Kaspersky Alternatives

Bitdefender is the swap most former Kaspersky users make, and the reason is simple: it plays in the same league on protection. In the lab results AV-TEST published for home Windows products in 2026, Bitdefender Total Security scored the maximum 6 out of 6 on protection, performance and usability, exactly like Kaspersky Premium. So you give up nothing on detection by moving. The entry price is low too: Antivirus Plus Multiplatform costs $39.99 for the first year and covers 1 member on up to 3 devices, or $24.99 for a single device.

Total Security, at $49.99 for the first year, is the plan closest to Kaspersky Plus or Premium: antivirus, ransomware and scam protection, a password manager and a VPN for 1 member on up to 5 devices across Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The Family version covers 5 members on up to 25 devices for $69.99 the first year. Then read the crossed-out price: Bitdefender says a discount shown on its store is the gap between the first-year price and the renewal price, so Total Security Individual renews at $109.99 a year and Family at $139.99. Your refund window reopens at each renewal, though: you have 30 days from the automatic renewal date to ask for your money back. The other catch is the VPN: the bundled one is capped at 200 MB a day per device, enough for banking on hotel Wi-Fi, not for streaming. If you need a password manager for a team rather than a family, compare our business password managers.

Norton 360 is the most complete suite on this list, and that is the case for it if you leave Kaspersky Premium with its identity tools. Norton 360 Standard covers 3 PCs, Macs, tablets or phones with antivirus, a password manager, 2 GB of cloud backup, a VPN and dark web monitoring for $39.99 the first year. Norton 360 Deluxe, the plan most families pick, covers 5 devices, adds parental control and Privacy Monitor and costs $49.99 the first year. AV-TEST gave Norton 360 the maximum 6 out of 6 on protection, performance and usability in its 2026 home Windows results.

The problem is what happens in year two. Standard renews at $94.99 a year and Deluxe at $124.99, more than double the first-year price, and Norton bills annual renewals up to 35 days before the renewal date. The good news is the refund window: you can get a full refund within 60 days of an annual payment, renewals included. One more limit before you count on it: Norton's cloud backup and parental control are not supported on a Mac, so a Mac household gets the VPN but not the backup. Set a calendar reminder 40 days before your first anniversary, and either cancel auto-renewal or call to ask for a retention price.

ESET is the pick for people who chose Kaspersky because it was configurable and did not slow the machine down. ESET Security Ultimate scored the maximum 6 out of 6 on protection, performance and usability in AV-TEST's 2026 home Windows results, and ESET's long-time reputation on forums is that it is one of the lightest suites around. Its interface has an advanced setup area with the kind of granular switches Kaspersky users are used to, from scan exclusions to firewall rules.

On price, ESET is more straightforward than most. Home Security Essential covers 3 devices for $59.99 a year, with antivirus, anti-phishing and safe banking and browsing. Premium, at $89.99 a year for 3 devices, adds unlimited VPN data and encryption of sensitive files. You save 15% when you pick 2 years. The weak point is extras: identity alerts with $1M insurance sit on Ultimate, $179.99 a year for 5 devices, and the home plans focus on protection rather than backup or parental tools.

Avast is the easiest way to replace Kaspersky without paying anything on day one. Avast Free Antivirus, part of the Avast One app, runs on PC, Mac, Android and iPhone and iPad, and the free version scored the maximum 6 out of 6 on protection, performance and usability in AV-TEST's 2026 home Windows results. That makes it a serious option, not a trial in disguise. If you only need real-time protection on one laptop, you can stop reading here.

Premium Security adds stronger protection against scams and remote access attacks for $49.08 the first year, covering 1 PC plus 1 mobile device. Watch the renewal: it rises to $77.99 a year. The 10-device version costs $69.48 the first year and renews at $99.99. Avast presents its products as made in the EU, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, and its renewal terms let it charge the next year up to 35 days before the anniversary of your subscription. The free app shows upgrade prompts regularly, which many users find tiring, so be ready to dismiss them.

Surfshark started as a VPN company, and Surfshark One is a VPN bundle with antivirus added, not the other way round. That makes it the right pick for one specific Kaspersky user: the one who bought Kaspersky Plus or Premium mainly for its unlimited VPN. Surfshark One includes the VPN, Alternative ID, scam protection, antivirus and Alert, the breach monitoring tool, and it covers unlimited devices, so a whole household fits in one plan.

The price looks unbeatable at $2.49 a month on the 2-year plan, but read the line below it: $67.23 for the first 27 months, paid upfront. After that, the plan renews every year at the applicable renewal price, so check it in your account before the 27 months end. One detail most guides miss: during this deal, Surfshark One costs exactly the same $67.23 for 27 months as Starter, the entry plan, while Surfshark presents Antivirus and Alert as the extras of One and One+: on the 2-year deal, the antivirus costs you nothing more. Surfshark built its name on the VPN, and the antivirus came later as part of the bundle, so treat it as a VPN first with malware protection on top. For a work VPN, our business VPN comparison covers that need.

Before you buy anything, remember that Windows already ships with an antivirus. Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes with Windows 11 inside the Windows Security app, with real-time protection, the Windows Firewall and Smart App Control, and you do not pay extra for it. When you uninstall Kaspersky, Defender can switch itself back on automatically. For many people who used Kaspersky Standard on a single PC, that is enough.

The limits are real, though. In AV-TEST's 2026 home Windows results, Defender scored 6 out of 6 on protection and usability but 5.5 on performance, so it slows some tasks a bit more than Bitdefender or ESET. Its job is malware protection: for a VPN, a password manager or parental control you add other apps, and support goes through Microsoft's general help pages. Defender also only protects Windows on its own: a Mac or an Android phone needs another tool. If you protect a small office, our antivirus and EDR for business ranking goes further.

TotalAV shows up at the top of many affiliate guides, and its strong point is genuine: the app is one of the simplest to use, with a big scan button and a set of cleanup tools (junk files, browser cleanup, startup manager) that less technical users like. Antivirus Plus covers 4 devices, Internet Security 6 devices with the Total VPN, and Total Security 8 devices with Total Password, the password manager, which TotalAV includes in that plan only.

The list prices are high for what you get: $99 a year for Antivirus Plus, $129 for Internet Security and $149 for Total Security, and every plan renews automatically until you cancel. Its lab record is good, not top: AV-TEST gave TotalAV 6 out of 6 on protection and usability in 2026, but 5.5 on performance. Know how the refund works before you buy: switching auto-renewal off does not end your plan or trigger a refund, you must fully terminate the subscription first, and the request has to come within 30 days of starting an annual plan.