Chromebook is an optimized operating system on comparing with any PC. It is known for its lightning-fast nature. A Chromebook is a laptop that operates based on Linux. It has lots and lots of features and applications. Google has been accused of lots of privacy infringements. And lately, we are getting lots and lots of privacy concerns and complaints. But now it’s fading away. Nevertheless, Chromebook users look for ways to keep their data away from various hackers, malware, and email attacks. Hence comes the usefulness of antivirus software tools. If you aren’t sure of the best antivirus for Chromebook, then we have the top list. Help yourself to choose what suits your needs.
Best Antivirus for Chromebook
| Applications 1. Malwarebytes 2. Norton 3. Kaspersky 4. TOTAL AV 5. Avira 6. PCProtect 7. Bitdefender 8. ESET Antivirus. 9. McAfee 10. BullGuard 11. Intego 12. MacKeeper 13. ZoneAlarm by the checkpoint | Extensions 1. HTTPS Everywhere 2. Privacy Badger 3. Web of Trust (WoT) 4. Ghostery 5. Online Antivirus Scan 6. Antivirus Security Scan 7. RAM Antivirus |
Applications
1. Malwarebytes
Cost:- Premium Version at $3.3/month for 1 device; $6.67/month for 5 devices; Premium + Privacy at $8.33/month for 5 devices.
Malwarebytes recently announced that their Android version could be used on Chromebook also. It is one most reliable adware and malware protection application.
| For | Against |
| 1. It protects adware and malware. 2. It acts as an extra thrust to the in-built Chromebooks security. 3. Malwarebytes has come up with Artificial Intelligence. 4. Time-tested Virus signature to run a scan for the viruses. 5. It conducts a piracy audit for all the installed apps and real-time protection. 6. Moreover, free quick scan option and an anti-ransomware monitor. | 1. The detection rate is sometimes low. 2. Ineffective phishing protection. 3. No so effective individual testing results. |
2. Norton
Cost: – Anti-virus basic – $59.99/year for 1 device; Standard – $84.99/year for 1 device; Deluxe – $94.99/year for 1 device; $104.99/year for 5 devices;
The next best antivirus for Chromebook is Norton. Again, Norton is well known for device security features along with app lock. It includes a firewall, online backup, and spam filtering.
| For | Against |
| 1. The malware protection features are outstanding. 2. It does provide excellent protection against phishing. 3. Integrated Google Play Privacy warnings. 4. Anti-theft tools, and that includes SMS commands. 5. And it also includes call blocking features. 6. Data Protector provides defense against ransomware. 7. It has an online backup option, firewall, a password manager. | 1. Expensive one considering the features pack. 2. No automatic screening and scanning sometimes. 3. The backup tool is limited. |
3. Kaspersky
Cost:- $90/year for one device; $100/year for 5 devices.
Kaspersky is the oldest and best antivirus for Chromebook on the market. It does provide various exciting features that could protect your device from the many malware and adware.
| For | Against |
| 1. It is lightweight, powerful, and efficient anti-malware software. 2. It protects against phishing sites and SMS links. 3. Can use the software to lock certain applications. 4. A well-designed AI and machine learning provide security against various threats. 5. Moreover, it blocks suspicious sites, files. 6. It blocks a lot of spyware that detects your location. | 1. The top-tier premium plans are not so good. 2. It is accused of collecting data. 3. And the password manager is so not functioning well. |
4. TOTAL AV
Cost:- $70/year for 3 devices; $80 /year for 5 devices; and $90/year for 6 devices.
Yet another best antivirus for Chromebook is Total AV. It is the best-used cybersecurity application. Moreover, Total AV is one of the free antivirus applications with a premium version.
| For | Against |
| 1. It offers different levels of protection. 2. It does provide security to online shopping. 3. And regularly scans for viruses and data breaches. 4. Heuristic monitoring and ransomware protections are yet another feature. 5. Moreover, it comes with a firewall and web browsing security. 6. Malware, Spyware, and Adware security. | 1. No anti-phishing feature. 2. Some usability issues. 3. Performance is not meeting the expectations. |
5. Avira
Cost:- $45/year for 1 device; $135/year for 3 devices; $225/year for 10 devices;
The name Avira is so popular in the antivirus business. It does offer in-built ransomware protection. Upon synchronizing the data to Google Drive, it provides protection against various Ransomware attacks.
| For | Against |
| 1. Speeds up the PC functions. 2. It provides security to online activities. 3. In-built anti-ransomware so sensitive data are protected. 4. It does protect from scams. 5. Its malware blocking features are excellent. 6. Provides better customer support. | 1. Expensive than another antivirus, many additional features. 2. The UI is not easy and intuitive. 3. Scan results are hard to find, and on-demand scanning is slow. |
6. PCProtect
Cost:- Essential- $24.95/year for 1 license; Pro – $39.95/year for 3 licenses; Ultimate – $59.95/year for 5 licenses.
It positioned itself as an ultimate anti-virus tool. With rich feature sets and various additional functions, it is one best antivirus for Chromebook.
| For | Against |
| 1. Easy to set it up and use. 2. Advanced antivirus engine with real-time protection. 3. The pricing is affordable and provides support 24*7. 4. It is also compatible with cross-platforms and does come with a personal firewall. 5. It consumes minimal power. 6. Features include ad-blocking, antivirus, disk cleaning, start-up program management, etc. 7. You can use the app to manage your browsers too. | 1. Virus protection is not up to the expectations. 2. Basic optimization tools and add-on VPN feature. 3. Scanning sometimes slows down the system. It collects your data. |
Related: Check out the Best Antivirus for Mac
7. Bitdefender
Cost:- $39.99/year for 1 device; $59.99/year for 3 devices; $69.99/year for 10 devices.
Bitdefender with decent features is the best antivirus for Chromebook. Another added feature is that it comes with an in-built VPN popularly known as Hotspot Shield VPN.
| For | Against |
| 1. Malware protection is very robust. 2. It does have a phishing detection feature. 3. Device detection and app instant notifications 4. Moreover, it does provide advanced parental control. 5. Anti-malware protection along with the vulnerability assessment. 6. Theft prevention tools, on-demand, and online scans. | 1. VPN access subscription is different. 2. Malware detection is not so perfect. 3. The ransomware specific feature is also not so intelligent. |
8. ESET Antivirus
Cost:- NOD32 security for $39.99/year for 1 device; Internet Security for $49.99/year for 1 device; Smart Security Premium for $59.99/year for 1 device.
The ESET antivirus features an intuitive UI with easy to navigate layout. It is the best antivirus for Chromebooks. ESET does provide a full-screen layout, while most other rivals come with portrait orientation.
| For | Against |
| 1. The app doesn’t slow down, so the performance is so reliable. 2. The antivirus feature is so amazing. 3. It has real-time app scanning and security features. 4. Remote scanning with advanced controls. 5. It automatically updates the virus database. 6. Lightweight software that is easy to configure. | 1. Malware protection is neither good nor bad. 2. Lacks a few additional features that are offered by other brands. 3. Considering the features, it is a bit expensive. |
9. McAfee
Cost:- $29.99/year for one device; $34.99/year for 5 devices; $39.99/year for 10 devices; LiveSafe $39.99/year for unlimited devices.
McAfee takes PC protection to the next level. It includes various features from internet security to performance optimization and whatnot. It does offer 5 different security plans and is the best Antivirus for Chromebook.
| For | Against |
| 1. Easy to use and configure with a generous device installation policy. 2. The level of virus protection is above average. 3. The virus detection rate is higher and excellent. 4. Unlimited VPN with an in-built password manager. 5. File shredder to permanently delete and secure file. 6. Features include comprehensive internet security, protection from identity theft. 7. Other than that VPN, WiFi security, safe web browsing, storage encryption, performance optimization, etc. | 1. Lacks common device protections. 2. Slow down the booting process. 3. Not so overwhelming malware detection. |
10. BullGuard
Cost:- $30/year for 1 device; $48/2 years for 1 device; $60/3 years for 1 device. $200/year for 10 devices.
It is yet another the best anti-virus for Chromebook. It is highly configurable and also comes with game boosters. It is a London-based company. BullGuard claims to give real-time protection.
| For | Against |
| 1. It has got great backup options and comes with 5 GB of online hosted backups. 2. Moreover a decent software that can provide good security to our computers. 3. The spam filters are beyond the expectation level. 4. You can customize the scan and come with an efficient game booster. 5. It brings out dangerous websites and ensures safe browsing. 6. The software includes vulnerability scans. | 1. The interface is a bit clumsy. 2. Installation requires third-party support. 3. The phishing protection is so poor. |
11. Intego
Cost:- $49.99/year for 1 device; $99.99/year for 3 devices.
This appears to be designed initially for Mac, but still, it does work with the Chromebook. It works as antivirus software and hosts various security and privacy features.
| For | Against |
| 1. It does provide excellent antivirus protection. 2. And also, it provides real-time protection against malware. 3. Moreover, it comes with Firewall protection too. 4. The user interface is very intuitive and friendly. 5. Has various rich features that are more than we expect. 6. In all anti-malware tests, its performance is stable and decent. | 1. Some features can be accessed with the pro version. 2. There is no browser protection or VPN. 3. The Chromebook version is limited to the scanner. |
12. MacKeeper
Cost:- $58/month for 1 device for 1 year plan; $68/month for 1 device for 6 months plan.
Even this sounds like designed for Mac, but we have got its version for Chromebook too. So this is on the list of the best anti-virus for Chromebook. There are a fair set of features, but going for a paid version is up to your choice.
| For | Against |
| 1. There are many features to ensure security and privacy. 2. The application has got integrated VPN. 3. The on-demand virus scan is high-speed. 4. ID theft guards reveal passwords in case of a data breach. 5. The anti-theft protection is so simple yet powerful. 6. There are a wide variety of features that would be helpful for experts. | 1. Many tools are not useful. So they seem overpriced. 2. The memory cleaner slow-downs computer performance. 3. Anti-theft features didn’t work well. 4. No protection from malicious or fraudulent URLs. |
13. ZoneAlarm by checkpoint
Cost:- $39.95/year for 5 devices; Extreme security – $44.95/year for 5 devices.
ZoneAlarm has full features that could protect your system from various malware threats. It is the best Antivirus for Chromebook and combines Kaspersky-powered antivirus with an effective firewall.
| For | Against |
| 1. The antivirus is powered by Kaspersky. So, an additional hand in protection. 2. The two-way firewall feature is very tough and more effective as well. 3. There are various bonus features and a free version. 4. Parental control is based on Net-Nanny. 5. The spam filter is highly precise. 6.Anti-theft features are also excellent. 7. And keeps your online transfers safe. | 1. There are possibly false-positive reports. 2. The various necessary components are outsourced. 3. No protection from malicious or fraudulent sites. 4. Antivirus features and privacy protection lacks in the test. |
Best Anti-Virus for Chromebook- Extensions
14. HTTPS Everywhere
The main aim of HTTPS is to convert all the HTTP sites to HTTPS. It protects us from surveillance. And it also provides security against auto hijacking. And even some forms of censorship are blocked. It does safeguard our browsing and ensures security. It protects our data from spying and tracking.
Cons: Sometimes, it crashes or freezes downloads. It reduces functions on essential sites too. Users have to allow the sites with double confirmation that is often irritating.
15. Privacy Badger
In the case of HTTPS, we need to find and block threats. But the Privacy Badger automatically detects them and blocks the trackers. It had a global pact to insist that your data are safe and not shared. It can also remove the outgoing link to Facebook or Google to safeguard your data and let them not track you down.
Cons: It brings website loading issues. Sometimes, the website would be blocked. The trackers and other related stuff are not so reliable, and few sites can still track you even with the privacy badger.
Related: Best Antivirus for Linux
16. Web of Trust (WoT)
The next best antivirus extension for Chromebook is Web of Trust. You will get a warning message when you visit a dangerous site. Not only sites, but you also get warnings for scams, malware, phishing, rogue web stores, dangerous links, etc. The features include safe browsing, real-time protection, parental control, etc.
Cons: The website ratings aren’t so reliable. It brings lots of pop-ups that will be annoying. It sometimes blocks reliable pages, that is another headache.
17. Ghostery
Ghostery is popularly known for ad-blocking and related stuff. It is a powerful privacy protection extension and blocks various ads, even in-builts. Ghostery protects your privacy by controlling the websites that collect your data. It enhances the browsing speed. You can customize your own dashboard. Moreover, we have got rewards for surfing and online purchases.
Cons: Ghostery rewards are nothing but their own ads, which will pop out whenever it wants. Recent updates block file uploads. Moreover, all the functions had nothing to deal with antivirus
18. Online Antivirus Scan
The main function of this extension is to scan the various files and websites for threats and malware. It does offer more than 40+ solutions for scanning. It can scan the various suspicious files and links like the famous antivirus applications such as Bitdefender, Avira, Avast, etc., Not fancier but functional.
Cons: The scanning feature doesn’t seem to work well. All the scans require manual approval. The main issue comes with the scanning ability. Sometimes it just allows various access without approval.
19. Antivirus Security Scan
It is yet another virus scanning software that helps us to scan various websites and files. Even it does provide 40+ solutions for the problems. All you are required to do is open the scan web app, upload the file or URL. Now the security scan will scan and give you the results. It can link with various antivirus apps like Avira, Avast, Bitdefender, etc.
Cons: It only scans the files and URL for viruses. But there are no automatic scanning functions. Moreover, it doesn’t provide security for antivirus. Simultaneously, it doesn’t help us with privacy protection.
20. RAM Antivirus
It helps users to remove antiviruses and quickly. You can use it to protect your computer against theft, spyware, adware, hijackers, trojan horses, ransomware, PUP, etc. RAM Antivirus does provide the most optimal robust and real-time protection. It has a powerful firewall, personal security, and web protection tools.
Cons: There are a few stability issues in the performance. Moreover, the application is better than that of the extensions. Parental Control features are so distinguishable.
And that’s all about the best anti-virus for Chromebook. What would you prefer? Let us know in the comment section below.