Norton 360 Standard Review (2026): Is it the right choice?

Full Review

Norton is ranked #1 of the 28 best antivirus of 2026.

Norton offers a wide array of security features beyond standard antivirus protection. Even on its most basic plan, Norton Antivirus Plus, users benefit from a robust anti-malware engine, firewall, anti-phishing tools, a password manager, 2 GB of cloud storage, and a 100% Virus Protection Promise, ensuring a refund if Norton cannot remove a virus.

Upgrading to Norton 360 Standard provides additional features, such as a VPN with unlimited data, dark web monitoring, and a password manager. For even more features, like parental controls and identity theft protection, one can look to Norton 360 Deluxe and Advanced.

All of Norton’s plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Anti-malware

Norton’s anti-malware engine delivers flawless detection and real-time prevention capabilities. In extensive tests involving nearly 1,200 malware samples—including ransomware, spyware, rootkits, and cryptojackers—it achieved a perfect 100% detection rate. The system combines a vast malware database, heuristic analysis, and adaptive machine learning to recognize both known and emerging threats. Few competitors, such as Bitdefender, can match this level of accuracy.

The real-time protection module blocks threats instantly during downloads or file access attempts. Norton successfully intercepted every malicious file in various formats, including zipped and encrypted samples, before any harm occurred. This proactive scanning ensures that even hidden threats cannot bypass detection layers.

Full disk scans are exceptionally fast, completing in 14 minutes on standard systems and under 9 minutes on SSDs—outpacing all major rivals. Norton also provides a wide range of scanning options, including Smart, Quick, Full, Targeted, Startup, and Custom scans, along with the ability to exclude folders and schedule future scans. Smart Scan additionally detects performance issues such as Wi-Fi vulnerabilities and junk files.

An automatic gaming mode suspends alerts during full-screen activities, preventing interruptions while maintaining full protection. Overall, Norton’s anti-malware system offers both comprehensive security and high operational efficiency, ensuring total defense with minimal system slowdown.

Anti-phishing

Norton’s Safe Web and Safe Search systems provide exceptional defense against phishing and malicious websites. Safe Web integrates with both desktop and mobile applications, while browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox deliver consistent protection. In controlled tests, Norton blocked nearly every phishing attempt, outperforming Chrome’s built-in defenses.

The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) adds another layer of protection, safeguarding financial transactions from SSL man-in-the-middle and injection attacks. When a site is blocked, Norton provides detailed diagnostic reports explaining the specific risks detected. Users can also manually query any URL from the Safe Web dashboard to view its reputation and community safety rating.

Safe Search employs color-coded results to indicate risk levels, marking sites as safe (green), questionable (orange), or dangerous (red). This integration works with major search engines, though Norton’s own search platform serves as the default when the extension is active.

While Safe Search occasionally mislabels certain results, Safe Web’s accuracy compensates with superior filtering precision. Together, these systems form a robust anti-phishing and web security framework that proactively blocks threats before user interaction.

Firewall

Norton’s Smart Firewall offers one of the most customizable and intelligent network protection systems available. It defends against ARP spoofing, DNS hijacking, SSL man-in-the-middle attacks, and unauthorized port access, outperforming Windows’ native firewall in every intrusion test.

Users can configure behavior modes such as Ask Mode, which prompts for connection permissions, or Smart Mode, which autonomously manages rules based on observed app behavior. By default, the firewall blocks numerous high-risk protocols while permitting essential safe connections to prevent false positives.

Advanced users can create granular traffic rules for individual programs, defining inbound and outbound permissions in detail. A detailed network log provides full visibility into previous connections, including whether networks are classified as public or private—automatically tightening security in public environments.

During tests, Norton’s firewall blocked all network intrusion attempts and provided full transparency through event logging. The combination of automation, adaptability, and control positions Norton’s firewall as one of the most advanced options among consumer-grade security suites.

Password manager

Norton’s integrated password manager stands out as one of the most capable within an antivirus suite. It uses 256-bit AES encryption to secure data and supports unlimited storage for passwords, payment details, and secure notes across all devices and platforms. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge enable seamless autofill and auto-save for credentials.

A built-in password generator creates complex combinations, while the vault audit tool evaluates password strength, identifying weak, reused, or outdated credentials. Cross-device synchronization ensures users have instant access to their encrypted data. Mobile login using biometric authentication further enhances convenience and security.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is available for Norton accounts, though not integrated directly into the vault, which slightly limits protection in the event of account compromise. Account recovery relies on biometrics or a recovery key, but lacks emergency contact access, which may inconvenience some users.

Despite these limitations, Norton’s password manager remains the top antivirus-bundled solution in 2026. Its user-friendly interface, synchronization reliability, and advanced encryption make it an excellent all-in-one credential management system.

VPN

Norton’s VPN combines strong privacy protections with practical performance for everyday use. It provides unlimited data on all plans, unlike many competitors that impose bandwidth caps. Security is handled through 256-bit AES encryption, a verified no-logs policy, and the WireGuard protocol, ensuring both speed and reliability. Additional features include a kill switch, split tunneling, ad tracker blocking, and Wi-Fi security scanning.

With over 2,000 servers in 29 countries across six continents, Norton’s network ensures accessible global coverage. While local speeds remain stable—with less than a 20% drop in download rates—distant connections experience higher latency, reducing suitability for latency-sensitive activities such as gaming or live trading. Nonetheless, HD streaming and general browsing remain smooth.

Norton VPN supports popular streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, though it cannot access BBC iPlayer. P2P traffic is supported but limited to automatically assigned dedicated servers without user selection. Although this reduces flexibility, it maintains anonymity during file sharing.

Overall, Norton’s VPN ranks among the best integrated options in any antivirus suite, balancing comprehensive encryption, user privacy, and consistent performance with a streamlined, easy-to-use interface.

Other security features

Norton extends its core protections with a suite of advanced security and privacy modules. The ransomware protection system blocks malicious encryption attempts both pre- and post-execution, offering customizable file and folder shielding. Users can define specific directories and file types for protection and restrict unauthorized app access, ensuring layered defense against ransomware.

The Parental Control suite (Safe Family) allows monitoring of up to ten devices, enforcing app usage limits, content filtering, YouTube supervision, time scheduling, and GPS location tracking. Its School Time mode ensures educational-only access during set hours. However, limited Mac and Chromebook compatibility remains a drawback.

Privacy Monitor removes personal information from data broker databases, while Dark Web Monitoring uses live human agents to detect leaked credentials in underground forums across 30+ countries. LifeLock identity protection enhances this further with credit monitoring, insurance coverage up to $3 million, and real-time fraud alerts.

Device Optimization tools include disk defragmentation, junk cleanup, and startup management, with an optional Utilities Ultimate upgrade adding registry repair and performance metrics. Cloud Backup offers up to 500 GB of secure storage for PC users, supporting scheduled or manual local and remote backups.

Norton’s extended feature set also includes AI-powered Genie Scam Protection, Deepfake detection, webcam shielding (SafeCam), spam filtering, tracker blocking (AntiTrack), and sandboxing for isolated app testing. Other utilities include a secure Private Browser, Rescue Disk for unbootable systems, and optional Driver Updater. Together, these tools make Norton one of the most complete security ecosystems available in 2026.

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.

Plan description

Norton offers a wide range of plans, each catering to specific needs. For basic antivirus protection, Norton AntiVirus Plus at $19.99 / year is a good pick but limited to one device and lacks features like VPN and parental controls.

Norton 360 Standard, priced at $39.99 / year, is a step-up, offering VPN, webcam protection, and dark web monitoring for one device. U.S. users get coverage for three devices.

Norton 360 Deluxe is our top recommendation for its blend of features and value. At $49.99 / year, it covers up to five devices, includes parental controls, and a substantial 50 GB of cloud storage. However, Norton’s plans aren’t flexible in adding more devices.

For gamers, Norton 360 for Gamers comes at $44.99 / year for three devices. Its game booster feature optimizes your gaming experience effectively.

In select countries, Norton 360 Premium and Advanced offer up to 10 devices with 100 GB and 200 GB cloud storage respectively, priced at $59.99 / year. These are solid options for large households.

Norton also provides LifeLock plans for U.S. users, starting at $99.99 / year. These plans add identity theft protection features, including credit monitoring and legal assistance. The LifeLock Advantage and Ultimate Plus tiers offer enhanced protections but can get expensive, going up to $299.88 / year.

In summary, Norton’s plans offer strong security features but lack flexibility in adding extra devices. Prices range from affordable to expensive, depending on the level of protection you desire.

Test score comparison

We conduct in-house anti-malware tests and review the results from AV-Test, a German lab renowned for its objective evaluations. Below is the average of the last 10 AV-Test results for Windows. Their scoring criteria are:

• Protection (1-6): Effectiveness in blocking malware.
• Performance (1-6): Impact on system speed.
• Usability (1-6): Frequency of errors like false alarms.

We calculate a final score using this formula:

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

While these results influence our choice of the best antivirus for Windows 11, other factors like privacy and identity protection also play a key role. For a similar analysis for Android or macOS, visit our other comparisons:

• The best antivirus for Android.
• The best antivirus for Mac.

Note: Brands not listed in the table either do not participate in AV-Test trials or are tested too infrequently, such as Surfshark Antivirus.

Source: AV-Test (Last updated: November 2025).

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. 

We consider scores above 4.0 very good. Lower scores indicate that the brand might have a poor product or customer service. McAfee’s scores, for instance, are worrying.

Source: TrustPilot. Last Update: November 2025.

Company Profile

Norton is part of the Gen Digital family (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader in Cyber Safety with a mission to make the digital world safer and more private for everyone.

Gen is a collection of renowned cybersecurity brands that serve over 500 million users in 150 countries. Its portfolio includes Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, and AVG.

Operating from dual headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, and Prague, Czech Republic, Gen brings together cutting-edge AI technology and data analytics to tackle today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges. 

By consolidating these brands, Gen combines expertise and innovation to address both current and future cybersecurity threats.

How we test antivirus software

At SoftwareLab, we provide thorough and unbiased antivirus reviews to help you make informed cybersecurity decisions. Our comprehensive testing covers all critical aspects of antivirus performance. We assess each product in six key categories, weighted by importance:

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