6 Best Antivirus Software for Families in 2021
Using computing devices connected to the internet network is a very common thing these days. Practically everyone in the family has a device in their own hands that they would like to explore while feeling safe at all times. We use laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones all the time for our office work, business projects, entertainment and other tasks. These devices can fall prey to hacking and cybersecurity threats at any point in time if the network that they are connected to is not secure. Hence, it is very important that you make use of an antivirus program that can offer complete protection for all the devices that you use in your family.
A lot of people have the idea that antivirus programs are more suited for large businesses as it involves a sizeable investment. However, it is essential that you have all the computers in your home perfectly secured from infiltration as this can not only compromise the online as well as physical security of your family members but also lead to data theft which can lead to a substantial financial loss for you. You also need to have parental controls in order to make sure that your children do not get access to any kind of adult or unsafe content. This is why it is important that you get an antivirus program for your whole family.
Instead of buying a separate unit of antivirus for all the individual members of the family, it is a good idea that you get a family package that is going to provide you with protection for everyone. This decision is not only convenient for you but can also serve as the most cost-effective option for your needs. However, finding a good antivirus for your family can be a real challenge as not all of them are really up to the mark. In fact, many of the antivirus products that are useful for individual home use or business use may not be suitable for wholesome family use. Therefore, you should make sure that you pick out one of the best antiviruses for families that can do you and your loved ones a world of good.
Here is a list of the best antivirus software for families in 2021.
1. Norton 360 Deluxe
The Norton 360 Deluxe is certainly one of the most efficient antivirus programs that you get for the complete protection of your family members. There are many reasons why Norton 360 Deluxe is considered to be the favorite antivirus for families on the market today. The real-time malware detection features that come with Norton 360 Deluxe have been tested on numerous types of devices such as desktops running Windows 10 OS, Android tablet and MacBook Pro. It was found that the Norton 360 Deluxe was able to detect all kinds of malware in all these various types of computing devices with ease.
Another great fact that makes Norton 360 Deluxe awesome for family use is that it is equipped with an extensive suite of high-end internet security tools. These internet security tools can help a lot when it comes to ensuring complete security of all devices used by members of a single-family. With Norton 360 Deluxe, you get to have parental controls, a password manager, a VPN or virtual private network with unlimited data, optimum phishing protection and if you live in the US, you can also get identity theft protection as well. The Norton 360 Deluxe parental controls are really great and you get to have numerous features with it like app usage limits, YouTube monitoring, location tracking and content filters which can always keep your kids safe. All these features have also been tested as well, and they have been proven to deliver awesome results each and every time. Therefore, if you are looking for the #1 antivirus for your family in terms of parental controls, then you should go with Norton 360 Deluxe as it is the best in 2021.
The usage limits of Norton 360 Deluxe are also pretty reliable and steady. You can not only schedule the device usage for your kids but also limit the time of usage for many of the apps. This will help you to make sure that your kids are using the devices to manage their homework and not just play some games as and when they fancy. There is also a built-in password manager feature that can help you to track passwords and logins for various apps. The Norton 360 Deluxe VPN is also extremely fast and you do not have to worry about your internet connection becoming slow at any point of time. In fact, it is so fast that you won’t even notice that it is running in the background. Norton also came out as the #1 antivirus that is equipped with a virtual private network in 2021. Therefore, there are just too many reasons for you to choose Norton 360 Deluxe family antivirus.
2. McAfee Total Protection Family
The McAfee Total Protection Family antivirus is packed with numerous excellent tools for keeping families safe online. McAfee Total Protection Family has widely been regarded as one of the finest antivirus programs that are available in the market right now. The full-featured and high-end anti-malware packages that come with McAfee Total Protection Family can ensure robust protection for all the members of your family. You will find that the McAfee Total Protection Family is packed with numerous stunning internet security tools and strong parental controls. It can also provide you with complete coverage for a total of 10 devices.
With McAfee Total Protection Family, you can have all kinds of malware files detected with a high level of accuracy. Numerous tests have proved that repeatedly and the real-time malware scanner of the McAfee Total Protection Family program will never slow down your system, even if you are watching some HD video on streaming platforms like Netflix. The McAfee’s antivirus also comes with many additional security features, such as parental controls, anti-theft protections, home Wi-Fi scanner and a VPN that is not only fast but also comes with unlimited data. The McAfee parental controls have been tested multiple times and in all these evaluations it has been observed that it can deliver excellent content filtering, browser monitoring, geo-fencing as well as usage limitation for apps and devices. Its geo-fencing feature scores high points on multiple grounds.
McAfee Total Protection Family also offers solid anti-theft features with benefits like remote access, location tracking as well as loud alarm tone. Through McAfee Total Protection Family, you can have selfie images of anyone trying to steal your phone so that it can be recorded and sent to the police.
3. BullGuard Premium Protection
BullGuard Premium Protection is the best antivirus for gaming families. It is equipped with a well-designed and practically flawless internet security suite that is empowered with advanced malware detection tools. There are also numerous additional features along with a sturdy Game Booster mode that can significantly enhance the overall CPU performance on all types of gaming PCs. In all the tests that have been performed with the BullGuard Premium Protection, it has been observed that the antivirus program has been able to detect, remove and quarantine the different types of malware threats that it encountered. The ransomware scanner that comes with the BullGuard Premium Protection was able to easily detect the ransomware more efficiently and quickly than many of the other competitors.
The BullGuard’s Game Booster feature was tested on a refurbished gaming laptop and it was found that the Game Booster was able to boost the frame rate of the games along with an improved CPU performance. All of these were made possible without even interrupting the gaming sessions at any point of time. There were also no annoying notifications or any kind of automatic virus scans. This has made BullGuard Premium Protection the #1 gaming antivirus program of 2021.
The BullGuard Premium Protection also offers numerous other internet security features that are of equal importance. These include system cleanup tools, parental controls, a firewall, identity theft protection, a VPN which should be purchased separately and a home network scanner. It is however essential to note that while the parental controls that come with BullGuard Premium Protection are decently good, they are not as strong as those that come with Norton or McAfee. There is also no geo-fencing with BullGuard Premium Protection. That being said, the firewall and the system cleanup tools that you can get with this antivirus are truly awesome. It also provides complete real-time credit monitoring along with identity theft protections which can work well for users in Canada, US and most of European Union.
4. Bitdefender Total Security
Bitdefender Total Security can be described as a highly secure antivirus suite that comes equipped with a robust malware scanner as well as tons of other additional features, like a sturdy and high-performance mobile security app suited for both iOS and Android devices. Numerous tests have shown that Bitdefender Total Security is extremely agile when it comes to detecting the different types of malware that may attack a system at any point of time. The scanner of Bitdefender Total Security is cloud based which means that it does not have any impact on the speed and performance of the device that it is scanning. You can have seamless performance of your computing device even when Bitdefender Total Security is carrying out a full disk scan.
Bitdefender Total Security offers many convenient features that can keep all the users in your family perfectly safe when they are online. These include parental controls, VPN with a 200 MB daily usage limit, a password manager and phishing protection. The parental controls that come with Bitdefender Total Security are actually quite good. You can easily set screen time limits for your children and also track the usage of all the apps they have access to. With Bitdefender Total Security, you also get to have geo-fencing that can track your children and their presence accurately. This can help you to stay notified any time they left some kind of predefined safe zone. Nevertheless, one thing that may frustrate you is the data limit that you get to have with the built-in VPN on this antivirus. However, if you get a paid version of the VPN, then you are going to get a VPN that is by far among the fastest.
5. Kaspersky Total Security
If you are looking to have an antivirus for your family that is simple and easy to use, then you should definitely go with Kaspersky Total Security. It is one of the best family antivirus programs out there. The antivirus can provide you with a brilliant anti-malware protection, robust parental controls as well as many additional security features. The interface is also pretty intuitive which means that you really do not have to be a tech savvy person to benefit from it.
The real-time malware scanner that comes with Kaspersky Total Security can use several advanced scanning techniques for detecting different kinds of new, unknown and advanced malware threats. Kaspersky Total Security offers the “Quick Scan” feature which can help you to find and remove most types of malware problems that can impact your computer and all the other systems connected to your home network. The “Full Scan” feature is also equally good and can suit your needs when you are looking to get a more complete scan.
The parental controls that come with the Kaspersky Total Security are genuinely good. With this antivirus, you get to have some of the finest geo-fencing features in the market. It can also provide you with excellent YouTube controls, real-time alerts, usage limits as well as a powerful online content filter. Kaspersky also offers a range of top notch features which you can normally expect from a high quality premium antivirus suite, such as a firewall, a password manager, excellent online shopping protections and a VPN with a daily limit of 200 MB. The shopping protections of Kaspersky are certainly some of the finest in the world. You get to manage your online transactions inside a highly secure and sandboxed browser window and use their on-screen keyboard so that your activities are safe from keylogging spyware and screen logging malware.
6. Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9
The Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is a highly awesome antivirus for all Mac users. It is extremely secure and intuitive and can offer powerful protections for all the devices used in your family. The VirusBarrier is the main security feature that comes with the Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9. This is a real time anti-malware engine that has been designed specifically for the Mac computers. There is also the NetBarrier that can offer excellent protection to users when they accidentally try to open phishing sites, access unsecured Wi-Fi networks and open malicious web scripts.
Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 offers some of the best parental controls for the Mac computers. They are much better than the built-in parental controls that come with the Mac OS. The Mac OS can only provide you the option for blocking the “adult websites”. On the other hand, you can use Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 and the specifications that come with it dozens of criteria, such as religious content, inappropriate language, certain web stores and pornography. Intego can also bring you more options than what you can find with Mac OS for effectively scheduling device usage, limiting the app usage as well as for monitoring the emails for any kind of predatory and unsafe communication.
🤔 Do I really need an antivirus for my family?
The standard practice for protecting any computing system from malwares and cyber security threats is to make use of an antivirus. This is true whether you are using a device that runs on Windows OS, Mac OS, iOS, Android OS or Linux OS. That being said, families tend to have certain unique security requirements when they are operating online. If you are looking to secure the online activities of your family members, then you should look for features like home Wi-Fi network scanning, parental controls and system optimization tools so that all the devices that are connected to your network are safe. Cyber security systems that are state of the art can keep the devices of all your family members secure, high-functioning, stable and healthy.
If you are looking to have a really good antivirus for your family needs, then you should definitely go with Norton 360 Deluxe as it can help you to manage all your security requirements. The program has got really good malware detection rates, extremely robust parental controls as well as advanced internet security solutions such as anti-ransomware and anti-phishing. It can also provide you with coverage for a total of 5 devices.
🤔 Are there any free antiviruses for families?
If you look for a free antivirus for your family in the market, then there are some products that you can find which are worthy for your attention. For instance, Avira Free Security Suite is a good product that you can use to secure the devices used by your family members. However, it is important for you to note that none of these products can provide you with all the types of necessary protections that you must have for your family devices. The best antivirus protection does not come free and therefore you should always try to get a licensed version of a high quality antivirus program.
The free antivirus offered by Avira Free Security Suite can function as a good option for you in case you are looking for a basic type of antivirus protection. Nevertheless, it definitely is not the best thing to go for if you are seeking complete protection from all kinds of cyber security threats. On the other hand, McAfee Total Protection is a great option for you when you want to have a high end antivirus for your family’s needs. It also comes with a discounted offer for the 2-year family plan. For those who are looking to find a more budget-friendly antivirus option for their family, Bitdefender Total Security can be a suitable choice.
🤔 Doesn’t my PC or Mac have good enough built-in antivirus protection?
Windows PCs come in with built-in antivirus and the same thing can be said about the Mac computers. However, these built-in antivirus systems typically do not have a perfectly updated malware database, which means that they are mostly likely to fail when it comes to detecting the newer malware threats. The third-party antivirus software systems also offer a wide range of internet security features which can be so very useful, such as parental controls, online privacy tools, identity theft protections, device optimization and advanced phishing protection.
This means that it is very important that you get an antivirus like Norton 360 Deluxe as it can present you with features like a fast VPN, advanced malware detection as well as excellent parental controls for all Windows PCs, Macs, Androids and iOS devices.
🤔 Are antivirus parental controls as good as other parental control apps?
The antivirus programs that are presented on this list are really good and they come equipped with some of the smartest parental controls that you can ever find. There are also some products such as Bitdefender that can monitor emails and text messages to see if there is any sexual or overtly aggressive language in them. The parental controls that are offered by Norton 360 also guide the parents so that they can initiate effective dialogue with their children about internet security and its importance. Even though there are many applications available in the market that offers standalone parental control features, you should ideally try to find antivirus products that are equipped with advanced parental control features so that all the members of your family have complete protection when they are working online.