Windows Defender vs. Norton: Which Is Better in 2024?

Find the best antivirus for you and your devices.
We compare security, extra features, ease of use, and more to help you decide.

Norton vs. Windows Defender: Which Is Right for You?

Eric Goldstein
Eric Goldstein
Chief Editor

Norton vs. Windows Defender: Which Is Right for You?

Windows Defender is pretty good security software that comes pre-packaged with Windows for free, so it can be challenging to know whether upgrading to Norton is worth it.

However, Norton is one of the best antivirus suites in 2024. It has better malware detection rates than Windows Defender and some really good features that Windows Defender lacks. For example, Norton provides excellent identity theft protection and more comprehensive parental controls.

Today, I’m going to take a closer look at Windows Defender and Norton, so you know which one you should go for in 2024.

Short on Time? Windows Defender vs. Norton — Final Verdict:

  • 1st place: Short on Time? Windows Defender vs. Norton — Final Verdict:
  • 2nd place: Short on Time? Windows Defender vs. Norton — Final Verdict:

Norton has better malware protection, more useful features, and is easier to use. Norton offers excellent protection and is easily the best antivirus in 2024. If you want the best possible malware protection, go with Norton.

Windows Defender is 100% free. Windows Defender is a good starting point, but it doesn’t provide enough features to protect you in 2024. You should choose Norton instead.

Malware Protection

Windows Defender

Windows Defender features a pretty decent malware scanner that uses machine learning, heuristic analysis, and a massive malware database to protect your computer from all kinds of malware threats, including trojans, worms, rootkits, cryptojackers, and more.

The malware scanner isn’t great. I downloaded 1,000s of malware samples to my PC and ran Windows Defender’s full scan. It took over an hour to complete, and it couldn’t find every malware sample.

That said, I like Windows Defender’s real-time protection. It compares apps you download with a massive malware database and blocks any suspicious apps it finds. Windows Defender blocked the majority of samples I tried to download, but it didn’t stop all of them.

However, Windows Defender has pretty good exploit protections — it blocked most simulated exploits I tested against it.

Norton

Norton worked much better than Windows Defender when I tested it. It also uses a large malware database, heuristic analysis, and machine learning to detect threats. Like with Windows Defender, I hid the same 1,000s of malware samples on my computer and ran Norton’s full system scan. The full system scan only took 40 minutes to complete and found every malware sample, including those that Windows Defender missed.

I then turned on Norton’s real-time protection, and it worked well. I reattempted to download the same sample archive, and Norton blocked every sample.

Web Security

Windows Defender

Windows Defender offers pretty good phishing protection through Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, but it doesn’t block ads or trackers.

I was quite impressed at the number of phishing websites Defender blocked. I tried visiting 100s of phishing websites, and it blocked the majority of them, but it still didn’t block as many as Norton did in my tests.

That said, I like how easy Windows Defender makes it to temporarily bypass blocked websites and add exceptions. This is an excellent way for advanced users to visit false positives, which is something many competitors make quite challenging.

Norton

However, Norton’s web protection is way better. Norton blocked access to more dangerous phishing websites than Defender, and it lets you see community reviews for websites you’re not sure about, so you can double-check whether a website is safe before visiting it.

Finally, Norton includes an ad blocker. It’s only available for iOS, but it works well. It managed to block the majority of ads my web browser tried to issue me — something Windows Defender can’t do.

Features

Windows Defender

Windows Defender isn’t the most feature-rich antivirus I’ve tested, but it’s free, so you can cover as many devices as you want with its protection. Windows Defender includes:

  • Malware scanner.
  • Real-time protection.
  • Secure firewall.
  • Account protection.
  • App & browser control.
  • Device security.
  • Device performance and optimization tools.
  • Family options.

These features are enough to get you started with malware protection in 2024. But honestly, they’re not enough to keep you fully protected, and most competitors do them better. For example, Windows Defender’s device performance and optimization tools let you get overviews on various areas of your computer, but don’t include any features to speed up your PC like Norton’s PC optimization does.

Norton

Norton 360 Deluxe covers up to 5 devices and comes with much better features:

  • Malware scanner.
  • Real-time protection.
  • Firewall
  • Password manager.
  • VPN (virtual private network).
  • Webcam protection (Windows only).
  • Identity theft protection (US Only)
  • Dark web monitoring.
  • 50 GB cloud storage.
  • And more…

I really like Norton’s firewall. I simulated several network intrusions against it, and Norton was able to block every one. I’m also a fan of the customization options the firewall offers for advanced users. It allows you to individually set rules for every program on your PC, control whether ARP and DNS spoofing is enabled, and more. However, if you’re a beginner user, you can leave Norton to run out of the box without making any changes, and it still works well.

I also really like Norton’s identity theft protection. It’s a shame it’s restricted to US users, but if you’re in the US, you can get live credit report monitoring, legal assistance in case of identity theft, and more.

Ease of Use

Windows Defender

Since Windows Defender is prepackaged with Windows, you don’t need to download and install it. This is great if you’re a beginner user since the protection simply runs out of the box and can keep you safe from the latest malware threats.

Windows Defender also features an easy-to-navigate dashboard that makes every feature clear and accessible through large buttons. The buttons have a short description explaining each feature, so I never found myself getting confused navigating the user interface.

However, Windows Defender does make some tasks overly complicated. For example, to schedule a virus scan, you have to open a separate task scheduling app and go through an extremely long process that’s not well explained. Some competitors make scheduling virus scans easy with just a couple of clicks.

Norton

Norton takes slightly longer to learn how to navigate, since it’s more feature-rich than Windows Defender — but once you get used to Norton, it’s honestly easy to use.

Norton makes navigation easier by offering 3 different views: classic, modern, and a web-based dashboard. They’re all pretty good, but the web-based dashboard is the easiest to get to know. It’s comprehensive and intuitive, and you can access most of Norton’s features remotely with just a few clicks.

I also like Norton’s mobile apps for Android and iOS, which are easy to navigate and work well. Windows Defender offers mobile apps, but I found them clunky, and they constantly underperformed. I never had any problems with Norton’s mobile apps.

Customer Support

Windows Defender

Windows Defender shares the same customer support options as your operating system. This works greatly in Defender’s favor — you get many customer support options, including an online knowledge base, phone support, community forums, and more.

The Windows knowledge base is one of my favorite options. It’s really in-depth, with hundreds of helpful guides and videos. The best part is that navigating Windows Defender’s knowledge base is easy, as each feature on Defender’s UI contains links to useful guides on the knowledge base.

I always connected with an agent quickly with Windows Defender’s live chat and phone support. The agents even offered to take remote access of my PC to help me resolve problems — which is great for beginner users.

Norton

Norton features good customer support, too. It has phone support, live chat, a knowledge base, and community forums. Each support option is available in multiple languages, which is great for accessibility.

I was always able to get in touch with Norton’s helpful agents, even when I reached out to them at different times of the day. I was also very happy with their responses — they provided clear instructions on various Norton features.

The live chat agents were equally easy to get in touch with. One of the issues I had was a tricky technical one, so the agent I chatted with didn’t have an easy task, but they still managed to fix everything in a reasonable time.

However, I often didn’t need to use Norton’s live chat because Norton has an in-depth knowledge base, featuring helpful guides that give thorough information on all of Norton’s features.

Starting Price
Money Back Guarantee
Free Trial
$19.99
60 Days
$69.99
Anytime
Security
Features
Ease of Use
Support
Pricing
10
10
9
10
10
7
5
5
8
8
Latest Positive Review*User reviews are not verified
Lenjin
Oct. 10, 2022
Excellent antivirus
Hello. Honestly, Norton is a great antivirus. It does its job perfectly...
Sep. 28, 2022
Dark-web Monitoring
I have Norton 360 Premium and am having no luck enrolling in the dark web...
Aleks
Oct. 5, 2020
Best free antivirus
Best free antivirus. 5 years have no problems
Chris Cummings
Aug. 12, 2020
Good Enough
Does a decent job. It is FREE. Easy to use and configure. It is There...
Latest Negative Review*User reviews are not verified
DCVoltZZ
Aug. 25, 2024
Scary Customer support
after many attempts and 3 weeks of waiting for them to fix their so called...
Dec. 9, 2023
AVOID NORTON SECURE BROWSER
I have been using Norton 360 and it's predecessors for years. Yes it's...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No reviews yet
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No reviews yet
Our Verdict
Eric Goldstein
Eric Goldstein
Chief Editor
Windows Defender is a good starting point if you haven’t got much experience with antivirus programs, but it’s not the best way to stay protected in 2024. While Defender has decent malware detection rates and excellent customer support options, Norton does everything better. Norton consistently has better malware detection rates, offers good real-time protection, and is easy to navigate with an intuitive web-based dashboard. Honestly, even though Windows Defender is a free antivirus, it’s worth paying a little bit of money and going with Norton instead, especially when you can try Norton on a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Time To Decide Which One Is Best For You

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find the best antivirus for me?

The first thing to do is to understand what you need — all antiviruses come with different internet security tools to help you stay protected, so identifying what level of protection you want will help you figure out which product is right for you.

Some antiviruses have a virtual private network (VPN), some have safe browsing extensions, and some have a password manager. Some only work on certain operating systems, while others cover all operating systems across multiple devices.

It’s important to compare the best antiviruses on the market to find the perfect one with the functionality you need.

What makes an antivirus secure?

A high-quality antivirus suite will detect, flag, and remove viruses and various types of malware. It will also offer real-time protection against all threats, regardless of whether you are browsing the internet, downloading software, shopping online, or opening email. For additional security, many antivirus suites offer a VPN, secure storage, and a password manager — these things all add several layers of protection against various cyber threats.

For more information on how antiviruses work, read this.

What do I need to look for when searching for an antivirus?

An antivirus needs to protect against all types of malware — trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, viruses, ransomware, and anything else that might cause damage to your devices. This is done in a variety of ways, but the most essential feature of an antivirus is real-time protection — this makes sure that an active threat is effectively stopped before anything serious can happen.

Other things to look for include — excellent detection rates, fast system performance, included extra features (like a VPN, password manager, etc.), easy-to-use interface, good customer support, and overall value.

Go here for a list of the best antivirus software of 2024.

How do I know if one antivirus is better than another?

When researching antiviruses, it’s a good idea to visit a few well-known antivirus software websites such as Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender to directly compare each antivirus’s features.

You can also look at the expert opinions of our reviewers at SafetyDetectives.com to find the most up-to-date information about the best cybersecurity products on the market today.

The listings featured on this site are from companies from which this site receives compensation and some are co-owned by our parent company. This influence: Rank and manner in which listings are presented. 
Learn more