
Antivirus programs and VPNs (virtual private networks) are two essential internet security tools that protect users in different ways, but when you combine them together, they provide maximum security and privacy for your data and your devices.
An antivirus is software that blocks and removes all forms of malware on your device. And the top antiviruses on the market in 2023 also include advanced security features to keep your computer, smartphone, and other devices safe, including:
- Advanced firewall.
- Anti-phishing protection.
- Data breach monitoring.
- System tune-up tools.
- Parental controls.
- And much more…
However, a VPN is completely different from an antivirus — a VPN provides online privacy and protects a user’s online data with encryption. A top-notch VPN allows users to:
- Replace their personal IP address with a new virtual IP address.
- Access geo-restricted content while abroad.
- Use torrenting and other P2P sites anonymously.
- Bypass internet firewalls in restrictive countries.
- Securely access public Wi-Fi networks.
- And much more…
Basically, the main difference between these two security tools is antivirus software is designed to provide maximum internet security, while VPNs are designed to provide maximum online privacy — they’re both vital tools that you should have on your devices in 2023 to remain safe from cyber attacks and prying eyes.
Short on time? Here are the best antivirus programs and VPNs in 2023:
- 🏅 Best antivirus in 2023: Norton 360. Provides a 100% malware detection rating for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices, as well as excellent anti-phishing protection, comprehensive parental controls, a robust firewall, live identity theft monitoring (for US users only), and backs each annual purchase with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- 🏅 Best VPN in 2023: ExpressVPN. Has excellent security and privacy features, works with all of the top streaming sites, maintains blazing-fast speeds, has user-friendly apps for all devices, provides great value, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How Antivirus Software Protects Your Devices
The top antiviruses detect, block, and remove malware files, and they also provide a suite of other excellent internet security tools to protect your device and data.
The best antivirus programs provide real-time malware detection that scans downloads and running processes to prevent malware from infecting your device in the first place. But if your device is already infected with malware, you can use an antivirus to scan your disk and remove all of the suspicious files from your device.
Also, the best antivirus suites provide web shields, which detect and block phishing sites and exploit attacks. They also come with network protections, which prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, spoofing attacks, and other cyber attacks. Other features include data breach monitoring, parental controls, identity theft protection, and password managers — all of these features help to provide a comprehensive set of protections against the latest cyber threats.
Get the Best Antivirus in 2023 Now
How a VPN Protects Your Data
Like an antivirus, a VPN also protects your data — but in a completely different way. The best VPNs protect your data with 256-bit AES encryption, which makes your online traffic completely unreadable (this is the same encryption used by banks and governments).
When you connect to a VPN server, all of your data is routed through an encrypted server, preventing hackers and your internet service provider (ISP) from spying on your online activities (such as browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming). For example, a cybercriminal or your ISP won’t see that you’re accessing facebook.com — instead, the VPN will encrypt your traffic and a hacker or your ISP will only see random strings of characters like JHFh345=fsjuAGFH254jfuse.
VPNs also protect your online privacy. When you connect to a VPN server, the VPN replaces your IP address with a virtual IP address from the location that you’re connected to — all of the sites you visit will see only the VPN’s IP address and think you’re actually in that location. For example, if you live in the US and connect to a VPN server in the UK, you will get a UK IP address. Any website that you visit will only see your UK IP address and not your real IP address in the US.
Benefits of Using an Antivirus & VPN Together
An antivirus protects your devices from dangerous malware attacks and other cyber attacks, and a VPN protects your data with high-end encryption and your privacy by assigning you a virtual IP address.
But if you only have one of these online security tools, you may leave your device vulnerable to a serious cyber threat.
For example, I strongly recommend that you use a VPN when downloading torrent files. Thanks to a VPN’s encryption, other torrent users and your ISP won’t be able to see the files you download. And since a VPN assigns you a new IP address, no one will have access to your true identity.
But a VPN doesn’t provide the security features that an antivirus program offers, such as real-time protection and a web shield. Real-time protection blocks you from downloading malicious torrenting files, and a web shield blocks you from visiting malicious websites, such as phishing sites, that may distribute malware on your device.
Using an antivirus and VPN together provides the best security for your devices — and this is also why many antivirus companies include a VPN in their premium software plans.
Get the Best Antivirus with a VPN in 2023 Now
Some Antiviruses include a VPN
A lot of the top antivirus brands on the market have their own VPN, which is either included in the antivirus package or offered separately at an additional cost. However, most antivirus VPNs are only good for basic online activities like browsing — many of them don’t support streaming or torrenting, aren’t as fast as a standalone VPN, and set a limit on the amount of data you can use each month. But a lot of the VPNs from antivirus companies still provide good value for someone who is looking for a decent and secure VPN that’s packaged with an excellent antivirus.
My favorite antivirus with a VPN is TotalAV — it has unlimited data, maintains fast connection speeds, works with all of the top streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, and doesn’t keep logs of user data (websites that you visit and files you download).
That said, VPNs from antivirus companies are not as good as top standalone VPNs like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN, which provide better security and privacy features, maintain faster speeds, work with all of the top streaming services, offer better torrenting support, have larger server networks, and also work in countries that restrict access to the internet.
Quick summary of the best antiviruses & VPNs in 2023:
Antiviruses:
- 🥇 Norton — Best overall antivirus in 2023.
- 🥈 Bitdefender — Excellent virus scanner with lightweight cloud-based technology.
- 🥉 Intego — Best for Macs (with decent Windows software).
Get the best antivirus in 2023
VPNs:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN— Best overall VPN in 2023.
- 🥈 Private Internet Access — Great for mobile users, easy to use, and highly customizable.
- 🥉Proton VPN — High-end privacy and security features with fast speeds.
3 Best Antiviruses in 2023:
🥇1. Norton 360 — Best for Comprehensive Internet Security

Norton 360 is the gold standard for antivirus programs in 2023, offering an unparalleled selection of security tools, such as:
- Malware scanner.
- Anti-phishing protection.
- Dark web monitoring.
- Password manager.
- VPN.
- Parental controls.
- Good mobile protection.
- Identity theft protection (US only).
- And much more…
Norton’s antivirus scanner and real-time malware protection have consistently scored 100% detection ratings in our testing, detecting a wide range of threats including trojans, ransomware, rootkits, and cryptojackers.
Norton’s web shield detects suspicious websites and phishing sites more accurately than Chrome or Firefox, and its dark web monitoring feature can alert you to a data breach before your accounts are compromised.
I also really like Norton’s password manager — it’s very secure and easy to use. And parents will love Norton’s parental controls, which can filter content, track mobile devices, and provide screen time limits. While Norton’s VPN (Norton Secure VPN) is secure, pretty fast, and works with Netflix and Amazon Prime, it doesn’t allow torrenting on all servers, it doesn’t work with Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu, and it has a terrible no-logs policy.
Norton offers a wide range of plans, from inexpensive single-device plans to premium multi-device family plans. Its plans start at $54.99 / year, and there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee on all purchases.
Read the full Norton review here >
🥈2. Bitdefender — Excellent & Lightweight Antivirus
Bitdefender’s powerful antivirus scanner uses cloud-based technology to ensure that your devices don’t experience any slowdown, even during full disk scans. Bitdefender’s scanner scored a 100% malware detection rating in our 2023 tests, and I was really impressed with its minuscule impact on my CPU.
Bitdefender also has:
- Web protections.
- System optimizer
- VPN.
- Parental controls.
- Password manager.
- Webcam protection.
- And a lot more…
Bitdefender’s VPN is pretty good — it’s secure, fast, and great for users that want to torrent securely, but it wasn’t able to access Netflix in our testing. However, the VPN has a 200 MB daily limit on all plans, except for Premium Protection that adds unlimited data (but you can also get the VPN as a separate purchase).
Bitdefender also has some of the best parental controls on the market, and its secure browser is a great way to handle finances online as securely as possible.
But Bitdefender doesn’t provide dark web monitoring (unlike Norton), and its password manager is missing key features like two-factor authentication and password vault auditing.
Bitdefender offers a decent free (but very minimal) Windows scanner, two paid plans for Windows users, and a comprehensive multi-device plan for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Bitdefender’s plans start at $23.99 / year, and they’re all backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Bitdefender review here >
🥉3. Intego — Best Antivirus for Mac Users
Intego provides substantial improvements on all of macOS’s built-in security features. In our testing, Intego caught 100% of Mac-specific malware threats, including spyware files, cryptojackers, and rootkits that macOS’s built-in protections failed to detect.
Intego also offers a robust set of additional features, including:
- Firewall.
- System cleanup.
- Parental controls.
- System backup.
Intego’s firewall is easier to use, provides more customization and functionality, and is more reliable than macOS’s built-in firewall. I also really like Intego’s system cleanup tool, which can help you organize and remove files, as well as make it easy to find and remove apps.
Intego also includes keystroke tracking and suspicious activity alerts that can flag predatory interactions for kids online.
Intego’s parental controls are kind of hard to set up, but they provide much more refined content filtering than Apple’s content and privacy restrictions. And while I love Intego’s Mac protection, its PC protections aren’t even close to competing with Norton and Bitdefender’s premium Windows security suites.
Intego’s Premium Bundle X9 plan costs $34.99 / year and provides all of Intego’s protections for a great price, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Intego review here >
3 Best VPNs in 2023:
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN in 2023

ExpressVPN is the best VPN in 2023 — it provides excellent security and privacy features, works with popular streaming sites, has the fastest speeds out there, and comes with great torrenting support.
ExpressVPN consistently works with Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Go, and claims to work with 65+ other streaming apps. In our speed tests, HD and 4K videos always loaded instantly and didn’t buffer when we skipped through them.
ExpressVPN is also really good for torrenting because it allows P2P traffic on 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries — it’s very easy to find a nearby server to get the fastest speeds. In our tests, we downloaded 20–30 GB torrents in just 15–20 minutes. Also, ExpressVPN works with popular torrenting apps like qBittorrent, uTorrent, and Vuze.
On top of that, ExpressVPN comes with:
- Industry-standard VPN security features (including an audited no-logs policy).
- Advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy.
- Easy-to-use apps for all major platforms.
ExpressVPN’s payment plans start at $6.67 / month, which is a little more expensive than other VPNs, but ExpressVPN provides the best overall value. Plus, all plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review here >
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great VPN for Mobile Users

Private Internet Access (PIA) has excellent iOS and Android apps — they’re easy to install, have 1-click connections, make it simple to manually find and connect to a server, and have brief and helpful explanations for all settings and features.
PIA also has a kill switch on its iOS app (unlike most VPNs), and its Android app is very customizable (you can change the level of encryption, change the color of the app’s background, and more).
While PIA is very fast, ExpressVPN maintains faster speeds. That being said, during my PIA speed tests, websites loaded instantly, HD videos started in 2-3 seconds and a 20 GB file took just 25 minutes to download on distant servers with PIA.
PIA provides great security and privacy, including:
- No-logs policy that has been proven true in court documents.
- All of its apps are open-source.
- RAM-only servers.
PIA also works with popular streaming sites like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime and allows torrenting on all servers — and it supporst port forwarding, which allows you to connect to more peers to get faster download speeds. Plus, PIA comes with a good ad blocker (PIA MACE), has split-tunneling (allows you to exclude apps and website IP addresses from the VPN tunnel), and even includes a feature that monitors if your email address was involved in a data breach.
PIA’s plans start at $2.19 / month, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for all purchases.
Download Private Internet Access Now
Read the full Private Internet Access review here >
🥉 3. Proton VPN — Best for Privacy

Proton VPN provides excellent privacy via open-source apps that have been independently audited (unlike Private Internet Access) and a strict no-logs policy. It also secures your data with industry-standard VPN security features and includes advanced features like perfect forward secrecy and full disk encryption (which keeps all data on a server secure and unreadable even if the server is compromised).
What’s more, Proton VPN comes with extra security features:
- Secure Core servers — Routes your data through 2 VPN servers, including one that is located in an ultra-secure location.
- Split-tunneling — Proton VPN lets you split-tunnel apps, web browsers, and IP addresses (unlike ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, Proton VPN doesn’t offer split-tunneling for macOS).
- NetShield — An excellent ad blocker that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious sites.
Proton VPN has fast speeds, but it’s still slower than ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.
Proton VPN has the best free plan — it includes unlimited data, fast speeds, and access to servers in 3 countries (the US, the Netherlands, Japan), but it limits you to 1 device and you don’t get P2P and streaming support.
Proton VPN also has 3 tier-based premium subscriptions. At $9.99 / month, Proton VPN Basic adds 2 connections, access to servers in 40+ countries, P2P support, and NetShield. The Plus plan, which costs $3.99 / month and offers the best value, comes with 10 connections, access to servers in all 60+ countries, streaming support, Secure Core, and Tor over VPN. The Visionary plan adds a ProtonMail account for $3.99 / month. Proton VPN backs all purchases with a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Proton VPN review here >
How to Choose the Right Antivirus & VPN for You
What to Look For in an Antivirus
Malware Protection & Internet Security Features
A good antivirus should include:
- Malware scanner with multiple scan types.
- Real-time malware detection.
- Anti-phishing and unsafe website detection.
- Secure firewall.
A good malware scanner blocks close to 100% of malware files, even during intensive stress-testing. SafetyDetectives uses a proprietary database of nearly 1,000 malware files for our antivirus scan tests, and top brands like Norton and Bitdefender both scored 100% in our testing. An antivirus should also offer a variety of virus scan types like full disk scans, quick scans, and custom scans, which can allow users to easily examine different parts of their systems.
Real-time malware protection scans downloads and recently-opened files and runs processes to prevent malware from infecting your device.
Web protections detect and block phishing sites, exploit attacks, and suspicious web pages more accurately than built-in protections from browsers like Chrome and Firefox. And a secure firewall is necessary for detecting malicious network attacks as well as suspicious outgoing activity from compromised devices.
Today’s top-notch antivirus programs come with a ton of additional features, like parental controls, data breach monitoring, identity theft protection, system optimization, game boosters, and password managers.
Check out our list of the top 10 antiviruses on the market so you can figure out which antivirus has the tools you need to stay protected.
Speed & Impact on System Performance
While malware scanners are great for detecting and removing malware, some antivirus scans can slow down your computer. This is because a full disk scan compares every single file on your device against a massive database of millions of known malware files — it’s a pretty complicated process that can take up to 4 hours to complete.
Fortunately, there are several new technologies that help reduce the impact an antivirus has on your devices. Many antivirus programs (like Bitdefender and TotalAV) use cloud-based scanners, which allow servers in the cloud to scan your system instead of forcing your computer to do the heavy lifting. A cloud-based scanner won’t slow down your system at all, even during a full disk scan.
However, even conventional antivirus scanners (which aren’t cloud-based and run scans on your CPU) have convenient options to improve system performance. Most antiviruses include a scan scheduling feature, which allows you to run full disk scans when you’re away from your devices (such as overnight). Also, Norton and Intego use a smart file-caching feature, which skips over files that have already been deemed safe, so every scan after your first one takes less time. Plus, many antiviruses come with a gaming mode, which suspends a scan (and all notifications) when your device is in full screen mode.
Device Compatibility & Ease of Use
While Windows is the most heavily targeted operating system for cyber attacks, Mac and Android-based malware have been increasing in recent years, and iOS users are still susceptible to a variety of cyber attacks.
The best antivirus companies, like Norton and Bitdefender, have excellent software for every major platform. But we also have breakdowns on the best antivirus programs for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and even Linux for users looking for device-specific protections.
When it comes to ease of use, you should look for internet security suites that are easy to install, include all of their features in one intuitive interface, and are user-friendly when it comes to customizing and setting up their additional features. I think TotalAV is one of the easiest antivirus programs to use in 2023.
Pricing
Antivirus programs offer tiered pricing options — ranging from minimal single device plans like Norton AntiVirus Plus, which costs $19.99 / year, all the way up to Norton with LifeLock, which includes identity theft protection for US users and costs $69.99 / year.
Every antivirus in our top 10 list offers either a money-back guarantee or a free trial — most money-back guarantees last for 30 days, while Norton offers 60 days with all of its plans.
Most free antivirus options are frustratingly limited, so we don’t usually recommend them, but Avira Free Internet Security is a decent option if you’re dead-set against paying for antivirus protection. It comes with an antivirus scanner, real-time protection, a firewall, device optimization, and more.
Plans and pricing details on antivirus websites can be pretty confusing, but all of our antivirus reviews include comprehensive pricing breakdowns so you can choose which plan is best for you.
Customer Support
These are the main customer support options offered by antivirus programs:
- FAQs and online knowledge base.
- Phone chat.
- Live web chat.
- Email support.
- Remote access.
A good online knowledge base can be a huge time saver — for example, Bitdefender’s website provides a helpful search function, tons of well-written support articles, and even video tutorials, which should answer most of your questions. But if you’re still having an issue and are looking for personalized assistance, live chat and email are decent options, but phone support is my favorite option — Norton’s 24/7 phone support team is one of the best on the market. Also, Some providers, like Norton, can even remotely access your desktop computer and resolve your issue for you, which is really helpful for less tech-savvy users.
What to Look For in a VPN
Security
A secure VPN needs to have the following industry-standard VPN security features:
- 256-bit AES encryption — The same encryption banks and governments use.
- Kill switch — This feature disables internet access if your VPN connection drops to prevent data leaks.
- Leak protection — Good VPNs provide protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks to keep your data from leaking on the web (ExpressVPN has full leak protection).
Some top brands also include advanced security features:
- RAM-only servers — Data is only saved to the RAM memory instead of the hard drive, and every time the server is rebooted all of the data on it is erased. ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access have RAM-only servers.
- Perfect forward secrecy — This feature changes encryption keys at a set interval or after each session to prevent hackers from compromising past or future keys to spy on your data. Many of the top VPNs have perfect forward secrecy, including ExpressVPN.
- Full disk encryption — This feature keeps all data on a server secure and unreadable even if the server is compromised. Proton VPN is one of the only top VPNs that has this security tool.
Privacy
A good VPN protects your privacy with a no-logs policy, which prevents the VPN from storing your IP address and online traffic (the sites you visit and the files you download). Some top VPNs (like ExpressVPN) have had their no-logs policies independently audited and verified. Other top brands like Proton VPN haven’t conducted audits, but they release transparency reports, which display all the user data requests they received and prove that they didn’t turn over any user data. While Private Internet Access also hasn’t conducted an audit and doesn’t release a transparency report, its no-logs policy has been proven multiple times in court documents.
And some top VPNs provide even more privacy by having open-source apps (meaning anyone can inspect the code for cracks in security and privacy). Both Private Internet Access and Proton VPN include open-source apps — but Proton VPN’s apps have also been independently audited, and all “medium” and “minor” security risks that were discovered during the audit were quickly fixed.
Speed & Performance
All VPNs will slow down your speeds due to the encryption process. But the best VPNs are able to maintain fast speeds across all servers.
In my speed tests, top brands like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access had the fastest speeds out there — they only slowed down my overall speeds by 20% on average. Websites instantly loaded, streaming content started almost right away and didn’t buffer, and I was able to download P2P files at lightning-fast speeds.
Streaming & Torrenting Support
Good VPNs work with all of the top streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and HBO Go. My favorite VPN for streaming is ExpressVPN, which claims to work with 65+ streaming services.
Also, the best VPNs have excellent torrenting support — they allow P2P traffic on all servers (or a large number of dedicated P2P servers) and work with popular torrenting apps (qBittorrent, Vuze, uTorrent, etc.). Some VPNs also allow port forwarding, which lets you connect to more peers to get faster speeds. Also, other VPNs offer SOCKS5 proxy servers, which may provide faster speeds than regular VPN servers because they don’t use encryption. Private Internet Access is a great torrenting VPN — all of its servers support torrenting, it works with top P2P apps, and it has port forwarding.
Extra features
The best VPNs (like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN) provide excellent value by giving you access to additional features, such as:
- Split-tunneling — This feature lets you choose which apps use the VPN and which apps use your local network.
- Ad blockers — Blocks ads, trackers, and malicious sites.
- Double VPN — Routes your traffic through 2 VPN servers instead of 1 VPN server, protecting your data with an extra layer of encryption.
- Obfuscation — This feature prevents anyone from seeing your VPN traffic and helps you use VPNs in restrictive countries.
Device Compatibility & Ease of Use
I only recommend VPNs that have user-friendly apps for all major platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. The best VPNs come with intuitive interfaces that are easy to navigate, include quick-connect features, and provide brief and easy-to-understand definitions for all settings and features.
Top VPN brands also allow at least 5 simultaneous connections, but some VPNs offer more — VyprVPN allows up to 30 connections, and IPVanish and CactusVPN both allow unlimited connections.
Pricing
Most VPNs offer affordable monthly and yearly plans, accept multiple payment methods, and many have a money-back guarantee.
There are free VPNs out there, but I don’t recommend that you use one. Free VPNs usually lack essential security features, log and sell your traffic, have slow speeds and buggy apps, and don’t work with streaming sites.
That said, if you want a really good free VPN, I recommend Proton VPN — its free plan comes with unlimited data, high-end security, fast speeds, and servers in 3 countries (the Netherlands, the US, and Japan), but it limits you to 1 device and there’s no P2P and streaming support.
That being said, I think it’s best to purchase a low-cost premium VPN. You can check out our top picks in 2023 here.
Customer Support
Good VPNs provide the following customer support channels:
- 24/7 live chat.
- Email support.
- FAQs.
- Setup tutorials
- Troubleshooting guides.
ExpressVPN provides all of these customer support platforms — and even includes helpful video guides. And some top VPNs (like IPVanish) offer phone support.
Antivirus vs. VPN Comparison Table
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between an antivirus and a VPN?
An antivirus detects, blocks, and removes malware and helps prevent other cyber attacks, while VPNs use advanced encryption to protect your data and provide extra privacy online. When you combine both types of security software on your devices, you get maximum security and privacy for all of your online activities.
If you’re looking for a top-notch antivirus suite, I really like Norton 360 — it offers essential security features, such as anti-phishing shields, data breach monitoring, advanced firewalls, parental controls, and even a decent VPN with unlimited data.
A VPN replaces your IP address with a virtual IP address from a different location, allowing you to hide your internet traffic (browsing, streaming, torrenting, etc.) from your ISP, data trackers, hackers, and more. The best VPNs, like ExpressVPN, also include industry-standard VPN security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, a strict no-logs policy, and full leak protection. Also, they come with advanced security features such as RAM-only memory and perfect forward secrecy, extra features (split-tunneling and an ad blocker), and work with all of the top streaming services.
Which antivirus has the best VPN?
TotalAV comes with the best VPN — it’s secure, fast, easy to use, works with top streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and allows torrenting on all non-US servers.
That said, TotalAV’s VPN still isn’t as good as the top standalone VPNs on the market like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN. These VPNs provide better torrenting support, larger server networks, access to advanced security features, and faster speeds.
What’s the best free VPN and antivirus?
I typically don’t recommend free VPNs — free VPNs usually are missing basic security features, may log your data, set a limit on how much data you can use each month, and have slow speeds.
But if you’re looking only for a free VPN, Proton VPN Free is my favorite — it’s very secure, provides unlimited data, maintains decent speeds, and allows you to access servers in the US, the Netherlands, and Japan). However, Proton VPN’s free plan only allows 1 connection and doesn’t support streaming or torrenting. Instead, I recommend a premium VPN like ExpressVPN — it has faster speeds, access to servers in 90+ countries, works with all of the popular streaming apps, supports P2P traffic, and allows 5 connections.
When it comes to free antiviruses, I think there are some good options that include features that you need to keep your devices safe.
If you’re looking only for a free antivirus program, Avira Free Internet Security is the best one out there — it provides 100% malware detection, a good web shield, and a decent password manager. But users who upgrade to a paid Avira subscription get a VPN with unlimited data, important password manager protections, and a full suite of system tune-up features.
Do I need an antivirus and a VPN?
Yes, I strongly recommend that you use both security tools together — an antivirus protects your devices from malware infections and other cyber threats, while a VPN encrypts your online traffic and provides extra privacy while you’re online.
There are dozens of good antivirus programs out there in 2023 — I recommend Norton for its unbeatable malware protection, ease of use, and wide variety of security features, including anti-phishing protection and webcam protection.
And out of the top VPN brands on the market, I prefer ExpressVPN because it has high-end security features, maintains blazing-fast speeds, works with all of the top streaming sites, and is very user-friendly
.