A reputable antivirus program is the first line of defense against cybercriminals who seek to steal personal information and cause chaos on networks and computers and more. The most effective antivirus programswhether paid or free provide high-quality protection and performance that stops the threat from ever reaching the computer in the first place. However, choosing the right antivirus program can be difficult.

There are a variety of antivirus tools available for Windows, Mac and Android devices. Some are targeted towards businesses, while others are designed to protect consumers. Some include additional features while others focus on a particular security issue or type of computing behavior, like file encrypting and password management. It is essential to select the right antivirus and compare it with other options.

To help, we’ve designed an antivirus comparison chart that makes it simple to select the right program for your requirements. It lets you filter based on protection (how the program detects malware) as well as performance (how it performs on your device) and false positives (how often the software recognizes legitimate programs as malware). You can filter by price, number of devices installed and false positives in order to find the best price.

When you look through the antivirus comparison chart be aware that these tools have been evaluated by various independent labs. It is important to look for high scores in each category. You’ll also want to consider the number of device licenses that are included in the price you pay, how easy it is to contact customer support, and whether a no-cost version or trial visit homepage is available.