Have used Norton Security Deluxe 360 Antivirus for many years, paying a one off yearly subscription and then renewing.
I now find that to purchase the same, or other similar Norton Antivirus, I have to sign up to a renewable yearly subscription. To renew would cost me the usual £19.99p. The following year would be £84.99p. Before the Norton is live I have to input my bank details.
I’m told Mcafee is similar.
Any thoughts?
Both mcaffee and norton should be avoided at all cost. Expensive, resource hungry and not very effective, in most cyber security circles they’re pretty much regarded as spyware/malware/bloatware.
On windows I use the built in defender and malwarebytes, coupled with Ublock origin and no-script on chrome/firefox.
Personally I would completely remove mcaffee/norton using their special tool to really remove it (https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v60392881 or https://service.mcafee.com/?articleId=TS101331&page=shell&shell=article-view) make sure windows defender is configured/enabled and install malware bytes - the free version is ok or you can buy a lifetime license (mine was £15 IIRC)
I have recently installed Bitdefender free, having previously used Avast Free. Both work fine for what I need, I find the computer speed has improved since I installed Bitdefender Free.
The first full scan on Bitdefender took around 3 hours, following the first full scan its now much quicker to scan.
On my Windows machine I use the built in Windows Defender, plus Malwarebytes Premium ( £29.95 a year, IIRC ). There is a free version of Malwarebytes. That scans on demand, whereas the premium version is real time/always on.
I also use Privacy Badger from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I also use Windows Defender plus Malwarebytes Premium.
Standard windows anti virus and common sense is enough, no need to pay for anything else.
I like Avast, AVG etc. though I know Avira is considered the best (at least it tends to do very well in tests/reviews).
That said if I use something other than Windows Defender I tend to use Comodo Internet Security Free, since it can be used by anyone including businesses.
Zone Alarm is pretty decent, pretty sure it’s AV side is provided by Avira - downside is every so often (since I first used ZA in the early 2000s) it will suddenly block you from the internet for no reason until you uninstall and reinstall which can be a bit of a nuisance
Like You I Have Norton 360
Unlike Fellow Members Already Posted
I Lack the I.T. Understanding & Confidence to Move Away
Previously Had Mcafee But Prefer Norton
What I Do
As Soon As the New Year Has Downloaded
I Go In and Switch Off ‘AutoRenew’
In This Way I Get to Decide Every Year Whether I Want to
Stay or Move
Not Norton
With Windows 10 the built in AV is perfectly good enough for everyday users. (At work I use it combined with the full version of Malwarebytes).
In over 20 years of using Windows I have never paid for AV and used free AVG etc and then from W10 I use the built in AV at home. Just combine it with a good browser that also includes security features as an extra layer.
Obviously if you are in a mission critical environment then things need to be ramped up.
If you’ve ever downloaded and/or installed any form of software, you have the understanding to switch, and just think of the money you’ll save for your MX-5
I too now use Windows Defender plus Malwarebytes Premium after years of ever inflated renewals from Norton 360.
I have used BitDefender Total Security for several years and can recommend it Amazon usually have it for about £20.
Another vote for Windows 10 Security (Defender) after using Avast for years and watching it eat up resources. My work recommend it as well and we spend all day on computers (we work in Visuall Effects).
I also have Malwarebytes free. But a healthy dose of skepticism is essential these days when dealing with unknown websites and emails.
I use Sophos, we deploy it to our customers’ systems as well. It is good value and includes protection against ransomware too. It is also cloud managed so if other members of the family have devices they can all be managed from a single cloud portal.
Sophos has a tendency of showing up old computers that are getting on a bit in years by killing them off through resource usage.
That and during my own experiences with it (at one of my last work places) it used to fail to update the definitions (off site controlled, so nothing we could do about it other than complain) which led to a mass viral outbreak through the entire work place, and then their repair tool failed to work leading to a ton more work.
Not the most enjoyable time at work, that particular period Needless to say, I’m maybe biased into disliking it somewhat
Everyone has their individual thoughts on whats best for IT security, however we all agree that something is better than nothing. Being in IT for over 35 years I have seen them all come and go and all the opinions. However I don’t personally think that for the average user there is anything wrong with using Norton or Mcafee. HOWEVER do not EVER allow them to autorenew. turn it off at the first opportunity (same applies to office 365)!
Every year just go online to amazon or some other retailer and buy the package at considerably less. All you then need is the code supplied in the package, log into your existing subscription and choose renew using code (usually hidden inside the account details page, in mcafee its under “redeem your retail card” ). if you cant locate it easy, google it.
Sometimes (usually around mid year) amazon and argos sell office 365 sub and a years sub of either mcafee or norton for half the price of office alone. and like wise you can find either product at greater prices independently. you can even go for the download only package as all they send is the code and a link to download (not needed if you already are using)
tip: Microsoft allow you to preload up to 5 years of codes so buy it whilst its cheap and load them up. Amazon will also save the codes into your digital downlaods section so you can purchase a couple of years of packages in advance if you wish for mcafee and norton and use them when needed (same with the retail package versions codes)
examples…
Norton 360 5 devices
Norton 360 1 device
Mcafee 5 devices
Another vote for Avast
It does have quite a few? - irritating prompts about vulnerabilities - go Pro for a small fee to get rid of them and include excellent malware shielding as well.
From the post the default out of which you may not now be able to opt is auto-renew - I find many services now going this way sadly.
I would suggest Avast as an alternative.
Search for its download and follow the instructions seriously simple - it MAY and many AV products sadly do this, insist you uninstall Norton first, but from memory it doesn’t.
The issue is that for a short while you have no AV at all.
It really is good - but with an irritatingly high number of prompts to upgrade due to perceived threats.
To get rid of these - go PRO version - its is very reasonably priced and includes excellent malware tools.
The uninstall Norton - good riddance would be my thought.
Hope this helps.
Don’t forget that you have to set the Avast language settings to “Pirate” and have audio notifications enabled to get the full experience, you failed to mention this important detail!
Appreciate This Guidance
Happy to be Mrs Average User
But Respect for fellow posters more I.T. Savvy