Contents
- 1 Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security are two of the most commonly purchased security programs on the market.
- 2 Norton One provides top notch support but doesn’t appear to be much different than purchasing Norton separately.
- 3 Norton’s interface looks good but it is not very user friendly or efficient.
- 4 Norton comes with an Internet Explorer toolbar that slows down page loads and takes some getting used to.
- 5 Norton found all of our viruses in both quick and full scans.
- 6 Norton’s firewall is not as aggressive as some others but it is still effective at blocking incoming attacks.
- 7 The advanced settings are a little tricky.
- 8 Conclusion: Norton does a good job of protecting your computer, but has some issues with user-friendliness and efficiency.
Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security are two of the most commonly purchased security programs on the market.
There are a number of reasons why you may choose to purchase a Norton Internet Security subscription. First, the Norton brand has been around for more than 30 years and is well-respected in the cybersecurity community. Second, there are many positive reviews of their software on third-party websites like CNET and PCMag. Third, they offer free trials so you can try it out before making your purchase decision (if you decide not to buy it).
In this review, we’ll cover all the features offered by Norton Antivirus with no commitment required and what they offer if you decide to purchase their product after trying out the free version.
Norton One provides top notch support but doesn’t appear to be much different than purchasing Norton separately.
Norton One is a new service that provides an all-in-one solution for your PC, Mac and mobile devices. It provides antivirus software for all of your devices, along with 24/7 support for all of your devices.
What makes Norton One different? The main difference is that it’s the first time a company has offered complete protection across multiple platforms using one product (the Norton app). If you’re looking to protect multiple devices at once with one subscription this could be worth considering; however there are other options available which we’ll discuss below.
Norton’s interface looks good but it is not very user friendly or efficient.
The interface is clean and easy to navigate, but it is not very intuitive. In fact, it can be pretty difficult at times to figure out what you’re looking for. For example, when you go into the main settings area to change your password or enable Norton Safe Search by default (which I recommend), the options are not nearly as clear as they could be. There are also advanced settings that require a strong understanding of what each feature does before you can take advantage of them; this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—but if you’re new to this type of software or don’t have much technical experience with computers in general, then using these features would be nearly impossible!
Another big drawback is how inefficient Norton Internet Security gets when browsing websites with tons of ads or pop-ups; it seems like it takes forever just waiting for websites like Facebook or Twitter to load up due in part because they are constantly checking every single ad or pop-up with Virus Protection enabled (which we’ll talk about later).
Norton comes with an Internet Explorer toolbar that slows down page loads and takes some getting used to.
The toolbar is not necessary to protect your computer, and it adds a layer of confusion when you’re trying to browse the web. It’s also incompatible with other browsers like Firefox and Chrome, so if you prefer using one of those instead of Internet Explorer, then this could be a dealbreaker for you.
Additionally, the Norton toolbar slows down page loads by about 10 percent according to independent testing performed by Av-Test (PDF). This may not seem like much at first glance, but if every time you click on something new in your browser it takes just 10 percent longer than expected—and there are dozens of clicks per session—then over time those extra seconds add up into hours or even days wasted annually. And nobody wants that!
And finally: The toolbar cannot be completely disabled without disabling all other Norton products on your computer as well.
Norton found all of our viruses in both quick and full scans.
Norton’s full scan did take 20 minutes longer than the other contenders (three hours vs. two hours), but it still found all of our viruses. Its quick scan took just seven minutes, which is shorter than any other product we tested—a great time saver when you’re in a rush or have dozens of files to check. It also didn’t slow down our computer or interfere with other programs during scanning, which we were happy to see considering how many scans we had to do.
Norton’s firewall is not as aggressive as some others but it is still effective at blocking incoming attacks.
Norton’s firewall is not as aggressive as some others but it is still effective at blocking incoming attacks. It gets its data from the same cloud-based protection that blocks outgoing threats, so there’s no need to worry about maintaining a separate local database of known malware. The firewall can be configured to prompt you to allow or deny any incoming connections (or not prompt at all), which is helpful if you’re unsure whether an application should be allowed through your network’s defenses.
The advanced settings are a little tricky.
Advanced settings are not very user-friendly. The advanced settings for Norton Internet Security 2019 can be a little tricky to navigate, but once you get the hang of it, they’re not too bad. However, if you’re a more casual user and want an easier way to keep your computer safe from malware and viruses then perhaps choose another security program like McAfee or Kaspersky instead.
Conclusion: Norton does a good job of protecting your computer, but has some issues with user-friendliness and efficiency.
Norton Internet Security does a good job of protecting your computer from malware and other threats, but it has some issues with user-friendliness and efficiency.
Norton’s firewall is not as aggressive as some others, but it is still effective at blocking incoming attacks. The program’s advanced settings are a little tricky to navigate and there are no graphical representations of your system in the main window. Norton found all of our viruses in both quick and full scans; however, the full scan took much longer than most competitors (more on this later).