By installing one of the best Windows antivirus programs on your PC, you can better protect your system and your data against malware and other cyberattacks.

Even though Windows Defender has improved significantly in recent years, you may still want some extra protection for your PC in addition to Microsoft’s own antivirus software that ships with Windows 10 and Windows 11. Besides protecting against malware and viruses, some of these programs come equipped with the ability to “rollback” files that have been encrypted by ransomware along with advanced protection to stop phishing emails, malicious links, fileless malware or boot-sector infections.

It’s worth noting that these antivirus programs don’t offer the same level of protection as the best internet security suites since only a few of them include a VPN or password manager. However, none of them ship with parental control software for keeping an eye on what your children see and do online.

We’ve taken a hard look at the best Windows 10 antivirus software to see how well they can protect your Windows PC. We’ve also examined how much they slow down your system and what you should be paying for the features on offer. As everyone’s security needs are different, we’ve also provided some tips on how to choose the best Windows 10 antivirus software for you.  

1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

The best protection with lots of useful extras

Specifications

Backup software: No

Firewall: No

Game mode: Yes

Hardened browser: Yes

Password manager: Yes

Ransomware rollback: Yes

Virtual keyboard: Yes

VPN: Limited

Wi-Fi scanner: Yes

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Reasons to buy

+

Very good malware protection+

Lots of useful extra features+

Light active scans

Reasons to avoid

–

Heavy background system impact-

Limited VPN service

If you want some extra features with one of the best Windows 10 antivirus programs, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus provides a lot for its low price, which ranges from $40 per year for a single PC to $80 for 10 machines.

There’s an unlimited password manager, a secure browser with an onscreen keyboard for online banking and shopping, a file shredder and web-privacy software.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus also includes a VPN but it’s limited to 200MB per day unless you pay extra. However, there aren’t any parental controls. Still though, the program is easy to use, its malware-detection record is excellent and it also rolls back ransomware and guards against fileless malware and rootkits.

2. Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Excellent protection, with few frills

Specifications

Backup software: No

Firewall: No

Game mode: Yes

Hardened browser: No

Password manager: Limited

Ransomware rollback: Yes

Virtual keyboard: Yes

VPN: Limited

Wi-Fi scanner: Yes

Reasons to buy

+

Excellent malware protection+

New stalkerware protection+

Light load during scans

Reasons to avoid

–

Not many extra features-

VPN, password manager just teases

If you want the very best Windows 10 antivirus protection, Kaspersky Anti-Virus should be your first choice. No other brand of antivirus software matches its nearly impeccable record in third-party lab tests. 

The company’s entry-level package, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, covers up to three Windows PCs for $60 per year, or up to five for $80, though you’ll often get half off for the first year. 

Kaspersky Anti-Virus doesn’t give many of you the extra bells and whistles you’ll find with more expensive security suites. There are no parental controls, the password manager holds only 15 entries and the VPN service is limited to 300MB per day. (You can pay extra to get unlimited versions of those.)

But Kaspersky Anti-Virus does give you exactly what you need: dedicated protection against encrypting ransomware, a filter against phishing emails, browser extensions to beef up web safety and a security scanner for your home Wi-Fi network. 

Kaspersky Anti-Virus also has new protection against “stalkerware” or spying programs that the company is rolling out across all its antivirus products.