Best Antivirus for Families and Multiple Devices

What separates the best antivirus for families on this page?

All three suites cost $49.99 in year one, so the first-year price tells you nothing. The split shows up in scores, renewal prices and how much each one slows a machine down.

Bitdefender Total Security scores 8.9. It caught 100% of our malware samples and 49 of 50 phishing pages, and it was the least noticeable of the paid suites at 4% slowdown on file copy. Its ransomware remediation restores encrypted files. The VPN is capped at 200 MB a day unless you pay more, and it renews at $99.99.

Norton 360 Deluxe scores 8.1. It caught 99.5% of our samples and went 6/6 in AV-Test. The bundle is the fullest here: unlimited VPN, password manager, 50 GB cloud backup and Norton Family parental controls. It also had the heaviest slowdown of the paid suites in our copy test, and it renews at $119.99.

McAfee+ Premium scores 7.5. It covers every device in the household, includes an unlimited VPN and identity monitoring, and its Protection Score coaching suits non-technical users. It slowed our test laptop the most at 13% on file copy, and it renews at $149.99.

What should you check before buying family antivirus?

Our scoring puts 35 points on protection, 20 on performance, 15 on features, 10 on usability and 20 on value. Weigh those the way your household actually uses the software.

• Device count: McAfee+ Premium covers every device in the household; Norton 360 Deluxe bundles parental controls and backup for a set number of devices.
• Renewal price: $99.99 for Bitdefender, $119.99 for Norton, $149.99 for McAfee. The first year is identical, so budget for year two.
• Speed on older laptops: 4% slowdown for Bitdefender, 13% for McAfee in our file copy test.
• VPN limits: Norton and McAfee include unlimited VPN; Bitdefender caps its VPN at 200 MB a day unless you pay more.
• Parental controls: only Norton 360 Deluxe includes Norton Family in the box.

Bitdefender Total Security

For families who want the highest score here and the least slowdown, and who don't need a heavy VPN allowance.

Norton 360 Deluxe

For households that want parental controls, backup and an unlimited VPN in one purchase and can absorb the $119.99 renewal.

McAfee+ Premium

For large households with many devices, or buyers who want identity monitoring and coaching, provided the 13% slowdown and $149.99 renewal are acceptable.

Bitdefender Total Security suits families who want the top score here and the smallest performance hit. Norton 360 Deluxe fits households that need parental controls, backup and an unlimited VPN in one bundle. McAfee+ Premium is the pick for many devices plus identity monitoring, as long as the 13% slowdown and $149.99 renewal work for you.