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Best for families
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Backed by a 100% Virus Protection Promise
Tested protection against hackers, viruses, malware, and ransomware
Includes VPN, parental controls, and more
Best for individuals
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Anti-ransomware, spyware, adware, worms, Trojan, and rootkits protection
Real-time protection scans, phishing and scam site prevention, and ability to quickly isolate dangerous files
Choice between 3 plans, all of which include a VPN, Safe Browsing, and 24/7 customer support
With two industry leaders, Norton wins this head-to-head matchup. Norton has more features that families will find useful. Aura, on the other hand, is a reasonably priced choice for individuals seeking antivirus protection with a range of additional features, like a password manager, ad blocker, and VPN, to name a few.
We’ve broken down the features included with each and placed these two side by side so you can decide for yourself which one deserves your business.
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Our Pick
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| Star rating | ||
| Starting price | Starts at $29.99/first yr | $35.99/first yr |
| Max number of protected devices | Up to Unlimited (with LifeLock Ultimate Plus only) | Up to 10 |
| Malware scans | Manual and scheduled | Manual |
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android |
| Learn more | Get Norton | Get Aura Antivirus |
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.
Norton has a full suite of comprehensive safety features, including its password manager. The software has both automatic and manual malware scans and includes cloud backup storage. With a variety of plans, Norton offers a vast range of coverage.
Aura is a powerful player in the AV space, with three types of malware scans: full, quick, and custom. It packs in a bunch of extras, like its ad blocker and identity protection, to offer well-rounded protection.
Aura is the best value since it has very similar features to Norton but offers better prices.
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Our Pick
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| Price range | $29.99–$299.99/first yr | $35.99-$59.99/first yr |
| Best value plan | Select plan for $99.99/first yr | Antivirus Plus plan for $47.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days | Yes — 60 days |
| Learn more | Get Norton | Get Aura Antivirus |
Aura and Norton do differ in price. Norton can get pretty expensive, especially as you go up in tiers, while Aura stays reasonable. Norton does offer a few more features than Aura, but they’re mostly useful for families.
Individuals, especially those on a budget, could benefit from Aura’s pricing and offerings. Even the top-tier Aura antivirus plan is within most budgets for people looking for antivirus options with more features. Overall, Aura is less expensive for a single person or a couple than Norton.
| Feature |
Our Pick
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| Manual and scheduled scans | ||
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Firewall | ||
| Device optimization tools | ||
| Parental controls | ||
| Password manager | ||
| VPN | ||
| Ad blocker | ||
| Learn more | Get Norton | Get Aura Antivirus |
The biggest difference between Norton and Aura is that Norton 360 can include Norton Family parental controls. Aura Parental Controls are not included with the standalone antivirus plans, but they are bundled as part of Aura Family (the identity theft plans).
Learn more in our Norton Family vs. Aura Parental Controls review.
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Aura Antivirus includes an ad blocker and phishing protection, making it geared more toward individual consumers who are price-minded.
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Third-party testing is important to make sure that antivirus scans do what they claim. Independent third-party sites like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives run a variety of tests to verify that no viruses get through, the antivirus doesn’t slow down your device, and no false positives are flagged.
These tests are voluntary, and cybersecurity companies can choose to submit products to these sites for testing. A lack of results doesn’t mean the product isn’t effective; it just means it hasn’t been submitted for a test.
| Feature |
Our Pick
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| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 | N/A |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 | N/A |
| AV-TEST Android score | 17/18 | N/A |
| EICAR results | 3/3 | 2/3 |
| Learn more | Get Norton | Get Aura Antivirus |
Unfortunately, test results are one-sided because Aura hasn’t submitted its products for third-party testing through AV-TEST. Undergoing independent testing is optional, but it does help consumers determine a service’s reliability. However, our in-house testing reveals that Norton still outperforms Aura in blocking phishing and malicious sites.
| Feature |
Our Pick
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| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge | Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Live chat, phone, forums, online guides, social media | Live chat and online guides |
| Learn more | Get Norton | Get Aura Antivirus |
Norton and Aura both offer varied compatibility with different operating systems. Norton offers antivirus software for iOS users, while Aura doesn’t. Whether or not iOS compatibility is necessary is debatable, but it’s always good to have the option if there’s a need for it.
We found both Norton and Aura to be extremely user-friendly. Since Norton does have a comprehensive dashboard, you’ll need to navigate a few tabs if you’re using more than one Norton product. Aura’s features are all found in the different sections of its dashboard. Both Norton and Aura are great for first-time as well as seasoned users.
Norton offers more customer support avenues than Aura does. Both have 24/7 support, live chat, and online guides, but Norton also allows you to contact support via phone and social media.
This is partly why Norton costs so much more. We’ve noticed that many support options are usually available in higher-priced products.
If you’re looking for the best antivirus software and neither Norton nor Aura fits your needs, we recommend TotalAV or McAfee. TotalAV offers a budget-friendly suite, whereas McAfee offers true unlimited device protection across plans. Here's how Norton compares:
| Antivirus |  TotalAV |
 McAfee |
 Norton 360 |
| Star rating | |||
| Price | $19.00–$49.00/first yr | $29.99–$249.99/yr | $29.99–$299.99/first yr |
| # of devices protected | 4 - 8 | Unlimited | 1 - 10 |
| Real-time protection | |||
| Malware scans | Manual and scheduled | Manual and scheduled | Manual and scheduled |
| Firewall | |||
| EICAR test results | 2/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Phishing protection | |||
| Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Opera | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Extras | Password manager, ad blocker, VPN | Parental controls, performance optimization tools, VPN | Password manager, VPN, dark web monitoring, parental controls, privacy monitor, identity theft protection, cloud backup |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get McAfee | Get Norton 360 |
There are a variety of antivirus programs that are comparable to Norton. If you’re looking for something with better protection scores, McAfee and Bitdefender usually receives perfect or near-perfect scores.
If you’re budget conscious, there are several services that offer top protection for a lower price. AVG and Avast both offer a variety of features as well as more affordable pricing tiers. As long as you go with a highly rated antivirus, you’ll have top-of-the-line coverage.
Yes, Aura Antivirus is good. It’s reputable and has great reviews.
Aura as a brand has consistently produced secure products that help safeguard you online. We would be comfortable using Aura antivirus, and we feel comfortable recommending it to you.
Norton’s main disadvantage is its cost. It’s expensive to begin with, and then there may be a price increase on renewal. It’s our biggest complaint about the service because otherwise, it’s top of the line.
Aura has a user-friendly interface and has shown in our testing to be secure.
However, it might not have everything you want in an antivirus, since it’s missing a firewall and device optimization tools. If you want those features, then another service like Norton 360 might be worth checking out.
Norton is the overall winner based on demonstrated performance, usability, and protection. Although Norton is priced higher than Aura Antivirus, it regularly submits to independent testing and achieves top scores, proving that Norton is still a leader in online security.
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Backed by a 100% Virus Protection Promise
Tested protection against hackers, viruses, malware, and ransomware
Includes VPN, parental controls, and more
We think Norton is better for families because you can easily get a bundle that includes Norton Family, excellent parental controls that we've also tested and highly recommend. You also get more bells and whistles typical of antivirus software like device optimization tools and a firewall, which Aura Antivirus doesn't offer.
Real-time protection from viruses, malware, and malicious websites
Includes the #1 ad blocker and also monitors for data breaches
Comes with a full suite of performance optimization tools to keep your device fast
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