Introduction
Cyber threats are evolving rapidly, making reliable antivirus protection essential for your digital security. With countless options available, choosing the right antivirus software can feel overwhelming. This comprehensive guide presents the top 10 antivirus solutions of 2025, evaluated for real-world performance across Windows, Mac, and Android platforms to help you make an informed decision.
Here is a list of the top 10 antivirus programs for 2025 that provide strong, cross-platform protection to help you navigate the crowded antivirus market.
1. TotalAV Antivirus
This antivirus software has received credible scores from two third-party testing centers, as well as good hands-on test results. Its interface is clean and neatly organized, simple to use and navigate, and easy to perform tasks. Users can take advantage of easy online backup and sync features, in addition to a system cleanup scan and uninstaller for optimized performance. The software provides an unlimited license level that is perfect for the family home with several devices.
Price: TotalAV offers five-device protection for $99/year—an improvement from its earlier three-license plan.
2. Surfshark Antivirus
Surfshark Antivirus is part of the broader Surfshark One cybersecurity suite, designed to offer lightweight yet powerful protection across Windows, macOS, and Android devices. It focuses on real-time malware detection, webcam protection, and cloud-based threat scanning, all while maintaining a minimal impact on system performance.
It provides 23/7 protection with real-time defense against viruses, spyware, and zero-day threats—plus webcam shielding to block intruders. Cloud protect updates definitions every 3 hours, while customizable scans and a lightweight design keep your device secure without slowing it down.
Price: Surfshark Antivirus is part of Surfshark One, starting at $2.49/month for a 24-month plan. It includes antivirus, VPN, private search, and breach alerts across 5 devices.
3. Norton Antivirus
Norton Antivirus software is a cybersecurity solution designed to protect your devices from a wide range of digital threats, including viruses, malware, ransomware, spyware, and phishing attacks. Its core offering, Norton Antivirus Plus, provides real-time threat protection, a smart firewall, and a password manager for one device. More advanced plans like Norton 360 add features such as a secure VPN, dark web monitoring, parental controls, and cloud backup, making it a comprehensive tool for both device security and online privacy.
Price: Norton Antivirus pricing in the U.S. starts at $29.99/year for the AntiVirus Plus plan (1 device). More comprehensive options like Norton 360 Deluxe (5 devices, VPN, 50GB cloud backup) are available for $59.99/year
4. McAfee Antivirus
McAfee Antivirus once provided cross-platform protection for an unlimited number of devices, but the latest version strictly guards a single Windows PC. It obviously caters to a different crowd than before. Nevertheless, testing laboratories still heap praise on its fundamental antivirus security, and it still provides features well beyond the basic antivirus requirements. Not everyone lives in a household with numerous devices. If you only want to safeguard that single vital PC, you should take a peek at McAfee.
Price: McAfee Antivirus plans start at $29.99/year for one device. More advanced plans range up to $89.99/year for unlimited devices and added identity protection features.
5. Bitdefender Antivirus
This antivirus software has outstanding scores on test reports from independent labs and provides high levels of protection against phising scams. Its ransomware defense that is multi-layered and its isolated bank-grade browser provide solid layers of protection. It comes with privacy-enabling features such as advertising tracking prevention, among other security-enhancing bonus features. The software offers universal coverage on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. But it does lag behind in hands-on tests for malware protection and malicious URL blocking. Additionally, observe that complete VPN access isn't available—it's an added subscription.
Price: Bitdefender Antivirus starts at $29.99/year for basic protection on one device. Premium plans go up to $199.99/year, offering multi-device coverage and advanced features.
6. Malwarebytes Premium Security
Malwarebytes antivirus software performed at the top level in our real-world tests with a high malware detection rate. It provides strong protection against fraudulent and malicious websites, providing safer browsing. Independent lab testing also gave it a high rating, validating its reliability and overall security performance. Its ransomware protection is especially effective, keeping your data safe from encryption-based attacks.
Price: Malwarebytes Premium Security begins at $44.99/year for one device. The higher plans with more features such as VPN and identity protection may go up to $119.99/year.
7. Sophos Home Premium
Sophos Home Premium is a home-user-focused cybersecurity product that provides business-level protection for up to 10 Windows or Mac computers. It protects against malware, ransomware, web-based attacks, and hacking attempts by leveraging sophisticated real-time threat detection. Its main features are web protection, remote device management, parental web filtering, and privacy controls such as webcam and keystroke protection. It's particularly convenient for households or groups of people that oversee multiple devices, since everything can be managed from one online interface.
Price: Sophos Home Premium is priced at $44.99/year for up to 10 devices, including both Windows and Mac. It also comes with a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
8. Webroot Essential
Webroot Essentials is the most diminutive antivirus. Webroot's local footprint can be small because its smarts live in the cloud. It is light on system resources, having a minimal footprint on disk yet providing strong protection. It performed flawlessly in our hands-on tests, demonstrating its capacity to block and clean threats thoroughly—ranging from ransomware damage repair. It includes LastPass for secure password management and is also equipped with other advanced features suitable for both general users and IT-savvy users.
Price: Webroot Essentials costs $49.99/year for protection of a single device. Protection for three devices costs $69.99/year, with periodic offers dropping it to approximately $52.49/year.
9. G Data Antivirus
G Data Antivirus has been protecting PCs from viruses and other types of malware nearly as long as PCs have been around. It's likely older than you—at least, it's older than the median US age. In spite of its ancient history, it's cheaper than most of its competitors, and its feature set is far more comprehensive than the minimum requirements.
It defends very well against a broad spectrum of attacks, such as banking Trojans, keyloggers, ransomware, and software exploits. While it possesses all-round protection features, it is still pretty budget-friendly, so most users can use it. Moreover, it also features a spam filter, which further adds to its security by preventing unwanted and potentially malicious emails.
Price: G Data Antivirus begins at $29.95/year for a single Windows device. More premium plans such as Total Security cost up to $49.95/year with additional features such as firewalls and parental control.
10. Panda Dome
Among the top antivirus programs is Panda Dome Antivirus. It has all the necessary security features, flexible pricing, almost flawless anti-malware protection, and no effect on your computer's speed.
Panda Dome provides multi-layered security against all types of online threats such as viruses, ransomware, spyware, and phishing. It has privacy features such as a built-in VPN to surf anonymously and a password manager to protect credentials. For families, the product includes parental controls to restrict screen time and block objectionable material. In terms of performance, it features Panda Cleanup for speed enhancement and cleaning out rubbish, and its Rescue Kit ensures to bring back severely infected computers from the dead using a USB.
Price: Panda Dome plans start at $22.50/year for basic security, while more expensive options like an unlimited VPN and advanced tools cost about $40.50/year.
Conclusion
Choosing the best antivirus software on the US market entails a balance of protection, performance, and price. Ranging from budget-friendly options like Panda Dome to full-featured suites like Norton 360, each option has unique strengths. Evaluate your individual needs, number of devices, and budget to select the perfect cyber security companion for 2025's evolving threat profile.