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Best for affordability
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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 comprehensive protection
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Antivirus that passes our malware and drive-by download tests, with fast scans and minimal impact on system performance
Bundles with a VPN and safe browsing tools on every plan, no add-ons required
Available with Aura identity theft protection plans if you want device security and ID monitoring in one subscription
Is TotalAV or Aura Antivirus better? TotalAV is the better antivirus for most users. It costs less the first year, lets you schedule scans, and earned strong scores from three independent labs, while Aura hasn’t been tested by any of them. Aura is the better pick if you want identity theft protection bundled with your antivirus, or 24/7 phone and live chat support on every plan.
How we tested: We put TotalAV and Aura through the same malware and phishing tests on one Windows laptop and compared their scans, setup, and support options. We also checked AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs for lab results, which TotalAV has and Aura doesn’t.
Key differences:
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Our Pick
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| Star rating | ||
| Starting price | Free or $19.00/first yr | Starts at $35.99/first yr |
| Best value | Winner | Runner-up |
| Best features | Winner | Runner-up |
| Best test results | Winner | Runner-up |
| Best compatibility and customer support | Runner-up | Winner |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura Antivirus |
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.
TotalAV has broad compatibility and can protect up to eight devices. It performed well against various types of malware, and its higher plans add extras like a VPN, ad blocker, and password manager.
Aura has quite the offering: You can bundle a virtual private network (VPN), password manager, and identity theft protection with its antivirus. Aura doesn't include any parental controls in any of its plans.
TotalAV wins on value. It costs less the first year on every plan. Aura costs less at renewal and gives you twice as long to get a refund.
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Our Pick |
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| Price range | $19.00–$69.00/first yr | $35.99-$59.99/first yr |
| Best value plan | Total Security for $69.00/first yr | Antivirus Plus for $47.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 60 days |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura Antivirus |
TotalAV costs less up front. Its plans range from $19.00–$69.00/first yr, compared to $35.99-$59.99/first yr for Aura Antivirus. If you're on a budget, TotalAV is a good choice, and its antivirus protects you from malicious threats.
We think TotalAV’s best value is Total Security. It covers more devices and adds an ad blocker and a password manager for a little more than Internet Security in the first year.
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Aura starts at $35.99/first yr for three devices. Ultimate, the top plan, costs $59.99/first yr and covers 10 devices.
We think the best value is Aura Antivirus Plus at $47.99/first yr. It covers five devices and adds a password manager, an ad blocker, a 1 GB file vault, and monitoring for your online accounts and Social Security number. Ultimate adds $1 million in identity theft insurance, credit monitoring, and bank fraud alerts.
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Aura also gives you 60 days to get a refund. TotalAV gives you 30 days on annual plans.
That flips at renewal. TotalAV's plans renew at $99.00/yr to $149.00/yr while Aura's renew at $69.99 to $129.99/yr. For example, TotalAV Total Security renews at $149.00/yr, and Aura Antivirus Plus renews at $99.99/yr.
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Our Pick |
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| Manual and scheduled scans | Yes | Manual only |
| Real-time protection | Yes | Yes |
| Phishing protection | Yes | Yes |
| Ransomware protection | Yes | Yes |
| Firewall | No | No |
| Parental controls | No | No |
| Password manager | Yes (Total Security only) | Yes (Antivirus Plus and up) |
| VPN | Yes (Internet Security and up) | Yes |
| Ad blocker | Yes (Total Security only) | Yes (Antivirus Plus and up) |
| Device optimization tools | Yes | No |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura Antivirus |
When comparing TotalAV and Aura Antivirus’ features, you’ll find that there’s only some small differences.
One of the biggest issues we noticed was that you can’t schedule scans with Aura Antivirus, so that can be troublesome for users who like the ease and convenience of that feature. TotalAV includes scheduled scanning in its features.
Aura includes a VPN with every plan, while TotalAV saves Total VPN for its Internet Security and Total Security plans. Aura’s VPN is simpler, but it covers the essentials, including a kill switch, split tunneling, and automatic protection on public Wi-Fi. Its Ultimate plan adds 100+ virtual locations. TotalAV’s Total VPN is a full standalone app.
Aura includes a password manager with Antivirus Plus and Ultimate. TotalAV includes one only with Total Security. A password manager is a definite plus because it helps you stay safe online by keeping your online credentials safe, and with auto-login functionality, you won’t be tempted to use easy passwords that hackers could guess.
TotalAV does provide a junk cleaner, which can be beneficial for clearing out old files that take up space. This is not something that Aura offers at this time.
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Our Pick |
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| AV-TEST Windows score | 17.5/18 as of August 2026 | Not tested |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 as of June 2026 | Not tested |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 as of September 2026 | Not tested |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.97% as of September 2026 | Not tested |
| AV-Comparatives real-world protection score | 99% as of July-August 2026 | Not tested |
| AV-Comparatives performance impact score | 30.5 as of September 2026 | Not tested |
| SE Labs score | 91% as of Q2 2026 | Not tested |
| EICAR score | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura Antivirus |
In our in-house testing, TotalAV and Aura both blocked a manually downloaded malware file and a drive-by malware download. Neither blocked our phishing test page.
The bigger difference is third-party testing. TotalAV earned perfect 18/18 AV-TEST scores on macOS (June 2026) and Android (September 2026), and 17.5/18 on Windows (August 2026). The half point it lost on Windows was for performance, not protection.
TotalAV also scored 99.97% in AV-Comparatives’ September 2026 malware protection test, 99% in its July to August 2026 real-world protection test, and 91% with SE Labs for Q2 2026. Its weakest result was performance: AV-Comparatives gave it an impact score of 30.5 in September 2026, where lower is better.
Aura hasn’t been tested by AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, or SE Labs, so there are no lab results to compare.
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< Our Pick /td> | |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| 24/7 customer support | Billing only | Yes |
| Customer support options | Live chat, email, online guides | Live chat, phone, email, online guides |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura Antivirus |
We tested both programs on the same Windows laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and 16 GB of RAM. Both were easy to set up and use. Aura’s dashboard is clean and focused, showing auto-scan status, threats found, and scan options at a glance.
Aura makes it easier to get help. Every plan includes 24/7 U.S.-based support, and you can reach a person by phone, live chat, or email.
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.
TotalAV is the better antivirus for most people. It won three of our four categories: value, features, and test results. Aura took compatibility and customer support.
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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
TotalAV’s lead comes from its lab results and lower first-year price. It’s the only one of the two tested by AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs, and every plan lets you schedule scans and clean up your device. Just know that it had a high performance impact in AV-Comparatives testing and costs more than Aura Antivirus at renewal.
Aura Antivirus is the better fit if you want identity protection in the same subscription. Its Antivirus Plus plan adds online account and SSN monitoring, Ultimate adds $1 million in identity theft insurance and credit monitoring, and every plan includes 24/7 phone and live chat support.
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.
TotalAV and Aura Antivirus offer real-time malware protection at a good price point. Here's how they compare to other top security bundles.
| 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 |
Aura Antivirus covers the basics, but antivirus isn’t Aura’s strongest feature. It blocked a malware download and a drive-by download in our testing but missed a phishing page, and it hasn’t been tested by independent labs like AV-TEST. Aura’s real strength is identity theft protection.
Yes, for antivirus protection. TotalAV earned strong scores from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs, and it lets you schedule scans, which Aura doesn’t. Both blocked our malware downloads but missed our phishing test page.
Aura is the better pick if you want identity protection bundled with your antivirus.
Only on its higher plans. Antivirus Plus adds monitoring for your online accounts and Social Security number. Ultimate adds $1 million in identity theft insurance, credit monitoring, and bank fraud alerts.
No. Aura’s antivirus works on Windows, Mac, and Android, and its iPhone app doesn’t include antivirus. If you need antivirus protection on an iPhone, TotalAV covers iOS.
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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