Club Benefits
If you want the absolute best value for money from your online protection, you're better off getting a software package that provides you with one of the best antivirus programs, a password manager, a VPN, cloud backup, and identity theft protection all under one subscription fee than trying to purchase each separately.
The best internet security suites make it easy to protect all of your devices from malware, phishing attacks, and other cyber threats, no matter what operating system(s) they use. We’ve spent endless hours testing internet security suites on laptops, tablets, and smartphones to create this guide of the very best security bundles for protection online.
The best internet security suites you can buy today
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The best internet security suite overall
If you're looking for an internet security suite that does it all, look no further than Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus. It includes just about every security feature you’ll need, including many that we normally review as stand-alone products.
Unlimited password manager? Check. Unlimited VPN? Check. Parental controls, cloud backup, top-notch identity theft protection? Check, check, check.
Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus also has excellent protection against malware, its own firewall, dedicated webcam protection, and it can even be installed on an unlimited number of devices — much better than competitors like Trend Micro Premium Security, which offer protection for 10 devices, or ESET Home Security Premium, which requires you to pay per-device for protection.
Additionally, in independent testing conducted by AV-Comparatives published in December 2025, Norton 360 achieved a protection rate of 100%, a score only matched by Avast and AVG.
So what’s the catch? The parental controls don’t work on Mac and neither does its cloud backup service. If you have more than one PC, you might fill up the 500GB of backup space after a year or two. If you want an internet security suite that offers the same features across all devices, consider Trend Micro Premium Security.
You'll also experience some heavy slowdown during scans, which may be an issue if you want an internet security suite that can simply run in the background. If you want something more lightweight, we experienced the least slowdown with ESET Home Security Premium.
Then there’s the sticker shock. Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus costs $365 per year after the first year, which is far more than other premium antivirus suites. If you're looking for a cheaper option, McAfee+ Ultimate is a decent alternative.
Still, buying the equivalents of Norton’s features and services from other companies costs at least $550 a year. If you absolutely need and can afford all of these extras, then Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus could be the perfect solution.
Read our full Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus review.
Save on subscriptions with our Norton coupon codes.
Best internet security suite for features
If you don't want all the bells and whistles of Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus, but you do want an internet security suite with an unlimited VPN, then Bitdefender Premium Security could be the one for you.
Bitdefender Premium Security combines Bitdefender's very good malware detection and easy-to-use interface with a huge assortment of extra features, offering protection for up to 10 devices.
While it doesn't include identity-theft protection or cloud-backup software, it does include a few features that Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus doesn't. These features include ransomware rollbacks, a super-secure web browser for online banking, anti-theft software for laptops, and a file shredder.
Bitdefender Premium Security also offers parental controls for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It also has an unlimited password manager and dedicated webcam and microphone protections, but these are only available on Windows.
In independent testing by AV-Comparatives, Bitdefender Premium Security's protection rate was slightly lower than that the other internet security suites on this list, but still very good at 99.1%.
Just like Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus, Bitdefender Premium Security has a heavy background system impact. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but it is definitely something to keep in mind.
When it comes to price, Bitdefender Premium Security is solidly in the middle at $160 for an annual subscription. It's not as expensive as Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus, but it's not as cheap as ESET Smart Security Premium.
Read our full Bitdefender Premium Security review.
Save on subscriptions with our Bitdefender coupon codes.
Best internet security suite for value
If you want the identity theft protection offered by Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus but don't want the hefty price tag, McAfee+ Ultimate includes similar coverage for over $150 less.
With McAfee+ Ultimate, you'll get the benefits of McAfee Privacy & Identity Guardian, which costs $90 per year as a stand-alone and only includes identity monitoring as well as online account and personal data cleanup, in addition to other security features, all for $200 for an annual subscription.
This is pricier than other internet security suites, such as ESET Home Security Premium, but it includes a lot more features and protection for an unlimited number of devices. McAfee+ Ultimate's features include protection against malware, the True Key password manager, Safe Kids parental controls, file encryption, file shredding, a firewall, and full VPN service for unlimited devices.
However, you should keep in mind that not all of these features are available across all operating systems. For example, neither the VPN nor the parental controls work on macOS, and there's no webcam protection, hardened browser, or backup software. If you want an antivirus with features that stay consistent across platforms, consider Trend Micro Premium security.
When tested by AV-Comparatives, McAfee+ Ultimate achieved a protection rate of 99.5%, lower only than Norton 360, and on par with ESET Home Security Premium and Trend Micro Premium Security.
McAfee+ Ultimate also suffers from the same heavy system impact as other internet security suites on this list, like Bitdefender Premium Security. This isn't uncommon and, in fact, is an issue most of the internet security suites on this list run into. Still, it's something to keep in mind.
However, if you want all-encompassing protection at a less expensive rate, you could do a lot worse than McAfee+ Ultimate.
Read our full McAfee+ Ultimate review.
Save on plans with our McAfee promo codes.
Best internet security suite for multiple platforms
Trend Micro Premium Security is a great option for those who have a range of different devices they want to protect, as it features stay consisent across all the operating systems it is available on.
These features include a password manager, unlimited VPN service, and parental controls, all of which work on Mac, PC, Android, and iOS.
There's also what Trend Micro calls "ID Protection." This initially sounds like something akin to the identity theft protection offered by providers like Norton; however, it is not as powerful as this. Instead, it simply monitors the dark web for any leaks of your data, but does not take steps to remove it if it is discovered. Additionally, it can be accessed only through mobile apps.
On the antivirus side, Trend Micro Premium Security provides ransomware rollbacks, a file shredder, file encryption, and a system optimizer. Trend Micro's malware engine has a remarkably small impact on Windows system performance when running in the background, but it can eat up a fair amount of resources during full scans.
Trend Micro Premium Security costs $150 per year and offers protection for up to 10 devices. This should be enough for one person or a smaller household, but if you have a lot of devices or a larger household to protect, you may want to consider Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus, or McAfee+ Ultimate.
Additionally, it does not include backup software or cloud storage. If this is an absolute must, Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus will be more suitable for your needs.
Another thing to keep in mind is that in AV-Comparative's testing published in December 2025, TrendMicro Premium Security had the most false positives of all the antivirus security tested. With this being said, it also achieved one of the best antivirus protection rates, at 99.5%.
Read our full Trend Micro Premium Security review.
Best internet security suite for performance
ESET is one of the biggest names in antivirus protection in Europe, and while its Home Security Premium suite doesn't include as many features as other providers, it's great for those looking for an internet security suite that's light, fast, and efficient.
ESET Home Security Premium doesn't include a VPN service, backup software, or identity protection, but it does have a password manager, parental controls, anti-theft protections for laptops, dedicated webcam protection, a dedicated secure browser, and even home-network-management software.
It even includes bare-bones antivirus software for Linux machines, and its Windows malware-detection engine does very well in lab tests. The only downside is that the parental controls don't work on iOS.
When tested by AV-Comparatives, ESET Home Security Premium had the lowest false positive rate of all the internet security suites on this list, as well as achieving a protection rate of 99.5%.
When it comes to price, ESET Home Security Premium is unique compared to the other internet security suites on this list. Most antivirus brands tier premium subscriptions at five, 10, and sometimes 15 devices. ESET Home Security Premium bucks this trend, starting at $60 per year for one device and adding $5 for each additional device.
This is useful for those looking to protect a small number of devices for a low price — for example, if you've got just four devices to protect, you'd pay $75 per year with ESET Smart Security Premium. However, if you have more devices you need to protect, you may want to look at the other services on this list.
Read our full ESET Smart Security Premium review.
How to choose the best internet security suite for you
So, do you really need all of these extra features with your antivirus software? Well, some of them (like password managers) are super handy for anybody to use, thanks to their ability to store and protect all of your online logins, as well as the fact that they can generate super-strong, unique passwords. Not only can this prevent you from being the victim of a credential-stuffing attack, but it can also prevent more of your accounts from being breached in the event of a data leak.
For other features, like parental controls, identity protection software, or a VPN, you'll need to consider what you personally need in terms of online protection.
If you have young kids or teenagers at home, then you might want an internet security suite with parental control software to keep tabs on what your children are doing online or to track the physical location of their phones.
Investing in identity theft protection might be a good idea if you have vulnerable members of your household or if you're concerned about the ramifications of data breaches.
If you travel a lot, you’ll want to use a VPN while in hotel rooms and airport lounges to keep your data safe when using unsecured public Wi-Fi.
If you do want these features, then getting an internet security suite is the best value for money. To get a better idea of the standalone services these premium internet security suites compete with, check out our guides on the best identity theft protection, best cloud backup services, best parental-control apps, and best password managers.
Internet security suites may seem expensive, but they’re still far cheaper than purchasing all of these extra services à la carte. Instead, you just have to decide which one suits your needs the best.
Another factor to consider when choosing an internet security suite is price. If you get a cheaper model, you may find it doesn't come with as many features or be available on as many devices as other, more expensive software.
Another thing to keep in mind is system impact. All of the internet security suites on this list (barring ESET Home Security Premium) experienced heavy slowdown during scans, so this is not an uncommon issue. It's also unlikely to be a dealbreaker, but it's still definitely something to be aware of.
How we test the best internet security suites
Our evaluations are based on the interface, performance, protection and extra features that each internet security suite offers. Was the interface intuitive and user-friendly? How much did malware scans slow down system performance? How well did the program detect and remove malware? Does the program offer other useful tools or features?
Most of our tests were performed on a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 with a 2.5GHz Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage containing 43.3GB of files.
In order to assess a program’s impact on system performance on both Windows and macOS, we used our own custom tests which measure how long the device’s processor takes to match 20,000 names and addresses on a spreadsheet. The longer it took the laptop to finish each test, the heavier the performance impact.
As for malware detection scores, we used results from three independent testing labs: AV-TEST in Germany, AV-Comparatives in Austria and SE Labs in England. Each lab puts the products from all of the major antivirus brands through stress tests which involve thousands of pieces of malware including hundreds of new samples since unknown malware is more difficult to detect.
For more information, check out our how we test antivirus software and apps guide as well as our more general how we test page for Tom's Guide.
