Head to head

Norton vs Avast

Norton and Avast both belong to Gen Digital and score almost identically in AV-Comparatives' Real-World test. The differences are price structure, features and history.

Compared by the AVSO Editorial Desk
Prices and lab results verified 12 Nov 2026How we score Editorial policy

Our pick · #2 overall

Norton 360 Deluxe

8.8/10

The fullest feature set, with the steepest renewal.

$49.99first year

Renews at $124.99/yr

Wins 3 of 8 criteria

View Norton 360 pricing

60-day money-back guarantee (annual plans)

#4 overall

Avast Premium Security (10 devices)

8.5/10

The best free engine, with a privacy history to know about.

$69.48first year

Renews at $99.99/yr

Wins 1 of 8 criteria

View Avast pricing

30-day money-back guarantee

Criterion by criterion

Norton takes 3 of 8 criteria to 1, with 4 tied or not comparable. Every row uses published lab results or the vendor's own price page.

Norton and Avast compared criterion by criterion. A tick marks the better figure.
Criterion	Norton	Avast
Our score	8.8rank #2	8.5rank #4
Real-World protection	99.3%³ADVANCED+	99.3%³ADVANCED+
False positives (Real-World)	5³false positives	5³false positives
Malware protection (Sep 2026)	99.96%⁴ADVANCED	99.96%⁴ADVANCED
AV-TEST Windows	6 / 6 / 6⁵18/18 · Aug 2026	6 / 6 / 6⁵18/18 · Aug 2026
Performance impact	4.9⁶ADVANCED+	5.2⁶ADVANCED+
Price, first term	$49.99¹first year · 5 devices	$69.48²first year · 10 devices
Renewal per year	$124.99	$99.99
Money-back	60 days (annual plans)	30 days
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
VPN	Included	Not included
Password manager	Included	Not included
Cloud backup	50 GB (Windows)	Not included
Breach / dark-web monitoring	Included	Not included
Parental controls	Included	Not included
Free version	Not included	Included

Lower is better for false positives, performance impact and prices. Features refer to the ranked plan: Norton 360 Deluxe and Avast Premium Security (10 devices).

Bottom line

Norton 360 Deluxe is the better complete package, with VPN, backup and parental controls. Avast is the better deal if you want either a free antivirus or protection for 10 devices.

Choose Norton if…

VPN, 50 GB backup and parental controls included
Slightly lighter: 4.9 vs 5.2 impact score
60-day vs 30-day money-back

View Norton 360 pricing Full Norton review

Choose Avast if…

A strong free edition (the version the labs test)
10 devices for $69.48, renewing at $99.99
Gold for Performance in AV-Comparatives' 2025 summary

View Avast pricing Full Avast review

Where the points come from

Our five sub-scores, out of 10, with their weight in the overall score. How each is calculated.

NortonAvast

Protection 40%: Norton: 9.4; Avast: 9.3
Performance 15%: Norton: 9.5; Avast: 9.4
Value 20%: Norton: 7.2; Avast: 8.2
Features 15%: Norton: 9.4; Avast: 7.2
Trust & transparency 10%: Norton: 8.0; Avast: 6.6

Add a third

Every figure, against the field

Pre-set to Norton and Avast. Add a third suite, or clear the selection to see all 8.

8.8

Norton#2 overall

First term

$49.99

Lowest

first year

Real‑World protection: 99.3%ADVANCED+
False positives: 5
AV-TEST (Aug 2026): 6 / 6 / 6
Performance impact: Lightest4.9
Devices: 5
Renewal / year: $124.99
VPN
iOS app

View Norton 360 pricing

60-day money-back guarantee (annual plans)

Read the Norton review

8.5

Avast#4 overall

First term

$69.48

first year

Real‑World protection: 99.3%ADVANCED+
False positives: 5
AV-TEST (Aug 2026): 6 / 6 / 6
Performance impact: 5.2
Devices: 10
Renewal / year: $99.99
VPN
iOS app

View Avast pricing

30-day money-back guarantee

Read the Avast review

Antivirus comparison. Product columns, feature rows. Comparing Norton, Avast.
Head to head2 suites	Norton#2 overall	Avast#4 overall
Score & price
	Editorial score 8.8 out of 10	Editorial score 8.5 out of 10
	$49.99first yearLowest	$69.48first year
Renewal / year	$124.99×2.5 year one	$99.99×1.4 year one
Devices	5	10
Money-back	60 days(annual plans)Longest	30 days
Independent lab results
³	99.3%ADVANCED+	99.3%ADVANCED+
³	5	5
AV-TEST Windows⁵	6 / 6 / 6Aug 2026TOP PRODUCT	6 / 6 / 6Aug 2026TOP PRODUCT
⁶	4.9lower is betterLightest	5.2lower is better
In the ranked plan
VPN
Password manager
Cloud backup	50 GB (Windows)
Breach monitoring
Parental controls
Free version
Platforms
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Verdict
Best for	all-in-one suite	free antivirus
Vendor pricingOpens the vendor's site. Some links are affiliate links.	View pricing for Norton (opens Norton site in a new tab)Review: Norton	View pricing for Avast (opens Avast site in a new tab)Review: Avast

Prices are USD before tax for the plan each vendor leads with, read on its own pricing page on 12 Nov 2026. First-year prices are usually introductory; renewal is what you pay from year two, and “Not stated” means the vendor did not publish it. Black Friday prices are marked. McAfee: mcafee.com blocked our checks; prices from a secondary source updated 26 Aug 2026⁸. Surfshark Antivirus: Surfshark showed us local-currency prices; USD figure from a secondary source updated 4 Nov 2026⁹. Lab rows: AV-Comparatives Real-World (Feb–May 2026)³ and Performance (Sep 2026)⁶; AV-TEST Windows (Aug 2026⁵, Surfshark Jun 2026⁷). “Not tested” means the product was not in that test.

Norton vs Avast: questions

Do Norton and Avast use the same antivirus engine?

Both are owned by Gen Digital. The companies don't publish whether they share detection technology, and the labs test them as separate products. In AV-Comparatives' Feb–May 2026 Real-World test both scored 99.3% with 5 false positives.

Norton vs Avast · Our pick

For most readers: Norton. Prefer Avast? Both are one click away.

The fullest feature set, with the steepest renewal. 360 Deluxe: $49.99 first year · 60-day money-back guarantee (annual plans).

View Norton 360 pricing View Avast pricing Read the review

We may earn a commission through affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.

More head-to-heads

Back to the antivirus rankings or read the Norton review and Avast review.

Sources

All accessed 12 Nov 2026

1.Norton pricing page. us.norton.com/products (opens in a new tab)
2.Avast pricing page. avast.com/en-us/premium-security (opens in a new tab)
3.AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection Test, February–May 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-may-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
4.AV-Comparatives Malware Protection Test, September 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
5.AV-TEST Windows 11 home-user test, August 2026. av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-11/august-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
6.AV-Comparatives Performance Test, September 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-september-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
7.AV-TEST Windows 11 home-user test, June 2026. av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-11/june-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
8.McAfee price: mcafee.com blocked our checks; prices from a secondary source updated 26 Aug 2026. mcafee.com/en-us/antivirus/mcafee-total-protection.html (opens in a new tab) · unverified on vendor site
9.Surfshark Antivirus price: Surfshark showed us local-currency prices; USD figure from a secondary source updated 4 Nov 2026. surfshark.com/pricing (opens in a new tab) · unverified on vendor site