Norton has been a familiar name in the antivirus industry for nearly three decades. However, with the constantly evolving cyber threats, the question arises - is Norton's antivirus software still good enough to protect your devices today?
To find the answer, I have conducted an in-depth and fact-based Norton review that takes into account all the essential aspects of antivirus software.
The review covers everything from features to performance and more. So, if you are looking for a comprehensive evaluation of Norton's antivirus software, you have come to the right place.
How well does Norton antivirus detect malware?
Experts say it is among the best. During the most recent independent AV test, it received a score of 6.6 for protection and 5.5 for performance.
Now, I'm not that easily convinced. So I've done my own testing. I've turned off real-time protection and put ten malicious files on my PC to see how effectively Norton deals with them.
I'm not going to lie, I expected Norton to do well here because it's not my first time testing it. This time, it was slightly worse. The full scan managed to catch eight out of ten malware files in under 10 minutes.
While that's not perfect, it's still a great result. However, during the process, my CPU usage often went above 70%, which is not ideal for comparison.
During my scan with Bitdefender, it rarely exceeded 50%. Now, the full scan is not the only option. I also tested how the smart scan works.
It was really quick and took just around 30 seconds. Unfortunately, I can't say it was very effective. It scans for malware in places where it's usually found.
It did find some junk files and registry issues, but couldn't detect any of the ten planted malware. On the bright side, during the scan, the CPU load was just around 40%. But there are more options.
One of those is a quick scan, which is used to check for privacy issues with WiFi and to tune up the system. There is also a custom scan, which is kind of self-explanatory. With it, I can choose specific files and folders that I want to scan, but there is yet another way to do that.
With the Norton Insight feature, I can mark trusted files on my device based on Norton community usage. This allows Norton scans to skip these files, saving me time.
Security Features
Different scan options are just the core of what a top antivirus program should have. So to get a better evaluation of Norton overall, let's take a look at its security features.
- Smart firewall
Norton gets a big plus from me for its smart firewall feature. I spend hours and hours on the Internet every day, so, naturally, I want to make sure my devices are secure from outsiders and threat actors that want to steal my data.
A smart firewall is a great help to make sure it doesn't happen. It can detect vulnerable open ports and close them up to prevent any leaks. It's also very customizable. In fact, this is a theme that runs through the whole Norton app, which makes this antivirus a great choice for advanced users.
- PC Cloud backup
Another useful feature is cloud backup for PCs. It can be extremely useful if you are targeted by ransomware attacks or suffer a hardware failure and lose your data. You can probably guess what a feature called Safecam does.
It ensures you always know which apps access your webcam, making it much harder for the prying eyes of threat actors to hack your webcam and see your lovely face. To make things run smoother, there's a system optimization feature as well.
I got a noticeable performance boost the first time I used it. Since then, it has been a no-brainer for me to keep it on. It does things like track file duplicates and optimize disk usage.
This allows my PC to have consistent performance. In my opinion, this pushes Norton into consideration as the best antivirus for Windows 11 or any other desktop.
- Dark web monitoring
I also want to touch on dark web monitoring briefly. It lets me know if any of my credentials, like a bank account, passwords, or emails, have been compromised and posted on dark web marketplaces and forums.
So keeping it on in the background definitely doesn't hurt. If this long list of features and great security convinced you, go ahead to download Norton antivirus using the download link below.
- Cyber security package
That's not all when it comes to features. Just like many other antivirus providers, Norton fits a password manager and a VPN into their cyber security package.
But are these extra features any good?
Let's answer that by doing a quick password manager and Norton VPN review in 2024. If everything you need is some extra encryption, blocking, and WiFi security, then Norton VPN is more than enough.
However, if you want to access some extra streaming content, you will need to look elsewhere. Norton VPN speed and stability are rather lacking, especially if we compare it to the best VPNs like Surfshark or NordVPN.
Nonetheless, most built-in VPNs don't allow streaming at all. I did manage to access some UK libraries with Norton VPN, but not much else.
On the other hand, NortonVPN has a p to P optimized region, which is great for torrenting.
Now, looking at Norton's password manager, it can save your passwords in autofill forms and provide analysis of password security, which I can't ask for.
Anyhow, the biggest improvement it could use is multifactor authentication. With all of that said, it's still a great all-in-one package for your protection online.
- User-friendly interface
The installation process is simple on desktop and mobile devices alike. The design changes slightly between Norton 360 for macOS and Windows, but there are no feature differences.
Norton for iOS and Norton for Android are also on the same level, feature-wise, so there are no issues with that.
The very first thing that is different from most of the other best antivirus providers for Windows 10 is that a lot of features pop up in a new window.
To be honest, I am not a fan of that, as my scan can get cluttered quickly. I got used to it over time, and now it's not that big of a problem, but I think there's room for improvement, and making the app a little more intuitive would greatly benefit beginners.
If you want more up-to-date, best antivirus reviews and plenty of other cybersecurity content, click here.
To summarize this Norton review, I can say that it's good at what's most important for any antivirus. It has very strong security.
Additionally, it comes with a long list of extra features that are very useful even for casual users, such as device optimization, camera protection, and cloud backup.
At the same time, the VPN and password manager are nice additions. They are quite average in performance and security.
Overall, it's still one of the best antivirus programs for your online protection, especially if you are looking for a reputable and security-focused provider.
What are the new features of Norton antivirus?
Norton has several new features that make it a powerful antivirus application capable of detecting and blocking cyber threats daily.
It provides comprehensive software to secure customers' computers and protect them from external threats using one of the most powerful antivirus programs available.
How to run a quick scan and how to schedule a full system scan
To run a quick scan, open your Norton device security, and in the main window, click the security tile.
Click scans,
select quick scan, and click go. The key areas of your computer are scanned, and the threats are removed.
To schedule a full system scan on your Norton security main window, click the security tile.
Click scans,
select custom scan, and click go.
Select full scan, and click on the corresponding edit icon.
Select the time interval in which you want to run the scan, select the checkbox only for idle time, and click next.
The progress of scheduled scans is not visible to you since they run in the background and automatically remove threats.
Click Save, then click Close. However, when your scan is complete, the scan results are added to the security history window.
To view the results, click the security tile on your Norton security main window, and then click history
.
Click on the drop-down arrow, and then select scan results.
You can double-click on an entry to view detailed information.
What are the system's requirements?
Windows: 7/8 / 8.1 / 10
How to install Norton Antivirus
First, download the crack from the provided link.
