Webroot Antivirus Review 2026: How Does It Stack Up?

When it comes to antivirus protection, Webroot offers a lightweight, budget-friendly option with all the standard features. From real-time protection and a built-in firewall to ransomware and phishing defenses, Webroot checks most of the boxes you'd expect from antivirus software.

Most of Webroot's third-party test results are several years old and are unimpressive. However, Webroot has aced recent tests with tester SE Labs, and it shows consistent performance in our in-house testing.

So is Webroot still worth your money or should you consider other antivirus programs? We'll detail its plans, features, test results, and more in our Webroot review.

At a glance

Price	Starts at $29.99/first yr
Free plan	No
# of devices protected	1 – 10
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Extras	Password manager, identity theft protection
24/7 support	No
Details	Get Webroot

Star rating summary

Our experience

Overall, we found Webroot easy to use, and had minimal issues. The download and setup process was straightforward, only requiring us to enter a keycode to complete the setup.

Prior to installing Webroot, we downloaded malware test files onto our computer to see if Webroot would flag them. As Webroot was installing, it actually found one of these files and prompted us to approve its removal.

Once setup was complete, we didn't need to do anything to start protection. All the toggles for real-time protection, web protection, firewall, and more were already toggled on in the main dashboard.

On the other hand, we didn't find basic features easy to find from this dashboard. If you click "Scan My Computer" from the main dashboard, it immediately starts a scan without providing scan options. We had to click on the gear next to PC Security, then click Custom Scan to find a full list of options.

Note that we always receive a pop-up explaining that full system scans aren't needed due to its real-time scanning capabilities. However, Webroot only flagged some of the preexisting files after the full scan, so we'd recommend running a full scan regardless of Webroot's guidance.

Webroot prices and plans

Webroot antivirus ranges from $29.99–$149.99/yr. There are three standard plans: Essentials, Premium, and Total Protection. You can also purchase an individual or a family plan.

All plans come with the basic antivirus features like real-time protection, a firewall, and phishing protection. After the Essentials tier, you'll get extras like password protection, identity protection, and data protection.

See what features come with each plan in the following table:

	Essentials	Premium	Total Protection
Price per year	$29.99/first yr	$34.99/first yr	$64.99/first yr
# devices supported	Individual: 1 - 3 Family: 5	Individual: 5 Family: 10	Individual: 5 Family: 10
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Firewall
Real-time protection
Ransomware protection
Password manager
Performance optimization tools
VPN
Identity theft protection
Cloud storage
Learn more	View plan	View plan	View plan

Webroot's starting plan is about the same as most antivirus plans. See how it compares to some of the most popular antivirus programs:

• Webroot: Starts at $29.99/first yr
• TotalAV: Starts at $19.00/first yr
• Bitdefender: Starts at $24.99/first yr
• Norton: Starts at $29.99/first yr

You can try Webroot antivirus for free for 14 days. You also get a 70-day money-back guarantee once you've purchased a plan.

Webroot features

Let's break down Webroot's antivirus features along with the bonus features you'll receive with the higher tier subscriptions. 

Malware and antivirus scan

With Webroot antivirus, you get a complete suite of scans. You can run full scans when you need a more thorough scan, or quick scans if you just need a surface-level check.

The program also allows you to manually scan for viruses anytime you want. If you’d like, you can run scans back to back. You can also go into the Advanced Settings tab and set your preferences for scheduled scans.

Phishing protection

All Webroot security software comes with the Web Threat Shield, which provides real-time anti-phishing monitoring. You’ll also need to download the browser extension in order for Webroot to flag suspicious sites as part of its phishing protection.

We downloaded the Chrome browser extension and entered our Webroot keycode. Our Google search results were automatically updated to show whether a site was reputable or not (indicated by a green checkmark). There was no need to restart Chrome or our device.

Firewall

All Webroot antivirus plans come with a firewall and network connection monitor. Since a firewall checks all the information that goes in and out of your computer for malicious processes, it’s a good tool to have in combination with antivirus protection.

According to the Webroot site, the firewall works with the Windows Defender firewall to monitor traffic. The Webroot firewall checks the data traveling through your computer ports, while Windows Defender monitors data going into your computer.

Webroot’s firewall was toggled on when we downloaded the program. Your regular activities won’t be disrupted since the firewall works in the background.

If the firewall detects any suspicious traffic, you get an alert and then decide to block the traffic or allow it to run.

Real-time protection

Webroot's real-time protection will keep your device safe from cyberthreats around the clock. The Realtime Shield feature is toggled on by default.

The Web Threat Shield also protects your device in real time by blocking you from accessing malicious sites.

Ransomware protection

All Webroot antivirus plans come with ransomware protection and a unique way of dealing with suspected ransomware.

If the antivirus program comes into contact with an unknown app, it isolates the app in a “bubble” that prevents it from making any system changes to your device. Webroot also monitors unknown programs and keeps track of what changes they make to your system, similar to a backup.

Bonus features

Although Webroot is among the more basic antivirus programs, it does offer some additional features:

• Password manager: All Webroot plans include LastPass. This feature can create strong passwords for you, store those passwords, and autofill them as you log in to your accounts.
• Identity theft protection: The Premium and Total Protection plans include Allstate Identity Protection. You'll get identity monitoring features, one-bureau credit monitoring, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, and 24/7 restoration services.
• VPN: Webroot includes a virtual private network (VPN) with Webroot Total Protection for $93.99/first yr.

Webroot test results

There are three types of tests we review for each antivirus: we run scan speed tests, we conduct EICAR tests ourselves, and we review third-party test results.

Webroot had average scan speeds, with a lightning-fast quick scan and a much slower full scan. It passed all the EICAR tests with flying colors, showing it can protect against malware and phishing.

Although its third-party test results are mostly outdated, the most recent ones show that it provides average protection.

Scan efficiency

• Result: Found all preexisting files with Full Scan

Before we installed Webroot, we downloaded malware dummy files on our device and placed them across several different folders. Then, we conducted a scan to determine if Webroot would flag these preexisting files.

Webroot actually found the first file as it was being installed, which was on our desktop. However, the rest of the files weren't found until we ran a Full Scan.

	Quick Scan
Time spent	43 seconds
# of files scanned	80,878 files
Did it find preexisting malware files?

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

The European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research, or EICAR, allows you to test your antivirus software at home without downloading real malware. It created a database of test files for a number of cyberthreats.

We ran EICAR tests for malware detection, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing page detection.

Test	Webroot score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing page detection	Pass

Webroot passed all three tests with no issues. With the malware files, Webroot blocked them from downloading and placed them in quarantine.

Webroot's extension Web Threat Shield also blocked us from accessing the phishing test page.

AV-TEST results

• Result: Webroot's AV-TEST results are several years old, and they're mediocre.

AV-TEST is the first independent organization we refer to for third-party tests. It reviews antivirus programs for how well they can protect against malware, how much they impact device speeds, and how accurately they can identify real threats (and not false positives).

Test type	Windows score	macOS score	Android score
Protection	2/6	N/A	3.5/6
Performance	5.5/6	N/A	N/A
Usability	4/6	N/A	5.5/6
Total	11.5/18	N/A	9/12
Date	June 2019	N/A	November 2016
Link to test	Link	N/A	Link

Webroot hasn't submitted its programs to AV-TEST for several years now, so we wouldn't rely on these results to assess its current performance.

For Windows, it received a less-than-satisfactory score for malware protection, and some dings for slowing speeds and for detecting false positives. For Android, it had a satisfactory malware protection score and detected one false positive.

AV-Comparatives results

• Result: Most AV-Comparatives results are over 10 years old, with lower results on real-world protection but top performance impact results.

AV-Comparatives is another independent organization we refer to for its antivirus testing. It runs a number of tests for real-world protection, malware protection, and performance impact. It also tests antivirus apps for their mobile security abilities.

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)	Mac security
Score	Approved	91%	N/A	2.2	97.9%
Platform	Android	Windows	N/A	Windows	macOS
Date	September 2014	November 2012	N/A	October 2012	June 2019
Link	Link	Link	N/A	Link	Link

These results are older than the AV-TEST results, so take them with a grain of salt. For Windows, Webroot had the lowest protection rate out of over 20 antivirus programs. However, it ranked at the top for performance impact.

Webroot's Android app was also approved by AV-Comparatives. The Mac security test is the most recent, but Webroot received the lowest score and was ultimately not approved by AV-Comparatives.

SE Labs test results

• Result: 97%

Although the AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives results are dated, Webroot is regularly tested by SE Labs. It checks antivirus products for protection accuracy, legitimate accuracy, and false positives.

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Total accuracy rating	97%
Date	2025 Q4
Link	Link

Webroot received a 91% protection accuracy rating and a 100% legitimate accuracy rating, which translated to a 97% total accuracy rating. It was ranked 9th out of 10 antivirus programs.

Webroot compatibility

	Compatibility
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Yes — Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge

Webroot is compatible with standard operating systems. Note that you won't have access to apps for your Chromebook and the Webroot Mobile Security app unless you purchase Webroot Plus or higher.

Finally, the Webroot Web Threat Shield extension is available for the standard browsers. 

Webroot customer support

Support type	Webroot
Email or live chat
Phone	Yes — 1-866-350-6089
Online guides or forums

Webroot has two options for customer service, but unfortunately none of them are available 24/7. You can send a message to support, which is similar to email, or you can call a customer support representative. Support is available from Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

We did message support, and we received a response within 10 minutes. We asked if Webroot has parental controls, but the agent seemed to have misinterpreted our question. Instead, they gave us a guide on how to allow Webroot to run alongside parental controls.

For self-help, you can refer to Webroot's knowledge base, which includes many online guides. Additionally, you can contact Webroot on Facebook or Twitter — or ask fellow Webroot users on the forums.

Webroot user reviews 

• Apple App Store rating: 2.9
• Google Play Store rating: 3.6 
• Trustpilot rating: 2.5 

Webroot has lackluster ratings on both mobile app stores. iOS user reviews discuss how the app works poorly on smartphones. Android user reviews discuss struggles with getting the app to download and function properly.

Webroot is also rated "poor" on Trustpilot, although 63% of reviewers gave it five stars. Most of the negative Trustpilot reviews mention how difficult it is to contact customer service. 

Top alternatives

Webroot is a no-frills antivirus, but what if you want a program with all the bells and whistles? Learn more about some of our favorite programs we've tested:

Bottom line: Is Webroot good?

If you want a low-cost, no-fuss antivirus, then Webroot is a strong, budget-friendly option. The benefits of this software are its proven effectiveness as well as useful features at a reasonable price.

But if you’re on the hunt for a more robust anti-malware program, such as one that comes with parental controls and a VPN across all plans, then you may want to review our list of the best antivirus software.

Check out our comprehensive comparisons for more information:

• Webroot vs. Norton 360
• Webroot vs. Bitdefender

FAQs