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Best for Budget Protection
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Antivirus that earned AV-TEST's Top Product award on Windows in August 2026
Passed every malware and drive-by download test we ran, quarantining threats automatically
Includes a junk cleaner, app uninstaller, and browser cleaner to keep your device running smoothly alongside the antivirus
Best for Increased Privacy and Security
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Top antivirus that scores 18/18 on AV-TEST across Windows, macOS, and Android, verified across multiple test rounds
Passed every malware, drive-by download, and phishing detection test we ran, quarantining threats automatically
Backed by a 100% Virus Protection Promise: if Norton can't remove a virus, you get your money back
Should you get TotalAV or Norton? For most people, Norton is the stronger choice. It beat TotalAV on features, lab test results, and customer support in our testing, and it blocked a phishing page that TotalAV missed. TotalAV makes more sense if you’re on a tight budget or want built-in device cleanup tools, thanks to its lower starting price and free version for basic scans.
Our testing: We installed TotalAV and Norton on the same Windows laptop and checked how each handled malware downloads, a phishing page, and everyday scans. We also compared their latest lab results from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs.
Key differences:
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Our Pick
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| Star rating | ||
| Starting price | Free or $19.00/first yr | Starts at $29.99/first yr |
| Best value | Winner | Runner-up |
| Best features | Runner-up | Winner |
| Best test results | Runner-up | Winner |
| Best compatibility and customer support | Runner-up | Winner |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
We test every antivirus against decoy viruses and phishing pages and measure its performance impact on our own computers. We also consolidate expert third-party test results. Advertisers have no say in our ratings.
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Our Pick
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| Price range | $19.00–$69.00/first yr | $29.99–$59.99/first yr |
| Best value plan | TotalAV Total Security for $69.00/first yr | Norton 360 Deluxe for $49.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days for annual plans, 14 days for monthly plans | Yes — 60 days for annual plans, 14 days for monthly plans |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
TotalAV prices range from $19.00–$69.00/first yr. We chose the top plan, Total Security, as the best value. For a little more than the middle Internet Security plan in the first year, it adds Total Adblock, a password manager, and coverage for more devices, on top of the VPN, core protection, and tune-up tools.
If you don’t need an ad blocker or password manager, Internet Security is a cheaper way to get TotalAV’s VPN.
TotalAV also offers a free version, TotalAV Essential Antivirus, but it lacks real-time protection, so it won’t block threats as they happen. It’s best for occasional scans rather than everyday protection.
Norton labels Norton 360 Deluxe as its best-value plan, and we think that assessment makes sense for many households. While it doesn’t include LifeLock identity theft protection, it bundles parental controls, a VPN, and Privacy Monitor, giving it a stronger feature mix than many similarly priced plans.
Norton’s renewal pricing is still significantly higher than its intro rate, but the increase is less dramatic than what we saw with TotalAV. Norton 360 Deluxe starts at $49.99/first yr and renews at $119.99/yr, while TotalAV Total Security starts at $69.00/first yr and renews at $179.00/yr.
| Feature |
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Our Pick
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| Manual and scheduled scans | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time protection | Yes | Yes |
| Phishing protection | Yes | Yes |
| Ransomware protection | Yes | Yes |
| Firewall | No | Yes |
| Device optimization tools | Yes | Yes |
| Parental controls | No | Yes (Deluxe and up) |
| Cloud storage | No | Yes |
| Password manager | Yes (Total Security only) | Yes |
| VPN | Yes (Internet Security and up) | Yes (Norton 360 plans) |
| Ad blocker | Yes (Total Security only) | Yes |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
Both TotalAV and Norton offer quick and full system scans, and you can schedule scans with either one. We tested both on the same Windows laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and 16 GB of RAM.
TotalAV’s quick scan pushed our CPU use as high as 53%, and in our June 2026 test, web pages took noticeably longer to load while it ran. Its results were easy to read but light on detail, showing only the number of issues found.
Norton’s quick scan barely touched our system. CPU use stayed around 5% to 6% for most of the scan and peaked at 13%, and our internet speed didn’t drop. Its results were also more detailed, showing how many items it scanned and how many risks it found, fixed, or flagged.
TotalAV includes real-time protection for malware and suspicious files, plus WebShield for safer browsing. WebShield is a browser extension that checks websites for potential risks, including scam pages and spoofed sites, but it doesn’t offer the same network-level protection as Norton.
With Norton, you can turn on two extra layers of protection:
Overall, Norton’s real-time protection feels more complete because it goes beyond browser safety tools and adds exploit and network attack prevention.
TotalAV's phishing protection comes through its WebShield extension, which flags suspicious sites so you can browse more safely. Norton offers a similar extension, Norton Safe Web, which rates sites as safe, potentially unsafe, or unsafe.
But in our testing, Norton blocked our phishing test page, even without Safe Web installed. TotalAV let us visit it, even with its WebShield extension turned on.
TotalAV’s biggest extras are its device cleanup tools and ad blocker. Every TotalAV plan includes system tune-up tools that find duplicate files, clear junk files, and uninstall unused apps, plus a browser cleaner. Norton includes a basic File Cleanup tool, but its fuller tune-up suite, Norton Utilities, is sold separately.
TotalAV’s ad blocker, Total Adblock, comes with its top Total Security plan. It works on more browsers than Norton’s, including Safari and Opera, and has apps for Android and iOS. Norton’s ad blocker comes with its VPN browser extension, which only works on desktop versions of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
TotalAV and Norton share core features like ransomware protection, phishing protection, and malware detection. But Norton offers more security-focused extras that helped it take the lead.
Every Norton plan includes cloud backup, and its Norton 360 plans add dark web monitoring. Norton 360 Deluxe and up also include Norton Family parental controls, which we’ve tested and consider a standout option for families.
Third-party antivirus testing helps verify whether a product performs as advertised in real-world conditions. It’s especially useful in cybersecurity, where products need to keep up with constantly evolving threats and demonstrate consistent protection over time.
When testing antivirus software, we look at third-party test results for performance, protection, and usability. We also run in-house tests using EICAR to see how well an antivirus product blocks phishing sites and malicious files.
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Our Pick
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| AV-TEST Windows score | 17.5/18 as of August 2026 | 18/18 as of August 2026 |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 as of June 2026 | 18/18 as of June 2026 |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 as of September 2026 | 18/18 as of September 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.97% as of September 2026 | 99.96% as of September 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives real-world protection score | 99% as of July-August 2026 | 100% as of July-August 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives performance impact score | 30.5 as of September 2026 | 4.9 as of September 2026 |
| SE Labs results | 91% as of Q2 2026 | 99% as of Q2 2026 |
| EICAR score | 2/3 | 3/3 |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
Norton came out ahead in nearly every test. Both earned perfect 18/18 AV-TEST scores on macOS (June 2026) and Android (September 2026). On Windows, Norton scored a perfect 18/18 in August 2026, while TotalAV scored 17.5/18. It fell behind in the performance category.
AV-Comparatives results were closer on protection. TotalAV scored 99.97% in the September 2026 malware protection test, just ahead of Norton’s 99.96%. But Norton blocked 100% of threats in the July to August 2026 real-world protection test, compared with 99% for TotalAV.
The biggest gap was performance. In AV-Comparatives’ September 2026 Windows test, Norton had an impact score of 4.9, while TotalAV scored 30.5. Lower is better here, so TotalAV put a much heavier load on the test system.
SE Labs grades how accurately a product blocks threats without flagging safe files. Norton scored 99% and TotalAV scored 91% for Q2 2026.
In our own EICAR testing, Norton passed all three tests. TotalAV blocked both malware downloads but let us visit the phishing test page.
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Our Pick
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| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome, Edge, Opera | Yes — Chrome, Edge, Firefox |
| 24/7 customer support | Billing questions only | Yes |
| Customer support options | Live chat, email, online guides | Live chat, phone, online guides, forums, social media |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
We tested both programs on the same Windows laptop, and both worked as expected. Both also offer more limited feature sets on macOS than on Windows. Browser support is similar, though each covers a slightly different set of browsers.
Norton makes it easier to reach a person. It offers free 24/7 live chat and phone support with all its current products, plus a community forum and help on Facebook and X. It doesn’t offer email support.
TotalAV offers live chat, email support, and a help center, along with a 24/7 billing support team. But its live chat is hard to find. We couldn’t reach it from TotalAV’s website or our account dashboard and only found the chat page by searching for it on Google. The chat page also doesn’t list hours, and we couldn’t find phone support.
Norton is our top pick among the best antivirus software we’ve tested. TotalAV remains a reasonable option if you want device cleanup tools at a low price. If neither fits, Aura adds online identity protection, and Surfshark Antivirus is a strong value pick. Here’s how they compare:
| Antivirus |  TotalAV |
 Aura Antivirus |
 Norton 360 |
 Surfshark Antivirus |
| Best for | Best web protection | Best online identity protection | Best overall antivirus software | Best value |
| Starting price | $19.00/first yr | $35.99/first yr | $29.99/first yr | $2.49/mo |
| 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 |
Not for most people. Norton won three of our four categories: features, test results, and compatibility and support. TotalAV took value.
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Top antivirus that scores 18/18 on AV-TEST across Windows, macOS, and Android, verified across multiple test rounds
Passed every malware, drive-by download, and phishing detection test we ran, quarantining threats automatically
Backed by a 100% Virus Protection Promise: if Norton can't remove a virus, you get your money back
Norton’s lead comes down to protection and support. It passed all three of our in-house tests, put a far lighter load on our laptop, and offers 24/7 live chat and phone help. Every plan also includes cloud backup and a password manager, and Norton 360 plans add a VPN and dark web monitoring.
TotalAV is still worth a look if price comes first. It has a lower starting price, a free version for basic scans, and cleanup tools on every plan. Just check its renewal prices before you buy, since they rise after the first year.
Our team has conducted hands-on tests of more than 30 antivirus programs. A dedicated reviewer tests each product on a rotating basis across Windows, macOS, and Android with a subscription we purchase ourselves.
We evaluate each product across seven areas:
We retest all antivirus products at least once a year and update our reviews to reflect any changes. To learn more about how we test, read our full antivirus testing methodology here.
Yes. TotalAV is a legitimate antivirus with strong lab scores, and it blocked both malware downloads in our testing. But it let us visit a phishing test page and put a much heavier load on our laptop than Norton did.
Norton remains one of our highest-rated antivirus picks, so if you already have it, there’s usually a good case for keeping it. If you’re running into issues, we suggest contacting support first to see whether they can resolve the problem without you needing to switch providers.
If you’re still unhappy, many other antivirus products are on the market. We’ve compiled a list of what we find to be the best antivirus software to help you decide. Whatever you choose, make sure you have some sort of protection on your computer, especially if you use public Wi-Fi.
Norton is designed to detect and remove many existing malware infections, not just block new ones. It also advertises a 100% Virus Protection Promise for eligible subscriptions, which is intended to give customers additional reassurance.
TotalAV is owned by Total Security Limited, a U.K.-based company. Norton is owned by Gen Digital, which also owns Avast, AVG, and Avira.
Antivirus that earned AV-TEST's Top Product award on Windows in August 2026
Passed every malware and drive-by download test we ran, quarantining threats automatically
Includes a junk cleaner, app uninstaller, and browser cleaner to keep your device running smoothly alongside the antivirus
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