If you’re looking to protect yourself online, we’re here to help. We’ve compared Norton’s range of online security plans, assessing their features, protection, performance and value. There are several options worth considering, from antivirus protection to more comprehensive coverage and family-focused plans. So grab a coffee while we talk you through the Norton product lineup.
Best all-round protection
Norton 360 is a family of plans that are designed to help you stay safe online. The Deluxe option is our top recommendation: it's number one in our best antivirus guide, offering real-time protection from malicious software such as viruses, ransomware, and spyware for up to five devices, alongside an extensive set of extra security features, including a firewall, password manager, VPN for privacy, and parental controls.
It's a particularly good choice for families with multiple devices to manage. If you have fewer devices to protect, or a lower budget, consider the Norton 360 Standard plan instead. You get the same all-round protection (antivirus, scam protection, VPN etc) but across three devices, and without some of the extra features.
We were impressed with the performance of all the applications during our testing of both products. Whether we were running Norton 360 on an iPhone, Android device, PC or Mac, we found the apps easy to use, with no noticeable system slowdown.
In our real-world tests for Norton 360 Standard (which has the same core antivirus app), we ran a quick scan and a full scan while gaming. As shown in the performance results below, there was minimal slowdown during play, with negligible impact from the software.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | FPS with Norton 360 running |
FPS with Quick Scan running |
FPS with Full Scan running |
|---|---|---|---|
Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra graphics) |
118 |
107 |
105 |
Forza Horizon 5 (High graphics) |
125 |
123 |
123 |
Norton VPN is a useful addition and works well for everyday privacy, connecting quickly to nearby servers to encrypt your data while browsing, streaming and using public Wi-Fi.
We weren’t the biggest fans of Norton’s AI feature, Ask Genie. It was slow to respond and needed multiple inputs to check if links were safe. Competitors do this better. Mac users, beware as well — some features like SafeCam and Cloud Backup are only for Windows users. That's no great loss thanks to macOS’s built-in camera privacy options and Time Machine, but worth knowing.
Overall, Norton 360 Deluxe offers an impressive range of online security features that perform well, AI assistant notwithstanding. But there are several other plans if you have different needs. Norton 360 Standard is a cheaper, entry-level option if you have fewer devices to protect, for example, or a lower budget.
And if you're particularly worried about identity theft, you'll need to upgrade to a plan that includes LifeLock, which will cost you more — the Deluxe package only offers some basic identity theft protection features.
As with most online security software, be aware that the price of all plans rises by quite a margin when the annual renewal kicks in. You can turn off auto-renewal in your account settings at any time.
- Read our Norton 360 review
Best for privacy
If you're looking for online privacy — or a way to access region-locked content — and don't need the extra security features of Norton 360 Deluxe or LifeLock, Norton VPN is a good choice.
Following a massive transformation over the last 18 months, it's now one of our top recommendations in our best VPN guide. Its privacy credentials are strong: Norton’s no-logs policy has been independently audited, supporting its claim that it does not record, store or sell its users’ browsing activity.
However, where Norton VPN excels is streaming. It was the only VPN in our latest round of testing that successfully unblocked every streaming service we threw at it, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 9Now, 10 Play and YouTube.
Norton also recently expanded its global network coverage to over 100 different countries, bringing it closer in line with rivals Surfshark and ExpressVPN. That's more than enough to ensure high-speed browsing and smooth streaming for everyday use.
Price-wise, Norton VPN ties with Surfshark as the cheapest of our top-rated VPNs, making it great value for money. All this adds up to a reasonably priced and well-featured VPN that we have no qualms recommending to pretty much everyone.
- Read our Norton VPN review
Best Norton internet security suite
Hacks and data breaches are increasingly common, which means you data could end up leaked onto the internet through no fault of your own. Norton 360 with LifeLock helps protect you when your info escapes into the wild, with the same security protections as Norton 360, but with extra identity theft protection.
You can broadly split the coverage into two parts; proactive monitoring of credit reports and data breaches to catch any potential issues, like social security leaks or fraud, and restoration support for when your personal information is exposed or you're the victim of financial fraud or identity theft.
The proactive monitoring is incredibly helpful, as you can flag any potential issues before they become a problem . And if someone does manage to get into your accounts to steal your identity or money, Norton 360 with LifeLock means you get a Personal Restoration Specialist, based in the U.S., who'll get your accounts back in order. This is one of the reasons we rank it as the best internet security suite you can get right now.
There a few editions of Norton 360 with LifeLock: Select, Advantage and Ultimate Plus. The main difference between each is the amount you'll be reimbursed if your money or identity are stolen, and a few other things, like the amount of cloud backup storage you get and volume of credit reports and from which bureaus.
Although Norton 360 with LifeLock offers very similar digital security features to Norton 360 Deluxe, it's also costs quite a lot more. You do get a lot for your money if things go wrong and your personal data gets abused, but it's important to think about your exposure to these risks and decide whether the digital security tools of 360 Deluxe would be enough.
Best for parental controls
Norton Family is a dedicated parental control app that's designed to keep your kids safer when they're online. It gives you greater control over what they can see or do while browsing, allowing you to block inappropriate websites and set healthy screen time limits.
It lets you supervise your kids' web use, so that you can see the sites they're visiting. You can check what apps they're installing, and choose which they're allowed to use. You can even track their search history to see what they're interested in (and how suitable it is).
We rate it as one of the best parental control apps out there, particularly for Android and Windows households. However, bear in mind that like many of its rivals Norton Family isn't compatible with macOS: it can't be installed on a child’s Mac or MacBook to monitor desktop activity. Features like individual app-level blocking are also unavailable or limited on iPhones and iPads due to Apple’s operating system restrictions.
It's one of the more affordable parental control apps, with unlimited devices and child accounts. However, prices do rise substantially after the first year of subscription. If you're considering antivirus software as well, it would be worth choosing Norton 360 Deluxe or any of the higher 360 packages, which come with Norton Family bundled in.
- Read our Norton Family review
FAQs
How do I know which package I need?
Norton 360 Deluxe is our top recommendation for most people because it includes the antivirus, VPN, and Norton Family bundled together. But weigh up what you actually need against the price you’re willing to pay. The standard package will be plenty for some people.
As for Norton 360 with LifeLock, you get almost all the same protections as with 360 Deluxe, but identity and fraud protection included too, with reimbursements if your money gets stolen, a dedicated Restoration Specialist who'll handle all the work needed to regain control of your accounts. It's more expensive than the Deluxe digital security package, so go this route if you're also worried about the risk of identity theft.
If you’ve already gone for a 360 package, you don’t need to worry about a Norton VPN subscription. It’s built in. If, however, you don’t want or need the internet security packages, then a VPN subscription is a solid way to be safer when browsing the web.
Finally, Norton Family is great if you want to keep costs down and make sure that your kids are safe while browsing online. It's worth bundling it with Norton 360, however, because you get the other helpful antivirus benefits.
What about a family plan?
Norton 360 Deluxe covers up to five PCs, Macs, phones, or tablets, making it a practical choice for households with several devices. It also includes parental control options, which let you restrict internet access for your little ones who might otherwise stumble across something unsavory. Or seek it out. Either way, you can stop them from accessing stuff you don’t want them to see, and save them from potentially introducing a virus to your home network or PC.
If you need identity protection for more than one adult or child, some Norton 360 with LifeLock and standalone LifeLock plans offer separate family options.
Family plans are usually pretty expensive, though you may find it worth it for the extra protection and peace of mind.
