Having one of the best antivirus packages installed on your PC or laptop remains a necessity - particularly in light of world events. We're no closer now to vanquishing the cyber-criminals and hackers that plague the internet than we were a decade ago and it's far too risky to leave your laptop, phone, and another tech without virus protection.

In fact, cybercrime has actually been growing significantly year after year, which means that it’s clearly more important than ever to ensure that your gadgets are afforded the protection of the best antivirus out there, whether that's the free antivirus or paid.

We’re not suggesting that PC security software is fool-proof. Antivirus software often can’t do much to stop zero-day exploits, for example. But it can detect when the undisclosed vulnerability is used to install other nasty bits, like ransomware, on your machine. Anyone who actively uses email clicks on links and downloads programs will benefit from an antivirus suite.

1. Bitdefender Antivirus
If you peruse the rankings of the major independent testing labs, you’ll doubtless notice that Bitdefender inevitably appears towards the top. And for good reason – Bitdefender’s core antivirus engine is excellent, and we found in our testing that it delivers top-notch protection. Which is, of course, the main point of any antivirus product.

Although not the only consideration, by any means, and Bitdefender’s other main strength is that it positively bristles with features. Exactly how many features depend on which product you purchase, although even the entry-level Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2020 packs in a lot for the money.

2.Norton Security Premium
Norton Security Premium is an old name in security, but it has an easy-to-use interface, highly-rated protection, and a number of helpful extra features. It’s on the higher end of the price spectrum at $110 per year (your first year is discounted to $55), but you can install it on up to 10 devices.

3. Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is the entry-level package from this well-respected security vendor. It provides coverage for up to five Windows PCs, focusing on the fundamental security essentials, so while it hasn’t got the longest list of features – particularly compared to some of the other products highlighted here – what Kaspersky does, it does very well.

And that includes smart self-protection routines, fast and highly configurable virus scans, not to mention great overall virus protection (we were impressed with its ability to deal with fresh and undiscovered threats). Kaspersky’s anti-malware capabilities are up there with the best of them.

4.AVG Internet Security
AVG Internet Security does an excellent job of protecting your PC, but its interface could be a lot better. Nevertheless, with unlimited installs for $70 per year, it’s hard to beat this popular security solution.

5.Norton 360
Norton 360 offers some of the best malware protection around and coupled with LifeLock, you get identity theft protection, too. During my tests, I found it easily identified and stopped malicious files during the download phase. When I attempted to access phishing schemes, Norton blocked me from them, including several made to look like login pages from popular sites like Facebook and PayPal.

I've checked out LifeLock over the years, too, and I know it works hard to keep your personal information private and to ensure your identity isn't being sold on the black market, used for insurance or medical fraud, or been used to clone social media and other online accounts.

Kaspersky is the best anti malware and spyware free software for me. It does so many processes that I have not already found something better.