- So yeah, I think we all know
that using Windows Defender is a no-go.
I mean, I've tested countless best antivirus
for Windows 11 options, some more notable than others
and these five did something special,
whether it was affordable pricing, useful functions
or other unique features.
So I'd actually like to share those recommendations
with you, including all of their pros
and cons that you should know about.
(lively music)
But before we start, I need to remind you
that I do leave the most up-to-date discount deals
in the description below.
So don't forget to use them
but maybe after you've watched my video, I mean,
we did work pretty hard to bring you all this insight.
Yep, all of these providers
could be considered the best antivirus
for Windows 10 in 2023
since they work fine on both Windows versions.
But hey, if I had to pick one all around option
that's close to being the best of the best,
well, that would be TotalAV for Windows 11.
It's the antivirus that quickly became my personal fave
with excellent malware detection and feature-heavy plans.
Now, the main reason this is the best antivirus
for Windows 10 or Windows 11 for that matter
is that it has complete protection
against a whole host of dangerous threats.
You get all the necessary things that a good antivirus has,
real-time protection, ransomware detection, cloud scanning,
anti-phishing protection, and a data breach scanner.
It also has tons of tools to optimize your PC.
So if you're like me and you have files all over the place,
a duplicate file finder will be your savior for cleaning up.
One small problem here
is that the basic plan for the antivirus lacks most
of the features that I just mentioned.
So yeah, you're gonna have to go
for a higher priced plan to get the best version of TotalAV.
For a cheaper, more inclusive package Bitdefender
or Surfshark antivirus might be better.
Oh, and that's another thing that's missing
is a good cloud backup system.
Not everyone needs one, but if you do,
you might wanna keep that in mind.
Now, as some of you know, we do a lot
of our own independent testing,
and this usually just involves downloading
and infecting our test PC
with 10 nasty malware files
while testing out all the scanning options
from each provider.
When it comes to the results,
finding at least seven out of 10 malicious files,
well, we'd consider that a worth your money antivirus
and Windows Defender's results?
(host chuckling)
Zero malicious files.
So yeah, the default Windows antivirus
is definitely not the way to go.
But looking at this TotalAV review for protection,
it blows everyone out of the water and manages
to easily find all 10 files with its system scan.
Now, the quick scan, as with all providers,
doesn't find any malware because it's mostly used
for more well known, easily recognized threats.
And in 2022, I tested TotalAV
against more than 2,000 pieces of malware.
And if you want to see it, well,
I'll link the video right here.
Now, TotalAV has been independently lab tested as well.
AV-TEST awarded the service with a maximum
of six points in performance and usability.
It also showed that TotalAV successfully blocked 97%
of zero-day malware attacks in 2022.
Now, TotalAV does have a free version, and to be honest,
this free plan is really good for basic Windows security.
It comes with a malware scanner, anti-phishing protection
but it does have a single device limit.
Of course, for better and more covered protection,
you gotta go with the premium plans.
The Total Security plan will be the best bang for your buck
since it includes a VPN, password manager and ad blocker.
But yeah, it's a bit more expensive.
If you only need an antivirus,
TotalAV plans become very affordable.
Now, if you want something more flexible and affordable,
Bitdefender for Windows
might just be the right provider for you
since it's not just an antivirus.
Bitdefender packs in a password manager, a VPN
and a PC optimizer just to name a few of their features.
But one small really useful feature is profiles
because these allow you to create different settings
and switch them on the fly.
So for example, I can set up my work profile
to minimize all the scans
and impact of Bitdefender on my PC while I'm working.
Okay, so let's take a look
at our testing results for malware protection.
Now, like with every provider on this list,
quick scans are more suited for well-known malware
and will only scan your device's main directories.
So no, it didn't find any of the 10 malicious files.
However, with the system scan,
it found nine out of 10 threats, which is an amazing result.
Every Bitdefender review
from independent sources say the same thing.
It's great.
It even won the AV-Comparatives Product
of the Year award four times in total.
That's more than any other antivirus program.
Bitdefender also blocked 100%
of threats when testing in April 2022.
This includes all types of new and old threats,
like zero-day or even four-week-old viruses.
Okay, so while Bitdefender has a variety of tools
and features, like most top antivirus providers,
the VPN it offers is a little lackluster.
The data limit on the basic plan is way too restrictive
so it's really no good for daily use.
And Bitdefender offers only one tunneling protocol,
Catapult Hydra, which is not the most modern
or versatile option out there.
So to make this VPN usable at all,
you're gonna have to upgrade to premium security
or the premium VPN plans.
Just like TotalAV, Bitdefender does come
with a free version.
And while it might be a little bit better than TotalAV,
I mean it is a more comprehensive package,
including a virus scan, real-time protection features
while safeguarding from phishing and ransomware attacks.
So it might just be the best free antivirus for Windows 11.
But what I really like about Bitdefender's plans
is that they're not limited to select devices.
With each plan, you can choose
just how many devices you need to be covered.
This makes the pricing a lot more flexible,
and you can get a year
of Antivirus Plus at an affordable price.
So if you're looking
for the most affordable antivirus for Windows 11,
then Bitdefender is one of the better choices.
Okay, so we've seen two out of five nominees.
So let's remember that there are discount links
for each provider in the description below.
They will save you moolah beaucoup.
All right, for a more premium,
all-inclusive cybersecurity suite,
let's take a look at Norton Antivirus.
Not the cheapest provider on this list
but it is one with very solid features.
Norton for Windows 11 has all three elements
of good internet protection:
a VPN, password manager and antivirus.
But one gripe I have with Norton
is the constant opening of new tabs or apps.
I mean, it gets to a point of being annoyingly comical.
Say you want a certain tool on the desktop app,
you get a new tab.
Want to get a specific feature on the mobile app? New app.
How about installing a new app?
Well, there's an app for that.
Yeah.
So yeah for a suite that's so inclusive, it's weirdly built.
Now, for our own test, we've placed those 10 malicious files
on our test PC and ran a few different scans.
The full system scan shows why Norton
is an awesome premium antivirus finding all 10
out of 10 malware files,
and only taking 11 minutes to finish.
And we aren't the only ones that praise Norton's protection.
It has a long history
of perfect or near perfect virus detection results.
And even during the most recent independent
AV-TEST testing period,
Norton's Security Suite caught 100%
of zero-day malware and detected no false positives.
Boom, double win.
But one small downside of Norton is the pricing.
It's the most extensive antivirus software on this list.
So if your decision comes down to the price, well,
I'm gonna recommend going with Bitdefender.
I think that we can all appreciate
that Norton gives you a 30-day trial to test things out
but the lack of a truly free version is a bit of a letdown.
For just standard protection,
you can get Norton Antivirus for less than $20 a year,
but for the full package,
it's gonna require a bit more.
Look, it gives you all the security you need,
as well as cloud storage.
And if you don't mind spending a bit more,
I'd highly recommend the Deluxe 360 plan.
It has a massive 50 gigabytes of cloud storage, a great VPN,
dark web monitoring and parental control.
So it's great when you want to protect all
of your family's devices.
Okay, now for Surfshark.
"Wait, hold up, isn't Surfshark a VPN?" you're saying.
Isn't this supposed to be a best antivirus
for Windows 11 video?
Well, yeah.
Surfshark is mostly known for its VPN
but now it also contains quite a powerful antivirus
with its new Surfshark One plan, and one extra feature
from it that I didn't think I would use that often
was Surfshark Search.
It actually allows me to search the web without ads
and more importantly, lets me keep my searching private.
Well, with Surfshark, there are no results based
on your profiles, previous searches
or any other nonsense like that.
It's just a simple tool that I kind
of love to use all the time now.
Now, it is worth mentioning
that this antivirus doesn't have an integrated firewall
that would prevent malware
from sneaking into your device in the first place.
Meaning it's a great protection tool
but not so much a prevention tool.
There's also no vulnerability scanner
that could help prevent potential threats.
And since it's kind of a new provider on the market,
there aren't many independent tests
that have been done on it yet.
So in that case, onto our own tests,
and knowing that Surfshark is more of a VPN provider, well,
it's likely to be subpar, right?
But you'd actually be wrong.
Yep, Surfshark managed to find nine
out of 10 malicious files.
And while it's not a perfect score,
it's still an amazing result
from a company that's better known for its VPN.
Surfshark Antivirus is a bit different
from other providers on this list, at least pricing-wise.
The reason for that is that it only comes
with the one plan, Surfshark One, and that's it.
But this does include both the popular Surfshark VPN
and its antivirus version.
So you're looking at under $5 a month
if you go with a longer billing option.
And the only way to get things any cheaper
is with a longer billing period
since you can't remove any features that you don't need.
So if you don't have a VPN and an antivirus combo already,
then Surfshark One might be the best option for you.
But hey, regardless of what type of user you are,
your devices all need protecting.
So if any of these feel like a dream provider,
then check the description
for the best offers that are available on them.
Whoa, and look at who just jumped into the combo bandwagon.
Yep, NordVPN, but I'm not sure what we're looking at here.
Is it a full-fledged antivirus or more
of a balanced middle ground for users
that just want to activate some protection
and be done with it?
Yeah, it's the last one.
So NordVPN Antivirus helps you avoid threats
in a few different ways.
First, it prevents you from visiting malicious sites
with a warning message.
It also scans your downloaded files for any infections.
Then it blocks invasive trackers,
which helps prevent targeted ads.
And lastly, it protects your eyes
from all those intrusive ads while surfing.
So as I said, it's not a full-fledged suite
but it's a great combo of antivirus features
and an awesome VPN.
Okay, so moving on to my test here,
we have a bit of a different approach.
While threat protection can be seen
as any regular antivirus,
it also works a little bit differently.
As I mentioned before,
it's more of a real-time threat prevention system
than just a standard antivirus.
What it lacks the most is a full scan feature.
It's one of the most useful tools for any antivirus
and when every other provider on this list can offer that,
well, yeah, we're already kind of a bit behind
the eight ball here, aren't we?
Okay, so I tested it by trying
to visit some shady (beep) websites
and download some nasty malicious files.
And to NordVPN's credit,
it did manage to detect eight out of 10 malware pieces
on my PC.
While NordVPN with threat protection seems similar
to Surfshark, it's actually a bit different price-wise.
Instead of having one plan that stuffs every feature
into it, NordVPN has three plans.
However, in our case, VPN and threat protection are included
with every single plan here.
And if you can comfortably afford it,
the more expensive plans come
with a whopping one terabyte of encrypted cloud storage.
If you don't need that, well, you can use a cheaper plan
and save quite a bit more over the years.
And the cheapest NordVPN plan does go for somewhere
around $3 a month with the two-year billing option.
Now, before we jump to conclusions,
don't forget to like this video
and maybe leave a comment telling us
which provider has your vote.
Okay, so that's just about it
for this best antivirus for Windows 11 in 2023.
I hope you found all the tools you need
to keep your PC safe.
But to recap,
here's a quick overview of everything we discussed.
TotalAV antivirus is the best Windows 11 antivirus overall.
If you just want to pick one provider
and don't wanna overthink it, go with TotalAV.
Bitdefender has all the essentials
for Windows 11 and runs super smoothly.
It's a lean, mean malware fighting machine.
Norton Antivirus is a super solid
all around Windows 11 antivirus.
It's a little bit more expensive than the other options
but it does offer more useful features.
Surfshark Antivirus is one of the best antivirus for PC
if you also need to cover your online safety.
It has useful features and is easy to use,
even for beginners.
NordVPN Total Protection is a great option
if you want to have a VPN with an antivirus solution,
the best choice for having all
of your internet data protected.
Hey, why not subscribe
to our channel and learn even more and stay up to date.
If you have any questions or suggestions,
just make sure to leave them down below
in the comments section.
Hey, that's all I've got for today.
I'll see you in the next one.