Best antivirus software for business in 2023
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Dovilė Jankevičiūtė
Writer
Antivirus endpoint protection for small and mid-size businesses is as essential as for large companies. Smaller organizations tend to skip investing in malware protection; thus, they become a more potential target for hackers. However, using the antivirus for enterprise is crucial, no matter the company's size.
For the virus to spread and steal the organization’s information, it takes only a single unprotected device with access to the database. As of today, the majority of business antivirus programs are cloud-based, maintaining the whole network safe. Thanks to machine learning techniques, the threats are detected and stopped quickly across all devices.
However, along with virus protection programs improving, hackers are continuously taking a step forward too. So, it’s important to select the most advanced protection suite. Consequently, we have tested and selected the best 6 antivirus software for businesses and employees that offer top-notch security features, easy management, and a great price-to-quality ratio.
Top 6 best business antivirus software
- Bitdefender – best all-size antivirus software in 2023
- Norton Small Business – top-notch small company antivirus
- Avira Prime – small company protection with a VPN
- Trend Micro Business– endpoint AV security for large organizations
- ESET Protect Enterprise – all-size business threat detection and response
- Surfshark Antivirus – versatile small business antivirus
Best antivirus for business in 2023 – our detailed list:
It may be difficult to find the best antivirus for your business. Whether you are a small company or a large enterprise seeking to upgrade your network security system, we have selected suitable options for your business and employees.
1. Bitdefender GravityZone – top antivirus protection for all-size businesses overall
| Max simultaneous connections: | 100 devices |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, Linux and some other OS |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get Bitdefender for up to 67% OFF!🔥 |
Bitdefender is the best antivirus for your business, no matter the size of it. This provider offers an excellent combo of protection against various types of malware with intuitive software that leaves no disturbing impact on the device’s performance.
Security suite: a top-notch endpoint protection layer that uses machine learning continuously monitors and helps you prevent malicious actions on enterprises’ devices. Apart from machine learning technology, Bitdefender relies on cloud-based technology and signature-based malware scanning. One of the most impressive features the business security package includes is the Sandbox analyzer. It allows the IT administrator to test the threat in an enclosed environment thoroughly.
Other security features:
- Firewall
- Ransomware mitigation
- Web threat protection
- Root cause analysis
- Email protection
- MITRE anomaly defense
- Device control
Performance: both in-house and independent AV-TEST lab tests showed incredible Bitdefender business security results. February 2023 tests of the IT-Security Institute got this enterprise antivirus to present the highest score in protection, performance, and usability. During our tests, Bitdefender was able to block 10 out of 10 malicious file samples.
Compatibility: the company’s IT manager can investigate each employee’s device from a single security panel. It makes ensuring spotless protection for the team comfortable and easy. The protection suite works with Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms for up to 100 devices. If you have more team members to protect, you’d need to contact Bitdefender’s customer support.
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security is a top-notch antivirus software for all-size enterprises that combines unbreakable protection with great performance. The starting price of it is $89.99/year. You can choose from 1-year to 3-year subscriptions, they include 30-day money-back guarantees and 1-month trials to test the service individually.
To find out more, read our full Bitdefender review.
2. Norton Small Business – antivirus for small business with the most features
| Max simultaneous connections: | 20 |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get up to 66% OFF Norton Antivirus🔥 |
Norton Small Business speaks for itself – the antivirus is a way to go for small companies. It’s incredibly easy to set up. This provider is also a great pick if you are only starting your business and want to transfer your individual plan to the business one.
Security suite: one of the best features that Norton Small Business has is real-time problem solutions. The software protects your devices even during the rest hours, so you’re ensured constant protection from phishing and malware attacks. This AV gets frequent updates, and they also don’t interfere with work hours – saving your work time and reducing any potential lag. Spam blocking and Internet protection systems provide security against human error factors. No more accepting unknown files or visiting untrustworthy websites. Meanwhile, Norton's SONAR and Safe Web system offer email security and scans email boxes for malicious malware.
Other security features:
- Firewall
- Cloud backup
- Download Insight
- Identity protection
- Wi-Fi security
Performance: based on AV-TEST independent laboratory testing, Norton ensured a 100% success in protection against 0-day and 4-week-old threats. Our custom tests showed that this antivirus is capable of detecting and blocking different types of malware too. Including adware, ransomware, trojans, and more.
Compatibility: the Norton Small Business admin’s console allows you to manage the company’s devices' security from a single place. It uses a user-friendly interface, so it’s easy to work with and understand. There you can find an overview of your in-house security specs. If you have a new joiner, it’s effortless to set up a new device, as you only need to send an email from the hub to a new device. Luckily, the subscription works with PC, Mac, Android, and even iPhones allowing you to protect up to 20 devices at once.
Norton Small Business is less business-focused, compared to Bitdefender, but robust antivirus software. Using it for a small company is a great shot. The business plan pricing starts at $99.99/year for 20 devices. But you can lower the supported device number to 10 or 5, which impacts the overall plan price. You can also customize your package of features and add any extras as the need arises.
To find out more, check out our full Norton antivirus review.
3. Avira Prime – small companies antivirus with extra security tools
| Max simultaneous connections: | 25 |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Androids, iOS |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get 1 year of Avira at 43% OFF! 🔥 |
Avira Prime is a multi-platform corporate antivirus for a small business. As they promise, Avira's specialty is malware detection and protection from viruses. However, it also excels in ensuring complete privacy.
Security suite: apart from virus and ransomware protection, Avira Prime also secures you from infected websites. Moreso, the antivirus software package includes great email security and download protection. With Avira Prime, you will get real-time antivirus protection against malware and online threats. But some of the most powerful tools that Avira Prime has are a smart scan and a comprehensive cleaner. With a smart scan, you can check your system for malware, weak passwords, outdated apps, and vulnerable networks. Comprehensive cleaner provides a file shredder. Once the file’s gone, you don't have to worry about it ever again. You also get constant software updates, so you're always enjoying the latest product improvements.
Other security features:
- VPN
- Password manager
- Firewall
- Software updater
Performance: despite a more modest business security suite, Avira is a top-notch protection provider. During both AV-TEST and our in-house tests, the provider excelled in protection against 0-day and 4-week-old threats. There were only tiny slips, like missing 1 out of 10 malicious file samples.
Compatibility: unfortunately, Avira Antivirus doesn’t have a centralized control panel for businesses. And the features support for Windows and Android systems is more extensive than the one for macOS or iOS. Also, these are the only OS they offer antivirus software for. Since this provider is more suitable for small organizations, the maximum amount of protected gadgets is 25.
Although the provider doesn’t include exclusive business features in the software, you still get a versatile set of tools. The pricing starts from $129.99/year, you can customize the number of protected devices from either 5 or 25 gadgets and choose from a 1-month, 1-year, or 2-year subscription length.
To find out more, read our full Avira review.
4. Trend Micro Business – versatile antivirus suite for large businesses
| Max simultaneous connections: | Unlimited devices |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Linux, Androids, iOS |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get Trend Micro, now 54% OFF! 🔥 |
Trend Micro is a reliable cloud-based antivirus product. It supports anything from small businesses to medium businesses to an enterprise. You control the software through a singular manager platform. There you get all the security information and endpoint protection control, so the size of the company isn’t a hurdle for your security.
Security suite: Trend Micro antivirus product promises live protection against phishing attacks and other malware. The software learns from your behavior and adapts to your needs. Machine learning technology works to combat all phishing attacks for endpoint security. For best protection, Trend Micro software automatically detects both already known and unknown malware for your systems. It blocks the virus attacks before they even happen. You can access a visual attack story for a chain of events to analyze where the weak spot in the company’s system is. Additionally, this antivirus software updates automatically, so you don’t have to worry about outdated and vulnerable systems.
Other security features:
- VPN
- Safe browser
- Threat protection on Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox, and Box
- Email security
- 24/7 alerts and monitoring
- Cloud sandboxing
Performance: Trend Micro is one of the most capable antiviruses on the market. It presents excellent results in blocking AV-TEST given 0-day and 4-week-old infections. Our in-house tests only proved its capabilities once again and revealed a low impact on the device’s performance.
Compatibility: this software works with most operating systems and includes mobile device coverage. In case of any issues, customer support is available via live chat. And for bigger issues, you can access ticket support. One thing to note, there is no protection against USB viruses, so it’s your responsibility to prevent malicious USB attacks.
At first, Trend Micro seems like a comprehensive business antivirus for all needs. However, the number of available plans with different features is quite confusing. You can select from Endpoint Security, Workload Security, Small Business, or Security Operations plans. The pricing is determined by the provider itself after submitting a query.
To find out more, read our full Trend Micro review.
5. ESET Protect Enterprise – secure and quick all-size business antivirus suite
| Max simultaneous connections: | 100 |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, Android, macOS, Linux |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get ESET, save up to 15%🔥 |
ESET is cloud-based antivirus software for small business security. The provider comes with three different subscription plans, including allo crucial features in each. With it, your company will easily prevent ranswomare, phishing scams, exploit, and other threats. .
Security suite: ESET antivirus software offers protection based on machine learning and human expertise. It adapts to your activity and learns from the logged issues and attacks to protect you from future issues. One of the best features is the ESET endpoint security. It offers ransomware protection, prevents file-less attacks, blocks targeted attacks, as well as prevents data breaches. Meanwhile, the advanced threat defense looks for anomalies and blocks never seen threats before. And complete disk encryption and file server protection ensure that all data traveling through your company’s servers are protected.
Other security features:
- Email protection
- Cloud app protection
- Detection and response
Performance: sadly, ESET Protect for businesses hasn’t been independently tested by AV-TEST. However, our in-house tests showed that the provider easily detects and blocks malicious attachments, adware, worms, as well as other threats. Moreover, the impact on the device was low enough to continue working without interruptions.
Compatibility: your company’s IT manager can control ESET through a singular management platform. It provides all the data of your security system and allows you to manage all endpoint security and user activities. The antivirus covers most of the operating systems’ security, but there’s no iOS support. Also, you can’t contact them via live chat.
All three ESET business plans allow you to cover from 5 to up to 100 devices, and the cost of ESET Protect Complete starts from $211/year for 5 devices.
To find out more, check out our full ESET antivirus review.
6. Surfshark Antivirus – all-in-on antivirus solution for small businesses
| Max simultaneous connections: | 5 |
| Free version: | No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Android |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get Surfshark Antivirus - 82% OFF + 2 months FREE! 🔥 |
Surfshark Antivirus is a beginner-friendly all-around protection suite for small businesses. The provider is well-known for its market-leading VPN service and overall security-focused approach, including lightweight virus protection.
Security suite: Surfshark offers three types of malware scans: manual, scheduled, and real-time. Apart from them, Surfshark’s Cloud Protect system will analyze unfamiliar files to block zero-day threats. Another important feature to note is the Alert, which is responsible for monitoring emails, credit cards, as well as personal IDs and informing you about data breaches.
Other security features:
- Ad blocker
- Tracker blocker
- Country-specific search results
- Webcam protection
- Built-in next-gen VPN
Performance: looking back to independent AV-TEST lab tests from December 2022, Surfshark has performed decently, scoring 4.5 out of 6 points in protection against malware infections. But it’s still 1.5 less than Bitdefender GravityZone got. A less competent performance was revealed during our in-house tests too. The average success rate during malware scans was more or less 50%.
Compatibility: there’s no control panel that the manager could use to track security performance across the company’s devices. Nevertheless, the application is one of the most intuitive on the market, making it an excellent choice for fresh antivirus users. The Surfshark Antivirus app works on Windows, macOS, as well as Android devices, and you can protect up to 5 gadgets at once.
Surfshark Antivirus is an all-around security suite that helps small organizations stay safe from viruses, online tracking, and other online threats. The pricing starts from $53.88/year, and you can choose between 1-month, 1-year, and 2-year plans. The provider also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Explore features more in our Surfshark Antivirus review.
How we tested these business antiviruses
| Providers tested: | 25 |
| Operating systems used: | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Minimum virus detection rate: | 95% |
| Features tested: | Management dashboard, endpoint security, real-time protection, scanning options, web protection, spam filters, firewall, email protection, extra features |
Different size businesses may need specific security features for the antivirus to include. Additionally, the security software must be compatible with work-focused devices. With this in mind, we have run thorough tests on over 20 antivirus suites following the criteria below:
- OS support. We ensured the antivirus supported the most common operating systems. For our tests specifically, we used the Virtualbox VM with Windows 11 installed on Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 2 device with AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U processor, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, with Windows 11 Pro operating system.
- Malware detection rates. We’ve tested each software to reach a higher than 95% success rate in malware detection and if they flag any false positive attacks.
- Malware protection. To curate our list we took into account what malware protection each provider offers. The highest placements covered most of the possible cyber-attacks.
- Price. Business antivirus software can be pricey, especially the ones with lots of features. Therefore, we looked for the providers that offer a fair price-to-quality ratio.
- User support. For businesses it’s important to get help in case of emergency ASAP. Thus, we ensured the antivirus provider offers the possibility to have a dedicated customer support agent or at least general 24/7 customer support available.
Business antivirus software comparison
Here is a quick side-by-side comparison of all the providers mentioned on this list.
| Bitdefender | Norton | Avira | Trend Micro | ESET NOD32 | Surfshark AV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Rating | ||||||
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 60 days | 60 days for annual sub. 14 days paying monthly | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Device support | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, Linux and some other OS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Androids, iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, Androids, iOS | Windows, Android, macOS, Linux | Windows, Android, macOS |
| Best for | All-size businesses | Small businesses | Small businesses | All-size businesses | Small businesses | Small businesses |
| Endpoint security | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Management console | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Review | Bitdefender review | Norton 360 review | Avira review | Trend Micro review | ESET NOD32 review | Surfshark Antivirus review |
Do small businesses need antivirus?
Yes, small businesses do need antivirus protection. While the bigger number of company devices creates wider access for a hacker to the database, small businesses aren’t an exception, and relying on built-in protection tools only may lead to huge financial losses and other threats.
A dedicated business antivirus provides endpoint system security that can help avoid breaching sensitive data. This includes company’s credential information, management data, personal information of the employees, and other type of details.
Whether you run a micro business or a large corporation, you are responsible for securing other people too besides yourself only.
Also, multiple jurisdictions require for a business to conform with data privacy laws, no matter what size the company is. Consequently, it’s a must to ensure an all-around protection, which can only be achievable with dedicated security programs like antivirus.
What to look for in an enterprise antivirus?
For business owners, choosing the best antivirus software option is a crucial decision. With most of your data being online, security is of the most importance. But just blindly picking the most popular or expensive antivirus software isn’t smart. You need to know what features are a must, so your business is safe.
To invest in the best antivirus software option, it needs to cover these main features:
- Protection against malware. The main purpose of an antivirus is to secure your systems from dangerous viruses or phishing attacks. So, any good provider has to offer software with a high-security score and not flag false-positive attacks. Also, it should update often, to offer the best quality protection.
- OS support. Not all antivirus providers offer the same support for different OS systems. So it’s smart to check before buying the package if it works with your systems. And, if you’re using different OS systems, it’s crucial to check if you get the same amount of support for each.
- Email security. Another important feature to have since a lot of business information goes through email. Securing your email box will prevent data leaks and phishing attacks.
- A safe browser or VPN. The best antivirus software offers both of these features, but at least one of them is mandatory. This helps protect your identity and activity online. Also prevents from visiting malicious websites.
- Price. Businesses have a lot of expenses, so blindly choosing the cheapest or the most expensive antivirus software isn’t too smart. You need to pick the provider that is within your budget but still offers the necessary features you need.
Personal vs. Enterprise antivirus: What’s the difference?
While some might think that enterprises and individual users can rely on the same antivirus software to protect their devices and data, the reality is a little different. Enterprise and personal antiviruses are not the same, and here are some of the most significant differences:
- Management. While a consumer antivirus control panel is usually easy to navigate, and the product is ready for use once installed, enterprises most often have more than one device to protect. Moreover, these devices are connected to one network, and each is regarded as an endpoint of that network. Thus, enterprise security requires more sophisticated management which often involves a control panel in the cloud that provides an overview of the whole business network.
- Features. Enterprise antiviruses often have a lot more advanced security features, which may include internet security for businesses, and sophisticated endpoint security, and will often include machine learning and behavioral analytics to catch advanced threats and prevent data breaches.
- Versatility. While consumer antivirus software may be available for the most common operating systems, an enterprise antivirus has to be compatible with a great variety of devices, cloud services, servers, and more.
- Cost. Enterprise antivirus will always be a lot more expensive than personal antivirus software, simply because it is much more complex, more difficult to maintain, and requires more advanced security solutions.
Conclusion
With so many antivirus software in the business, it can be overwhelming to pick one. So, both small and large businesses need to decide what level of protection they require.
Flashy and popular, and expensive, antivirus software may appear attractive and the best choice. That is not always the case. Most expensive doesn’t mean the best for you.
Small businesses don’t always require the entire package of antivirus software features, so it’s important to really know what satisfies your business needs. Our top pick for small companies is Norton Small Business protection suite that covers up to 25 devices.
Meanwhile, we’ve picked Bitdefenfer GravityZone as the top pick for all-size business antivirus software. It has the best features for the price of its package, and this antivirus program has our seal of approval.
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FAQ
What’s the best antivirus for business?
According to our research, TotalAV is the best antivirus software for business use. It offers the best protection for the price of the software package. This antivirus protects from malware, phishing, or adware attacks. VPN and anti-phishing protection ensure online identity protection and security from malicious websites.
How much does antivirus software cost for a business?
Antivirus software for business can cost anywhere from $29/year for 6 devices and up to $40 per year for a single device.
Is Bitdefender good for small business?
Yes, Bitdefender is one of the best antiviruses for businesses. It has the widest range of features to provide small-to-mid-sized businesses with the best protection against viruses or malware.
Can a business use free antivirus?
Yes, you can use a free antivirus for a business but there are factors to consider. Free antivirus software has fewer features and lower security levels compared to a paid subscription. Moreso, there’s no customer support that’s crucial for all-size businesses.
Can I use a personal antivirus plan for my small business?
Yes, technically, you can use a personal antivirus for a small business. However, it’s not recommended, as dedicated corporate antivirus programs include multiple device protection and a central security dashboard. Additionally, a separate antivirus would vigilantly monitor business data only, resulting in better data protection
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