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Between Norton and Avast, which will antivirus will come out on top? In this Norton vs. Avast article, we’ll go through each antivirus program and determine which antivirus fits your needs in gaining protection on your device. Also, if you want to know more about other tools, click here.
The internet is becoming more accessible and businesses are slowly moving on to the online platform. The internet is the window to a whole new world as it can provide anything from entertainment to scholarly textbooks, so it’s important to know that if more people are using it, there will be more problems you can encounter while using it. Most of these problems can be fixed with the use of an antivirus software which allows you to safely browse on the internet without any of your user data being hacked or leaked.
Threats, viruses, malware threats, spyware, and ransomware are only a fraction of the issues you can encounter on the internet. These types of attacks and the need for virus protection only increase by the day as more cyber-hackers are getting sophisticated in how they can invade your operating system.
According to research done by Juniper, the overall amount for loss in 2019 has been $2 trillion. The amount of valuable, and sensitive personal data that has been leaked has lead to lawsuits and life changes that people cannot fix. No one is ever truly safe on the internet, so it’s important to keep antivirus programs installed on your devices with essential as well as additional features.
It is expected that the damages are going to cost $6 trillion by 2021. You should be aware of what you can encounter on the internet, so this is where an anti virus protection kicks in!
Our recommendation: McAfee
With so many antivirus products in the market, there is none that’s like McAfee. With over 18.9 billion devices protected on a consistent basis, McAfee’s ability to deal with malware attacks come unmatched! McAfee has a dedicated database that is adept to deal with all sorts of virus attacks whether they may be online or offline. To browse their programs, check out their programs here!
How to Stay Protected in Real Time and at All Times?
Since it is a serious problem, ensuring your online data is 100% safe is extremely vital or you could be the next victim of any types of digital threats. Not if you consider Norton and Avast as your first line of defense based on the AV comparatives tests and feedback from users around the globe!
Every 14 seconds, there’s a ransomware attack. These attacks even got the best of large companies like Yahoo, where almost 3 billion accounts were leaked due to how vulnerable their systems were.
So, how can we stop all of this? By installing a premium security antivirus / security software suite!
We have reviewed Avast and Norton antivirus programs before, but it was between other antivirus brands or security software which are listed here:
Avast comparison:
For more Norton antivirus comparisons check out these:
How to Choose Best Antivirus Between Norton vs Avast?
We will provide insight on Norton and Avast through a variety of aspects. For real time data comparisons, we will take a look at tests run by AV-test and also AV-comparatives. These security firms push the premium security antivirus to their limits by testing how well their software can detect internet attacks, and how well it can impact your device performance. Other than data reports, we will also look into the many extra features, performance, user interface, and pricing of each software.
We’ve laid out short, detailed and ultimate comparison for you to help you understand the differences between Norton and Avast.
Norton Beats out Avast
A good antivirus works flawlessly, offering state-of-the-art malware protection, exceptional computer performance and is decently priced.
Let’s take a look at this general overview of what we will go through in detail later in our Avast vs Norton review!
Features:
Having used both of the software, our experts recommend that Norton Antivirus provides more all-around real time protection that users need in fully protecting their PC. Norton offers extra features that go beyond online protection, it hits hardware protection, and even identity theft protection which Avast lacks.
Winner: Norton
Malware Protection:
Defense from malware, ransomware, and spyware will give you a peace of mind as it keeps your online sessions secure. Norton Antivirus does an exceptional in this category as the layers of protection exceed online sessions, it even protects users from the Dark Web, which is a part of the internet that has damaged a lot of people and their personal data. With tests done by AV-test and AV-comparatives when it comes to anti spyware, anti malware, ransomware and general antivirus protection, Norton scores higher than the industry standards which ensures user safety.
Winner: Norton
Performance on System:
Your device should always be at optimal performance as it allows most users an increase in their productivity when doing activities in real time online. These two software tools scored perfectly with the AV-test and AV-comparatives, but Norton does slightly better by a sliver in terms of how successful it was to running the number of tests and again, scoring higher than industry standards. These industry standards are simply benchmarks any good antivirus, be it single or multi device suite, should perform at.
Winner: Norton
User-Interface:
How a user interacts with an antivirus tool is important because customer satisfaction can stem from this feature. Is it user friendly (easy to use and navigate)? Does it cause a strain on your eyes? In this category, Norton antivirus lays it out simply with a touch of a modern style to it allowing users to navigate swiftly and therefore understand the program faster.
Winner: Norton
Pricing Model:
Is the pricing model reasonable? Norton does well in this category due to the number and quality of additional features their multi device antivirus program provides. Norton offers packages that are a bit more expensive but the extra features and customer support you get from Norton outweighs Avast antivirus by a lot.
Winner: Norton
Norton and Avast Short Conclusion
It’s clear that Norton does exceptionally well in all the categories due to the quality of the program and how it’s executed. There are more security-related features that this program has that Avast cannot keep up with., not to mention considering other free tools vs Norton.
There’s no arguing that the way Norton is able to provide quality to its customer’s devices is basically unmatched with Avast antivirus.
To help you gain better insight on both programs, we will go through Norton and Avast and explain its features and compare test results between them.
Norton and Avast Compared: Who wins the Battle?
The best antivirus software never lets your system performance down; rather, it’d boost the overall operation speed and you will see a huge difference. Furthermore, it would be offering a next-level user-interface (UI) so that the user can easily understand and use the software and reach the destination without having to click multiple times.
For this neck-and-neck comparison, we will shed light of all the major features brought to you by both of the companies.
Let’s begin with Norton vs all other antivirus software tools.
Norton offers a total of 4 antivirus suites for different needs of yours, they are as follows:
Norton Antivirus Plus:
This is a user friendly, entry-level suite by Norton that allows you to connect only 1 device. This suite offers the basic features that make up an antivirus, like anti spyware, essential malware protection, and ransomware protection. You can securely browse online without having to deal with any issues with this suite’s “Online Threat Protection” which includes anti spyware and other protection features.
What’s notable of this suite is that you can get a “Smart Firewall” which is helpful as this feature is usually mentioned in more premier packages of any antivirus, so to have it on their standard ensures how seriously Norton takes user’s safety. Another layer of protection is done with their “Password Manager” feature which allows users to keep all their password in one place, ensuring that none of their passwords will be leaked for hackers to use. Having multiple password is important because if you keep just one or two passwords for all your profiles, this just gives more keys for crackers to gain your personal information. This is where Norton Password Manager saves the day!
Norton 360 Standard:
As it says in it’s name, Norton 360 Standard suite offers users all-around protection in online and offline features with money back guarantee 60 days after the purchase. With extra layers of online protection and hardware protection, this suite is perfect for those who use other operating systems like smartphones or tablets. This suite can protect only 1 device at a time.
This suite offers hardware webcam protection to your system as well, which is premium feature that keeps your webcam shield on to keep you safe from any crackers trying to log onto it and make unauthorized webcam access. This is an important feature as more sophisticated hackers are hacking onto home camera systems. So ensure that your camera devices are monitored safely with this feature.
With “Dark Web Monitoring Powered by LifeLock§”, this prevents users from entering this part of the web that is considered dangerous. With Dark Web Monitoring, you’re guaranteed safety from the dark part of the digital space.
This suite offers online and offline protection that is needed to truly be considered “safe” with the money back guarantee which is twice as long compared to Avast.
Norton 360 Deluxe:
Above the mentioned suites, Norton 360 Deluxe is an upgrade to the 360 Standard. This antivirus is better as you can protect up to 5 devices simultaneously on different operating systems, again with 60-day money back guarantee and loads of security features. This means you can connect your Android smart phone, with your Windows 10 or your computer, and your Apple tablet all at once for example. Norton 360 Deluxe plan is perfect for those who have children, as the bonus feature with this suite is the Parental Control which allows users to monitor and filter out inappropriate content from their children. Parental Control is important as technology is becoming more integrated in the younger generations today, so it’s good to keep your children’s browsing sessions safe.
Norton 360 Deluxe plan also offers more cloud backup as this goes up to 50GB which offers more space for your sensitive files to be backed up. This backup allows you to access your files at any given time, and ensures that nothing will be deleted or affected.
Norton 360 with LifeLock Select:
While all of the features of Deluxe has been added to this plan, there’s a lot more in this package that will leave you astonished, like Norton 360 with LifeLock Select, another perk in vs Avast battle! As this suite offers deluxe protection, you get an extra layer with the “LifeLock Identity Alert System†” which monitors your online identity. Norton 360 with LifeLock prevents any sort of identity theft that users can easily encounter online.
Apart from Norton 360 with LifeLock, you also get “Credit Monitoring” which ensures users that their banking information and credit usage are kept track online. This means it will notify you if your banking information is used anywhere in the web.
Users are also upgraded to up to 100GB of cloud back up which allows the ultimate space for users to keep all their sensitive files safe and secure.
What hits the ball out of the park with this suite is the “Million Dollar Protection Package” which guarantees that Norton will provide support to any reparations from identity theft and fraud when dealing with people online.
Keep in mind that this suite is limited to protecting to only 5 devices at a time. It also comes with money back guarantee which is valid for 60 days after the purchase.
Norton 360 with Ultimate Plus:
Have more devices that you want to protect? Ultimate Plus suite is the ultimate package for protection on any device you own. This antivirus is better as it allows protection to unlimited devices that you may own. With more than 10 devices on Windows 10 or other OSs, this means more sensitive information will be in use. Don’t worry, Norton has your back as it’s cloud backup goes up to half a terabyte! With 500GB of cloud space, you are ensured that all your information is safe and secure. This suite has all the all the features like the ones mentioned in above!
Now, let’s move to Avast antivirus!
Unlike Norton, Avast offers its plans based on the platform. For example, it has different plans for both Windows and iOS. However, for the sake of this article, we will be laying out only Windows-specific suites. Read more about Avast offers money back guarantee here.
Avast Free Antivirus:
Avast offers a free antivirus version of its software, however, you must keep in mind that it’s very limited in features like all free suites. This is similar to the free version of Windows defender that is pre-installed to your device, but slightly better. One notable thing about Avast free antivirus suite, is that it’s offered to Windows, macOS, and Android devices. Installation for this suite is easy to install, and users are provided with an intuitive program interface that can interact with.
This is not a trial version, this is the "freemium" Avast free antivirus as they call it as it can be kept on your device for as long as you please.
Download Now for Windows | Mac | Android
Avast vs Avast’s Pro Antivirus:
Avast’s Pro Antivirus program is the entry level suite that is recommended for users who are first-time purchasers for antivirus. This suite covers the basic features of what should be in an antivirus. With the ability to detect and block viruses while you work on your background, rest assured your online browsing sessions will be safe. There are also network features that safeguards your network from those who try to take over your WiFi at home.
This suite also features as a password manager that guarantees all your passwords to be safely kept in one place. The password manager is important as it’s not wise to keep the same passwords for all your online profiles as it risks hackers taking more online profiles than they actually intended to. Apart from the Password Manager, this suite also covers online shopper safety as it halts hackers from taking your banking information whenever you input your data in making an online purchase.
With apps making an impact on how we interact with each other online, this suite offers desktop app protection which prevents any programmed apps from taking your personal data.
This suite covers basic, online features that are important in keeping your device safe!
Avast’s Internet Security:
If you want even more features to layer your protection on your device, this level-up suite is labeled the “Internet Security” suite. In addition to all the features previously mentioned, you can get an advanced firewall. With an advanced smart firewall, this prevents infected traffic in your online sessions infecting your device. This is important as you may not even detect viruses on your session because viruses can be downloaded without your knowledge.
Another feature added is the anti spam ability to filter out spam in your inboxes. Anti spam is the key to organizing your emails in your inbox safely. Thousands of spam emails infected with viruses are sent to your mail box. All it takes is one click of a spam email for hackers to invade your device. So we praise Avast anti spam greatly!
With an added layer of protection, you are also guaranteed extra ransomware protection geared towards valuable data on your device. This extra layer of ransomware security features protects your personal photos and files safe from any unwanted changes whether they are online or on your actual device.
This suite is an upgraded security solution for online browsing to keep your online sessions safe and secure!
Avast’s Premier:
Avast’s Premier package covers all the online safety features in all the suites mentioned above. But with this suite, you get even more features and also hardware protection! One of the notable features is the webcam shield safety features, as a webcam can be used as a portal for hackers to actually spy on you. A lot of people have encountered this as it doesn’t only happen to webcams, it can happen to home security cameras as well. So it’s important to keep any hardware you install safe!
When people say the “internet is forever”, it means that even though you can delete files, images, etc. , it’s technically not deleted! With a file shredder features, users are able to securely delete files without having to worry about people trying to recover them. This is key to keeping your personal data safe from anyone that can recreate your sensitive data.
With this suite, you can get automatic updates that allow this suite to be up to date to industry standards. These free updates reduce risks by keeping your other applications up to date. Outdated applications risk being susceptible to viruses.
Avast Ultimate Antivirus:
Avast’s Ultimate suite takes all the features of every suite mentioned above, but it adds an important feature that guarantees safety across the park and is not present in the free version. This is the SecureLine VPN which encrypts your web connection for an even safer online browsing session. Using these secure VPN services, you can log on to sites that are limited to location of a user. On top of that, you can get a feature called the “Password Premium” which notifies you of any website that has a leak on their accounts. Even more powerful than a regular passwords manager.
This suite is called “ultimate” for a reason as you do get an online and offline ultimate protection at a great price even for 10 devices. A really affordable multi device deal from Avast!
There’re other suites that have been developed by Avast for other platforms as well like iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. You can get detailed knowledge of them using this link.
Winner: Norton
Norton Avast battle: Who offers better Malware Protection?
Does Norton or Avast provide the best malware protection? It’s good to know which of these two antivirus services performs the best under web and email threats like malware because these are the type of attacks that can be detrimental to your data. Remember, it’s important to know which antivirus provides the best protection and is consistent in keeping your 1, 5, 10 devices or even more safe. Protection against malware is getting more and more important and is worth investing into.
To push Norton and Avast to their limits, we will consider results from tests run by AV comparatives performance test. These tests analyze how many files that each antivirus software features smart system scan which can determine the safety of files. By pushing the antivirus to smart scan over hundreds of samples, and by comparing it to industry standards, we’ll easily see which antivirus ranks better. These tests were taken back in April of 2020, so let’s take a look at how Norton & Avast performed:
Norton’s Protection:
With Norton, it scores a perfect 6.0/6.0! This antivirus scores higher than what industry standards should be, as Norton wants to continue to assure customer’s of their online safety. With a perfect 10 across the board, it’s no wonder that Norton’s reliability to tackle even the most powerful attacks continues to prove how this program can outrank Avast. Remember, these types of malware attacks are important to detect and remove, no one is safe without having an antivirus with this feature. The Password Manager provides even more internet security.
Avast Internet Security Protection:
With Avast, it scores 5.5/6.0, which is not perfect but still a decent score. But there’s one key thing to note, that it has underperformed what the industry average should be. Using this antivirus tool must come with caution if it’s not hitting standard benchmarks it should be hitting.
Winner: Norton
Norton vs Avast: Who puts Minimal Impact on System Performance?
System performance is a key aspect that should be prioritized the same as the ability to protect your device from various types of malware threats. Why, you ask? It’s important to have your device maintain premium security AND optimal performance because having any sort of lag on your device can decrease your productivity whenever the device is in use. Antivirus suites should offer minimal impact on a system because ensuring that you can browse safely without sacrificing PC performance is a priority that antivirus companies must keep in mind.
To compare the performance between Norton and Avast antivirus software, we will take a look with tests run by AV-test and AV comparative. Similar to tests with other basic malware protection, these tests base their results on website visits, downloaded files, and the time it takes for programs to launch. There are actually industry standards to performance, so we can see if each antivirus software hits industry benchmarks, in our case Avast vs Norton.
Let’s figure out which software offers minimal impact to ensure smooth operations:
Norton’s Performance:
Norton again hits a perfect score of a 6.0/6.0, and these tests result that it performs better than industry standards. With a large amount of test files and websites, it’s ability to minimize the usage of your device’s power continues to prove how much care Norton’s team has taken in building their product. The reliability that it has consistently hit and outperformed benchmarks when users are simultaneously doing work on their device proves how popular this antivirus has been amongst its consumers as well.
Avast’s Performance:
Avast also does well in this category as it’s ability to hit the industry benchmarks gives it that perfect score. Although it’s a perfect score, Norton does slighlty better because it outperforms the industry standards, whereas Avast hits the industry standard. Nonetheless, performance is minimally impacted which is a basic aspect of being an antivirus software.
Winner: Norton
Avast vs Norton: Who is more User-Friendly?
User Interface is an important aspect of any antivirus software. It’s important that antivirus companies are able to showcase their software’s utilities easily because customer satisfaction stems from this usability. This is a crucial aspect especially for those who do know have much of the knowledge of computers.
Let’s take a look at how each UI compares with each other:
Norton’s UI:
Norton offers an UI which is aerodynamic and brings simplicity to life. The Norton’s UI takes less space when loaded on-screen and everything is shown in green that states that there’s no threat or anything wrong. All the utility boxes are separated in boxes and simplifies what is being selected by highlighting the utility white. It’s also easy to indicate how many days you have left before you would have to renew it again. Color changes if there is a performance issue from green to red, this easily indicates that your device is at risk.
Avast’s UI:
With Avast, utilities are also separated in boxes. You can tell whether your device is protected or not by the green box indicator on the left. Tabs are also placed on top where users can navigate to specific needs on the program. Although it’s organized, there is some strain to the eye as the art background slightly obscures the utilities. There’s a lot of different things to look at, and therefore can be somewhat overwhelming especially if you are new to antivirus software.
Norton has the ability to lay out its program in a clean, and concise manner. The ease of navigating through utilities without the eye strain is why it beats Avast. The clean white background allows for some simple modernity style to it, texts to navigate the program easily stands out!
Winner: Norton
Norton and Avast Debate: Who is less Expensive Antivirus?
We want to make sure that you’re receiving the best benefits out of a program you’re paying for. Pricing point matters because accessibility to any premium security antivirus product is important to both customers and businesses.
Let’s go through the pricing of each software one by one via the table below:
Norton’s Pricing Model:
| Suites | Price |
| Norton Antivirus Basic | Latest Price |
| Norton 360 Standard | Latest Price |
| Norton 360 Deluxe | Latest Price |
| Norton 360 with LifeLock Select | Latest Price |
Avast Pricing Model:
| Avast Antivirus Suites | Prices |
| Avast Pro Antivirus | Latest Price |
| Avast Internet Security | Latest Price |
| Avast Premier | Latest Price |
| Avast Ultimate | Latest Price |
| Avast Security for Mac | Latest Price |
| Avast Business Products | Latest Range |
Norton offers more premium security features and provides customer support on all their products, therefore making it more reasonably priced as you’re getting the quality that you’re paying for.
Winner: Norton
Final Word For Norton vs Avast 2020
As more people are getting accustomed to the web, the need to have real time threat protection on all your devices, be it a few or 10 devices or more, is highly recommended. It’s clear that Norton beats Avast Premium security by a landslide due to the quality of the security-related features that this company provides. With an easy to use and navigate program with a decent pricing point, it just shows how Norton cares a lot about their customer’s safety. The extent at which this company goes to protect their customer is commendable due to having advanced features like the Million Dollar Protection Package, which again, helps settle users with any reparations of online identity theft or fraud while they were using their program. It’s clear that Norton is the winner in this battle!
Our recommendation: McAfee
From phishing scams to malware attacks, security threats grow increasingly by the day. Although the products we mentioned are very good, it cannot beat the likes of McAfee. With McAfee it has protection on all sorts of devices ranging from phones to even cars! It’s extensive product line-up has protected over 18.9 billion devices to this day. We are sure that you will come across a package that is perfect for you, to check out their line-up, click here!
FAQs
1. Which is better Avast or Norton?
While both Norton and Avast Antivirus have effective scanning tools, their performance varies. Avast Antivirus, on the other hand, is 20% faster than Norton when scanning a PC in safe mode. To summarize, Avast is a capable service, but Norton is superior. It protects against a broader range of other online threats on average.
2. Is avast a safe antivirus?
Yes, avast is a safe antivirus. It has a good reputation and is one of the most popular antivirus programs available. Avast has been tested by many independent organizations and has consistently received high marks for its effectiveness in protecting against viruses and other malware threats.
3. Is Avast free enough?
No, the free version of Avast is insufficient to safeguard your computer. It will always miss spyware/malware/viruses that other programs are capable of detecting but Avast is incapable of detecting. These three programs discover items that Avast does not. All three programs, like Avast, are completely free.
4. Do I have to install Norton Safe Web?
Yes, you need to install Norton Safe Web. To enhance your device's protection against the cyber threats described above and many others, it is critical to install the Norton Safe Web extension.
5. Can I buy a new Norton instead of renewing?
All new product purchases include a one-year subscription, unless you choose a longer plan. You can purchase a new Norton product directly from Norton's website or from any retailer.
