To properly secure your online activity, you should invest in antivirus software and a VPN. However, free VPNs that come with antivirus are often lacking a lot of the essential features that the best VPN providers offer. Likewise, VPN software that has built-in malware protection isn’t always enough to fully protect your computer from viruses (although some are effective!)
To increase your internet security and provide yourself with a sense of calm when you’re surfing the net, you can use an antivirus with VPN. With countless providers on the market offering antivirus with VPN services, we’ve researched several to give you the best antivirus with VPN options.
If you have ever wondered, ‘can you get a virus while using a VPN?’, the answer is yes. A VPN and antivirus software, whilst both essential to your online security, work in different ways. The best antivirus should defend your computer from malware such as trojans, adware, ransomware, phishing, and worms.
On the other hand, VPNs encrypt your internet data when you’re online, hiding your activity from any third parties that may be viewing it or wish to see what you get up to online. This can include Internet Service Providers (ISPs), hackers, and governments.
Without antivirus protection installed on your device, you’re exposing your desktop PC or mobile to many different forms of malware. An antivirus program will
Although with a VPN, you can have more privacy online, you are still exposing yourself to several other risks. Likewise, antivirus doesn’t always come with VPN software. This means that users are protected from malware but are still at risk of spies viewing their most sensitive online details, such as social media log-in information and bank details.
The best solution is to use antivirus software alongside VPN to make sure you’re fully protected from all of the risks that the internet can bring to users. The two together will guarantee that you enjoy the highest level of internet safety.
Our online privacy is more under threat than ever before. Websites and ISPs collect information about our virtual activity and then sell it on to governments and third parties. If you’re using public wi-fi networks, you’re at risk of hackers watching your every move online and stealing your details, which can lead to identity theft.
While a VPN is primarily used for privacy reasons as it encrypts browsing data and hides it from prying eyes, VPNs also provide users with more online freedom. By using a VPN, you can change your IP address and get past the firewalls that prevent users from accessing foreign content.
However, a VPN isn’t necessarily better than antivirus software. Although VPNs certainly give us more privacy and online freedom, they don’t all protect us from viruses. There are some, like Hotspot Shield, that come with inbuilt malware protection, but this isn’t common. It’s essential to use a VPN alongside antivirus software, either by downloading antivirus separately or purchasing antivirus with a VPN built-in.
To help you kill two birds with one stone, we’ve compiled a list of the 5 best antivirus programs that come with in-built VPN software. All of the providers we’ve listed either come with or provide a separate VPN service that you can download. For the best privacy and security protection on the web, you can choose from any of the following antivirus products.
Norton provides exceptional antivirus software and offers online privacy protection to users in the form of its VPN.
Norton is one of the best antivirus with VPN providers. Its Secure VPN service costs nothing when you purchase one of the provider’s antivirus plans. When it comes to antivirus features, Norton offers a lot. It provides anti-spyware, phishing, and ransomware protection.
There is also dark web monitoring, which acts as a form of identity protection. This feature scans the dark web for your personal information to ensure that none of your sensitive information has been stolen and uploaded elsewhere.
If you were wondering, ‘is VPN free with Norton 360?’ The answer is yes. There are the Norton 360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe, and various other plans, all of which contain the Norton Secure VPN. There is unlimited data with the Secure VPN, and it is really impressive considering that Norton is better known for its antivirus programs.
With the Norton Secure VPN, you can access servers in around 30 countries, including popular server locations, such as the UK, Japan, and Australia. You’ll be able to use a different IP address and unblock geo-restricted content. During our research, we found that Norton VPN works well with streaming services like Netflix, although the speeds are not as fast with VPN titans like NordVPN.
Norton’s Secure VPN offers 256-AES encryption and a strong no-logs policy. The provider will never log your browsing history, which is something we like to see. It also features a kill switch, an essential security feature if you want your online privacy protection guaranteed if your server or internet connection drops. There is also DNS leak protection and in-built adblocking with the Secure VPN, so you have an extra layer of defense to protect you from adware while you’re online.
All in all, Norton offers an excellent antivirus suite and an extremely high-quality VPN, even in its standard subscription plan. Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll be able to protect either one or five devices. If you like the sound of the Secure VPN, but you’re not a Norton user, you can purchase it separately.
McAfee is an antivirus security giant that is well-known for its effective malware blocking. With McAfee Total Protection, you can set up VPN protection through your McAfee app or download it from the provider’s website.
The award-winning McAfee offers its users incredible protection from malware with its extensive security features. Not only does McAfee detect and block viruses, but it comes with an in-built password manager to help you store all of your information in one safe place.
McAfee doesn’t just protect your devices but every device attached to your home network. It helps to secure your home network firewall so that hackers can’t break through to it. There are several different Total Protection plans, depending on how many devices you want to protect.
With Total Protection, you can also encrypt files on your PC as McAfee offers 128-bit encryption for confidential documents that you may want to keep private. McAfee is easy to use across all supported devices, with a well-laid-out app with a clean user interface. You can choose to run scans, read computer reports, and check your device’s security status.
The Safe Connect VPN is an add-on feature that you can download from McAfee’s site or within the client. There is a free VPN option, but this only provides 250MB of data per month, while the paid-for version offers unlimited data. With the Safe Connect VPN, you can connect to virtual servers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the USA, and more. On McAfee’s website, it doesn’t state how many servers it has, but we’re guessing it is a decent number, so you’ll have no trouble changing your IP address.
With the McAfee VPN, you can protect up to 5 devices at once with 256-AES encryption, the industry standard. This means that only will your device be protected from malware, but you’ll be able to carry out all of your tasks online, including work and online banking, safe in the knowledge that only you can see what you’re doing. There is also a kill switch feature to make sure you never surf the web without privacy.
If you use McAfee for the whole family and want to give your children antivirus and VPN protection, then you’ll enjoy the robust parental controls that McAfee employs. These allow parents to control their children’s wi-fi consumption and block any dangerous websites with search filtering.
Bitdefender has an impressive track record as one of the best antivirus with VPN. The Premium VPN can be added to any subscription for an extra cost.
Bitdefender employs a lot of advanced technology to keep its users’ devices safe. There are Multi-Layer Ransomware Protection and Advanced Threat Defense, which both monitor apps and detect anything suspicious. Bitdefender is a great security suite for detecting malware samples and protecting your operating system.
It has anti-phishing protection and can block you from visiting dangerous websites that could steal your credit card information. The provider also offers a password manager, which is another essential piece of digital security software.
While other anti-virus software can slow down your devices, Bitdefender won’t. It’s fast and operates silently in the background, and won’t slow down your internet connection.
If you’re purchasing a Bitdefender plan for all the family, then you’ll be glad to know that Bitdefender offers parental controls. Worried about webcam security? There is also webcam protection, which is an extra feature that many antivirus software’s lack. Users will get a notification from Bitdefender when hackers try to access their webcam.
The provider offers a free VPN service in all of its antivirus subscriptions, but this only has a daily 200MB data limit. This is not enough for carrying out tasks such as streaming or downloading files, but it is enough for checking a few emails and visiting a few websites. The Bitdefender free VPN provides users with an entry-level experience of a VPN.
The Premium VPN is another kettle of fish. This high-quality VPN comes with ten simultaneous connections, access to 1300+ servers in 25 countries worldwide, and allows unlimited data. The speeds are excellent, and this unlimited VPN has security features such as 256-AES encryption, a kill switch, and a strong no-logs policy that rival big providers like ExpressVPN.
Not only can you safely surf the net with Bitdefender’s unlimited VPN, but we tested it on several streaming services and gained access to a lot of geo-restricted content such as foreign Netflix libraries. Since there is no data limit and the speed is good, you can enjoy buffer-free and HD quality content all day long.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Bitdefender connects users to Hotspot Shield servers. Hotspot Shield is an independent VPN company known for fast speeds, which makes it great for torrenting, gaming, and streaming. It isn’t clear on the Bitdefender website that the company uses Hotspot, but since it is a reliable VPN, it’s good to know customers will enjoy great features.
Bitdefender Total Security’s price depends on whether you connect five or ten devices and whether you purchase a subscription for 1, 2, or 3 years.
Avira is multi-faceted antivirus software that offers malware protection, identity theft protection with its password manager and provides users with online privacy thanks to its built-in VPN.
Avira is a high-quality antivirus with a VPN. Not only does the free Avira antivirus suite offer first-rate malware protection and block online threats to your computer, but it provides scam and identity protection in the form of its anti-phishing software.
If you’re tired of antivirus software that slows down your computer or mobile, then you’ll love Avira. This antivirus will actually speed up your computer and improve its overall performance. It also helps you to avoid vulnerabilities in your software by automatically updating apps when the time comes.
When you use the free Avira antivirus, you’ll have access to its free Phantom VPN. This VPN offers 1GB of free data per month, which isn’t a lot, but it is enough if you want extra privacy when doing a few light online tasks.
While we like the free Avira antivirus, its Pro package offers a lot more to users. As well as all of the above, customers get advanced web protection from all types of malware and real-time alerts if there is a security breach.
If users want more from the VPN services, then they can upgrade to the Phantom VPN Pro. This VPN has it all regarding security with DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and 256-AES bit encryption. Phantom will assign its users a different IP address every time they use the VPN. There is also unlimited data included with the VPN, which means you can enjoy encrypted surfing and online privacy without bandwidth restrictions.
As mentioned, Avira is a fast antivirus, and its Phantom VPN Pro is also fast. We were able to access many streaming services and enjoy HD quality video. It also supports P2P networking, which means you can use the VPN for torrenting purposes.
We like that Avira is very transparent when it comes to its strict no-logs policy. The provider will never store user data or sell it to third parties. Since Avira is a German-based company, it has to abide by German data laws, which state user information and data can be requested for legal reasons. However, since Avira doesn’t log data, it seems unlikely that customers will ever be implicated should it have to hand over information.
The Avira app is easy to use, and there are dedicated clients for Windows PC, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. There is customer support in the form of a live chat if you have urgent questions that need answering.
AVG offers both a free antivirus and a paid-for version. AVG provides full security in the form of webcam security, identity, and anti-malware protection.
What we like about AVG Antivirus is that it provides a complete antivirus service for free. If you’re strapped for cash, you don’t need to spend anything to equip your device with some of the best antivirus software. With AVG’s free antivirus, users can enjoy spyware protection, block unsafe links, and get PC scans.
Although the free antivirus is good on its own, customers can upgrade to AVG Internet Security (IS), which offers a lot of extra features. This antivirus suite stops all malware, has webcam protection to stop spies from watching you, has a strong firewall to defend your device from hackers, and provides you with real-time security updates so that you always know what is going on with your computer or mobile.
There are different scan options available so that you can choose to run a deep scan, performance scan, regular scan, or any other from their list of options. The scans are effective for malware detection and removing any threats. The client is easy to use, with controls that allow you to check on your device, and AVG offers its antivirus for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS devices.
Although AVG isn’t an antivirus with VPN included, customers can purchase the AVG Secure VPN as an add-on feature. This VPN is extremely impressive, with a military-grade encryption level, DNS leak protection, and access to over 50 server locations.
Speeds are not super fast with AVG Secure VPN, but it can unblock streaming services, should you wish to use your VPN for this. Otherwise, this VPN is great for people who travel a lot and are constantly connecting to public wi-fi networks. With AVG Secure VPN, you can secure up to five devices at once, and there is a 7-day free trial of the service plus a 30-day money-back guarantee for customers who aren’t completely satisfied with the service.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of negative aspects of AVG. Firstly, its customer support is a bit limited. Although there are many helpful guides online that users can check to get answers to any questions they may have, you have to go through the guides to reach the ticketed customer service system. We’d like to see a live chat option available, which would be a lot more useful to customers.
What’s more, we found several red flags regarding privacy. AVG is owned by Avast, a security software company that also offers antivirus and VPN services. Although Avast has a no-logs policy, it has been found to store user data and sell this to third-parties. While this may not be an issue to users of the antivirus, VPN customers may want to stay clear of this provider for that very reason. Their browsing history isn’t guaranteed to be kept private, despite Avast’s strict no-logs policy.
So, while AVG deserves to be included on the best antivirus with VPN list due to the excellent features it offers, if privacy is a big deal to you, then you may want to avoid this provider.
I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet.
I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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