Best antivirus for Windows 11

If you need an antivirus program for your laptop or PC, we've rounded up some of the very best you can get here. We've used data from AV-Comparatives to determine the reliability of these solutions, as well as some of our own testing when it comes to the overall user experience. You can rest assured any of these solutions will provide great protection for your computer.

F-Secure

F-Secure is one of the best-rated antivirus programs out there, providing excellent protection against real-world threats. The latest test results show it has a tendency to trigger some false positives, but it does combat all serious threats, so you can rest assured you'll be browsing safely. We also ran a series of tests, and it always detected the malicious file it should have.

One of the things we like about F-Secure is its very straightforward solution and the fact that it doesn't try too hard to upsell you anything. That gives it points for a user-friendly experience. Beyond that, it's the only paid solution that doesn't automatically ask you for a payment method when you sign up for the free trial. It's set up for manual renewal instead, so you won't be charged until you actively choose to start paying for it.

If you just want general threat protection, the $50-per-year F-Secure Internet Security plan has everything you need, with antivirus and browsing protection through an extension that works with most browsers and provides ransomware protection. The Total plan also adds an unlimited VPN and additional identity protection features.

Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a long-standing player in the antivirus market and is often considered one of the best options around. It's another terrific choice when it comes to protecting your PC. It got a nearly perfect score in the last round of testing done in the second half of 2023, and in our own tests, it blocked just about every threat we tested against. Phishing protection on the web requires a browser extension, but that's the case with most of the options out there.

Bitdefender also has a no-nonsense interface that's easy to get a grip on and that doesn't bombard you with upsells; plus, the UI isn't convoluted or confusing. It focuses on what you want to do and gives you quick access to important features.

Bitdefender comes in a range of tiers. The Internet Security package is all you really need for malware, phishing, and ransomware protection, costing $59.99 without discounts. You can get Total Security to get access to the device optimizer, or spring for the Premium Security plan to get access to an unlimited VPN. It's a very robust solution that only gets better if you choose to pay more. There's also a more basic free version if you don't want to spend money.

G-Data

You may not have heard of G-Data, but that doesn't mean it's not one of the best options around. Developed in Germany, G-Data frequently gets awards for its great performance, and the latest results from AV-Comparatives give it an impeccable record in terms of detecting malware, along with a fairly low rate of false positives. Our own testing also showed great results, blocking almost all the test files we threw at it.

G-Data also excels with its straightforward UI that presents all the information you want in a clear and concise way. It's easy to find and manage your security settings, and all the main sections are immediately visible on the primary screen without any convoluted menus.

The base plan, G-Data Antivirus, costs just under 30 euros for one year and one device, making it one of the cheapest options around. You can opt for more expensive plans, of course. As with the options above, G-Data Antivirus doesn't try to weasel you into a subscription through the free trial — you have to opt into paying after the trial is over. It may seem like a small deal, but it's good to see companies that aren't trying to sneakily charge you a fee.

Kaspersky

Kaspersky is one of the most well-known names in the antivirus industry, and it has proven its effectiveness over the years. The most recent test results show that it has a nearly flawless record in detecting potential threats, in addition to returning almost no false positives. We ran some tests ourselves and found it worked very well, except that the Firefox extension didn't block a phishing test page we tried to load.

In terms of the user experience, Kaspersky works pretty well. The interface is a bit busy, but all the important elements are readily available, and it lets you easily enable additional security features. Everything from ransomware protection to a firewall and online payment protection is included in the Standard plan. Like other solutions, Kaspersky offers more features if you opt for a more expensive plan, with features like a data leak checker and unlimited VPN available if you pay up.

MalwareBytes

Most of the solutions on this list are paid subscriber, and they don't really have a free option outside the free initial trial. MalwareBytes, however, is available in a completely free version, in addition to the premium model. MalwareBytes has an excellent detection engine that's available in both the free and premium versions, and the only big downside of the free version is that it doesn't offer real-time protection. Yes, that means you won't be protected from downloading dangerous files, but if you just want to find and eliminate viruses already on your PC, you can't do much better than MalwareBytes. And, of course, you can always pay for the Premium plan.

MalwareBytes also has the simplest UI of all the solutions we cover here. From the home menu, you can see everything that matters: start a scan, see the detection history, and manage real-time protection if you have the premium plan. There really isn't a lot more to do here, and that works in MalwareBytes's favor, since it makes it so easy to manage.

If you opt to pay for premium, plans start at $44 per year, so it's fairly competitive price-wise.

AVG

AVG is another one of those names you've probably always heard of, and there's pretty good reason for that. AV-Comparatives chart lists it as one of the top options for virus protection, and it did pretty well in our own testing, too. AVG is owned by a former rival, Avast, and the two apps and everything around them is nearly identical nowadays. In terms of protection, you'll be okay with either choice. However, we found that it didn't do a good job of blocking a data logger app when we tested it, whereas other solutions didn't even give us the chance to run the app.

However, the small differences between AVG and Avast in terms of the user experience have us learning towards the former. Avast has a tendency to nag you with messages letting you know you can pay more for certain premium features, which gets annoying fast. AVG is much quieter and less annoying, so it gets our pick between the two.

Pricing for AVG starts at around $47 and there's no free version, although you can try it for a couple of months for free. However, this is one of those apps that forces you to sign up for auto-renewal when creating your account, so if you change your mind, you have to remember to cancel your plan.

Norton

Finally, we have another well-known name, Norton. While the company has had its share of bad moments, Norton is a solid antivirus that offers very good protection according to the latest public indicators. And based on our results, it mostly holds up, although some of our test files did slip through the cracks.

The UI in Norton is fairly easy to understand, but it's not the most transparent, and the user experience could be improved. But you can get to everything you need pretty efficiently once you learn where to go. What Norton lacks in intuitiveness it makes up for in value, with the low starting price of $20 per year netting you features like a small 2GB cloud backup and a password manager. As for the Norton 360 Standard plan, you get a VPN and "dark web monitoring" (finding your email in known leaks), which still comes in at a reasonable price of $40. There are other plans, too, adding ID theft protection and more.

While Norton wasn't the most pleasant experience in our tests, it's a solid antivirus that does a good job of keeping your PC safe.

Best antivirus for Windows 11: Bottom line

At the end of the day, all of these are great solutions if you want to keep your PC extra safe. We stand by the argument that the best protection is cautious online behavior. Foremost, this means avoiding opening suspicious websites and emails. But if you can't trust yourself to filter trustworthy websites, our top recommendation goes to F-Secure, although any of the solutions in the first half of this list are excellent choices.

My personal favorite is MalwareBytes because it does have a free version and a detection engine that's hard to match. If you don't need real-time protection but want to clean up your PC from things you may have picked up over the years, this is a great way to do exactly that.

If cleaning up viruses doesn't do enough to boost your PC's performance, you may want to consider a clean install of Windows 11.