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Best for Extra Windows Security
Enhances the free Windows Security product
Includes parental controls and identity theft protection
Costs extra
Best Full Security Suite
Easy-to-install antivirus protection
Secure VPN and password manager included
Parental control features
Multi-tab navigation may be overwhelming at first
If you’re a Windows user, you may think you have all the protection you need because you have Windows Security installed. Since it comes automatically with Windows 10 and 11, why would you want more? Microsoft Defender adds additional protection, like identity theft protection and device security alerts, which you won’t get with the free Windows Security program.
But Norton 360 also takes your security seriously. It offers budget-friendly options as well as a complete cybersecurity suite, which includes LifeLock identity theft protection and credit monitoring. And its anti-malware protection earned near-perfect scores from independent testing labs.
As for Mac users, Microsoft Defender is geared toward Windows, but it works with macOS (and so does Norton). But anyone who wants to use Defender needs a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan. We aren’t saying that’s a bad thing, but you should be aware of it. While Microsoft Defender is free to download, Microsoft 365 costs $6.99–$9.99/mo.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, we’ll help you choose whether you want to go full throttle with Norton 360 or add more protection to Windows Security with Microsoft Defender.
Both Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 are antivirus products. You can think of Microsoft Defender as icing on the cake. It gives you more internet protection than you have with Windows Security, the security software built into Windows 10 and 11.
Norton, on the other hand, has a full toolkit of security features and doesn’t need another app to provide strong threat protection for your devices.
Another difference between Norton 360 and Microsoft Defender is that with Norton, you pick a plan and buy the one with the features and price you want. This ranges from basic protection with the AntiVirus Plus plan to parental controls, a privacy monitor, and identity theft protection with Norton 360 with LifeLock Select. Microsoft Defender requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, which only comes in two varieties: a Personal plan or a Family plan. The biggest difference between these two plans is additional device coverage, more cloud storage, and the Family Safety app.
The best antivirus software for Windows doesn’t necessarily have to be a Microsoft product, and Norton is worth consideration.
 Microsoft Defender |
 Norton |
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| Starting price | Starts at $6.99/mo ($83.88/yr) | Starts at $14.99/first yr |
| Free version | No (But Windows Security is free with Windows 10 and 11) | |
| Max number of protected devices | 5 per person (up to 6 people) | 10 |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS |
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Cloud storage | ||
| Identity theft protection | ||
| Learn more | Get Microsoft Defender
Read Microsoft Defender Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
While there are some similarities between Microsoft Defender and Norton, you’ll also see some staunch differences. The starting price for Microsoft Defender is almost as much as the top-tier plan you get with Norton.
We want to emphasize that although you’re not paying anything for Microsoft Defender, you cannot use it without a Microsoft 365 subscription, which starts at $83.88/yr. Norton 360 with LifeLock Select only costs $99.99/first yr.
With device coverage, Microsoft Defender allows for up to five devices per person with a maximum of six people if you choose the Family plan. Norton protects up to 10 devices.
Microsoft Defender doesn’t come with 24/7 customer support. So if you get stuck with a problem, you can either access the help feature in the Microsoft Defender app, use the website chat, or use the Microsoft community to ask questions. Meanwhile, Norton gives you 24/7 support. Norton also has community and chat support features. If none of those options work for you, you can connect with support via social media on Facebook or Twitter.
Again, we want to note that Windows Security comes built into your Windows PC, but Microsoft Defender requires you to purchase a Microsoft 365 plan. The prices we’re comparing for this review include the Microsoft 365 subscription plans.
| Microsoft Defender |
Norton |
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| Price range | $83.88–$119.88/yr
($6.99–$9.99/mo) |
$14.99–$99.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes, 60 days | |
| Learn more | Get Microsoft Defender
Read Microsoft Defender Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
Microsoft Defender doesn’t cost anything to download, but to use it you must first create a Microsoft account and pay for a subscription to Microsoft 365. The lowest price you’ll pay for the software is $83.88/yr or $6.99/mo, which seems somewhat steep when compared to Norton’s starting price of $14.99/first yr for the AntiVirus Plus plan.
If you want the best value for your money and don’t mind sharing a plan with others, the Microsoft 365 Family plan is the best value. For $3.00 more per month, you get coverage for up to six people as opposed to one. You also get up to 6 TB of cloud storage rather than only 1 TB of storage.
Norton considers the Norton 360 Deluxe plan the best value, and we tend to agree. It’s a solid midway point with protection for five devices, parental controls, and a privacy monitor — all for $29.99/first yr. You also get 50 GB of cloud storage. That’s not as much storage as Microsoft 365 offers, but for most people, it’s more than is needed.
If the Deluxe plan’s cost doesn’t fit your budget, Norton’s AntiVirus Plus plan comes with real-time protection, a password manager, and a firewall. Along with all that, you get 2 GB of cloud backup. We think $14.99/first yr is a fair price for this level of security protection.
| Microsoft Defender |
Norton |
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| Manual and scheduled scans | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Firewall | ||
| Parental controls | ||
| Password manager | ||
| VPN | ||
| Device optimization tools | ||
| Cloud storage | ||
| Identity theft protection | ||
| Learn more | Get Microsoft Defender
Read Microsoft Defender Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
When you glance at the table above, you’ll immediately notice a difference in features. Although Windows Defender is good for additional protection, it doesn’t come with all the security options you get with Norton. Of course, the plan you choose with Norton affects how much cloud storage you have and if features like dark web monitoring and the Privacy Monitor are included.
When you get Norton, no matter which plan you select, you get features like a firewall, cloud storage, and a password manager. Many antivirus products offer those separately, so it adds value when you can get everything in an entire antivirus suite. From what we can see, there’s nothing Microsoft Defender offers that you can’t get with a Norton antivirus plan.
One thing we liked is that Microsoft Defender lets you know if there are recommended actions you should take for more security. You’ll have a view of what settings are active and which ones need to be turned on for better protection — these are cross-device security alerts, meaning alerts are sent to all devices on your plan.
When you purchase an antivirus program, you want to know it does the job right. Many products boast about what they can do, but how do you know if it’s true? That’s why we rely on third-party testing sites to deliver the goods. For this review, we used AV-TEST.
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| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 | 18/18 |
| Learn more | Get Microsoft Defender
Read Microsoft Defender Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
Microsoft Defender held up well during testing, except for a false detection of legitimate software in May, which matches the industry standard but is worth noting. The other result we noticed was that it caused frequently-used applications to install more slowly. For May and June, it scored worse than the industry average score of 14%.
Norton seemed to slow down frequently-used applications more than Microsoft Defender. Otherwise, Norton had near-perfect scores, nailing 100% protection in both May and June.
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| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Edge, Firefox | Chrome, Edge, Firefox |
| Learn more | Get Microsoft Defender
Read Microsoft Defender Review |
Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
Microsoft Defender, previously Windows Defender, is easy to use, and we had no learning curves with the program’s interface. One reason for that could be that there aren’t many features that come with the software. You won’t have a secure VPN or password manager, to name a couple of options you might miss.
One thing we noted while testing Microsoft Defender is that it directs you to the Windows Security settings for anything related to your antivirus protection. Thankfully, both apps mimic all the other dashboards in your Windows settings, and a majority of the security features are already toggled on.
Norton’s user interface works seamlessly, and we had no lags in speed while testing the product. We even gave it a go with multiple browser tabs open. Everything worked without any issues. The full scan took only a few minutes to check over 600,000 files.
With Norton, we noticed that as soon as the scan gets finished, the number of files disappears. If you want to know how many files Norton checked, you need to look fast.
As we often find when reviewing antivirus software, some features don’t work with macOS. For instance, you won’t get the advantage of the Power Eraser tool or parental controls.
But you still get plenty of options if you're a Mac user. The dashboard monitors different categories of personal data Norton checks for on the dark web. The VPN is easy to use and allows you to watch your favorite streaming service.
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| 24/7 live chat | ||
| Phone | ||
| Support forums | ||
| Online guides |
Although we didn’t need to contact Norton customer support, we were pleasantly surprised with all the options available for assistance. The only customer service feature not listed is email support. Otherwise, you have plenty of ways to get help when you need it. Going above and beyond, Norton also has a support team you can message on Facebook or Twitter. The live 24/7 customer support means you can get assistance anytime, day or night.
Microsoft Defender comes with some options if you need support. There’s a community where you can chat with other users, or you can also log into your 365 account and fill out a support ticket. Microsoft also has articles in case you have common issues, like problems downloading the app.
Windows Defender, now Microsoft Defender, mentions that it’s compatible with other antivirus programs. If you use Defender, you may want to install Norton or another antivirus software for additional protection.
You can use both, but be aware that you could experience performance issues running multiple antivirus programs.
When it comes to features included with a product, Norton is better than Windows Defender (now called Microsoft Defender) because you get more well-rounded protection. Norton comes with a VPN, password manager, and webcam protection to name just a few features you won’t find with Microsoft Defender.
Yes, Windows Defender has a firewall feature like Norton that you can use for better security protection.
Norton antivirus protects against ransomware, malware, and spyware.
Microsoft Defender antivirus is a good addition if you have Microsoft 365 and want more protection on your Windows machine than Windows Security can offer. But it isn’t exactly what one would call a security suite since it’s missing certain security features you can find with Norton.
Norton is the pinnacle of protection and security features. Granted, some features may not work for Mac users, but that’s nothing new in the antivirus world today. Still, when pitting these two antiviruses head-to-head, we have to go with Norton. There are so many options to use, and you get solid security protection for a reasonable price.
If you’re a Windows user and want to add Microsoft 365, Defender is a good option to fill in any security gaps. Otherwise, we think Norton antivirus is the better software when you want a host of features like a smart firewall, secure VPN, a password manager, and more.
Suppose you don’t like Microsoft Defender or Norton antivirus. We have some alternatives you may be interested in that still provide a great level of security.
Easy-to-install antivirus protection
Secure VPN and password manager included
Parental control features
Multi-tab navigation may be overwhelming at first
