You’ve come to the wrong place if you’re looking for free antivirus protection. Our list here covers the very best antivirus tools, and they’re not free. On the other hand, the best free antivirus apps beat out many of their commercial counterparts. Consider Avast One Basic or AVG AntiVirus Free if your budget just doesn’t stretch to paying for antivirus protection.

Which antivirus should you choose? While you have many options, two stand out from the rest. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus holds perfect and near-perfect scores from three independent antivirus testing labs, with more features than some security suites. Norton AntiVirus Plus likewise offers many suite-level features, and it gets excellent scores from all five testing labs we follow. We've named these two our Editors' Choice winners for commercial antivirus, but they're not the only antivirus apps worth consideration. Read the reviews of our top-rated programs, then make your own decision.

Editors’ Note: Given that the US government has banned new sales of Kaspersky security products, we no longer recommend them.

However, most top antivirus brands regularly run special promotions, significantly reducing their price per subscription (for example, Norton is currently offering a 58% discount, so you can get Norton 360 Deluxe for $49.99 / year*).

It’s worth noting that some cheap (and free) antiviruses don’t offer a decent level of protection, so while you may be saving money, you could put your devices at risk. That’s why you should only choose a trusted, low-cost antivirus with excellent security protections.