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Best for Device Optimization
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Real-time protection from viruses, malware, and malicious websites
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Includes the #1 ad blocker and also monitors for data breaches
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Comes with a full suite of performance optimization tools to keep your device fast
Best for Increased Privacy & Security
Based on our in-house testing as well as performance, price, features, and customer service, we think Norton is a step ahead of TotalAV.
Norton and TotalAV are both highly-rated antivirus programs with a variety of features. TotalAV’s additional features focus more on device optimization and system tune-ups. Norton, on the other hand, offers a broader range of security features for complete privacy across the web, including a virtual private network (VPN), dark web monitoring, and parental controls.
Let’s take a deeper look at these two antivirus choices to see what additional features they offer.
Prices
Features
Test results
Compatibility and customer support
Top alternatives
FAQs
Bottom line: Is TotalAV antivirus better than Norton?
TotalAV vs. Norton antivirus review at a glance
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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 |
Max number of protected devices | Up to 8 | Up to 10 |
Malware scans | Manual and scheduled | Manual and scheduled |
Real-time protection | ||
Phishing protection | ||
Ransomware protection | ||
24/7 customer support | ||
Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Opera | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
Both TotalAV and Norton protect against viruses and malware, offer additional features on all plans, and have a variety of price points.
TotalAV focuses more on offering diagnostic and web protection tools with its antivirus product, while Norton is focused more on broad cybersecurity with identity protection.
Pricing is close, but Norton offers a less expensive starting price for the Norton AntiVirus Plus plan at $29.99/first yr, as opposed to TotalAV’s $19.00/first yr price for the Antivirus Pro plan. On the other hand, TotalAV offers a free plan, while Norton doesn't.
While Norton tops out at $99.99/first yr for the Select + LifeLock plan, Norton 360 Premium is comparable to TotalAV Total Security— both are about $50.00/yr. Each of these includes a ton of extra features. Be mindful of your renewal date, however, because renewal pricing is much higher than the first-year costs listed here.
TotalAV vs. Norton: prices
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![]() Our Pick
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Price range | $19.00–$49.00/first yr | $29.99–$299.99/first yr |
Best value plan | TotalAV Internet Security for $39.00/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 plans
TotalAV prices range from $19.00–$49.00/first yr. We chose the middle plan, Internet Security, as the best value because it includes a VPN. While the Total Security plan, TotalAV’s top tier, was only $10 more per year (for the first year), we felt the device security portion wasn’t great since TotalAV isn’t as strong on Apple products.
Norton plans
Norton told us the Norton 360 Deluxe plan was the “Best Value,” but if you’re looking for identity theft protection on top of an antivirus, you might disagree. Although it doesn’t include LifeLock like the next choice up, it does offer parental controls and a privacy monitor to help keep you and your family safer online.
Norton’s renewal rate isn’t such a leap from the starting cost either. Norton 360 Deluxe begins at $49.99/first yr and jumps to $119.99/yr for the renewal, whereas Total Security starts at $49.00/first yr and then leaps all the way to $179.00/yr.
TotalAV vs. Norton: features
Feature |
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![]() Our Pick
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Manual and scheduled scans | ||
Real-time protection | ||
Phishing protection | ||
Ransomware protection | ||
Firewall | ||
Device optimization tools | ||
Parental controls | ||
Cloud storage | ||
Password manager | ||
VPN | ||
Ad blocker | ||
Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
What features do TotalAV and Norton have in common?
Malware and antivirus scan
Both TotalAV and Norton offer a quick scan and a full system scan. TotalAV's quick scan took a couple of minutes, and its full system scan took over 10 minutes. During the full scan, TotalAV also seemed to slow down significantly when it encountered threats.
When testing Norton, its quick scan took under one minute, and its full scan analyzed over 600,000 files in less than 10 minutes. While both products' scanning tools were easy to use, we thought Norton was better due to speed and performance.
Real-time protection
TotalAV offers real-time protection with a feature called WebShield. It's a phishing protection browser extension that verifies the safety of websites you browse and protects against misleading activity, such as scams or spoofed sites.
With Norton, you can turn on the Intrusion Prevention System and Proactive Exploit Protection. The Intrusion Prevention System detects and scans all network traffic for security vulnerabilities and works with your firewall to detect and block malicious attacks. Proactive Exploit Protection works by recognizing malicious behaviors and then blocking any software that mimics those behaviors. Ultimately, Norton's real-time protection is more comprehensive.
Phishing protection
TotalAV's phishing protection is the WebShield extension, which will deem websites safe for browsing and flag any suspicious websites it might encounter so you can browse securely.
Norton's phishing protection is the Norton Safe Web extension, which also analyzes sites you browse to help detect malware and other online threats. Similar to WebShield, it'll give you site ratings depending on whether a site is safe, potentially unsafe, or unsafe. TotalAV and Norton are evenly matched on phishing protection.
How are TotalAV and Norton different?
Features unique to TotalAV
One way TotalAV stands out from Norton is by including a tested ad blocker. Total Adblock not only blocks ads but also helps speed up your browsing, as ads are known to slow down webpage load times. It also promises to block third-party trackers, which can help give you more anonymity online. Total Adblock and many other ad blockers have free versions, so we don't feel like this is a make-or-break feature, just something that's nice to have.
TotalAV also comes with device optimization tools like a duplicate file finder, a large and old files locator, and disk usage analytics. Norton sells these tools separately, so TotalAV may be a better choice for you if you're looking to optimize your device.
Features unique to Norton
TotalAV and Norton share various features, such as ransomware protection, a password manager, anti-phishing, and malware detection, including spyware and adware. Norton, however, has a few additional features that helped it take the lead. Parental controls, cloud backup, and dark web monitoring are all useful features that will increase your security. We've tested Norton Family and recommend these parental controls.
TotalAV vs. Norton: test results
If you’ve ever received a product that didn’t work the way it was advertised, you can appreciate the need for third-party testing. It’s an important part of the cybersecurity landscape because it tests products to ensure they utilize the most recent technologies and block the newest threats. When testing antivirus software, we look at third-party test results for performance, protection, and usability. We also conduct our own in-house tests using EICAR, which proves how well an antivirus product stops phishing sites and malicious files.
TotalAV vs. Norton malware protection scores
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![]() Our Pick
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AV-TEST Windows score | 17.5/18 | 18/18 |
AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 | 17/18 |
AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 | 18/18 |
EICAR results | 2/3 | 3/3 |
Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
For Windows, TotalAV had some issues with both protection and performance. In terms of performance, TotalAV met or exceeded the following benchmarks: downloads of frequently used applications, launches of standard software applications, and copying of files locally and in a network. However, TotalAV slowed the loading of webpages and the installation of familiar applications in Windows machines more often than was considered acceptable by industry standards. While some slowdown is expected, this was significant enough to dock TotalAV a half point.
Norton had perfect malware protection testing scores for Windows and macOS. It also outperformed TotalAV in our in-house testing, demonstrating perfect protection against phishing attempts and malicious downloads.
TotalAV vs. Norton 360 Antivirus: compatibility and customer support
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![]() Our Pick
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Windows | ||
macOS | ||
Android | ||
iOS | ||
Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome, Edge, Opera | Yes — Firefox, Chrome, Edge |
24/7 customer support | ||
Customer support options | Live chat, online guides, email | Live chat, online guides, email, support forums, phone |
Learn more | Get TotalAV
Read TotalAV Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Antivirus Review |
There isn’t much difference in compatibility between TotalAV and Norton. We found that both products delivered on promises for not just Windows but also their limited Mac functionality. Our product testers found that each antivirus offered many helpful features. Each one also works with Apple and Android mobile devices.
Initially, we found that both TotalAV and Norton had browser extensions for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. TotalAV also added the Opera browser to its compatibility list but lost Firefox. Because both products are so similar in functionality and compatibility, the addition of the Opera browser gives TotalAV a slight advantage.
As far as customer support goes, TotalAV seems to have a different feel than Norton. Norton appears to be more accommodating, offering a range of options for customers. When we tested TotalAV, we found more options in the product portal than on the website. If you’re looking for more than online guides with TotalAV, you won’t necessarily see them on the site.
TotalAV and Norton alternatives
Norton is our #1 pick for the best antivirus software based on repeated in-house testing. While we do recommend TotalAV for advanced web protection, other tested alternatives offer better security extras or more value. Here's a snapshot of our top antivirus providers compared:
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 | $2.99/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
Can I trust TotalAV antivirus?
Yes, you can trust TotalAV as much as any other tested and verified antivirus program. TotalAV has strong third-party testing scores and many useful features, including device optimization. While less frequent testing is done on macOS and Android, the Windows version is tested regularly.
What’s the strongest antivirus app?
The strength of your antivirus may not be in a single tool but rather in the ability to layer or stack your security products together. Using a highly rated and well-tested antivirus like Norton or TotalAV in conjunction with a firewall and VPN gives you a significant advantage over someone who is using just the antivirus. This is why it’s important to find a security tool that offers many of these additional features that add layers of protection.
Should I keep Norton Antivirus?
Norton is one of the highest-rated antivirus software on the market. If you’re unhappy with your Norton product, we recommend contacting support to help with the problem. 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.
Does Norton get rid of existing viruses?
Yes, as long as you have an active Norton subscription, the 100% virus protection promise covers you and any infection you may receive. This includes new and existing viruses. If you’re looking for a virus removal tool only, Norton offers a free tool called Norton Power Eraser that you can download.
What company owns TotalAV?
TotalAV is owned by Protected.net Group Ltd., a software company located in Fareham, UK. Protected.net’s website redirects to Total Security’s website, which is part of the company's security offerings.
Bottom line: Is TotalAV better than Norton?
While TotalAV is a completely valid and safe choice for an antivirus program, Norton does edge it out in almost every category. Norton has better customer service, stronger testing and test scores, and a wider variety of extra features like dark web monitoring and cloud storage.
We were also impressed that Norton’s renewal pricing didn’t show as significant a difference from year one to year two as TotalAV’s pricing structure.
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.
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