Norton Antivirus Review

Norton Antivirus has an extensive collection of anti-malware and internet security programs. From its antivirus programs to secure VPN services, if you’ve bought a computer in the last decade, you’ve probably seen Norton Antivirus in action.

Like all the best digital defenders, Norton scans your device regularly and compares code in your device to its database of malware and viruses. We focused on the Norton 360 suite of programs for this review, but dive into the website and you’ll find a whole zoo of programs to protect your devices.

Norton 360 has three pricing options. Each program requires a low annual fee and works with Android, iOS, Mac, iOS, and PC devices.

They all protect against basic online threats like spyware, viruses, malware, and ransomware. All three of the Norton 360 programs include features you'd normally have to pay extra for, too.

Even with the Standard plan, you get online threat protection, a smart firewall, a password manager, and a secure VPN.

It’s not every antivirus software that provides identity theft protection when your information gets swiped, but Norton does. Granted, you have to pay more for Norton 360 with Lifelock, but the Select and Ultimate Plus plans both offer services other antivirus programs can’t touch:

• Transaction monitoring watches your online transactions for any shady activity
• Retirement and investment monitoring  protects your assets like your 401k from online invasion
• Identity restoration connects you with an Identity Restoration Specialist who can help you deal with identity theft breaches

In recent years Norton has streamlined its UI to be simpler and more customer-friendly, dividing its services into four easy-to-access tabs.

Norton offers the option to silence notifications, a mode particularly appreciated by gamers.

Compared to other antivirus programs, Norton has a relatively high percentage of false positives (safe programs flagged as dangerous or potentially unwanted programs). Flagging safe programs is better than missing dangerous ones, but it can hinder usability—particularly without a clear user-override option. Norton has improved in this area in recent years, but users and reviewers still report problems.

While they're better in recent years, Norton 360 and Norton Antivirus aren't light programs when it comes to using RAM. They use a huge amount of memory, especially during live updates and scans.

To make matters worse, Norton includes a cryptominer in its software that runs in the background when your computer's idle. We don't recommend using this feature.

While almost completely effective for viruses and malware, Norton has shown less diehard security measures when it comes to adware.

Users and reviewers have noted delays between the scanning of a file and the notification of any problems or resolution. This is a minor concern but is a pet peeve for some tech aficionados.

Norton Antivirus continues to be a solid choice for antivirus and internet security protection. It has a great track record for virus and malware detection and is competitively priced. But it is a bit clunky in its usability.

We’ve put Norton to the test, carefully researching the company, expert reviews, and customer ratings. We rated it based on features, usability, and cost of the antivirus software. For more information on how we evaluate products like Norton Antivirus and Norton 360, take a look at our methodology.

• Best Antivirus for Android
• Internet Safety: How to Avoid Online Scams
• Internet Safety Guide for Kids
• Best Parental Control Apps
• ESET NOD32 Antivirus Review