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Between Norton and AVG, which is the best antivirus that meets your complex and unique needs?
Trying to get the perfect antivirus for your needs can be a challenge with tons of providers available who promise to offer the best. Today, we spend hours online, making life easy as you can bank, shop, and work online. However, this leaves internet uses exposed to tons of online threats. For instance, the number of ransomware attacks rose to 68.5% by 2021.
Key Takeaways
- Norton and AVG provide relatively similar antivirus software services, but overall Norton is a little better choice than AVG.
- Norton has minimal impact on PC performance
- Norton provides a more extensive and comprehensive feature suite, including functions that can help you protect your identity online.
- If you need to protect up to five computers, AVG may be a better option for you cost wise.
With such threats available, you must ensure optimum protection of your device and online data from attacks. Getting effective antivirus program is the key to ensuring your online security. Norton and AVG antiviruses are reputable antivirus programs. But, which one is the best? We focus here on AVG and Norton, but you can read our full AVG vs Bitdefender review, as well!
Our recommendation: McAfee
We want to make sure you are feeling confident in knowing that your online and offline security is working round the clock. So we want to let you know our recommended antivirus before talking about the other products. That antivirus is called McAfee! With McAfee, over 18.9 billion devices are protected with this program, and they have a database of over 49 billion threat queries that their team uses to build their top tier security features. There’s a reason their customers range from home users to big enterprises (check out best antivirus for business, too).
Norton vs. AVG Antivirus: Which One Should You Take?
Norton and AVG are good choices if you are looking for an antivirus program. They both come with features that ensure your device's protection against online threats, including ransomware threats, malware, etc. They are both effective in protecting your PC, Chromebook, mobile device, etc.
But which is the better option between the two?
Is Norton Antivirus the Best Option?
Norton is a product of Symantec Corporation, and it has been in operation since 1991. It is a trusted antivirus as it protects more than 50 million customers worldwide.
Features
Norton offers various features that make it ideal for protecting your device against attacks. The top-rated antivirus software offers multiple payment packages that you can choose depending on your needs and budget.
For instance, the Norton Antivirus Plus is the entry-level premium plan. Here, you get protection against various types of digital threats, and you also get a smart firewall that offers real-time monitoring of your network traffic. The security suite also includes a password manager that saves all your passwords and sensitive details to ensure you have stress-free web browsing. With a single subscription to the security suite, you can protect a Mac or PC.
The next level of payment plan is the Norton 360 Standard that is compatible with various devices, including Mac, PC, and smartphone. The suite offers all the features in the Norton Antivirus Plus. Additionally, it provides you with 10GB of cloud data to store your files, a VPN that helps in anonymous browsing, and a webcam protector that prevents anybody from spying on you and your activities.
The plan also includes Dark Web monitoring features from LifeLock. The feature helps track the sensitive data you have online, and you get an alert if anyone is misusing the information. A single subscription of the package helps to protect one device.
Another antivirus package from Norton includes the Norton 360 Deluxe. The plan offers you all the Norton 360 Standard package features, and you also get 50 GB of storage. You also get the Norton Family Premier which is Norton's parental controls module. The parental control features like mike or web cam protection help parents limit what their kids can access on the internet, which is something parents will absolutely appreciate in an antivirus for gaming when trying to prevent spying on their kids.
Finally, you can go for the Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock Select. The plan comes with all the features that you get in the Norton 360 Deluxe security suite. You also get full security monitoring tools, including the finance protection scanner, identity alert system, and a credit monitoring suite.
The identity alert system helps you identify whether there is anywhere else on the internet where your identity is in use in ways that don't match your everyday behavior. You can use the information to alert the authorities and prevent potential theft of your identity.
Additionally, credit monitoring will help you discover if your credit score goes up or down, which relates to identity theft.
How Good is the AVG Antivirus Software?
It will be best to determine whether AVG (see our in-depth AVG review) is the best antivirus software to look at various AVG products.
The company, which is now owned by Avast, offers the AVG Antivirus Free which comes with limited features. The option protects against various digital threats, but it doesn't offer advanced features or protection as we've already seen in our AVG vs Kaspersky review.
The next level is the AVG Internet Security compatible with Mac, Windows, and Android devices. The security suite offers protection against various types of cyber threats. The internet security suite also comes with a fake website shield that blocks phishing and malicious websites. There is also a smart scan that helps identify issues that may be affecting your PC performance. The firewall helps to monitor your home network.
What's more?
The AVG technologies product features a file shredder that deletes your sensitive data, ensuring no unintended or unauthorized recovery. The plan includes webcam protection features and an anti-spam filter that blocks malicious emails from accessing your inbox.
With a single subscription to AVG Internet Security, you can protect up to 10 devices.
The AVG Ultimate plan is the company's top-shelf premium plan. The plan consists of all the features in the AVG Internet Security Feature plus other advanced features and can serve as a good second layer of security along with the Windows Defender if you are using Windows operating system.
The key features of the AVG Ultimate plan include live phone and chat support at any time of the day or night. It also consists of a better antivirus tool that also helps to improve the performance of your computer.
A single license of the AVG Ultimate helps to protect all your household devices.
Which is Better in Enhancing System Performance?
Your choice of antivirus should ensure the best security against online threats. However, it would be best to consider the impact the antivirus has on your system's performance. The software should run smoothly on your computer and allow you to carry out other tasks such as launching desktop and mobile apps, downloading files, surfing the internet, etc.
You can conduct a performance test to determine how Norton and AVG impact your system's performance. In the independent tests done by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, both AVG and Norton earned a good score for their impact (see also AVG vs Lookout). The two antivirus programs don't affect your computer's speed when carrying out other tasks.
However, Norton outperformed AVG in this category.
User-Friendliness
User-friendliness is also a vital factor to consider as you determine whether a particular antivirus is the right software for you. It will help a lot if the software comes with a friendly and easy-to-use user interface. Otherwise, the program won't be worth it even if its other aspects are excellent.
So, does Norton and AVG come with an intuitive interface?
AVG's interface features a basic and simplistic interface with a green and white color scheme with a gray background. It has large buttons that you can see and navigate with ease. The buttons help you to activate all the program's operations. The user interface is an excellent choice for novices and people who don't like tinkering with an interface for it to work.
On the other hand, Norton comes with a modern, beautiful, and intuitive user interface optimized for working on mobile devices and tablets. The user interface remains the same on mobile devices and PCs, so you can know how to use your security irrespective of the device you use.
Everything that you require, including the main features and functions, is marked using bright colors. Additionally, you'll receive pop-up alerts each time there is a security risk or a change on the antivirus software. Although the pop-ups can be annoying, they help to keep you updated.
In this category, Norton is the winner.
Malware Protection
How do the two antivirus programs perform in protecting your device against malware attacks?
Protecting your device from any malware attack is the primary function of an antivirus program. Your choice of antivirus should execute the function efficiently.
According to a malware protection test done by AV-Test, Norton scores a 6 out of 6 in malware defense. On the other hand, AVG scores a 5.5 out of 6.
Norton beats AVG in this category as it offers excellent malware protection.
Is Paying for Norton or AVG Worth It?
Between AVG Vs. Norton, which one offers more value for your money?
The first paid version for AVG is the AVG Internet Security that costs $79.99 annually. The payment plan is for PC use only, and you'll receive ten licenses for the plan.
Additionally, the AVG Ultimate plan costs $99.99, and it offers you unlimited licenses. The plan is an excellent choice for a family where every member has several devices that require online protection.
How much does Norton cost?
The Norton Antivirus Plus package costs $19.99 annually for a single PC license. You can extend this coverage to any device for $39.99. As such, Mac protection is cheaper using Norton than AVG.
The Norton 360 Standard costs $49.99 per year, and it offers you a single license for your devices. Additionally, the Norton 360 Deluxe, which has a lot of similarities with the Deluxe 360 Standard, costs $59.99 yearly for five licenses.
Winner: Norton. Although AVG comes with a free antivirus version, Norton enables you to protect more devices for a lower price.
However, if you want protection for more devices for a family, AVG will be a better option Also, price-wise and lecence-wise, make sure you check out our AVG vs Panda post if protecting your household is your ultimate goal.
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.
Norton vs AVG: Customer Support
The quality and timelines of support are an important parameter while comparing Norton with Avg Antivirus. Norton offers phone, email, live support, tickets as support to its customers while Avg Antivirus provides phone, email, live support, tickets, training.
When it comes to customer satisfaction AVG earned a 3-star rating from Consumeraffairs.org, a website that collects user feedback and averages it out into a 1 to 5 stars score. Norton could muster only a 1-star rating from the site, indicating lower customer satisfaction.
How do I Uninstall Norton or AVG?
Removing an antivirus is no different from removing any other program on your device. You can do so by reading to the Control Panel and then selecting Programs and Features.
Now, find your antivirus in the list and right-click it. In the drop-down list select Uninstall, and follow the on-screen prompts to remove the program and all its components. You may need to restart your computer to finalize the removal process.
On a Mac, head to the Applications folder and look for the dedicated uninstaller program for either AVG or Norton, depending on which you currently have installed. Run the removal tool and follow the instructions to completely remove the program from your Mac.
Final Word on Norton vs. AVG
Both Norton and AVG are reputable antiviruses that you can trust. Norton comes out as the better option for various reasons. For instance, it enables you to protect more devices for less. It also offers better malware protection and comes with an attractive and easy-to-use user interface.
FAQs
1. Do I need to uninstall Norton before installing AVG?
Before installing AVG Internet Security or AVG AntiVirus FREE, you must first ensure that no other antivirus applications (including expired or trial versions) are installed on your PC.
2. Is there a difference between free antivirus and paid antivirus software?
Both free version and paid antivirus programs use a database of exploit definitions to scan your computer, or mobile device, for malicious payloads. However, a paid antivirus usually has important additional security features that help to keep your devices as safe as possible.
3. What do I need to look for when searching for an antivirus?
The best antivirus needs to protect against all types of malware: trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, viruses, ransomware, and anything else that might cause damage to your devices.
Other things to look for include — excellent detection rates, fast system performance, included extra features (like a VPN, password manager, etc.), easy-to-use interface, good customer support, and overall value.
4. What makes an antivirus secure?
A high-quality antivirus suite will detect, flag, and remove viruses and various types of malware. It will also offer real-time protection against all threats, regardless of whether you are browsing the internet, downloading software, shopping online, or opening email. For additional security, many antivirus suites offer a VPN, secure storage, and a password manager — these things all add several layers of protection against various cyber threats.
