Norton 2020 AntiVirus is a veteran in the online security industry, protecting our devices with powerful software since 1991. Its current solutions include AntiVirus Plus, 360 Standard, 360 Deluxe, and 360 with LifeLock.
Norton AntiVirus Plus
One of its most useful options by far is the Startup Manager that informs you about the level of resource usage by the programs that launch with your system startup. Those worried about the resources consumption by the solution itself can breathe easily – AntiVirus Plus doesn’t impact system performance heavily and it doesn’t trigger any unnecessary installations and background processes.
There are multiple scan options available – Quick Scan, Full System Scan, and custom scan types you can create yourself and save for future use. The Power Eraser is an advanced detection and repair tool that comes in handy when your device is exposed to a threat that is particularly difficult to rid of.
Norton Insight is there to analyze your files and give you information about their trust level, impact on your system, and more details provided by other netizens so you can decide whether or not you think it’s wise to keep them.
This suite is available for Mac and Windows and can be installed on a single device, with the pricing on a one-year license set at $14.99 for the first term, only to renew at $59.99 after this term ends. There’s no free trial, but there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee should you end up disappointed with the product and want a refund.
Norton 360 Standard
For those who require a bit more advanced protection system than what AntiVirus Plus has to offer, Norton 360 Standard may prove enough. It adds more features and extends the protection to iOS and Android devices, in addition to Mac and Windows, albeit still for only one device.
Extra features include the SafeCam webcam protection, unlimited fully integrated Norton Secure Connect VPN access, as well as the cloud backup expanded to up to 10GB. US users will benefit from the dark web monitoring feature which scours the deepest corners of the Internet and alerts the user if their email address has been leaked and put up for sale.
You’ll also get a capable spam filter, while the Norton 360 Standard mobile apps add a heap of their own features. For instance, Android users are provided with automatic and on-demand scanning targeting malware before it even launches, as well as information about apps’ privacy risks, in-app ads, battery/data usage, and so on, before the apps’ installation via Google Play.
Android users are also informed about apps that are sharing their sensitive information. Additionally, there are options for blocking unknown numbers and checking the security of the Wi-Fi network you’re connecting to. iOS users, on the other hand, get a somewhat more plain version with simply top-notch web protection and a network checker.
For the first year, this suite will only cost you $39.99 for one device, rising to $84.99 when renewed.
Norton 360 Deluxe
Norton 360 Deluxe takes a step further on the protection scale and allows you to place as many as up to five devices under its wing.
Besides boasting with everything in the lower-level packages, it will add a superb set of parental controls that includes mobile GPS tracking, advanced content filtering, as well as monitoring of everything your children do on their devices, ranging from visited websites to viewed videos to search queries.
It also includes a VPN that can be expanded on all of the five devices covered by the antivirus, as well as increasing the cloud backup space of up to a generous 50GB.
All the features in this package are available at the price of $39.99 for the first year, ramping up to $104.99 after the renewal.
Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock
At the very top of the range sits Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock, which basically takes the regular 360 Deluxe and expands it with more backup storage – up to 100GB – and adds LifeLock – the full protection against identity theft for its US customers.
The tools provided in the latter include dark web monitoring, stolen wallet protection, credit and social security number checking, sending real-time alerts, a million-dollar-worth insurance compensation in case of identity theft, as well as a team of people specializing in identity theft restoration. This amazing package can be yours for $99.99 during the first one-year term, after which you should expect to be paying $149.99 per year.
The LifeLock Advantage plan expands the backup storage even more – up to 250GB, adding bank and credit card activity alerts, court record scanning, as well as fake identity monitoring. The best part? It covers as many as up to ten devices, both with its antivirus protection and the unlimited VPN tool. This package comes with a price tag of $179.99 during the first year, renewing at $249.99.
But wait, there’s more! The topmost Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus covers as many devices as you like, increases backup space to up to 500GB, adds even more outstanding features like 401(k) and investment activity monitoring, home title monitoring, credit reports from three bureaus, alerts of crimes committed in your name, as well as providing an even higher compensation in case of identity theft. The one-year license for this most expensive plan will cost you $259.99 if you’re a first-time buyer, renewing at $349.99 later.
Final verdict
All the products from Norton AntiVirus 2020 range are exceptional at what they do, providing first-rate protection against all sorts of dangerous content, even if limited to their packages’ specific capabilities.
The basic AntiVirus Plus option will provide core yet capable functionality with some of the features rarely seen among the competition, while those more concerned with their security can opt for any of the more advanced packages according to their budgets and requirements.
Regardless of what package you choose, you won’t regret it. We only had a bone to pick with the lack of a free trial to experience all these features first-hand before committing, but there’s a 60-day refund policy you can rely on if things don’t work out.
