Norton needs no introduction. It’s one of the leading antivirus and cybersecurity brands that offers all-around protection against any imaginable online threat.
Norton’s reputation precedes itself, but as a tech enthusiast with years of experience in cybersecurity, I wanted to see proof before believing anything. And what better proof is there than personal experience? I went ahead and purchased a Norton Antivirus Pro subscription and installed it on my computer. I tested its ability to detect and block malware, how it safeguards devices, and how advanced the protections it provides are. I also looked at any potential drawbacks. If you’re looking to find out if Norton is a suitable option for you, there’s no better place to find the answer than here.
My User Experience
Deciding on a Norton product is the crucial first step, and it also happens to be the most tedious. Norton offers a lot of products, from antivirus software to a VPN and password manager. And often, you’ll find those products bundled together. Thankfully, it gets easier once you’re over the hurdle of choosing a package.
If you’re looking for antivirus protection, I recommend starting with the Norton Antivirus Pro subscription, one of the more advanced antivirus packages from Norton. It offers a robust suite of features including enhanced malware detection, ransomware protection, and a powerful firewall. When it comes to malware detection and protection, the Norton Antivirus Pro subscription is top-tier.
To buy a Norton Antivirus Pro subscription, I signed up for an account first and then bought a license once I was logged in. It was pretty straightforward; I entered my payment information, checked out, and within seconds, I had bought myself antivirus software.
Next, I downloaded the software and installed it. The installation process took longer than I expected, and I even had to restart my device after the installation, but that’s normal for antivirus software. Just a reminder to save everything you’re working on before the installation.
Oddly, once the app was installed, it said I was in a trial for 30 days, which shouldn’t be the case because I had already bought a subscription. I had to sign in first, apparently, but the sign-in page didn’t show up the first time I opened the app. And that had been the theme throughout my entire testing process: Norton’s antivirus software is well-built, but the user experience could be improved. Overall, though, Norton was easy to use.
The Options From Norton
Let’s backtrack a little and talk about your options from Norton. Basically, there are three types of antivirus subscriptions.
The first one is a barebones subscription with just antivirus protection and a few helpful extras like a password manager, a smart firewall, and cloud backup. Subscriptions under this tier are called Antivirus Plus.
Next, we have Norton 360, which is Norton’s all-around digital security suite that includes everything in Antivirus Plus and additional tools like a VPN, parental control software, and a privacy monitor.
Lastly, thanks to a merger with LifeLock, Norton 360 with LifeLock subscriptions offer traditional identity monitoring services on top of all Norton 360 features. You can learn more about LifeLock in my LifeLock review.
Since I wanted to focus my testing on the antivirus software, I took advantage of the low introductory price of the Norton Antivirus Pro subscription. But overall, if you’re looking for total digital protection, Norton 360 is the best way to go.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about what I got from Norton Antivirus Pro, starting with device security.
Device Security
This section of the app contained the meat of the antivirus software – malware detection. More specifically, this was where I initiated my malware scans.
Norton gave me three options:
Quick Scan: The Quick Scan option scanned my entire computer, but focused mainly on areas where malware was most likely to hide. That included key registries and processes running in the background. It’s used for regular maintenance, ideally once a week.
Full Scan: As opposed to Quick Scans, Full Scans look at every single file. They understandably took longer – sometimes up to 30 minutes. I recommend doing a full scan at least once a month.
File Scan: Lastly, the File Scan option scanned only the files I specified. I recommend doing a File Scan whenever you download or receive a file from an unknown or unverified source.
In conclusion, Norton Antivirus Pro stands out with its comprehensive security features and robust malware detection capabilities. Despite a few hiccups in user experience, it provides solid protection for anyone looking to safeguard their devices. If you're in the market for reliable antivirus software, Norton Antivirus Pro is definitely worth considering.
0 Comments