Kaspersky Antivirus Plus Review (2024): The Pros & Cons

Kaspersky Antivirus Plus 2024: Full Review

Kaspersky is ranked #9 of the 28 best antivirus of 2024.

We thoroughly tested Kaspersky and found it to be a robust antivirus solution. Its strong points include excellent anti-phishing features and a useful VPN. It even has a kid-friendly option with its parental controls. The software is easy to use, making it perfect for beginners, and installation is a breeze—taking us just 5 minutes.

The anti-phishing is multi-layered and works well with popular browsers. The VPN offers quick browsing and allows torrenting, though it sometimes struggles with Netflix access. You get added perks like on-screen keyboard and Safe Money, which are great for blocking keyloggers.

We explored its three packages: Standard, Plus, and Premium, each catering to a different number of devices. A 30-day money-back guarantee comes with all paid plans, allowing ample time to test the product. Kaspersky even offers a basic free version, although it’s not their primary focus.

In short, Kaspersky offers strong protection and lots of features, all wrapped up in an easy-to-use package.

Anti-malware

We put Kaspersky’s anti-malware features to the test and were largely impressed. It uses a blend of cloud-based machine learning and a virus database for detection. In our tests, it identified 100% of malware samples, aligning it with top contenders like Norton and Bitdefender.

Kaspersky offers six scan types, ranging from Quick Scans to full system sweeps. The Quick Scan took just 3 minutes and identified 70% of our hidden malware, suggesting we run a Full Scan for a deeper dive. The Full Scan completed in 53 minutes without slowing down our system—a win over competitors like McAfee, which did cause system lag. Post-scan, all detected malware was neatly quarantined.

We also tried out the real-time protection and it instantly flagged all malicious downloads. Its performance equaled that of Norton and Bitdefender in real-time threat detection.

However, the Application Vulnerability Scanner was a letdown. It took 1 hour and didn’t detect any system vulnerabilities—even when we knew some existed. On the upside, Kaspersky’s built-in app updater found and fixed outdated software in less than 5 minutes.

In summary, Kaspersky’s anti-malware capabilities are top-notch. It offers various scan options, exceptional real-time protection, and doesn’t bog down your computer during scans.

Anti-phishing

We tested Kaspersky’s anti-phishing and web protection capabilities and found them to be solid, although not the absolute best in the industry. The Safe Browsing feature integrates with popular browsers like Edge, Chrome, and Firefox, screening URLs against known malicious sites and using heuristic analysis for added protection. Most of the phishing websites we visited were successfully blocked.

Kaspersky’s URL Advisor is a helpful feature that marks safe sites with a green symbol in search results, although it only worked for us on Firefox. The Private Browsing option prevents tracking from social networks and ad agencies, which is great. However, by default, data collection is enabled for Kaspersky and its 82 partner sites, something we think should be opt-in rather than opt-out.

The software also offers an on-screen keyboard—a rarity among competitors—which is a nice layer of defense against keyloggers. This pairs well with Safe Money, Kaspersky’s secure browser for financial transactions. Every time we visited a banking or shopping site, we were prompted to switch to Safe Money. While effective, the secure browser did take over 10 seconds to load each time, slower than Bitdefender’s equivalent feature.

In summary, Kaspersky’s anti-phishing tools are robust, offering good website screening and additional features like anti-tracking and a secure browser. There are minor shortcomings like slow load times for Safe Money and default data collection, but these don’t severely impact the overall strong web protection.

Firewall

We tested Kaspersky’s firewall features and found them robust, particularly on Windows PCs. It effectively thwarted most exploit attempts we threw at it, outperforming even the built-in Windows Defender firewall.

Kaspersky provides detailed information about apps connected to the internet. For example, clicking on Firefox revealed how many users had it installed and its trust level. Customization is also easy—you can modify rules for individual apps and even fine-tune packet rules. Advanced users will appreciate features like port access detection, which works reliably.

The firewall also includes a handy network monitor that shows all apps with an active internet connection. We especially liked the option to block all network activity with a single click—a useful feature in case of malware infections.

However, the interface could be better organized. Firewall settings are spread out in different menus, unlike Norton, which consolidates them in one place. Additionally, the Mac version lags behind its Windows counterpart, lacking a full-fledged firewall and only offering a network attack blocker.

Overall, Kaspersky’s firewall is effective for Windows users, providing solid network protection and a good range of customizable features. The user interface and Mac offering could be improved, but these are minor setbacks in an otherwise strong firewall solution.

Password manager

We put Kaspersky’s password manager to the test and found it functional but somewhat basic. It’s easy to set up and use, and its encryption and zero-knowledge policy make it secure. The premium version offers unlimited storage for passwords, but the free version limits you to 15, which is considerably less generous than competitors like Norton.

After creating a master password—which is critical to remember, as Kaspersky can’t recover it for you—you can install a browser extension for auto-fill and auto-save capabilities. During our tests, these features worked smoothly on PCs and Macs, but not on mobile devices.

Navigation is straightforward, with clear labeling. You can store not just passwords but also bank cards, addresses, and notes. It even lets you sort items into folders. However, the password manager falls short in advanced features. It lacks two-factor authentication and doesn’t offer any account recovery options, which some competitors like Dashlane and LastPass provide.

Though the password generator is robust, it misses some customization options available in other password managers, like generating ‘easy to say’ or ‘easy to read’ passwords. It’s also worth noting that it doesn’t support third-party authenticator apps, limiting you to Windows Hello for additional security.

In summary, if you’re seeking a simple, secure way to manage passwords, Kaspersky’s offering will suffice. But for users seeking more advanced features, it might come off as too basic.

VPN

We tested Kaspersky’s VPN and found it to be a solid option, especially for an add-on to an antivirus package. Its unlimited browsing data and kill switch are standout features, ensuring continuous protection. The VPN also offers full leak protection, automatically kicks in on public networks, and even has split-tunneling, letting you choose which apps use the VPN connection.

Speed tests showed a slight increase in ping and slower upload speeds, but download speeds remained consistent. Importantly, the dip in speed wasn’t noticeable during browsing. The VPN also supports streaming, successfully unlocking Netflix’s US library during our tests, a feature where some competitors like Avira fall short.

In summary, Kaspersky’s VPN is a strong performer with good speed and features. It’s a worthwhile choice for anyone looking to bundle it with Kaspersky’s antivirus software.

Other security features

Parental Controls: Kaspersky Safe Kids

We tested Kaspersky’s parental controls and found them to be intuitive with rich features like content filtering, app limitations, and location tracking. But if you’re an iOS user, the options are more limited. Kaspersky excels in content filtering; it effectively blocked various categories of websites and even resisted VPN circumvention. The screen time scheduling and geo-fencing features also impressed us. However, the social media monitoring is limited to the Russian platform VK. Overall, we recommend Kaspersky for its comprehensive yet easy-to-use parental controls.

Data Leak Checker

When we ran our email through Kaspersky’s data leak checker, it detected multiple breaches but wasn’t as thorough as some free online options like Have I Been Pwned. The tool lacks specifics about the type of data compromised. If you’re looking for more detailed breach alerts, other services might serve you better.

System Cleanup Tools

Kaspersky offers a variety of system cleanup tools like PC Speed-Up and Hard Drive Health Monitor. Our tests revealed that these tools work well for identifying issues, but they don’t provide solutions for fixing them. We also noticed some inefficiency; for instance, the Unused Apps feature didn’t detect apps we hadn’t used for months. While not perfect, Kaspersky’s cleanup tools can still help maintain your system.

Smart Home Monitor

We tried out Kaspersky’s Smart Home Monitor and found it fairly basic. It tells you what devices are connected to your Wi-Fi, but there’s not much you can do beyond that. Competing services like ESET offer more robust features, such as vulnerability scanning for your network devices.

Additional Features

Kaspersky’s additional tools include webcam protection, intrusion prevention, and more. We particularly liked the intrusion prevention tool, which gives detailed insights into running processes. However, the ad blocker could be improved, as it didn’t effectively block ads during our tests. Features like Backup and Restore and Rescue Disk are good additions but not game-changers. In terms of gaming mode, it does its job but doesn’t boost performance like Norton’s gaming mode does.

Mobile App

We explored Kaspersky’s mobile app on both Android and iOS. For Android users, it’s feature-rich with antivirus scanning, real-time protection, and anti-theft measures. In our tests, the antivirus scanner detected all malware files in less than 5 minutes. However, we think features like Norton’s App Advisor or Bitdefender’s App Anomaly Detection have an edge in preemptively identifying risky apps.

The anti-theft functions are robust, letting you lock and locate your device, snap a photo of a thief, sound an alarm, or even wipe your device clean. We also tested the mobile VPN and found it to offer good speeds, although the free version has a 300 MB daily limit.

For iOS users, Kaspersky offers basic features like anti-phishing and account checks. It’s good but not as comprehensive as competitors like Avira that offer performance optimization and network scanning.

Customer Support

Getting in touch with Kaspersky’s customer support was a bit tedious. The app doesn’t offer a straightforward way to contact support, and we had to fill out forms online to get a phone number or chat with an agent. While the process was cumbersome, the actual support was prompt and knowledgeable. We connected with a live chat agent in under 2 minutes after filling out the online forms. Email support was functional but less personalized; we were addressed as “customer,” which felt a bit cold.

Plans and pricing

In the table below are the core products with their features and prices.

The prices shown are from the USA. However, most brands have different prices (and currencies) in other regions. So visit the brand’s website to see the price in our country.

Note: Kaspersky has rebranded its products. Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Kaspersky Internet Security, and Kaspersky Total Security are now Standard, Plus, and Premium. The Kaspersky Security Cloud is also no longer available.

Plan description

Kaspersky offers three tiers: Standard, Plus, and Premium. All can protect 3, 5, or 10 devices, and the Premium even goes up to 20 in some locations. If you’re budget-conscious, Kaspersky Free offers just basic antivirus features.

Kaspersky Standard – Basics Covered

Priced at $38.49/year, this plan is a decent entry point. It provides essentials like malware scanning, a firewall, and anti-phishing. For a single device, Norton AntiVirus Plus could be a more budget-friendly alternative with similar features.

Kaspersky Plus – Best Value

For $52.99/year, you get features like an unlimited-data VPN, password manager, and file shredder. We like the inclusion of an unlimited VPN at this price point, as competitors often reserve this for higher-tier plans.

Kaspersky Premium – Extras with Caveats

Costing $74.99/year, it adds identity protection and free parental controls for one year. The parental controls are excellent but limited to the first year, a downside when competitors like Norton offer it indefinitely.

Summary

For most, Kaspersky Plus offers the best bang for your buck, blending robust protection and privacy features. The Premium plan is a good pick for families but could improve by extending the duration of its parental controls feature. Overall, Kaspersky offers reliable, tiered plans that can suit various needs and budgets.

Test score comparison

Next to our own anti-malware tests, we analyze those by AV-Test. We’ve compared the results of the 10 most recent tests for Windows 10. The tests were performed by AV-Test, the German anti-malware test lab. They use three factors:

• Protection (1-6): Antivirus protection against malware attacks.
• Performance (1-6): System slowdown caused by the antivirus.
• Usability (1-6): Frequency of false alarms and disruptions.

We used their results, and this formula, to calculate the final score:

Final Score = 60% Protection + 20% Performance + 20% Usability.

Brands not listed in the table haven’t participated in the analysis by AV-Test. This is usually not a good sign. Because most reputable brands, except Panda, ESET, and Sophos, partake in the test.

Source: AV-Test.

Price comparison

We’ve compared the prices of the top antivirus products for Windows. To make it a fair comparison, we looked at what it would cost us, to protect a  single Windows PC with the most essential features:

• Anti-malware
• Anti-phishing (web protection)
• Firewall
• Password manager
• Unlimited VPN (no data limit)

A few notes:

• Some brands are missing features, lowering their value for money.
• Prices are second-year prices in the USA, without first-year discounts.
• Prices are rounded up for readability (e.g., $99.99 becomes $100).

Brands have different prices outside the USA. See those on their website.

User reviews

We’ve compared the user reviews of all antivirus brands. We’ve used the scores and review count of TrustPilot, a leading user review platform. However, take these results with a grain of salt, as some brands actively attempt to increase their ratings.

Personally, we are wary of exceptionally high scores. Especially those by brands such as TotalAV, known for aggressive marketing and sales tactics.

We consider scores between 4.0 and 4.5 good and realistic. Higher scores are dubious, and lower scores indicate that the brand might have a poor product or customer service. McAfee’s scores, for instance, are worrying.

Source: TrustPilot.

Company Profile

Kaspersky is a leading cybersecurity firm, privately held with its holding company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1997, the company has amassed over 25 years of experience in the industry, and it protects more than 400 million individuals and 240,000 corporations across 200 countries and territories.

The company prides itself on its commitment to quality, regularly participating in independent tests to evaluate the effectiveness of its technologies against evolving threats. This has earned Kaspersky a strong presence in public TOP3 metrics and numerous awards.

At the core of Kaspersky’s operations is a team of 4,000 highly qualified specialists. They focus on developing innovative and user-friendly solutions that allow people to use technology without worrying about cybersecurity risks. The company’s portfolio is diverse, offering various security solutions that cater to a wide range of customer needs.

In terms of corporate values, Kaspersky prioritizes transparency, innovation, simplicity, and a human-centric approach. The company aims to build a safer world by adopting a “Cyber Immune” security model, which focuses on creating systems that are inherently secure. This approach is guided by the philosophy that the cost of launching a successful cyberattack should exceed its potential benefits. Eugene Kaspersky, the CEO, is a key proponent of this forward-thinking strategy.

By consistently delivering high-quality, effective solutions and maintaining a strong set of values, Kaspersky has established itself as a market leader in cybersecurity.

How we test antivirus software

Below we describe how we run our tests. For even more details, visit our blog posts on how we test antivirus software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most frequently asked questions.