doesn’t seem to be part of those options.

One of the features that helps you stay safe from phishing is private browsing, which also comes with a tracker in the app to show you how many data-gathering attempts were blocked by Kaspersky:

Kaspersky private browsing

Firewall

Kaspersky does boast a firewall feature, which helps prevent unauthorized access to your computer from over the internet. Though this comes standard with most computers these days, having a dedicated firewall from an antivirus can help you feel even safer.

You have plenty of options with Kaspersky, letting you customize what apps you want to block or allow.

Kaspersky firewall settings

Real-time protection

The real-time protection Kaspersky offers is one of the best aspects of the product.

As you navigate the internet, there are real-time scanners looking at the web traffic crossing your machine. This is the best way for Kaspersky to pick up any malware or malicious code that may be trying to steal your information.

The real-time protection provided by the extension did block a lot of tracking cookies from logging our information on both the spammy site and when we logged into our Gmail account.

Ransomware protection

The main goal of every antivirus product is malware protection. Ransomware is a form of malware that takes your files hostage and only releases them when you agree to pay the ransom.

Kaspersky protects you against these with its feature called System Watcher, which also protects against other exploits like cryptojacking.

It'll help you rollback your system if needed and detects screen lockers before they can lock you out of your computer.

Kaspersky System Watcher

Online banking protection

Part of the browser extension for Kaspersky is dedicated to financial security. The online banking protection is meant to guard your data while visiting websites that collect and use financial information, like your mobile bank site or an online retailer.

This feature is called Safe Money and allows you to open money-related websites in a protected browser and use extra tools like an on-screen keyboard to keep your information safe from things like keylogging.

Kaspersky Safe Money

Bonus features

Some of the other notable features available on Kaspersky products:

  • Kaspersky VPN: The virtual private network (VPN) wasn’t included with Kaspersky Standard but was available for purchase in our account dashboard. It’s included with Plus and Premium subscriptions.
  • Password manager: The Kaspersky password manager feature wasn’t included in the Standard package. It does come included on the Plus and Premium subscriptions.
  • Device optimization tools: Device optimization tools seem to only be offered on the Windows product, but they do come included with all paid versions of Kaspersky.
  • Online banking protection: Not available on Safari. Available on all paid versions of Kaspersky when using Windows, Chrome, Yandex, or Firefox.
  • Kaspersky Safe Kids: Parental controls app. Premium subscriptions come with one year free to try it out.

On-screen keyboard

Keyloggers are hackers that use man-in-the-middle attacks to steal login credentials. Having an on-screen keyboard can circumvent this attempt and add an extra layer of security to browsing sessions.

The downside to the on-screen keyboard is that you have to use your mouse to click the keys, which is the entire point. Obviously, if you use your keyboard, the security feature would be moot. That’s an acceptable inconvenience.

We used Kaspersky's on-screen keyboard to create a new Gmail account and prevent keyloggers from tracking our keystrokes.

Webcam protection

One of the best features. It allows you to turn off access to your webcam. Even if you do manage to pick up a form of spyware that hacks your camera, this program blocks access.

Ad blocker

The ad blocker feature stops annoying pop-ups as well as ads that may contain malware or spyware for enhanced privacy protection.

Kaspersky test results

We put every antivirus product to the test by performing independent, in-house tests as well as relying on third-party test results to confirm our findings.

Scan speed

  • Result: Average

While scan effectiveness is more important than speed, we believe that scans that take hours are less likely to be used.

We've seen scans take nothing more than a few seconds, while others have taken more than 6 hours. Kaspersky was a nice middle ground.

Scan type Time spent
Quick scan 4 minutes and 13 seconds
Full scan
28 minutes and 46 seconds

EICAR test results

  • Result: 3/3

European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research (EICAR) is a trusted research group that developed testing tools for consumers to make sure their antivirus products were working as intended. These tools include files that are disguised as malware so you can try to download them without actually risking your computer's health.

As part of our tests, we attempt to download fake malware files in two different ways: pressing a button to download or just visiting a page that automatically starts a download.

In both cases, Kaspersky blocked the download before it even started, keeping our system completely clear of it. Some other antivirus software only quarantines the file once it's already downloaded to the system, so we were pleased with Kaspersky's more proactive approach.

Kaspersky blocking EICAR test fiel

Finally, we also visit a webpage that acts as if it were attempting to steal our information in a phishing attempt. Kaspersky blocked our access to this website as well, even before we downloaded the associated browser extension (a first for us).

Kaspersky blocking phishing site

Test Score
Malware detection Pass
Drive-by malware downloads Pass
Phishing pages detection Pass

Test results as of 10/07/2024.

AV-TEST results

  • Result: Perfect scores across the board

AV-TEST is an independent researcher that tests cybersecurity products based on industry standards. The rating system is between 0 and 6 with 6 being the highest score.

AV-TEST puts all products through rigorous testing and is the most trusted source for independent testing for security products. Kaspersky regularly scores perfect or near perfect with each of its offerings when it comes to protection. Here's how it did on the summer 2024 rounds of testing:

Test type Windows score macOS score Android score
Protection 6/6 6/6 6/6
Performance 6/6 6/6 6/6
Usability 6/6 6/6 6/6
Date August 2024 June 2024 July 2024
Link to test Link Link Link

AV-Comparatives test results

  • Result: High scores across the board

AV-Comparatives is another trusted third-party antivirus tester, similar to AV-TEST. Kaspersky has also performed well on these tests historically.

Test type Mobile security Real-world protection Malware protection Performance impact (Lower is better)
Score 99.9% 98.7% 99.9% 4.1
Platform Android Windows Windows Windows
Date May 2024 July - August 2024 March 2024 April 2024
Link Link Link Link Link

The best part about AV-Comparatives is it makes it easy to compare how each antivirus does in comparison to its competition. Here's how the above results did in context:

  • Mobile security: Tied for first with Avast, AVG, and Bitdefender. All four had zero false positives, where Google had 10.
  • Real-world protection: Came in second place after a group of antivirus that took first with a higher score of 99.6%. Kaspersky found one false positive this round.
  • Malware protection: Came in seventh place with 10 failed blocks. First place was a tie between F-Secure and Norton, which both had a score of 99.97% and only failed three blocks.
  • Performance impact: Coming in second place out of 16 different antivirus. First place was McAfee with a 2.8 score, but third place was much worse than Kaspersky (ESET with a score that's more than double Kaspersky's — 8.3).

SE Labs results

  • Result: 100%

Finally, SE Labs runs quarterly antivirus tests for both the consumer and corporate use.

Kaspersky tied for first place alongside Avast, McAfee, Microsoft Defender, and Sophos, all of which got perfect 100% scores across the board.

Test type Home Anti-Malware Protection
Total accuracy rating 100%
Date 2024 Q2
Link Link

Kaspersky compatibility

There’s a significant difference in functionality between operating systems and devices for the Kaspersky product. But Kaspersky claims compatibility with the following:

  • Microsoft Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, and 7
  • macOS versions 11-14
  • Android tablets and smartphones running versions 8-14
  • iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) running versions 15-17

Kaspersky customer support

Kaspersky provides multiple types of support for its product. The most available is the online help library which is organized by feature. The library includes FAQs and common fixes.

We tried out the chatbot and live chat feature on Kaspersky's support site.

There’s also a chatbot on the page. The chatbot comes with preloaded topics for the most common issues. The chat also begins by letting you know you can easily reach Kaspersky support by phone and provides the phone number.

The phone support rep was empathetic, knowledgeable, and willing to help when she didn’t know the answer. I called regarding the firewall for Mac and the entire exchange took about 15 minutes. The representative did put me on hold, but that was so she could thoroughly answer my question and make sure I had all the information on the firewall feature.

If you want 24/7 device support you’ll need to purchase the premium version.

Top alternatives

There are other products out there that cost similar amounts and offer similar features without the potential for handing over your data to foreign governments. If you're not sold on Kaspersky, here are some alternative antivirus programs to check out:

Antivirus
Best for Best overall antivirus software All-in-one software Comprehensive security Best value
Starting price $29.00/yr (first year only) $35.99/first yr $29.99/first yr $3.19/mo (billed annually)
Features Zero-day scans, anti-phishing, ransomware protection, password manager, ad blocker, TotalVPN Antivirus protection, VPN, password manager, security for multiple devices Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, cloud backup, password manager, Norton Secure VPN Antivirus protection, Surfshark VPN, private search engine, data leak alerts, ad blocker
Learn more Get TotalAV Get Aura Get Norton360 Antivirus Get Surfshark Antivirus

FAQs


+

Should I delete Kaspersky?

Maybe. If you don’t like the amount of data collection, especially regarding your browsing activity, then yes.


+

Is Kaspersky better than McAfee?

No. McAfee and Kaspersky have many of the same features, but McAfee hasn’t been named a national security threat by the FCC.


+

Is Norton better than Kaspersky?

Yes. Norton has been around longer and has better detection rates and value for money.


+

Is Avast or Kaspersky better?

Kaspersky offers better value for money, but Avast doesn’t come with potential security threats.


+

Will Kaspersky remove existing viruses?

Yes, Kaspersky's scan and clean feature will detect computer viruses and remove existing viruses.

Bottom line: Is Kaspersky good?

Is Kaspersky good at what it does? If you’re running Windows systems then yes. It’s consistently rated high. But running it on a macOS is a complicated process that left this seasoned cybersecurity expert frustrated and annoyed.

Unfortunately, we can’t recommend using Kaspersky because of the potential national security threat.

Curious how Kaspersky stands up against other top antivirus products available? Check out our in-depth comparisons:

4.1
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Kaspersky's website
Antivirus Software
Kaspersky
  • Competitive introductory price
  • Unique features such as an on-screen keyboard
  • Unclear data sharing practices
Author Details
Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.
Kalleigh Lane is a passionate digital security advocate and the Lead Editor at All About Cookies. After completing her Master of Arts in English Literature, Kalleigh has gained over 5 years of editing and writing experience in the fields of cybersecurity, tech, and finance. She has been featured in major media outlets such as The Globe and Mail and CTV News, emerging as an advocate for digital security.

Citations

[1] Kaspersky Statement on the FCC Public Notice

[2] Test Kaspersky Internet Security 21.3 for Windows 10

[3] Test Kaspersky Plus 23.0 for MacOS Ventura

[4] Test Kaspersky Plus for Android 11.95 for Android