I thoroughly tested over 25 antiviruses. I considered which ones had plans that offered thorough parental control suites and useful features, like password managers and VPN, that would provide additional security for the whole family. After my tests, I picked out 5 fantastic antivirus plans for entire families that deliver robust protection, with Norton 360 Deluxe as my top pick. Norton offers reliable parental controls, a solid password manager, and a fast built-in VPN. Plus, you can try Norton 360 Deluxe completely risk-free for 60 days to see if it’s a good fit for you. Try Norton for families!
Quick Guide: 5 Best Antivirus Software for Families
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The Best Antiviruses for Families — Full Test Results in January 2023
1. Norton 360 Deluxe — Best Overall Antivirus to Keep Your Children Safe
Key Features: Norton is easily the best overall antivirus to keep you and your family safe. During tests, it offered flawless protection against malware through its scans. It detected 100% of threats in real time, so it’ll keep your family’s devices secure. Plus, it offers various useful features to monitor and manage your children’s activities like:
“School Time” mode A built-in VPN A robust password manager Geo-fencing capabilities
One thing that makes this antivirus a perfect choice for families is its incredible parental control suite. Norton has an intuitive interface, so it’s easy to add child profiles that’ll let you monitor your children’s online activity and keep them safe online. The parental controls let you:
Track what apps your children are using Track their location history See what they’re searching for Monitor how long they’re online Block websites Set screen time limits Keep an eye on your child’s browsing habits.
I was happy to see that Norton offers secure cloud backup. Norton 360 Deluxe offers 50GB of encryption cloud storage that you can use to protect your family’s sensitive documents and files. You can easily configure backup schedules so that files and documents from specified folders are routinely backed up and safe. Norton also comes with a built-in VPN that you and the whole family can use to browse the web safely. There are several great antivirus options with a built-in VPN, but Norton is definitely a better choice than most. It offers fast speeds, lots of servers, and industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption to safeguard your activity. The best plan for families is Norton 360 Deluxe, as it lets you protect up to 5 devices simultaneously. The plan also includes unlimited data for its VPN and full access to all of Norton’s other features, including the password manager, 50GB of cloud storage, and parental controls. I found the Deluxe plan quite affordable, considering its many features. Plus, Norton offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it completely risk-free. Try Norton 360 Deluxe
2. McAfee Total Protection Plus — Lets You Easily Track Your Children and Monitor Their Activity
Key Features: McAfee Total Protection Plus is a great antivirus plan for families. It’s a solid antivirus that offers robust protection against threats with its multiple malware scans. This stellar protection is bundled with an impressive parental control suite with some helpful extras. It delivers solid protection against the latest threats in real-time, so I consider McAfee one of the best choices available. McAfee’s scans detected 100% of malware, and its real-time protection didn’t let a single piece of malware infect my system during tests. Among McAfee’s biggest strengths is its VPN. Its Safe Connect VPN offers fast browsing speeds so you and your family can safely browse the web without any lag or slowdowns. I tested the VPN’s speeds, and although my upload speeds dropped by nearly 50%, my download speeds didn’t drop more than 15%. McAfee’s Safe Family parental control suite is very impressive, and, while it isn’t as feature-rich as some others on this list, it’s still reliable. You can use McAfee’s parental controls to block apps, monitor your kid’s browsing history, track their location, and specify how long they can be online. The parental controls also let you block potentially dangerous websites so you can keep your kids safe. Finally, one of the best features in McAfee’s parental controls is geo-fencing, which lets you know whenever your kids enter and leave a certain area. McAfee also offers True Key, which is a password manager that’s perfect for storing logins, card details, private notes, and other sensitive details. The whole family can easily use this password manager to store shared logins in a secure environment that no one else can access. True Key also has a really intuitive and straightforward interface, so anyone can use it easily, even if they’ve never used password managers before. For families, I highly recommend using McAfee Total Protection Plus to safeguard up to 5 devices at once and Total Protection Ultimate to protect up to 10 devices. The plans are affordable and come with all the key features you’ll need to keep your family’s devices safe and secure. Also, McAfee comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee that’ll let you test all its features without risk. Try McAfee Total Protection
3. Bitdefender Total Security — Reliable Threat Protection and Amazing Parental Controls
Key Features: After tests, I was pleased with Bitdefender’s overall protection. It’s a solid antivirus for families because it delivers solid threat protection and various features, including parental controls, a VPN, and a password manager. All of these features work together seamlessly to keep every member of your household safe when browsing the internet. Bitdefender is really effective at protecting your devices against threats. Its virus scans successfully detected 100% of the threats on my system during tests. Plus, it has a detection rate of over 99% against real-time threats, so you can be sure it’ll safeguard all your devices. Bitdefender has several highlights, but its parental controls are among its biggest strengths. It offers an incredibly thorough parental control interface with many options to help keep your kids safe. Features include:
A screen time monitor Geo-fencing that lets you track your child’s location Controls that show you what websites your child visits and what applications they use. Filters that allow you to block certain apps or websites
Overall, Bitdefender offers a really useful parental control suite that I found easy to use. Even the youngest members of my household had zero issues navigating Bitdender’s interface. You’ll also get a VPN if you subscribe to Bitdefender Total Protection. One thing that holds Bitdefender’s VPN back compared to the others on this list is that it has a 200MB/day data limit. So, while it’s good enough for securely browsing websites thanks to its industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption, you can’t use it for bandwidth-heavy tasks like streaming. Alongside its amazing security features, Bitdefender offers a very capable password manager. You can easily set Bitdefender’s password manager up within the app and use it to store passwords, banking details, and various kinds of sensitive information. Plus, it comes with helpful auto-fill capabilities that’ll automatically enter saved details whenever you visit their respective websites. Bitdefender’s Total Security plan lets you safeguard 5 family members’ devices at once. It’s an affordable plan that comes with all the key features you need to secure your devices and protect your whole family from cyber threats. If you aren’t sure if it’s the right choice for you, you can try Bitdefender for 30-days without risk using its money-back guarantee. Try Bitdefender Total Security
4. Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 — A Secure and Easy-To-Use Mac Antivirus for Families
Key Features: Many consider Intego the #1 antivirus available for Macs right now, and I have to agree. Intego’s VirusBarrier detected 100% of threats on a test system with its scans and successfully quarantined every single one. Its content barrier also makes it a great choice for families. Plus, it has reliable real-time protection that’ll secure you against the latest threats in real time. I also liked that Intego lets you specify what level of protection you want and uses system resources accordingly. Intego is among the most intuitive antiviruses on this list. I like that its app has a clean design that’s easy to navigate with all the features neatly presented. Even if you don’t have prior experience using antiviruses, you should be able to learn how to use all of Intego’s features in minutes. Finding an antivirus with good parental controls is important if you’re getting it for the whole family, and I was pleased to learn that Intego’s are solid. It doesn’t have geofencing like McAfee and Bitdefender, but it comes with various useful features. Through the Content Barrier feature, Intego lets you:
Ban websites Monitor or block chat apps Set schedules for your children’s screen time
A recording activity function also takes screenshots while your kid’s using their device to let you know what they’re up to. One of the most interesting things about these controls is the Anti-Predator function, which immediately alerts you if your kid is having suspicious chats. Intego also comes with a Personal Backup feature that you can use to protect your family’s important files and documents. This feature automatically backs up files and folders and lets you schedule backups, so no important files are lost. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of the antiviruses on this list, Intego doesn’t come with a password manager or a built-in VPN. I would recommend Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9 for your family because it’s an affordable plan that delivers great value for money because it can protect up to 5 devices. Intego also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee you can use to test all its features risk-free. Try Intego for families!
5. Panda Dome Complete — Well-Rounded Protection for Unlimited Devices
Key Features: Panda is a great antivirus that’s perfect for large families who want to secure lots of devices. It isn’t the most feature-rich antivirus, and its threat protection isn’t on the same level as other options like Norton, but it’s reliable nonetheless. It has some basic parental control features that let you monitor and block certain sites, but that’s about it. Panda Dome Complete is best for families that want protection across a greater number of devices but don’t need the more advanced features like geo-fencing that competitors such as Norton offers. During tests, Panda successfully detected over 99% of malware through its scans. Unfortunately, it also seems to flag quite a few false positives from time to time. Panda’s real-time protection, on the other hand, is far more impressive because it successfully blocked 100% of zero-day and real-time threats. Panda’s anti-theft tools are among its most useful features and are the perfect way to keep your family’s devices from being stolen. If one of your devices is stolen, you can use Panda’s anti-theft tools to track its location accurately. You’ll also get the following features with these tools:
Lock and wipe — Remotely lock your device or wipe all its data if it’s been stolen. Motion alert — Receive alerts whenever someone moves your device. Remote alarm — Trigger loud alarms on stolen devices to pinpoint their location. Smartwatch anchor — Receive alerts if your phone and smartwatch get too far from one another. Theft photo alert — Automatically takes photos of the person holding the phone after multiple failed login attempts.
Panda also comes with an intuitive and secure password manager for your family’s logins. The password manager offers storage for logins, identities, and various other kinds of sensitive information. Plus, it comes with a secure password generator and helpful auto-fill features that’ll save you a lot of time when logging into different sites. You’ll also get a VPN with your Panda subscription. Panda’s VPN is operated by Hotspot Shield, which is one of the most renowned names in the VPN space. It offers AES 256-bit encryption, fast speeds, and multiple server locations. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a kill switch in Panda’s VPN. A kill switch is an important feature that protects your anonymity in case the VPN connection drops, so it’s unfortunate that it’s missing here. Panda Dome Complete is a great plan for families because you can use it to protect an unlimited number of devices. One issue I have with this plan, though, is that it only offers 150MB/day for the VPN. If you want to use Panda’s VPN without limits, you have to get the premium plan. Nonetheless, it’s a solid antivirus for families, and I recommend trying Panda yourself using its 30-day money-back guarantee. Try Panda Dome Complete
Warning! Avoid These 2 Antivirus Brands
1. Avast
Avast is a popular antivirus, but I strongly advise against getting it. If you don’t know yet, Avast has previously been caught selling user data for profits. The user data Avast sold includes browsing data and various kinds of personally identifiable data. So, considering this massive privacy breach, I simply cannot recommend using Avast.
2. Trend Micro
Trend Micro is a decent performer but has multiple problems, so I recommend avoiding it. First off, it’s not nearly as effective as other antiviruses when it comes to blocking Trojans, so you won’t get the best possible protection with it. Plus, Trend Micro gave a lot more false positives during tests than other antiviruses, so it just isn’t a worthwhile choice.
Quick Comparison Table: 2023’s Best Antivirus Software for Families
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6 Easy Steps: How to Set Up a Child Account on Norton
That’s it! Your kid’s phone will have child protection after this setup and you can easily track and manage their activity. Also, remember to store the PIN in a safe place in case you need it later on.
How I Tested and Ranked the Best Antivirus for Families in 2023
Solid parental controls — I only recommended antiviruses that offer a useful and thorough suite of parental controls to help you safeguard your children. Also, I prioritized options that let you easily monitor and manage your children’s online activity so that they aren’t exposed to anything unsafe online. Reliable threat protection — Any antivirus must provide solid protection against threats to be worthwhile, and all the choices on this list excel at this. My top pick Norton, for instance, offers a 100% malware detection rate through its scans and detects 100% of threats in real-time. Built-in password manager — I attempted to list antiviruses that offer a built-in password manager alongside their other security features. There are many different passwords that family members need to keep track of, and having a password manager in an antivirus helps everyone out. Ease of use — If you’re getting antivirus for the whole family, it must be easy to use so that everyone can get the hang of it. The antiviruses I’ve picked for this list all have intuitive designs, and you can easily learn how to use all their features within minutes. Built-in VPN — A VPN helps anyone stay secure and anonymous while browsing the web. This is especially helpful for keeping your kids safe online, so I focused on antiviruses that come with a built-in VPN. Of course, while none are as good as a top-tier standalone VPN like ExpressVPN, they still perform well. Value for money — Of course, no matter how many features an antivirus offers, it needs to have a reasonable price tag to be worthwhile. All the antiviruses I’ve mentioned here offer affordable plans for families and provide incredible value for money, considering how many features they come with.
What is the best antivirus for home use?
I consider Norton the best antivirus for home use. It’s easy to use, offers incredibly useful parental controls, and has the best possible threat protection. Also, Norton works on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, so you can easily set it up on all your devices at home. As a close second, though, McAfee supports a wide range of device connections, has stellar parental controls, and delivers some of the best features and extras on this list.
Which antivirus is best for multiple devices?
Panda is the best choice if you want to protect lots of devices. Unlike other choices on this list, You can use Panda Dome Complete on an unlimited number of devices. So, even though it doesn’t have the best parental controls or threat protection, it’s the best option to protect many devices.
Which antivirus is best for parental controls?
Norton is easily the best option if parental controls are your top priority. Its controls let you monitor and secure your children’s activity in various ways. Plus, I found it simple to set up Norton’s parental controls and easily used them to track my children’s online activity and keep them safe. Try Norton for families!
Picking the Best Antiviruses for Families in 2023
It’s essential to find the best possible antivirus for your family to keep everyone and their devices secure. Any worthwhile antivirus for families needs to have solid protection against malware both through scans and in real-time. Plus, they should have great parental controls, a solid VPN, and an intuitive password manager. I tested many antiviruses and only listed the ones that fit all the criteria mentioned above. Every antivirus on this list delivers top-grade security and comes with thorough parental controls that’ll help you monitor and manage your children’s online activity. Some even offer geofencing to let you know where your kids are at all times. Plus, they have great plans for families that’ll let you use them on all your devices. Overall, while all the antivirus plans in this list are effective, Norton is my top choice. It has one of the best parental control suites I’ve seen, a VPN with blazing-fast speeds, and an easy-to-use password manager. Also, Norton comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it completely risk-free. Try Norton for families
