Norton Review 2026: Solid Antivirus With Great Safe Browsing Tools and Parental Controls

Norton started as an antivirus company in 1982 and has since grown to offer full cybersecurity suites with tools, including a password manager, safe browser, cloud backups for your most important data and privacy monitoring. US-based users can also access LifeLock plans, which provide identity theft protection and insurance. I tested most of these tools and found them generally intuitive and effective, with the parental controls making Norton especially great for families.

Norton’s standout product is the antivirus itself, with easy setup, straightforward navigation and various scanning options. The desktop versions include tools for optimizing your computer — whether you’re using Windows or MacOS — by updating software and removing junk files. These processes used a relatively small amount of processing power and took minimal time, allowing me to quickly return to my workday.

I also enjoyed Norton’s safe browser, scam detection tools and privacy monitoring system. These tools give you more control over how your data is used online and protect you from phishing and other online threats. And, while the storage included isn’t enough to back everything up, Norton’s cloud backups are a nice bonus — one you won’t get from many other antivirus companies. Parents can further benefit from Norton Family, which lets them install parental controls on their children’s devices.

Overall, Norton provides solid multilayered protection at reasonable prices (starting at just $30 in your first year). Plans can also cover up to 10 devices, making Norton a good choice for individuals with several devices to protect. However, Norton’s antivirus uses more resources than other antivirus tools like Bitdefender and Malwarebytes, so it may not be the best choice for people concerned with efficiency. Those outside of the US may also be disappointed by the lack of international identity theft protection; if this is you, we recommend Malwarebytes.

Norton antivirus features, plans, and pricing: Cybersecurity for all, identity theft protection for the US

Norton’s antivirus software includes all of the features you’d expect from a premium antivirus tool, including real-time protection, manual scans, automated scans and scan scheduling. Norton’s cybersecurity suites include additional tools such as scam detection, dark web monitoring and (for US residents) identity theft protection.

Plan	Features	Devices	Starting price	Who it’s best for
Norton Antivirus Plus	Antivirus, password manager, 2GB of cloud backup	1 to 5	$30 in the first year (renews at $60 a year)	People who want basic, affordable digital security tools for a small number of devices
Norton 360 Standard	Antivirus, 2GB cloud backup, password manager, deepfake protection, VPN, dark web monitoring	3	$40 in the first year (renews at $95 per year)	People who are concerned about data breaches and scams
Norton 360 Deluxe	Antivirus, 50GB cloud backup, password manager, deepfake protection, VPN, dark web monitoring, privacy monitor, parental controls	5	$50 for the first year (renews at $120 per year)	Parents and people with moderate amounts of personal data to protect
Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus	Antivirus, 250GB cloud backup, password manager, deepfake protection, VPN, dark web monitoring, privacy monitor, parental controls, LifeLock identity theft protection, social security and credit card alerts, credit monitoring coverage (one bureau), up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement, stolen wallet protection	10	$100 for the first year (renews at $190 per year)	People deeply concerned with privacy and identity theft
Norton 360 with LifeLock Advantage	Antivirus, 250GB cloud backup, password manager, deepfake protection, VPN, dark web monitoring, privacy monitor, parental controls, LifeLock identity theft protection, social security and credit card alerts, credit monitoring coverage (one bureau), up to $100,000 in stolen funds reimbursement, stolen wallet protection, bank and credit card activity alerts	10	$200 for the first year (renews at $260)	People deeply concerned with privacy and identity theft with greater concerns about stolen funds
Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus	Antivirus, 250GB cloud backup, password manager, deepfake protection, VPN, dark web monitoring, privacy monitor, parental controls, LifeLock identity theft protection, social security and credit card alerts, credit monitoring coverage (three bureau), up to $1M in stolen funds reimbursement, stolen wallet protection, bank and credit card activity alerts, investing account alerts, home title monitoring	Unlimited	$300 for the first year (renews at $365)	People deeply concerned with privacy and identity theft with significant assets

One major benefit of Norton is the availability of parental controls, something I haven’t encountered in most of the antivirus tools I’ve tested; this makes it a great choice for parents or anyone who regularly allows kids on their devices, like babysitters or family members. The cloud backups are also unique to Norton and can provide extra security for your most important documents, though the limited storage space isn’t enough to protect your entire device (check out our list of the best cloud backup services to back up larger amounts of data).

The one notable downside of Norton is the lack of family plans; you can add others’ devices to your plan, but they won’t get their own login credentials or the opportunity to protect their identities. You’ll need to choose another company, like Bitdefender or Malwarebytes, if you want to add other users to your cybersecurity suite.

Free Norton tools

While there is no free version of the Norton antivirus, Norton does have several free cybersecurity tools. These include a password manager, data breach scan, safe browser and safe search. The Norton Genie app is also free, allowing you to share suspicious messages or other content with the AI and receive a quick, detailed analysis of potential issues and a verdict on whether or not the content is a scam.

Norton AntiVirus Plus

Designed for those with foundational security needs and minimal budgets, Norton AntiVirus Plus is all about the basics: the fully-featured antivirus, a password manager and 2GB of cloud backups. Norton AntiVirus Plus for one device costs $30 for the first year and $60 per year on renewal.

You can also purchase Norton AntiVirus Plus for five devices. However, this costs $40 for the first year and $85 per year after. If you have two or three devices, it’s more cost-effective to choose Norton 360 Standard — you’ll pay more on renewal, but you’ll get dark web monitoring, a VPN and the scam detector. The next available upgrade for four or five devices is Norton 360 Deluxe, which is more expensive than Standard, but the improved features — like parental controls and 50GB of cloud storage — can make its extra costs worthwhile for some people.

Norton 360 Standard

Norton 360 Standard is built for the average user who’s concerned about scams and privacy but isn’t worried about identity theft. Along with the core antivirus and password manager, you’ll get the company’s VPN. Additionally, you get Norton’s recently launched scam protection tools to protect your email address and phone number, dark web monitoring to alert you of data breaches and parental controls. You’ll also get 2GB of cloud backups. Norton 360 Standard costs $40 for the first year and $95 a year afterward, with coverage for up to three devices.

Norton 360 Deluxe

Norton 360 Deluxe is a minor upgrade intended for parents and people with four to five devices who want more robust cybersecurity than Norton AntiVirus Plus. You’ll get everything in Norton 360 Standard, plus parental controls through Norton Family and up to 50GB of cloud backups. Norton 360 Deluxe costs $50 for the first year and $125 a year on renewal.

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus

Designed for people concerned about identity theft, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus offers privacy monitoring, one-bureau credit monitoring, social security and credit monitoring alerts, LifeLock identity theft protection and up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement. You’ll also get 250GB of cloud backups, allowing you to keep more of your data secure. 

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus costs $100 for the first year and $190 a year afterward, with coverage for up to 10 devices. This plan is only available for folks in the US, as the credit monitoring and identity theft protection systems are built to monitor US-specific systems. 

US-based users with extensive assets can also purchase more robust Norton 360 with LifeLock plans for more advanced credit monitoring and identity theft protection features, including up to $1 million of identity theft insurance. However, these plans are more expensive than the advanced cybersecurity suites offered by companies like Bitdefender and Malwarebytes, so we don’t recommend them for most people.

Norton antivirus usability: Fast, simple setup for tech newbies and pros alike

I set up an account with the Norton 360 Deluxe plan and tested Norton’s usability in three key areas: account navigation, installation/setup for the primary antivirus and setup for additional tools like the VPN. Most of Norton’s tools were easy to set up and use, even for folks who aren’t technically inclined.

Account navigation

Signing up for Norton is an intuitive process, requiring just basic account and payment information. You’ll also need to enter the address and credit card you want monitored if you’ve selected a LifeLock plan. From there, you’ll get the opportunity to download your antivirus or go to the account dashboard.

The account dashboard contains prominent boxes for all the Norton services attached to your account, with highly visible buttons leading to pages where you can manage these individual tools. You’ll also see upsells for additional services like Norton Safe Email — something I didn’t have to deal with in the Bitdefender or Malwarebytes account dashboards — but these aren’t intrusive enough to annoy most people.

The one thing I didn’t immediately see — which echoes my experience with other popular antivirus tools — was the billing area. Thankfully, Norton doesn’t make you reach out to customer service like some competitors (looking at you, Bitdefender); you can access the billing area through the My Account dropdown menu in the top right corner. This isn’t as visible as I’d like, but many other companies — up to and including Google — store account information in this area, so internet-savvy people will locate it without difficulty.

Installation and setup

On signup, Norton gave me two options: installing the antivirus on my current device or sending download links to other devices. I put Norton on the computer I was actively using, and the installation process took just two clicks and 1 minute.

Norton then opened an expanded setup screen, letting me toggle various features on or off. These features are all enabled by default, so most people can just click through to the next area.

Norton also gives you the option to protect your privacy by automatically turning the VPN on if it detects “compromised” Wi-Fi, though it’s unclear if this means public Wi-Fi networks or something else. However, we recommend using a separate VPN because — like most VPNs created by antivirus-first companies — Norton’s VPN significantly reduced internet speeds in our 2024 testing and has a comparatively small international server network. Still, Norton’s VPN has made many improvements, so we’re excited to see how it continues making strides. 

With the essential setup tasks complete, Norton suggests running an immediate smart scan. I like this emphasis on scanning your device right away, and the scan only took 2 minutes. All together, Norton’s initial setup — from account creation to reaching the antivirus dashboard — took me around 5 minutes, and was simple enough for folks who aren’t technically inclined to complete at a similar pace.

The main area of the antivirus dashboard displays your protection status, including the number of devices you’ve connected to your account, with an option to add more. The control panel on the right shows statistics from your most recent scan, with a highly visible button for running a smart scan. You can’t access deep scans or scan scheduling within the control panel, but the prominent Open Scans button leads to an area where you can do both of these things.

The control panel also provides fast access to other Norton tools, like cloud backups and VPN. You can switch between this and the alerts panel to view notifications about security issues found by Norton.

The left sidebar, meanwhile, has clearly labeled links to the security, performance and privacy tools. The combination of icons and words is especially helpful for people who aren’t very tech-savvy, making Norton easier to navigate than other top antivirus software like Malwarebytes and McAfee.

Norton’s Android app is equally simple to set up, requiring a few clicks to enable various features and grant Norton appropriate permissions. Once activated, the app directs you to a page where you can run scans or set up features like scam protection.

Norton antivirus performance: Moderate resource usage for rapid scans

I spent two full days running Norton while I performed common tasks like browsing the internet and editing images. Like other antivirus tools I’ve tested, Norton ran smoothly in the background without interfering with my computer’s performance. I was also impressed by how quickly Norton completed various scan types, though the deep scans used more resources than comparable scans from our top-ranking antivirus tools, Bitdefender and Malwarebytes.

Note: These tests were conducted on a Lenovo ThinkPad with an Intel i5 processor and roughly 50GB of data stored on the hard drive. Your results with this program may vary, especially if you’re working with an older machine. Conversely, I tested Norton’s Android app on a five-year-old Motorola G Stylus, so newer phones may experience faster scans.

Background performance

I ran Norton on my computer for two days while performing everyday activities like checking my email, scrolling Facebook and simple image editing. Norton didn’t noticeably interfere with these activities and, according to Task Manager, it used just 0% to 5% of my CPU power and less than 100MB of memory throughout the day.

This sounds great, but Norton’s background performance showed more variability than our top-ranking tools, Malwarebytes and Bitdefender, which both consistently used less than 0.5% of my CPU power. Even McAfee and Avira — tools that used enormous amounts of CPU power during active scans — didn’t rise above 1% CPU usage when running in the background. This makes Norton the least efficient antivirus for real-time protection, but it still uses low enough resources to let you complete high-resource tasks like gaming or video editing without issue.

Active scans

I ran several Norton scans, ranging from smart scans to full scans, over the course of two days. These scans used more resources (ranging from 10% to 40% of my CPU power) than comparable scans from Bitdefender and Malwarebytes (which both consistently used 10% or less of my CPU power). However, Norton’s rapid scan speed — especially the 10-minute full scans, which are much faster than the 20- to 30-minute deep scans I experienced with Malwarebytes — largely mitigates the impact of this higher resource usage. 

I started with smart scans, which consist of two stages: an antivirus scan and an operating system scan, looking for vulnerabilities and performance issues. The first scan took around 2 minutes, using around 10% to 20% of my CPU power and roughly 230MB of memory throughout that time.

The second smart scan used similar resources and only took 1 minute. However, the results here were unexpected, with the operating system scan claiming to find thousands of issues. I was surprised since the first scan — run just a couple of hours earlier — hadn’t found any of these problems. I’m not sure why the results were so different, and while I haven’t done much to optimize my test computer, I’m also not convinced it has over 9,000 problems.

These scan results led to an upsell for Norton Utilities Ultimate, a separate program that cleans up junk files and programs. While this sounds helpful — and worth the $40 you’ll spend in the first year, if not the $70 a year you’d pay afterward — the presence of this upsell within the antivirus, a program I had already paid for, annoyed me. I was especially irked when Norton sent me to this upsell again during my third smart scan. If I were a regular user, this would lead me to skip smart scans altogether.

Norton’s quick scan (which focuses entirely on finding viruses and other malware) used similar resources to a smart scan —  250MB of memory and 10 to 15% of CPU power — and took 4 minutes. Additional quick scans yielded nearly identical results, with no upsells to speak of. Personally, I wish quick scans were the default option instead of smart scans, but clicking an extra button to reach them isn’t a big deal.

Next, I tested Norton’s full (deep) scans. These scans were more resource-intensive, using 30% to 40% of my CPU power and 200MB of memory — more than the 3% to 10% of deep scans from competitors like Bitdefender and Malwarebytes. However, they also took just 8 to 10 minutes, less than half of the time required by Malwarebytes deep scans. Even the first full scan only took 10 minutes, a sharp contrast from the 21 minutes of my first Bitdefender deep scan (though subsequent Bitdefender deep scans took only 3 minutes each).

Finally, I opened Norton’s Android app and ran three smart scans. Like the desktop smart scans, these searched for both malware and operating system issues. Each one took less than a minute, roughly the same time as scans run with the Bitdefender and Malwarebytes apps. The scans failed to find any operating system errors, which surprised me after the desktop smart scan reported so many errors on a newer device. However, I’m pretty strict about minimizing apps and keeping my software updated, so there might not have been much to find.

Usability and performance of additional tools: A mixed bag

Norton has launched several cybersecurity tools to complement its antivirus, including device optimization tools, a safe browser, safe web search, password manager, scam detector, privacy monitor, parental controls and a VPN. Most of these tools impressed me with straightforward navigation and effective protection protocols, with the exceptions of the safe search (which was bogged down with excessive sponsored links) and VPN (which significantly slowed down my internet).

Device optimization tools

Norton offers a software updater, file cleanup tool and startup manager — tools similar to the Windows optimization suite currently being integrated with Malwarebytes. However, Norton has a slight advantage: These tools can also optimize MacOS devices.

The performance scan was effectively the same as a smart scan, taking a couple of minutes to analyze my computer for both viruses and operating system vulnerabilities. Again, it led me to an upsell to fix the problems it discovered. This left me wary of the other performance tools, but I continued my tests by moving on to Software Updater.

Software Updater scanned my applications in under a minute and let me update them individually or in bulk — without asking me to buy additional tools. I chose the bulk update option, which took another 2 minutes and required me to restart my computer for all changes to be finalized.

File Cleanup was similarly efficient, scanning my computer in seconds and letting me bulk-delete junk files it found. Startup Manager also completed its scan in just a few seconds and gave me options to delay a program’s startup so it doesn’t slow down my computer’s startup, or to disable the program entirely. 

Overall, these optimization processes only took a few minutes to complete and helped me delete numerous junk files — but I still found extensive files to clean up when testing AVG and Avira’s optimization tools over the next couple of weeks. This suggests that AVG TuneUp and especially Avira’s System Speedup Pro, which have many scanning options and device cleanup tools, perform more extensive scans.

Safe Browser and safe search

Norton’s Safe Browser is similar to popular web browsers like Chrome and Firefox, with a few key differences:

• Side Panel: A sidebar where you can access Norton’s safe search and a chatbot built to detect scams using similar algorithms to Norton Genie. There’s also a built-in news aggregator that pulls from various news sites in your country (mine were all Canadian, but not necessarily local), a note-taking tool, a games panel with free minigames (including simple racing games and solitaire) and a Utilities link with tools like a calculator and a world clock.
• Privacy Guard: An anti-tracking tool that lets you customize settings through the taskbar and set it to Basic Blocking (focused on only the most disruptive ads and trackers), Balanced Blocking (blocking a broader range of trackers and ads) or Strict Blocking (which blocks all ads and trackers). The taskbar icon displays the number of trackers/ads blocked on each page.
• Web Shield: A malware and phishing detection tool that screens the content of every page you visit for signs of viruses, scams and more.
• Security & Privacy Center: An area where you can enable the browser’s various security tools (like the anti-tracking extension), plus view stats of items scanned and threats blocked or switch between browser modes (like switching from regular to Private Mode to prevent the browser from storing cookies). This area also contains the Privacy Cleaner, which clears your browser history.
• Safe search: The default search engine (and homepage) is Norton’s own Safe Search, which is also integrated with the address bar and Side Panel to give you multiple search options. You can switch this out for other popular search engines like Google, Bing and even DuckDuckGo if you’re not satisfied with Safe Search results.

I used the safe browser with its default settings for a few hours, performing regular tasks like working in a Google Doc and checking Facebook. Browsing speed and functionality were in line with my experience using more popular browsers, and I was able to hide the side panel when I wanted to watch a video. It was also almost identical to the safe browsers included with Avira and AVG, suggesting that they use the same basic software. The only difference is that Norton’s safe browser includes safe search, something you can’t get from Avira or AVG.

Safe Search can be used within the safe browser or installed as an extension for popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox. It operates similarly to other search engines, with a couple of caveats. You won’t get any AI results — which I personally consider a major benefit — but you will see many sponsored results (more than you’d see in Google or other popular search engines), which is a significant downside. 

Once you get past the sponsored links, websites deemed safe are displayed with a green checkmark. Unsafe websites are marked with either an orange checkmark (signalling moderate potential risk) or a red checkmark (signalling high potential risk). My searches turned up one page with an orange checkmark, which unfortunately didn’t tell me anything about why the link was flagged, so I’m not certain of the markers Norton’s safe search uses to determine risk levels. None of my searches brought up results with red checkmarks.

Overall, Norton’s Safe Browser is great for those who want more control over their internet security, but I wouldn’t recommend safe search for most people. The number of sponsored links is overwhelming, and you can use common sense — or Norton’s Genie and scam detection tools — to avoid unsafe websites.

Password manager

Norton’s Password Manager is built into the Norton safe browser and can also be installed as an extension for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari. You can add it to your browser in a couple of clicks, create a vault password — the master password used to access data contained within the password manager — and start using it right away. You’ll also get a recovery code file, which Norton encourages you to print out and then delete, storing the print-out in a secure location like a safe.

The password manager dashboard lets you navigate stored information, such as your logins, credit or debit card details, and addresses. You can bulk import this data in the Settings area and, if you decide to switch password managers later on, export it to a CSV file. Just make sure you delete the CSV file as soon as you’ve finished moving your passwords into the new software.

Scam Detector and Norton Genie

Norton’s scam detection tool is built into the Safe Browser and can also be activated on your computer to screen websites visited with other browsers. The mobile version scans both the websites you visit and text messages you receive for signs of suspicious activities. Activating these tools takes only a few clicks and they work in the background, letting you continue your online activities with no noticeable differences.

This lack of obvious changes to my browsing experience left me wondering if Norton’s Scam Detector was working — something I also dealt with when testing McAfee’s scam protection tools. Luckily, I found areas of both the desktop software and the Android app with stats on the websites Norton had scanned. This proved that Norton’s Scam Detector was, in fact, doing its job; I just hadn’t visited any websites (or received any text messages) it flagged as scams.

Users on the highest-tier Norton US plan can access Scam Protection Pro, which scans incoming calls and emails for signs of malicious intent. Unfortunately, Scam Protection Pro isn’t bundled into international plans; as a Canadian on the highest-tier plan, I was instead told to buy an add-on to access these protective features. This resulted in me being unable to test this tool.

Norton Genie, meanwhile, is an AI tool you can plug suspicious emails, website content or text messages into. The bot scans them for signs of malicious intent and spends roughly 1 minute analyzing it. I shared an image from a spam email sent by “Mr Thrills Casino” — the same email I used to test McAfee’s scam detection bot — and received a detailed response explaining why the bot believed this email was a scam:

This message wasn’t as attractive as the one I received from McAfee’s scam detection bot, which broke up the text with bullet points, but it contains most of the same information. These details help you understand not just why this one message is a scam, but how you can identify phishing and other scams going forward.

Privacy monitor

Norton’s privacy monitoring tool is easily accessed through your account dashboard on the Norton website. It’s intuitive, automatically scanning over 200 data broker sites when you enter your name, birth date, address and phone number. The whole process — including the scan — took less than 2 minutes and found five places where my data was stored. Each result was accompanied by a Request removal button that gives you the information you need to manually request that the data brokers delete your information.

This seemed promising at first glance, searching more data broker sites and returning more results than similar tools from companies like McAfee, but — like McAfee’s privacy monitoring tool — I’m not certain it actually found my data. The name on each listing was “D Gunn” and none of the phone numbers were mine. This leads me to wonder if these data brokers have been misinformed — or if Norton was finding information for a different D Gunn in Toronto. 

If Norton does find your data, you can manually request data removal or buy the Privacy Monitor Assistant add-on (priced at $130 a year), which sends data removal requests on your behalf. The Privacy Monitor Assistant also includes an Online Account Cleanup tool. According to Norton’s documentation, this works like the McAfee Online Account Cleanup tool, finding accounts connected to your email address and making it easy to delete them. 

Norton Family

Norton Family lets you create profiles for your kids and set the level of restriction based on their age, then download a specialized app to their device that will block apps and web content deemed inappropriate. Norton Family also tracks overall screen time and locks your kid’s device down when they hit the predetermined limit. None of the antivirus tools I’ve tested come bundled with this kind of parental control software, making Norton Family one of Norton’s biggest benefits.

This software is connected to an online dashboard where you can view sites and apps Norton Family blocked, plus various metrics to help you understand how your kid is using their device. The web portal provides options for customizing blocked sites and allowed screen time. I appreciated how straightforward these processes were, allowing even folks who are barely comfortable with computers to secure their kids’ devices in just a few minutes.

VPN

Norton’s antivirus software includes a VPN to mask your IP address while you browse the internet. Norton has made many improvements to its VPN, including undergoing a no-logs audit, submitting its Mimic Protocol to a security audit, improving its data retention policies and adding new server locations. However, it lacks advanced privacy features like obfuscated servers. I also experienced 36.38% speed loss in my abbreviated VPN testing, more than our recommended maximum of 25%. Additionally, Norton Secure VPN still has a smaller server network than the competition.

The good news is that Norton’s VPN is easy to use. You can set it to automatically turn on when you connect to a network deemed unsafe. This screen doesn’t clarify how it decides a network is unsafe, but Norton’s documentation says, “When your device connects to any Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi Security feature scans the Wi-Fi network for vulnerabilities”. This suggests that it looks for more than just whether or not the network is public, though it still isn’t 100% clear on what those vulnerabilities are.

Alternatively, you can manually enable it from the main screen of the antivirus app — whether that’s on your computer or your phone. The VPN automatically connects with your optimal server (the Norton server closest to your current location) to minimize speed reduction. You can switch locations at any time with a drop-down menu.

To understand how Norton’s VPN affected my internet speed (as all VPNs do), I ran three Ookla speed tests without the VPN activated to establish my default download speed of 619.62Mbps. I then switched to Norton’s recommended server — located near me in Canada — and ran another three tests. This server was slightly slower than my base internet, with a download speed of 549.05Mbps, but still fast.

Many people don’t want to use a VPN server close to home, though. In fact, one of the primary appeals of a VPN is that you can use it to pretend you’re browsing from another country and access region-locked content. I ran several more speed tests connected to servers in various countries to determine average speed loss: 

	Default internet	Optimal VPN server	US	UK	France	Germany	Singapore	Australia
Ping (ms)	3	18	39	167.33	175.33	208.33	467.33	407.33
Download (Mbps)	619.62	549.05	484.57	443.4	423.99	325.81	250.17	283.49
Upload (Mbps)	920.58	808.92	874.93	547.48	777.66	454.33	187.03	211.4

These results are comparable to what I’ve experienced with VPNs from other antivirus-first companies such as Bitdefender and Malwarebytes. The US server wasn’t much slower than the Canadian server, but speed loss increased as I moved to further servers, becoming functionally unusable when set to servers in Singapore and Australia. These results aren’t necessarily surprising — increased speed loss is common when using distant servers — but they do limit the usefulness of the VPN built into Norton’s antivirus software.

Notably, Norton lets you purchase its VPN as a standalone service. However, despite some improvements, Norton Secure has a small server network compared to rivals and doesn’t have obfuscated servers or a Linux app, so, we recommend ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark or Mullvad for more robust privacy protection.

Norton antivirus security: Excellent antivirus protection, solid privacy policies

Third-party lab results I analyzed showed that Norton’s antivirus software consistently finds most malware and other threats — and that it’s been doing so for several years now. Norton also uses top-tier encryption protocols for its password manager and backup systems. 

Antivirus

AV-Test has given Norton’s antivirus a 6 out of 6 security ranking in every test conducted over the last 10 years. This is the longest run of perfect tests I’ve encountered. Even Bitdefender, our top-ranking antivirus for two years in a row, received an imperfect score more recently, earning only 5.5 out of 6 in the April 2022 test.

AV-Comparatives further showed that Norton had a 98.9% online detection rate in September 2025. This is slightly higher than the 98.8% online protection rate both Bitdefender and Malwarebytes had during the same series of tests, showing that Norton is extremely good at identifying online threats.

The offline detection rate — which measures how effectively the software identifies malicious software on physical devices like USB keys — is lower, but still high at 97.4%. This again puts it ahead of Malwarebytes, which has a 94.7% offline detection rate. However, it does fall behind Bitdefender — which has a 98.8% offline detection rate — here, so you might want to choose Bitdefender if you connect your computer to a lot of USB keys or other offline devices.

Security for additional tools

Norton’s password manager uses the same AES-256 encryption protocol that most password managers use. This protocol is internationally recognized for its ability to prevent malicious actors from intercepting data stored in the cloud. Your data will only be decrypted when accessed through one of your synced devices or with your master password. You can also set up two-factor authentication, requiring the program to send a code to your phone before you can log in, for additional account security.

Norton’s cloud backup systems use the AES-256 encryption protocol. Cloud backups are connected to the password manager’s vault, meaning you can only access those files on a device authorized with your master password. Restricting devices this way theoretically makes Norton’s cloud backups safer than third-party systems, but I don’t think the difference is significant when compared to an alternative cloud backup tool accessed with a strong password and multifactor authentication.

Norton’s VPN has a no-logs policy, which means the company doesn’t keep your usage data. Norton’s VPN goes through regular third-party audits from VerSprite and biannual transparency reports to prove its commitment to the no-logs policy. This indicates that Norton is more dedicated to protecting your privacy than competitors like Bitdefender, which says it has third-party audits but doesn’t share them, making it impossible for us to verify their existence. 

Privacy policy and data breaches

Norton has both a global privacy statement and individual product policies. I focused primarily on the global privacy statement and briefly looked over the product policies for the password manager and VPN. Most of the policies were pretty average when compared to other antivirus companies, with Norton primarily collecting data needed to conduct smooth operation of, and improvements to, its software.

Norton’s privacy policies further explain that personal identifiers are removed from all data where possible; the only exceptions are when those identifiers are required to block specific threats or to comply with the law. This seems similar to Bitdefender’s statements around pseudonymization, though neither company clarifies how it disconnects your data from your identity.

However, Norton’s privacy policy does state that some data will be shared with third-party companies for email marketing and delivering certain products. The social media monitoring tool also (by necessity) shares some information with the platforms it connects to, which Norton lists in its privacy policies. 

Norton’s privacy policy has a separate provision for “advertising partners” with a link to its cookies policy, where you’ll see a list of companies, including Meta, Reddit and other social platforms. While it’s nice to have the full list — something you won’t get from companies like McAfee — I don’t feel great about the number of companies included here.

Unfortunately, 2023 saw Norton’s password manager being targeted by mass login attempts caused by a data breach. While that’s not ideal, I appreciate Norton’s quick, thorough and transparent response, immediately resetting potentially affected passwords and retesting its security systems. Norton followed these tests with a public statement saying its systems were safe and the breach was caused by one person’s credentials being compromised, then leveraged to attack other users’ accounts. There have been no further data breaches, suggesting that this was likely an accurate assessment.

Norton antivirus customer service

Norton offers self-serve customer support through a community forum and knowledge base, or you can get 24/7 support via live chat and phone. There’s no email support, but Norton’s Contact Us page includes social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. I found this interesting because, while most corporations have customer care accounts on social platforms, those accounts are typically for damage control rather than a recommended point of contact. Support tickets, which are effectively email, are recommended far more often.

I spent about an hour exploring the knowledge base to determine its effectiveness and accessibility, then reached out to customer support to get a feel for how helpful Norton’s customer support team is. The experience wasn’t as pleasant as working with Bitdefender or McAfee support, but it was still solid, especially when contacting Norton via live chat.

Knowledge base

Norton’s knowledge base seems like any other — a search bar at the top, buttons to popular tutorial categories below — until you attempt to use the search bar. You’ll then discover that the knowledge base search function is tied to an AI that generates answers from the knowledge base for you. Theoretically, this should be helpful, since you don’t have to open a new tab. In practice, it takes longer to get answers than it would to just see a listing of articles related to your question.

When you do click on an article, Norton will open a new tab. And it will continue to do this every. Single. Time. While this function is probably neutral for anyone seeking a single answer, it quickly turned my already cluttered collection of tabs into an organizational nightmare. 

The good news is that once you’ve opened an article, you’ll find the answers within are comprehensive and easy to understand. Most of the tutorials I looked at also included a nice mix of text, images and video. This last part is particularly notable, as Bitdefender is the only other antivirus company I’ve tested with a large number of videos in its knowledge base.

Direct communication

Like Bitdefender, Norton makes you jump through some hoops to access contact information. You’ll need to go to the knowledge base, scroll to the bottom and clarify the type of problem you want to resolve. You’ll then get an option to open the live chat and speak with “Kate,” Norton’s “virtual assistant”, which is fun terminology used to attempt to disguise that Kate is, in fact, a robot.

There is one improvement from my 2025 testing: Kate now understands when you say “speak to a person”. However, it responded with a blurb about how great its AI was and how it could save you the time you’d otherwise spend waiting for support staff. I had to ask a second time before it directed me to a person, which isn’t ideal but is still better than the four times I had to ask Bitdefender’s bot to connect me with human support.

Luckily, it was all uphill from there: The system connected me to a person in 2 minutes and the representative was able to answer most of my questions near instantaneously. They did take a full 2 minutes to answer a more complex question about Norton’s VPN, but the answer was highly informative and the whole conversation still only took around 5 minutes.

Accessing phone support requires jumping through all of the same hoops you’d go through to access live chat, plus one more — a link to “other contact methods”. You’ll then receive a case number and one-time verification code to prove who you are when you call the number provided. I called and was directed to verify my information by another robot, which also tried to fix my problem on its own. Again, I asked for a human twice before being connected to one, but the wait time to speak with that person was only 2 minutes.

I asked the phone representative the same VPN-related questions I had asked the live chat agent and was disappointed when the representative provided stock answers about VPNs as a concept rather than specific answers about Norton’s VPN. I rephrased my questions a few times to get us on the same page, and they did eventually find the information they needed to answer my question. Still, the experience was very frustrating — especially compared to phone support from Bitdefender and McAfee — and the conversation took a full 10 minutes.

Norton antivirus value: Good for parents and those on a budget

Norton’s value is thoroughly middling when compared to other antivirus companies like Bitdefender or Malwarebytes; its only advantage is the ability to protect 10 devices. If you’re in the US, you can even extend coverage to unlimited devices — if you pay for the highest-tier Norton with LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan.

Offerings like the safe browser, safe search and the Norton Genie scam detector are available to use at no cost, and can come at a cost from rivals. Combined with Norton Antivirus Plus, these tools give you multi-layered protection for a deeply affordable price. Norton Antivirus Plus costs $30 for the first year (renewing at $60 annually) for one device, or $40 for the first year (renewing at $85 a year) for five-device coverage. On paid plans, Norton offers some extras, like parental controls and cloud backups, which can be majorly beneficial for some. To get five-device coverage from Bitdefender, you’ll pay $60 for the first year (renewing at $110), so Norton could keep your bills lower.

Overall, Norton is a solid value, offers unique free tools and undercuts many antivirus rivals, but falls short for data removal and identity protection. In short, Norton’s offerings are highly valuable for those who want multilayered protection on a budget or people who need very specific features like parental controls and cloud backups. However, most people are better off paying the higher premiums charged by other antivirus companies in exchange for access to more advanced cybersecurity tools.

Norton: Is it right for you?

Its features make Norton great for people who want more active threat protection while they surf the web and parents who want to keep their kids safe online. However, I recommend Bitdefender or Malwarebytes for most people, as their antivirus solutions use fewer computer resources and their cybersecurity suites include robust defenses against other online threats.

Norton’s antivirus provides effective protection from viruses without slowing down your computer, even during active scans, but it’s not as light on resources as Bitdefender or Malwarebytes. Norton’s overall collection of cybersecurity tools is also pretty middling, though it does have some major benefits, like its ease of use, device optimization tools, robust parental controls and generous device limit.

Here’s what you get with Norton antivirus, and why you might consider using it:

• Intuitive interfaces: From signup to scanning to setting up parental controls, Norton systems are remarkably easy to navigate — even for those who aren’t comfortable with tech.
• Helpful device optimization tools: The startup application manager and junk file cleaner can significantly improve your device’s performance. And, unlike Malwarebytes’ optimization tools, Norton’s performance tools aren’t only for Windows; they’re compatible with MacOS, too.
• Robust Safe Browser: Norton’s Safe Browser has various enhanced security protocols, plus a calculator and a helpful note-taking tool.
• Cloud backups: Norton lets you automatically back up your most important data to fully encrypted cloud storage, with multifactor authentication (including biometrics) to ensure that only you can restore it.
• Parental controls: Norton Family helps you control your kids’ screen time, plus keep them away from harmful websites and apps. Preset age levels let you set this up in just a few clicks, with the option to customize various settings.
• High device limits: Norton’s highest-tier plan offers coverage for up to 10 devices without paying additional fees. This is more than the three covered by Malwarebytes’ default plans or the strict five-device limit of Bitdefender’s individual plans.