Sophos Antivirus Review 2024: Is It Worth the Premium?

Sophos is an effective antivirus program but it has some strange gaps in protection. There's a firewall, but you'll need to install it on a separate device. It also failed our phishing detection test despite having a web protection feature. 

When purchasing Sophos, you should also be prepared to pay more for it. Its starting price is significantly more expensive than budget-friendly options like TotalAV and Bitdefender.

Keep reading to learn whether Sophos is the best antivirus software for you.

Sophos antivirus overview

Price	$44.99–$104.99
Free plan	No
# of devices protected	10
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	2/3
Firewall	Yes, but requires a dedicated device
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Chromebook, Android, iOS
Extras	Safe banking tools
24/7 support	No
Learn more	Get Sophos Antivirus

Our Sophos antivirus experience

Our experience with Sophos was fine but there were some elements we weren't thrilled about. 

The scan function was a bit confusing at first. We tried to find a quick scan option on the dashboard but there was no sign of it. After perusing the support center, it seems like it's only available for Macs.

The full scan we conducted was quick, taking under 10 minutes. It didn't interfere with our browsing and there were no false positives detected. Only the malware test files appeared on our scan report.

We did feel the interface was a little lackluster, as we needed to access the Sophos website each time we wanted to schedule a scan or check the settings. Pretty much the only action you can take from the main dashboard is running a full scan.

We also needed to log in to our Windows device whenever we wanted to switch over to the Sophos website, which became annoying.

Sophos isn’t overly complicated, but some of us like the efficiency of a native control panel that doesn’t rely on cloud services.

Who is Sophos antivirus best for?

• Anyone who needs antivirus protection for multiple devices.

We recommend Sophos Home Premium antivirus for someone who doesn’t mind spending a little more to get a good value for the money. It’s great for when you have multiple devices you need to protect from hackers and malware, as one license covers up to 10 computers. As for iOS and Android, it covers an unlimited number of phones and tablets. 

All your Sophos settings are online, so if you travel or move, you can still update your antivirus wherever you go. You can even use the website control panel to run a scan on your device as long as it’s turned on. 

That may not be for everyone, though. If you like the ease of use that comes with having a control panel on your machine and not online, Sophos might not be for you.

Sophos antivirus cost

Sophos's price ranges from 10. It offers the same features across all of its plans, the only difference is how many years you need the subscription. 

If you don’t want to commit to several years using Sophos, you can opt for the one-year plan for $44.99/yr. If you love the software and want to get more of a long-term bargain, you can get a two- or three-year subscription. You’ll save about $5.00 to $10.00 by getting an extended plan.

Sophos is expensive compared to other antivirus programs we've reviewed, especially when we consider the additional features. 

• TotalAV: $29.00/yr (first year only)
• Norton: $29.99/yr (first year only)
  
• Sophos: $44.99/yr

The starting TotalAV plan includes extras like an ad blocker and performance optimization tools. The starting Norton plan includes cloud backup and a password manager. 

However, Sophos takes the lead for covering 10 computers, while TotalAV only covers four devices and Norton only covers one with their starting plans.

	Home Security
Price per year	$44.99/yr
# devices supported	10
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Firewall*
Real-time protection
Ransomware protection
Parental controls
Performance optimization tools
VPN

Sophos antivirus features

Sophos offers crucial antivirus features like ransomware protection, webcam protection, and web protection. With web filtering, you can tailor your browser settings to block or allow specific categories on the internet. That can help keep inappropriate sites from appearing in searches.

We did feel the scanning functionality was a bit lacking. There's no obvious quick scan and it's not available for Windows. instead, the Sophos version of a quick scan requires you to click the Start Scan button and not check the box for the Full Scan.

The settings for this antivirus are all found on the Sophos website. That could be good for people who travel or move, but not everyone will like not having a native control panel built into the antivirus software.

Malware and antivirus scan

Sophos comes with a system scanner that checks for malware, spyware, Trojans, and viruses. Sophos doesn’t have a quick scan button like other antivirus software, but it does still offer that feature for macOS.

When you click to start a scan from the taskbar, you must remember not to check the box for the full scan. We didn’t see this option when starting a scan from the online user interface, however.

To schedule a scan, you'll need to navigate to the Sophos web dashboard. Select Protection < General, then toggle on Scheduled Scan to set a time.

According to the support site, Sophos offers real-time protection, so there’s no need to run a full scan in most cases.

Phishing protection

Sophos helps guard against malicious websites and pop-ups by using real-time threat detection. Rather than notifying you about a threat, the software takes action to neutralize it. 

You can also block websites by category. That helps prevent vulnerable users from getting hit by a phishing attack if they’re more susceptible to clicking on a malicious link. We think this could be especially valuable for homes with multiple users or those with children.

Sophos also comes with a website blocker that keeps you from getting hit by websites known for phishing attacks. To be safe, we turned on everything under Web Protection. SophosLabs maintains a database of known malicious websites that have been tracked and uses that system to block dangerous attacks.

Firewall

Sophos does include a free home firewall, but it requires a dedicated device to run. The firewall offers complete home protection for your network and includes features such as traffic shaping that prioritizes internet traffic to give you better bandwidth. You can also monitor family internet browsing and set up an ad blocker within the firewall.

The downside to the firewall is it has a separate operating system. If you download it, the firewall software overwrites all data on the device where it’s installed. For this reason, Sophos recommends a dedicated computer for the firewall. If you don’t have a machine to spare, you’re out of luck and won’t have use of an included firewall.

Real-time protection

You get real-time antivirus protection with Sophos antivirus, which we think is needed for any decent antivirus product. It works in the background and looks for suspicious activities on your device.

When you access a file, the real-time protection feature automatically scans it. It was easy to turn on this option by going to the settings dashboard and accessing the Protection tab. Real-Time Protection is the first option underneath.

Ransomware protection

Sophos blocks ransomware attacks and reverses data tampering by rolling back all the changes made. That’s one of the features that stands out because not all antivirus products do this.

It’s easy to use ransomware protection, as it's underneath the Protection tab and there’s only one option. Once Ransomware Protection and Master Boot Record Protection are toggled on, you’re protected.

Bonus features

Sophos offers website exceptions. If there are websites you don’t want your antivirus to block, you can list them to be excluded. That may save you some time in the future.

You also get a few other features that don’t always come with antivirus software:

• Webcam protection to alert you of unwanted webcam use
• Categorized website filtering
• Safe banking tools to protect your browser

Sophos antivirus test results

We conduct a series of tests on the antivirus programs we review. First, we run the available scan types to see how long they take and if they affect our device performance. Then, we conduct EICAR testing with antivirus test files to see if the program detects them. Finally, we review third-party test results to see how the program performs across a number of categories.

Sophos proved to be fast with its scans, and it has perfect or near-perfect third-party test results in most cases. We'll break down the details below. 

Scan speeds

• Result: Fast

We had some trouble find Sophos different types of scans. There should be a manual scan and a fast scan, but the fast scan only appears to be available on macOS. 

Sophos's full scan took less than 10 minutes and had little to no impact on our device performance. The only files it detected were the malware test files. 

Scan type	Time spent
Full scan	8 minutes, 47 seconds

EICAR results

• Result: 2/3

EICAR stands for the European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research. It collects a library of cyberthreat test files, from malware, to potentially unwanted applications, to phishing, so that you can test your antivirus program from home. 

We tested Sophos for three types of cyberthreats: malware, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing page detection. 

Test	Sophos score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Fail

Sophos easily blocked both of the malware test files we attempted to download. However, we opening the phishing test and weren't blocked from viewing the page. We made sure all of our phishing features were enabled, 

AV-TEST results

• Result: Sophos results are all near perfect, although some are outdated.

After conducting our in-house testing, we refer to independent organizations that specialize in testing antivirus software. First, we review results from AV-TEST. AV-TEST is an independent research institute with one of the largest digital malware samples in the world.

AV-TEST reviews antivirus programs for how well they detect and protect against malware, how much they impact your computer speed, and how accurately they detect real cyberthreats.  

Test type	Windows 11 score	macOS Monterey score	Android 11 score
Protection	N/A	6/6	6/6
Performance	N/A	6/6	6/6
Usability	N/A	6/6	5/6
Total	N/A	18/18	17/18
Date	N/A	December 2017	May 2024
Link to test	N/A	Link	Link

Sophos mostly appears to submit its business program from Windows, so it had no results to review. The most recent macOS test was from late 2017, and it received a perfect score. 

The only recent test was for its Android app, which was only docked one point for usability. It had detected one false positive, while the industry average was zero. 

AV-Comparatives results

• Result: Lags behind in AV-Comparatives results, but results are several years old. 

AV-Comparatives is another independent organization that reviews antivirus and other security software. For antivirus, it conducts tests based on real-world protection, malware protection, and performance impact. There's also testing specificaly for Android antivirus apps.

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)
Score	Approved	96.2%	N/A	17.6
Platform	Android	Windows	N/A	Windows
Date	July 2015	November 2016	N/A	October 2016
Link	Link	Link	N/A	Link

Sophos was on the lower end of the spectrum for both real-world protection and performance impact. It received a 96.2% in real-time protection, which the top programs received anywhere from 99.5% to 100%. It also received a 17.6 performance impact score, while the top programs had anywhere from 0.3 to 7.5.

Sophos's most recent AV-Comparatives results are from almost 10 years ago, so we wouldn't consider them too heavily as the program has probably been updated several times since then. 

SE Labs results

• Result: 100%

SE Labs tests computer security products to let you know how effective they are. It’s independently run, so you know you’re getting objective scores for these products.

The tests use real-life threats and include realistic simulations to give you an accurate and thorough depiction of your chosen antivirus software.

Test type	Score
Total accuracy	100%
Date	2024 Q2
Link	Link

Sophos does seem to regularly test with SE Labs, so you can rely on these results to inform the current product. It received a perfect score for protection accuracy and legitimate accuracy, leading to its 100% total accuracy score.

Sophos antivirus compatibility

Sophos antivirus is compatible with the following:

• Windows
• macOS
• Chromebook
• Android
• iOS

Sophos antivirus customer support

Sophos offers live chat and email support on Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. You can email Sophos support and get a response within 24 hours — or 72 hours if you’ve asked for remote assistance.

You also have knowledge base articles that may be of some help during weekends and after regular weekday hours or the Sophos Twitter account. Additionally, the Sophos Community forums allow you to post questions or search for answers.

Sophos doesn’t offer phone support. If you want to talk to a live person, you won’t get that option with this antivirus. That can be a deal breaker for some if you feel more comfortable speaking to someone.

Top alternatives

Sophos provides solid protection, but it can be expensive and lacking in features. We've compiled three alternative antivirus programs for you to consider if Sophos doesn't check all the boxes:

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Sophos good?

After our experience with Sophos antivirus, we think it may be too expensive for what it offers. We like that it has solid third-party test scores and can cover 10 computers on every plan. But we do wish it came with a built-in firewall and some more extras to justify the price.

If you’re wanting software that gives you a native control panel, that’s something you won’t get with Sophos. That may be a big drawback for people who don’t want to rely on cloud services. 

If you’re still on the fence, you can check out how Sophos compares to Norton or review our list of the best antivirus programs.