The Best Internet Security and Antivirus Software of 2023

Antivirus and internet security software solutions act as the first and last line of defense between your small business’s devices, their sensitive data and unauthorized access from outside entities. Though there are countless options out there, we whittled the field down to 15 major players during our evaluation process before selecting our best picks. We feel these options provide a comprehensive and easy-to-use platform that most small businesses can implement without breaking the bank.

When considering either an antivirus software solution or an internet security platform, the number of employees you have will factor significantly into your decision. While it’s ideal for all of your business’s devices to be as secure as possible, it could also be a question of cost, since prices associated with such software go up the more seats are added. A single-seat price may seem tempting, but it’s merely that company’s opening bid, with costs jumping up as the number of employees covered increases from five to 100 or more users. In our research, we found instances where prices differed by 50% or more in some cases.

As you shop for a solution, be on the lookout for special offers or discounts for renewals, or purchasing multiple licenses. Doing so can reduce your overall yearly fees and get the most bang for your buck.

You can determine whether a software option is right for you by taking advantage of the free trials usually offered by most companies. Getting a feel for how the software affects your computer’s performance can be just as important as understanding what it protects you from.

If running a virus scan completely bogs your machines down, causing significant reductions in productivity, then it’s only addressing one problem and creating another. Similarly, if your employees have to constantly wrestle with a security program that really should be working in the background, that’s also a red flag that should preclude you from switching to the paid version.

When shopping for an internet security solution, take advantage of free trial periods. Use the trial to test and evaluate the following:

• Performance: Antivirus/Antimalware can take up a lot of your computer’s resources when active, let alone when it’s performing a system scan. Do your research see how the software will use up your processing power, as it could affect the performance of your other applications.
• Ease of use. The best programs are ones that do their jobs without requiring much input from you. It should be easy to schedule regular scans, plus it should provide you with important notifications and alerts. If it is capable of detecting malware, it should walk you through the process of fixing the issue.
• Security features. Besides active internet protection, investigate the program’s security features. Some programs come with unique options to further protect your data, such as anti-theft capabilities, firewalls or email scanners.

Look for companies that offer rewards or discounts for renewing licenses, or buying multiple licenses; this will lower the cost of your annual renewal fees.

All antivirus and internet security solutions aim to protect devices against malware, viruses and other issues that originate from surfing the web without some safeguards in place. As with most tech-based services, it all comes down to the features that set companies apart. In many cases, the business-facing versions of these programs are often based on the consumer versions, usually including more specialized features on top of those offered to the average user.

When evaluating antivirus and security software solutions, look for the following features and protection methods for your business:

• Email scanning: Every business relies on email. With the right software, all email messages and incoming attachments can be scanned for infected files and other intrusion methods.
• Phishing: This technique involves getting a potential victim to click on a link in an email or website that then downloads identity-stealing code. A good security solution uses its email-scanning capabilities to ensure the links in a message are safe.
• Ransomware protection: Costly ransomware attacks have made the news in recent years and for good reason. They are costly intrusions where computers get locked down unless a fee is paid, so any tool that can preemptively avoid this issue should be considered.
• Sandbox: If you’re an IT administrator trying to see if an unfamiliar app is safe for the company to use, a good internet security solution will provide a secure area on your computer to limit any potential damage.
• Distributed denial of service (DDOS) protection: DDOS attacks occur when a series of systems or automated bots overwhelm your server with requests, often shutting the entire network down. The best server security software can respond to this type of attack.
• Data shredder and encryption: Every company has confidential material, and using either file- or disk-level encryption can keep it secret. Shredding a file is more complete, because rather than only removing its file allocation table entry, this technique overwrites it several times to make the file disappear.
• Firewall: Firewalls separate a system from the dangers of the online world. The best offer ultimate protection by blocking unauthorized data coming in and going out while allowing important data to pass unmolested.
• Patch management: Staying on top of the latest patches available for your software is important. Patches can do everything, from optimizing a program to addressing security issues that may have been found since the last update.
• User interface: A good, easy-to-understand interface is important. It doesn’t matter how good a tool is if you can’t use it.
• Compatibility: Our technologically reliant world lives on more than just PC or Mac desktops. Since viruses can attack everything from our home computers to the tablets and smartphones we carry with us, it’s important that an antivirus solution protect all of your devices.

Keep in mind that this list is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to internet security features. You may need all or none of these things, depending on the reality of your business. Always look at the optional features provided by certain companies. In some cases, companies also offer access to third-party services, such as a VPN.

Other features that would be good to keep an eye out for but were not necessarily deal-breakers include a hardened web browser or encrypted keyboard, since both provide an extra layer of protection.

With billions of people on the internet, it’s impossible to know who’s trying to access your systems and to what end. It’s with that uncertainty in mind that internet security and antivirus software exist. Your business has sensitive data, whether it’s your customers’ credit card information, HIPAA-regulated patient data or any other information you want to keep secure. The right internet security software can help ensure that your data is at least protected.

Depending on the software suite and service tier you select, internet security and antivirus software can protect against a range of scenarios. Malware can cause major slowdowns on your machine, block you from accessing certain parts of your system, or cause other major headaches on your device and others on the same network. Ransomware is a type of malware that can lock down your machine, with the promise of unlocking it once you pay a fee. Phishing uses email messages to make you accidentally give up your personal information, like passwords and credit card numbers.

Along with file protection, some internet security programs also deal with a device’s surroundings. Other features, like remote access and remote wipe, can help protect secure data if a device is lost or stolen. Wi-Fi monitoring functionality can keep your system safe from unprotected networks as well.

There are almost as many reasons why a company would choose one solution over another as there are platforms available at any given moment. Since the field is so diverse, and opinions are so varied, we turned to the small business community to understand which solutions they were using and why.

One consideration we consistently saw was the need for a solution that was quick and easy to implement. For Sophie Summers, who serves as a vice president of marketing at Proprivacy, that easy solution was Bitdefender.

“I have been using a total security version of Bitdefender for all our Windows-based PCs for the last two years,” Summers told business.com. “You only need to install and set it once, and then it will keep doing its job silently … [only taking] minutes to scan the whole PC files without slowing down the system.”

Along with the fact that it is compatible with the rest of her computer’s functions, Summers pointed to other features like a startup optimizer, which helps speed up the PC overall. Add in the software’s compatibility with leading browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox, as well as the inclusion of Bitdefender’s own hardened browser, and you have a solution that she called “the best software for scanning the system, removing suspicious files and preventing online infectious content.”

While some of the individuals we spoke with had stuck with their chosen solution for years, others shared their stories for why they jumped ship from one option to another. Hassan Alnassir, the founder and CEO of Premium Joy said his company had tried multiple options before choosing Kaspersky for its internet security solution.

“I have tried cybersecurity solutions from several popular brands like Norton and McAfee, but they all don’t compare to Kaspersky when it comes to not slowing down the PC,” he said. “I also find Kaspersky’s app interface to be pretty clean and simple to use without any complications whatsoever.”

When asked what he especially liked about Kaspersky, Alnassir said the software’s ability to block malicious sites while browsing online is a huge help.

Similarly, Dustin Vann, owner and CEO of Trusy Social said his company switched to Bitdefender from the solutions at McAfee because they just needed a stronger safety net than the latter company could provide.

“We changed from McAfee as it didn’t offer the added layer of security that Bitdefender did, plus it was harder to automate tasks with regular errors,” Vann said. “We liked the option where you could grant or deny access to websites and applications, essentially avoiding any services that have the potential to cause problems.”

We researched a wide range of antivirus software and internet security solutions, including their plans and features. The process began by compiling a list of vendors. Along with the service providers we were familiar with from past reviews, we added vendors we found in our research, those that regularly appeared on other reputable online lists and reviews, and companies that reached out to us asking to be considered for review.

Then, we visited each vendor’s official website, taking notes of their features and pricing structures. When possible, we downloaded and tried the software if a free trial was available. When a trial period wasn’t an option, we watched product demos and tutorials to get a feel for how the product worked and understand its key features.

After the testing phase, we reached out to our finalists, posing as a potential customer with questions about their platform. We asked everyone the same set of questions when applicable while taking note of the quality of service we received.

Finally, we arrived at our final determination by considering which software solutions struck the best balance of price, feature set and ease of use. Here are the criteria we used to evaluate each option:

• Pricing structure: Affordability is important to any business. We looked for a variety of pricing options with the express intent of seeing whether their offerings could be helpful to a wider range of needs and budgets.
• Features: We looked for features that defended against the largest number of attacks. Most antivirus and internet security solutions handle many of the same types of intrusion, so any additional bells and whistles that make the process more comprehensive were a plus.
• Ease of use: Having a program that’s too hard to implement is of no use to anyone. While some of our options may be more worthwhile if your business has a dedicated IT professional on staff, we sought out options that were easy enough for anyone to install and utilize.
• Compatibility: Unless every computer in a company is set up at the same time, it’s hard to find a scenario where every machine is exactly the same. If your security solution doesn’t work on every machine your business uses, then it’s not worthwhile. We sought out options that worked with the most recent versions of Windows and Mac OSX, though Linux was often also covered.
• Mobile security: Businesses are increasingly mobile these days. If a provider offered security measures for Android and iOS devices, that was a major plus in our search.
• Server software: Though mostly important to businesses that run their own servers, a good software package for IT departments requires a feature set that allows for remote management while also protecting against network threats like DDoS attacks.

It should go without saying that as the world continues to become more reliant on technology to perform daily tasks, there will always be a need for strong internet security and antivirus protocols. New products and companies enter the market every year. Analysts expect both industries to grow significantly over the coming years.

According to a study by Statista released in October 2019, the global information security technology market stood at $75.5 billion in 2016. The industry is expected to grow to approximately $116.6 billion this year, and experts estimate it will balloon up to $151.2 billion by 2023. The top five leading Windows anti-malware software companies in terms of market share according to Statista are: Symantec Corporation (13.52%), McAfee Inc. (12.67%), ESET (12.37%), Bitdefender (10.49%), and Avast (7.95%).

Regardless of their position in the market, these companies and their products have their work cut out for them as time goes on. Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving landscape; hackers find new exploits and destructive measures to gain access to sensitive data. As they find new methods to break into systems, cybersecurity software firms have to quickly find ways to patch up and eliminate any methods of ingress.

Cybercrime has been incredibly expensive to deal with around the world, as the total cost of damages caused by data breaches skyrocketed from $17.8 million in 2001 to $3.5 billion in 2019. Phishing schemes, with 114,702 instances reported to the IC3 in 2019, were the most prevalent form of cybercrime.

While dealing with digital threats, cybersecurity companies have to contend with new and upcoming legislation. The passage of the European Union’s privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation, changed the face of business on the internet nearly overnight when it was implemented in 2018. Though the U.S. doesn’t have a similar law at the federal level, California passed its California Consumer Privacy Act in 2018. It’s uncertain if the federal government will take similar action.

While most of the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, antivirus software and internet security software companies must constantly be vigilant to potential threats. With more people stuck indoors, the number of connections to the internet is growing over time, leaving more points of vulnerability. Each flaw or unsecured part of the network could spell catastrophe for already struggling businesses, so the cybersecurity software industry has to keep focused on the task at hand.

Cybersecurity protocols could continue to become more automated, as more products implement machine learning technology to find and eliminate threats as they happen. Expect more companies to push for better optimization on their programs as well, as computers gain more processing power over time.

Additional reporting by Brian Nadel.