Best Alternative to AVG Antivirus of 2025

AVG often tops the best antivirus software lists, though more frequently the list of best free antivirus. It does offer a paid plan, but then it enters the realm of heavy hitters such as Norton and Bitdefender.

However, AVG users prefer a more lightweight AV that won't break the bank; therefore, finding a suitable upgrade is not always easy.

That's why I have rounded up some top-tier AV that have powerful features and a range of use cases. Below, I have laid out exactly why these are the best alternatives to AVG AV.

Best AVG alternative overall

Features:

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Outside of Norton's excellent antivirus and firewall protection, the 360 Standard plan will provide you with several additional features across 3 devices.

You'll be able to browse the web securely with Norton's AI Genie Scam Protection, a tool that can analyze the content of texts, phone calls, emails, and websites to check for hidden scams or fraud.

Additionally, you'll be able to use a password manager and an unlimited VPN to encrypt your internet traffic, and protect your sensitive files in a secure 2GB cloud backup. Norton 360 Standard also includes breach monitoring to score the dark web for any exposed credentials.

What Norton 360 lacks is a performance optimizer and a driver updater, but Norton's lightweight performance means it shouldn't have too much of an impact on your devices.

Security:

Norton has been one of the top-rated antivirus providers for some time, up there with the likes of Bitdefender, McAfee, and Norton.

In the latest tests by AV-Comparatives, Norton achieved a protection score of 99.5% with 9 false positives, making it one of the highest scoring antivirus solutions tested by AV-Comparatives.

In AV-Test real-world testing, Norton secured a 6/6 across the board for protection, performance, and usability, earning it a 'Top Product' badge.

Price:

Norton is the most affordable alternative to AVG, with a first year price of just $39.99, or $3.33 per month. After the introductory year, the renewal price rises to $99.94, which is also the lowest renewal cost on this list.

Best AVG Alternative for multi-device protection

Features:

McAfee+ Premium is the 'Core Protection' package, but it does include some additional features that make it a better alternative to AVG.

You get McAfee's tried and tested antivirus and firewall, alongside safe browsing protection, scam protection, a password manager, unlimited VPN, and dark web scans for credential breaches and personal information leakage.

For those with a household full of different devices, McAfee+ Premium is the definite choice. You can secure antivirus protection across an unlimited number of devices.

Security:

McAfee is one of the highest scoring antivirus solutions in terms of protection. In AV-Comparatives testing, it achieved a malware block rate of 99.96%. However, it did log 15 normal programs as malware during testing.

In the AV-Test results, McAfee also scored highly, achieving 6/6 across protection, performance, and usability, also earning it the 'Top Product' award.

Price:

McAfee's pricing sits nicely in the mid-point on this list at $49.99 for the first year, or around $4.16 per month. The one thing to be wary of is the renewal pricing, which ups the price to $149.99, making it one of the most expensive antivirus solutions on this list when it comes to renewal by around $50.

Best AVG Alternative for protection score

Features:

As you'll read below, Bitdefender's reputation for protection is not unfounded. It has been one of the best performing antivirus solutions for several years. Outside of Bitdefender's antivirus and firewall, you'll be provided with safe browsing capabilities, scam detection, leaked credential monitoring and a VPN. The VPN does have a daily cap of 200MB/day however.

Security:

As I mentioned, Bitdefender's protection is near perfect. In Av-Comparatives testing, Bitdefender missed hitting top marks by just 0.2%, with a surprisingly low false-positive rate of just 3, making it the best performing antivirus in the latest testing.

As expected, Bitdefender also scored very well in AV-Test results, 6/6 across protection, performance, and usability. Again, Bitdefender also earned AV-Test's 'Top Product' award.

Price:

Protection of this level does come at a cost. Bitdefender Total Security's introductory price sits at $59.99 for the first year, or $4.99 per month. The renewal price is also quite high at $109.99.

Best AVG Alternative for the essentials

Features:

When it comes to features, Avast Premium is a little sparse. You get the essential antivirus and smart firewall, but outside of a performance optimizer and scam protection, there isn't much else to add.

Avast Premium does include browser based password protection, but falls short of offering a dedicated password manager. There are a few other nice-to-haves included in the plan though, such as a tool for permanently and securely deleting files, and a sandbox that can be used to open 'risky files' without them potentially infecting your device.

On the upside, you do get protection across 10 devices, making it another good choice if you're looking for multi-device protection.

Security:

Avast scored very well in the latest AV-Comparatives testing, with a protection score of 99.5%. It did however pick up 15 false-positives, which could be an issue for those who don't want frequent interruptions from their antivirus.

On the AV-Test side of things, Avast also holds up under pressure, again scoring 6/6 across protection, performance, and usability with Avast matching up to the other alternatives on this list and earning the 'Top Product' award.

Price:

Avast is the most expensive alternative to AVG on this list, with the introductory pricing for the first year sitting at $69.48, working out at $5.79.

However, the renewal pricing jump isn't too bad, with renewal costing just $99.99 per year. Avast is therefore the best alternative to AVG for the essentials, offering excellent protection across 10 devices.

Comparison

Check out our guide to the best antivirus software for even more alternatives