The most effective antivirus software can protect your devices from malware, ransomware and phishing. It also prevents data hacks and spyware from damaging your personal information. There are a myriad of programs that are available, and most are more expensive than you’d like to pay.

We’ve tested over 300 them to find the most effective antivirus protection for your budget. We searched for software that is easy to use and durable, yet safeguards you without slowing down your computer down or forcing you to stop using it. We’ve also made sure that the software updates its malware database frequently.

Top packages come with a comprehensive set of anti-malware tools, along with other features such a VPN password manager, password manager, and parental controls. Some businesses offer a dark-web monitor service to check whether your email address, credit card data or other personal data has fallen into the wrong hand.

Norton 360 is our winner. It offers excellent all-round security, excellent malware detection rates, as well as amazing additional features like a password manager. It also offers live monitoring of dark websites and backups to the cloud.

It’s also among the few programs that are available for Mac computers (most others only work with Windows PCs) and has a good performance in tests by independent lab AV-Comparatives. It’s not his response cheap at PS2/month however, there’s a no-cost trial.