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Norton 360 Deluxe is our top pick for antivirus. It's a very comprehensive security suite with a simple app that offers strong antivirus protection and protection against online threats, as well as a whole boatload of features—parental controls, storage for cloud backups, a password manager, VPN, and PC utilities. We like it for how extensive yet affordable the service is—you'll be hard-pressed to find a comparable rival.

If you're reading this on a Windows machine, you already have it installed. Windows Security is a superb free antivirus option that covers all the basics, including ransomware protection and light parental controls—and it's automatically enabled if no other antivirus software is installed on your PC. Its only downside? You'll must tweak its settings to get the most of it, and also still sign up for other security services like a password manager for well-rounded online protection.

While Windows Security (which includes Microsoft Defender) performs well, the best third-party antivirus software have even higher rates of detecting threats. The top antivirus apps also offer more control over settings, detailed logs of your PC's activity, a more user-friendly interface, and additional features to strengthen your online security beyond just viruses and malware. So strictly speaking, a Windows PC doesn't need third-party antivirus software, but you can benefit from more comprehensive online protection. (Macs also need antivirus software.)

Unfortunately, yes. Viruses, malware, and other online threats have only increased and become more sophisticated over time. Spending time on the internet or attaching any external drives to your computer without antivirus software is like going into battle without a stitch of armor.