A trusted antivirus program is the first line of defense against cybercriminals that want to steal personal information and cause chaos on computers and networks and more. The best antivirus software -whether paid or free — offer high-quality protection and performance that stops the threat from ever reaching the computer in the first place. But picking the right program can be tricky.

There are many different antivirus tools that are available for Windows, Mac and Android devices. Some are targeted towards businesses, while some are designed to protect consumers. Some antiviruses have extra features, while others are focused on particular threats or computing behavior, such as file encryption and password management. It’s crucial to choose the right antivirus and then compare it to other options.

We’ve put together a chart that will assist you in choosing the right tool for your requirements. You can filter your search by protection (how well the software detects malicious software) as well as performance (how smoothly the tool runs on your PC) and false positives. You can also filter by price as well as the number of device installations to determine the best value.

When you are looking through the charts of comparison between antivirus, keep in mind that many of these tools are rated by a variety of independent labs. You should be looking for high scores in every category. You should also look at the number see this site and type of devices included in the cost, the ease of contacting customer support, and if a trial or free version is available.