Updated on: May 20, 2026
- 🥇 Norton : Combines excellent malware detection with a wide range of internet security tools, including anti-phishing protection, a VPN, system clean-up tools, and much more. Plus a generous 60-day money-back guarantee, which is twice as long as most competitors.
Most top antiviruses offer free trials, but there’s usually a catch. They often limit the tools and protections available until you commit to a plan, so you won’t know if you’ve found the right antivirus until you’ve paid. And if it doesn’t meet your needs, you might have to deal with an arduous refund process — assuming refunds are even offered.
To save you the trouble of signing up for countless antiviruses, I’ve tested dozens of programs that offer a free trial as well as a risk-free money-back guarantee. I tested each one on all compatible operating systems, trying out every feature and tool, including malware protection, web protection, and extras like VPNs, password managers, parental controls, and much more. I also tested how easy it was to transition from the trial to a paid version and made sure canceling the trial and avoiding payment was simple.
While many performed poorly in my tests, I found some really good brands that you can try 100% risk-free. My #1 pick is Norton 360. It packs a wide range of tools and features into a simple, easy-to-use interface, with different price plans to fit every budget. 30-day free trials are available in many markets and all plans are backed by a generous 60-day money-back guarantee, so you have plenty of time to try it out.
Try Norton (60 Days Risk-Free)
Quick Summary of the Best Antiviruses With Free Trials
🥇 1. Norton — Best Overall Antivirus With an Extended Money-Back Guarantee
Norton is my top-rated antivirus for 2026 — it had perfect malware detection rates during my trial, it comes with a ton of useful features, and provides intuitive apps for all major platforms. It regularly offers free trials to users in many countries, but the duration can vary. In any case, it has a generous 60-day money-back guarantee, which is twice as long as most competitors.
Norton can identify, block, and remove all types of malware, from simple viruses to advanced threats like ransomware. The scanner, which uses a comprehensive malware database along with machine learning, is pretty fast, taking around 40 minutes to scan an entire system. It causes no noticeable slowdown during full system scans (so you can continue using your device normally while running scans).
Rich in features, a Norton trial gets you:
- Firewall.
- Web protection.
- VPN with unlimited data.
- Password manager.
- Privacy protection.
- Parental controls.
- Secure browser.
- Dark web monitoring.
- Identity theft protections.
- Data broker removal tool.
- Cloud storage.
I really like Norton’s Smart Firewall — it doesn’t just offer significant improvements over Windows or macOS’s built-in firewalls, but it also lets you set rules for how every program on your device is protected, depending on its importance or type. It proactively monitors network traffic to block unauthorized access, keeping sensitive work data safe.
I was pretty happy with Norton’s password manager. It makes it easy to generate, save, and auto-fill passwords. Though not as comprehensive as dedicated password managers like 1Password, Norton is my top pick for best antivirus-bundled password managers. It monitors the strength of your passwords and even has a tool to automatically change passwords across compatible sites. Plus, it’s free to use even after the antivirus trial ends.
I was pleased to see that Norton makes it easy to let the trial lapse by either removing a payment method or turning off auto-renew. You can do this from within the app or the web dashboard, which is great if you’re worried about accidentally slipping into an annual subscription.
Norton has several trial plans to choose from, including its top-tier plans. In my opinion, Norton 360 Deluxe is the best-value plan for most users. It includes all of Norton’s features and covers up to 5 devices for $49.99 / year*. US users can also get the Norton 360 LifeLock plans, which start at $99.99 / year* and add excellent identity theft protection tools.
Bottom Line:
Norton is my favorite antivirus in 2026. It had perfect malware detection rates during my free trial, and I could access a ton of features, including a highly customizable firewall, a VPN with unlimited data, a full-featured password manager, and excellent dark web monitoring. It offers free trials, and there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee which gives you plenty of time to decide if Norton is right for you.
🥈2. Bitdefender — Tons of Features + 30-Day Free Trial
Bitdefender is one of the most comprehensive internet security packages on the market — and it comes with a 30-day free trial period AND a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans, which is more than enough time to thoroughly test all of its features.
No credit card is required for Bitdefender’s free trial — just a name, email, and password to register for an account. Once registered, select your desired product and download the full-featured trial, identical to the paid version. In the final week of the trial, Bitdefender sends a reminder email, often with a discounted subscription offer. If you don’t subscribe, the software transitions to the free version automatically.
Like Norton, Bitdefender uses a massive malware directory and machine learning to detect both known and zero-day threats. Its cloud-based malware scanner ensures minimal system impact, whether you’re working or gaming. In my tests, Bitdefender caught all malware samples and ran silently in the background, allowing me to stream videos and play games without any noticeable performance issues.
Bitdefender also has multi-layered ransomware protection, which prevents hackers from encrypting your files during attacks. In my tests, its real-time protection blocked every simulated ransomware attempt before any files were encrypted.
Depending on the plan, you’ll also get:
- Firewall with stealth mode.
- VPN (200 MB/day; unlimited only on Premium Security).
- Web protections.
- Password manager.
- System cleanup and optimizer.
- Parental controls.
- Webcam and microphone protection.
- Anti-theft protection (Windows and Android).
- Safepay secure browser.
Bitdefender’s VPN is one of the best antivirus-bundled VPNs around, with speeds comparable to the top standalone VPNs. During my tests, it maintained fast speeds and worked with popular streaming services. However, only the Premium Security plan includes unlimited VPN data — other plans limit you to 200 MB/day, which is barely enough for basic browsing. In contrast, Norton offers unlimited VPN data on all 360 plans.
Bitdefender’s Antivirus Plus plan covers 3 devices for $34.99 / year, whereas Total Security adds coverage for up to 5 devices for $34.99 / year. Total Security also includes Bitdefender’s password manager. However, I think you’re better off with a dedicated password manager like 1Password or Dashlane. Upgrading to Bitdefender Premium Security, which costs $64.99 / year, gets you a VPN with unlimited data, Scam Copilot, and more, with coverage also for 5 devices.
Bottom Line:
Bitdefender is one of the most comprehensive antiviruses on the market, and it comes with a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It has a cloud-based scanner that can identify all types of malware without slowing down your device. It also offers multi-layered ransomware protection, a secure browser for online banking and shopping, and one of the fastest antivirus-bundled VPNs on the market. There are several plans to choose from, but my favorite is Premium Security, which includes all of Bitdefender’s features without any limitations for up to 5 devices.
Read the full Bitdefender review >
🥉 3. TotalAV — Easy-to-Use Antivirus With a 7-Day Free Trial
TotalAV is one of the most intuitive (if not the most intuitive) antiviruses I’ve ever tested. Its apps are super easy to navigate, and all features are easy to find and use, so I’m confident that even beginner or non-tech-savvy users will have no issues using TotalAV.
TotalAV offers a 7-day free trial of most of its premium features, after which you’ll be downgraded to the free version. I was pleased to discover that you don’t even need to provide a credit card to get the trial: just download the free version and you can start a trial.
Like Bitdefender, TotalAV’s malware scanner is also cloud-based, but TotalAV missed a couple of malware samples during testing that Bitdefender caught, scoring a 99.6% detection rate (this is still excellent and way better than most antiviruses).
TotalAV’s real-time protection is excellent. I tried to download a bunch of malicious programs and files during my trial period, including roughly 500 different virus samples, and TotalAV identified all of the threats before they could do any damage to my test device.
TotalAV also comes with:
- Anti-phishing tools.
- VPN with unlimited data.
- Windows and Mac system cleaner.
- Password manager.
- Ad blocker.
- Identity theft protection (US exclusive add-on).
TotalAV has the best antivirus and VPN bundle in 2026. During my tests, it delivered fast speeds with minimal slowdown, worked seamlessly with Netflix and Disney+, and supported torrenting on all servers — unlike Norton’s VPN, which restricts torrenting to select servers.
The password manager, Total Password, fulfills all the basic functions most users need, including generating complex passwords, saving them all in a private virtual vault, and auto-filling them on appropriate websites. It also offers 2FA and a cool remote logout function called Secure Me. However, it doesn’t quite compare with the best standalone password managers.
TotalAV’s paid plans start with the Premium package, which comes with malware and real-time protection, web protection, an ad blocker, a secure browser, and coverage for 3 devices for $19.00 / year. Its Internet Security package costs a little extra, $39.00 / year, but it covers 6 devices and includes the VPN with unlimited data. Finally, the Total Security package adds the password manager and coverage for 8 devices for $49.00 / year.
Bottom Line:
TotalAV is an easy-to-use antivirus with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. It performed near perfectly in my malware tests, has the best antivirus-bundled VPN on the market, and comes with other extras like a password manager and system optimization tools.
Read the full TotalAV review >
4. McAfee — Full-Featured Antivirus With a 30-Day Free Trial
McAfee is a powerful antivirus with a wide range of advanced features — on top of excellent malware protection, it offers anti-phishing protection, an unlimited-data VPN, a tracker remover, identity monitoring, a password manager, parental controls, and more.
You can try McAfee with a 30-day free trial, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. I really like that the free trial comes with all of the premium features for up to 5 devices and gives you premium customer support. However, unlike Bitdefender’s no-strings-attached trial, you’ll need to set up an account with McAfee and provide your payment information when signing up. That said, canceling the trial before it runs out is easy to do through the app and web dashboard.
McAfee is also a great choice for families, as most of its plans offer unlimited device coverage — perfect for households with multiple phones, tablets, and PCs. Most plans are available in family variants, which add expansive parental controls for monitoring devices and placing time and content restrictions.
When I tested it out, McAfee detected 100% of malware, including viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, and more. Unfortunately, it slowed down my PC during full system scans, but you can always schedule your scans to happen when you don’t use your computer (although it’s worth noting that Norton and Bitdefender didn’t slow down my device at all). 
McAfee’s web protection is excellent. WebAdvisor blocks phishing sites, exploit attacks, and flags suspicious links in search results and on social media. In my tests, it blocked every phishing site and exploit attempt.
Every bundle comes with Secure VPN, which is great. Powered by TunnelBear, it has servers in 45+ countries, fast speeds, a strict no-logs policy, military-grade encryption, and a kill switch. However, it doesn’t reliably work with all streaming services, which is unfortunate.
McAfee’s password manager is easy to use and performs basic password management and auto-fill well. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge architecture to keep your data secure, and you can store credit cards and documents. However, it lacks the advanced features found in top standalone password managers in 2026.
McAfee’s plans offer a great value. The Essential plan covers 5 devices and comes with antivirus protection, web protection, a password manager, dark web monitoring, and the VPN for $39.99 / year. The Premium plan adds a data broker removal tool and coverage for unlimited devices for $49.99 / year, while the Advanced plan offers credit monitoring and up to $2 million in identity theft coverage for $89.99 / year.
Bottom Line:
McAfee offers robust antivirus protection and a variety of advanced features, all of which you can test with a 30-day free trial. During my free trial, it had perfect malware detection rates in line with its top competitors, but the scanner can slow down your PC’s performance. That said, McAfee offers some great extra features like a fast VPN, a user-friendly password manager, and parental controls. McAfee’s plans cater to individual and family needs, are reasonably priced, and are covered by a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Panda Dome — Flexible Plans With Unique Features
Panda offers a good malware scanner, plus extras like cleanup tools and a VPN. The breadth of plans — including a 100% free version — makes it a great budget option, and the 30-day trial allows you to thoroughly test all of its features before purchasing a subscription (which comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee). Strangely, Panda Dome’s trials are available with and without providing your credit card info — it just depends on what button you click on the website.
Detecting 95% of malware on my test devices, Panda’s scanner is pretty good. Still, it’s worth noting that Norton and Bitdefender had perfect 100% detection rates in my tests. In addition, while Panda’s quick scan only took about 5 minutes to complete, which is on par with top competitors, its full system scan took up to 8 hours! Norton, on the other hand, takes roughly 1 hour for a similarly comprehensive full scan.
Panda also offers a cloud-based scanner for Windows called Cloud Cleaner, which is much quicker (the scan took less than an hour during testing) and is available as a separate free download. However, while I appreciate that Panda offers a separate cloud-based scanner, I’d like to see it included within its main antivirus engine.
Panda also offers:
- Parental controls.
- Anti-theft tools.
- Password generator.
- Dark web scanner.
- System optimization tools (CleanUp).
Panda offers a VPN, too, but I’m not a big fan. The Premium plan (the most expensive option) is the only one that offers unlimited data and lets you choose particular servers. On every other plan, you only get 150 MB/day — barely enough to browse, let alone stream or download anything. Worse still, the VPN lacks some really basic security features, like a kill switch, and is generally rather slow.
My favorite Panda plan is the Complete package, which gives you access to the Windows firewall, real-time protection on Mac and Android, parental controls on Windows, anti-theft protection, and cleanup tools for $27.00 / year.
Bottom Line:
Panda offers highly customizable plans ranging from a simple free malware scanner to a full-featured antivirus package that includes a ton of extras, including a VPN, password manager, and parental controls. It also has a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 30-day free trial.
6. Avira — Good Antivirus With a Fully-Free Plan
Avira offers a 30-day free trial of all its home solutions — no credit card required. All you need to do is pick the package you want to test, enter your email address, and Avira will send you the installation link that you can use to protect up to 5 devices. Once the trial has expired, you don’t need to do anything to cancel your subscription. If you want to buy the product, the premium packages are all covered by a generous 60-day money-back guarantee.
Throughout my tests, Avira’s cloud-based scanner picked up on 100% of my malware samples. In fact, Avira’s scanner is so good that it licenses the engine to many competitors, including TotalAV. It also goes further than just scanning for viruses and similar issues. The Smart Scan feature scans your devices for out-of-date software, privacy settings that might be exposing you, performance issues, and much more.
Avira also has a free plan that comes with:
- Password manager (limited).
- VPN (limited to 500 MB per month).
- Device optimization tools (limited).
Avira’s password manager was a highlight in my tests. It’s one of the best antivirus and password manager bundles, only beaten by Norton and a couple of other top contenders. It’s easy to use, syncs across multiple devices, and includes essential tools like a password generator, two-factor authentication, and biometric mobile login. Upgrading to the premium version of the password manager brings password security auditing and data breach monitoring.
During my free trial, I also got to test Avira’s Phantom VPN, and I can say that it worked pretty well in terms of security and privacy (I experienced no DNS leaks, and the one time the VPN got disconnected, the kill switch instantly severed my connection to the internet). On the other hand, it only provides limited access to streaming platforms.
Avira has a good free plan and convenient free trials of its premium products, no card required. If you like it, upgrading to Avira Prime is simple and gets you great features like advanced device optimization and a premium VPN with unlimited data. Avira Prime covers up to 5 devices across all operating systems and costs $59.99 / year.
Bottom Line:
Avira has a really good free plan, 30-day trials of its premium products, and a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. The free plan comes with real-time malware protection and limited versions of Avira’s password manager, VPN, and device optimization tools. Upgrading to Avira Prime unlocks all of Avira’s features and provides coverage for up to 5 devices.
7. Avast — Free Plan + 30-Day Trial With Strong Real-Time Shields
Avast offers two risk-free ways to try its protection — a fully free plan and a 30-day free trial of Premium Security. I like that even with the free version, you still get meaningful protection, without immediately feeling pressured to upgrade.
The Avast Free Antivirus includes strong baseline features like real-time malware detection, basic Ransomware Shield (with file-locking alerts), Web Shield, Behavior Shield, and data breach monitoring. In my tests, the real-time protection blocked every malware sample, while Behavior Shield caught a hidden keylogger running in the background. This made me feel much safer compared to free plans that only scan on demand.
When you get Avast Premium Security on a free trial, you unlock additional protections like phishing filters, Wi-Fi security verification, an advanced firewall, webcam and microphone protection, and enhanced Ransomware Shield for full folder encryption. I was especially impressed with Bank Mode in the Secure Browser — a secure desktop environment that shields your online banking and payments from snooping apps, keyloggers, and hidden malware. Plus, accessing these protections is pretty straightforward.
Here are some other Avast features you can test using its free plan and free trial:
- Email Guard for filtering malicious emails.
- Data breach monitoring to check if your accounts have been compromised.
- SecureLine VPN for private browsing and streaming (Avast One).
- Rescue Disk to clean malware when Windows won’t start.
While Avast is feature-rich, some extras don’t quite measure up to competitors like Norton. For example, Avast’s built-in VPN is decent for privacy, but it has some limits. I couldn’t use it for torrenting, and the desktop version doesn’t support split-tunneling — a feature many competitors now include.
After your free trial, Avast Premium Security starts at $39.99 / year, while the Ultimate plan costs $55.99 / year. Both plans cover up to 10 devices and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Combined with the free trial and free plan, you get plenty of time to see if it’s right for you.
Bottom Line:
Avast offers a good combination of a free plan and a 30-day trial of its Premium Security plan, making it easy to test without risk. Its real-time shields are excellent for defending against all forms of malware, and you also get lots of useful extra features like Wi-Fi Inspector, Email Guard, and Bank Mode.
Quick Comparison Table
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
To help you get the best out of free antivirus trials, I used our testing methodology. In particular:
- I looked for a generous free trial period, risk-free money-back guarantee, and/or free plans. I only included antiviruses that let you test them without committing to a long-term plan. Most offer a 30-day trial, they all include money-back guarantee periods, and a couple of them have free plans, such as Avira.
- I looked for a free trial that has minimal or no restrictions. The antiviruses on my list provide complete access to their malware protection functions. I made sure that the trials were fully featured so you can actually explore all the antivirus has to offer.
- I selected products with web protection. Without web protection, your antivirus won’t protect you from malicious websites that contain phishing scams or other malware. Look for extra features like Bitdefender’s Safepay browser, which can significantly enhance your security during online shopping or banking.
- I made sure the trial was easy to cancel. Lots of companies are deceptive and quite frankly scummy when it comes to trials, basically using them as a way to trick users into paying. But every option on this list is easy to cancel if you don’t want a subscription. Most provide reminders before you’re billed and some don’t even ask for a credit card.
- I checked compatibility. Check that the antivirus you select is compatible with all your devices (Android, iOS, Windows, etc.) and can protect multiple devices under one plan. Certain antiviruses, like McAfee, offer protection for an unlimited number of devices.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes has a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee, but its malware detection rate is lower than the brands on this list and it also lacks many security and privacy features I consider essential to any antivirus, such as a firewall, parental controls, or a password manager. Also, the free trial is only available on Windows devices.
- PC Matic. PC Matic offers decent antivirus protection and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it’s missing a password manager and other extra features. I also had a lot of annoying false positives.
- MacKeeper. MacKeeper is a decent antivirus for Macs, but it’s not nearly as good as Intego. What’s more, its trial is half as long, and the free version is extremely limited.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in antivirus free trials?
Most antivirus free trials include all of the features of the full premium version. With the best antivirus free trials, like Bitdefender’s, you get access to everything from its malware scanner and anti-phishing features to its VPN, password manager, system optimization tools, and more. This allows you to really test all of its features and make sure it works for you before committing.
Which antivirus has free trials without credit card?
There are several great antiviruses that you can use on a free-trial basis without providing your credit card details. For example, Bitdefender, Panda Dome, and Avira will all give you a chance to test their products for 30 days, while only requiring your email address to send you the installation link. This is convenient because you don’t have to worry about forgetting to cancel your trial and getting charged if you don’t want to continue using the product.
Why pick a premium antivirus over a free one?
Premium antiviruses, like Norton or Bitdefender, offer considerably more tools and features for detecting threats, keeping your data safe, and cleaning up your devices.
A free antivirus might still give you decent security, and the best free plans from premium providers offer some useful features. But there are always some shortcomings. For example, free antiviruses can often have annoying limitations, lack standard features, and constantly prompt you to pay to unlock more.
For those reasons, I’d recommend trying a premium antivirus that offers a free trial or money-back guarantee, like Norton or Bitdefender.
Will an antivirus with a free trial remove existing viruses?
Yes! If you are already dealing with viruses on your device, you can use a free trial period to remove these viruses and keep your device healthy.
A full system scan like the one offered by Norton will scan through all the files, apps, and software on your device and look for viruses. I’d recommend regularly scanning your devices, even after you’ve removed any malware.
How do I cancel an antivirus free trial?
Depending on which antivirus you try, the process for ending a trial will be a little bit different. Options like Bitdefender that don’t require a card are the simplest: you don’t need to do anything. Once the trial is up, you’ll simply be asked if you want to pay for the full version.
If you opt for Norton or other brands that ask for payment details, you’ll need to cancel your plan through the account page (sometimes you can do this through the app itself). Luckily Norton and the others that made this list make it easy thanks to good design and things like email alerts that remind you the trial is expiring.
