F-Secure Internet Security review

F‑Secure Internet Security is a user-friendly antivirus tool built for everyday protection. Developed by the Finnish cybersecurity company F‑Secure, it focuses on core features like real-time malware scanning, web protection, and ransomware defense – all delivered through a clean, minimal interface that’s easy to navigate.

Beyond basic antivirus, it includes useful extras such as banking protection, parental controls, and browsing safeguards that block malicious websites. These tools help reduce online risks without requiring much setup or maintenance. While it doesn’t lead the pack in malware detection, it still performs well enough for general use and is ideal for users who value simplicity over complexity.

Overall, F‑Secure Internet Security balances ease of use with just the right amount of protection and extra features, making it a solid option for people who want straightforward digital security without getting too technical.

⭐ Rating:	3.5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
🥇 Overall rank:	#24 out of #27
💵 Price:	From $34.99/year
✂️ Free version:	No
🖥️ Platforms:	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
🔥 Coupons:	F-Secure coupon 58% OFF

F-Secure Internet Security pros and cons

How much does F-Secure Internet Security cost?

F‑Secure’s antivirus plans are structured around the number of devices you need to protect and your preferred subscription length. You can secure 1, 3, or 5 devices, with options to pay annually or every two years. The most popular choice is the 1-year plan for 3 devices, priced at $64.99/year. This flexible approach makes it easy to match your antivirus protection to your household’s needs.

Devices	1 year	2 years
1	$49.99/year	$89.99/year
3	$64.99/year	$114.99/year
5	$69.99/year	$124.99/year

F‑Secure’s entry-level plan costs $49.99/year for 1 device, above the market average, where most top antivirus providers offer single-device coverage for around $40.00/year. For comparison, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is priced at $39.99/year, and ESET NOD32 Antivirus sits at $34.99/year.

F‑Secure’s multi-device plans (3 devices for $64.99/year or 5 for $69.99/year) offer slightly better value but still fall short against competitors like TotalAV, which protects 3 devices for $49.00/year – frequently discounted to $19.00/year, and Norton Antivirus Plus, starting at $29.99/year for 1 device. Overall, while F‑Secure Internet Security is a capable product, its pricing may not be as competitive as other top-rated antivirus tools.

Getting started with F-Secure antivirus

I tested F‑Secure Internet Security using its 30-day free trial, and the experience was smooth from the start. Installation was quick, with no unnecessary 2FA steps or setup friction. Once installed, the app immediately offers a clean dashboard that neatly displays all core features. Each tool prompts setup individually, giving users control over how and when to activate protections like real-time antivirus, VPN, or password vault.

The design is modern, minimal, and accessible. Unlike some bloated antivirus apps, F‑Secure avoids overwhelming users with excessive jargon or menus. Navigation is simple and intuitive. Main features are clearly labeled, and settings are easy to understand. Even more advanced tools, like Scam Protection or ID Monitoring, feel approachable for everyday users.

That said, I did run into a few small issues. For example, finding quarantined files wasn’t obvious – they’re tucked away in the settings rather than shown up front. For first-time users (like me), that could be confusing. It would also be helpful to have a basic search bar to quickly locate settings or features. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it stood out during testing.

In testing, I found the setup tasks – like removing conflicting software or enabling browser protection – well-guided but not overly pushy. Feature availability depends on your plan: the free trial unlocks everything for 30 days, but some tools (like VPN or ID Monitoring) disappear if you don’t subscribe.

All in all, using F‑Secure antivirus felt smooth and intuitive. It’s clear it has put effort into making the app user-friendly, even if a few things could be polished. If you’re after a simple, full-featured security suite that doesn’t require a tech background, this one’s a strong contender.

Lab test results

F-Secure antivirus pack earned a perfect protection score and a Top Product certificate from AV-TEST in February 2025, showing flawless detection in both 0-day and widespread malware tests. Meanwhile, AV-Comparatives praised its protection rate but highlighted a high false positive rate and noted a heavier impact on system performance.

According to AV-TEST, F-Secure blocked 100% of threats in both real-world and reference set scenarios. It scored 6 out of 6 in all three evaluated categories: protection, performance, and usability. These results show that F-Secure can detect and block threats without slowing down the system noticeably in a controlled environment.

AV-Comparatives also rated F-Secure Internet Security highly in terms of protection, reporting a 99.99% protection rate. However, it recorded 65 false positives – the highest in the test – categorizing it as remarkably many. This could mean legitimate files or apps might occasionally be flagged as malicious, which may be disruptive. F-Secure also received an impact score of 18.5, placing it in the bottom half of all tested tools for system performance. In comparison, tools like McAfee or Norton demonstrated significantly lower system impact.

These lab results confirm that F-Secure is highly secure but may be less ideal for users who prioritize system lightness or work with niche software that might trigger false alarms.

Our in-house testing results with F-Secure Internet Security

The test setup included a Windows 10 virtual machine running on an AMD-powered ThinkPad T14s with 10GB memory and 5 vCPUs allocated. The malware package was downloaded in ZIP format and extracted into the Downloads folder – a deliberate move to check if F‑Secure scans extracted files more aggressively than compressed ones.

Malware and ransomware protection

To evaluate F‑Secure’s malware and ransomware detection capabilities, the Cybernews research team and I ran a controlled test using 50 samples from bazaar.abuse.ch. The goal was simple: assess how well F‑Secure handles real-world threats during extraction, execution, and scans.

Detection kicked in only after extraction. F‑Secure Internet Security quarantined 45 out of 50 files almost immediately through real-time protection, sending out persistent system-level alerts, even after disabling Windows notifications. While this aggressive notification behavior ensures threats are not missed, it can feel intrusive, especially when alerts bypass system-level settings.

Full scan results were underwhelming. The initial full scan took 20 minutes and found none of the quarantined files, likely because they’d already been flagged. To test deeper detection, I manually restored all quarantined files and reran the full scan. The result? Still 0/50 detected, even though the files were reintroduced. CPU usage during this second scan spiked to 98%, with RAM averaging 46% and disk usage hitting 64%.

Quick scan was completed in about a minute, but it too failed to flag any malicious files. System impact was lighter: 52% CPU, 44% RAM, and nearly zero disk usage.

Phishing and real-time protection

The in-house research team hosted known malware URLs locally via Apache using data from URLhaus Abuse to test F‑Secure’s phishing and URL blocking engine. Out of 15 live malicious links, only 4 were blocked. That’s just over 25%, a notably poor showing compared to leading competitors like Bitdefender or Norton, which typically block over 85% in similar conditions.

While F‑Secure's real-time detection reacts quickly post-extraction and aggressively pushes alerts, its scan engine showed disappointing depth. It failed to pick up previously quarantined files and struggled with phishing link detection.

System resource usage during full scans was also unusually high, which makes it a tough sell for users looking for lightweight, dependable protection. There's potential here, but the tool feels like it's still in its refinement phase – strong on interface and usability, but weak where it matters most: malware elimination.

Unique security tools in F‑Secure: Scam Protection

F‑Secure includes a suite of browser-based security tools under the umbrella of its Scam Protection feature, aimed at guarding users from phishing, digital skimming, and malicious websites. While this toolset isn't unique in name, its layered protection, split into banking, shopping, and general browsing shields, makes it one of the more detailed browser security implementations I’ve seen.

Scam Protection (via browser extension)

To activate most of F‑Secure’s online protections, users need to install a browser extension, available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. This extension powers several core features:

• Browsing Protection. This feature flags search results and blocks access to dangerous or suspicious websites. Users can customize their behavior, choosing to block prohibited content, show reputation scores in major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo), and whitelist safe sites if needed.
• Banking Protection. It is a standout feature that disconnects untrusted apps, clears your clipboard, and temporarily disables scripting tools or remote access during banking sessions. It's specifically designed to combat digital skimming and man-in-the-middle attacks.
• Shopping Protection. Alerts you when you're browsing suspicious e-Commerce sites and shows indicators for safe shopping environments. This helps prevent phishing or payment fraud during online purchases.
• Ad Blocker and Cookie Popup Blocker. These are designed to improve browsing privacy and reduce distractions. The ad blocker targets intrusive ads, while the cookie blocker attempts to automatically reject non-essential tracking cookies where possible.

In practice

Despite the rich feature set, the browser extension’s reliability was inconsistent in testing. On a clean Windows 10 virtual machine using Edge, F‑Secure's ad blocker failed to activate properly, displaying an error message suggesting an incompatible version. This raises concerns about stability and ongoing maintenance of the extension, especially on non-Chrome browsers.

That said, features like Banking Protection worked as intended, isolating the session and issuing clear notifications. This level of session control is rare among mainstream antivirus tools – Norton and Bitdefender, for instance, offer banking protection, but with less granular control over clipboard use or script blocking.

Bitdefender Safepay, for example, runs in a sandboxed environment and blocks screenshots, but clipboard use is not fully isolated: users can copy and paste between Windows and Safepay, meaning the clipboard is not strictly locked down.

Customization and usability

Each module within Scam Protection is toggleable, and users can fine-tune how aggressively the system reacts, whether it blocks, warns, or simply flags suspicious behavior. Website exceptions can also be managed easily within the settings panel, giving users flexibility without sacrificing safety.

F‑Secure’s Scam Protection suite offers more depth than most competitors, particularly in its Banking Protection module, which adds multiple layers of security for online financial activity. However, the fact that these features rely heavily on a sometimes-unreliable browser extension is a drawback. The potential is strong, especially for privacy-conscious users, but polish and consistency are needed to fully compete with top-tier offerings like Bitdefender’s Anti-Fraud or Norton Safe Web.

F‑Secure’s Password Vault

F‑Secure includes a Password Vault – a useful bonus for anyone who wants to simplify password management without relying on third-party apps. While not unique to antivirus tools, built-in vaults remain rare among top-tier antivirus providers, and this one holds its own with several thoughtful features.

What it does and why it matters

The Password Vault stores your logins securely and can autofill credentials across websites and apps. This helps eliminate the need to remember multiple passwords and reduces the temptation to reuse weak or identical passwords, a common security vulnerability. Tools like password analysis provide insight into whether your current credentials are secure, flagging reused or weak entries that may put you at risk.

In practice

In testing, F‑Secure’s vault offered a clean, no-fuss experience. Autofill worked well in browsers, and the built-in 2FA feature lets you securely link devices to access your vault from more than one endpoint. You can also import existing credentials or export your data if you ever decide to switch platforms, a convenience not all competitors offer.

One feature I appreciated was the automatic lock timer, which ensures the vault locks itself after a period of inactivity – useful for shared or unsecured machines.

While providers like Norton and Bitdefender also offer password managers, F‑Secure’s Password Vault feels simpler and faster to set up. It doesn’t come with advanced features like secure file storage or breach monitoring, but for users seeking basic, secure credential storage directly within their antivirus, it does the job effectively.

In comparison, Norton Password Manager is also simple and intuitive, operating mainly as a browser extension. However, it has some limitations, such as restricted import options for passwords (it only accepts imports from a few sources and not from all major browsers), which can make initial setup slower if you are migrating from another password manager or browser.

Customization and usability

The vault’s minimalist design makes it accessible even for first-time users. You can adjust the lock timer, manage autofill permissions, and configure syncing across devices. For privacy-focused users who don’t want to trust their passwords to a separate cloud-based provider, F‑Secure’s locally encrypted vault is a welcome inclusion.

F‑Secure’s Password Vault isn’t the most advanced on the market, but it hits the right balance between simplicity and essential functionality. It’s a valuable tool for anyone looking to boost login security without juggling separate apps, and a rare bonus in an antivirus suite.

Impact on PC performance

For this test, I ran F‑Secure Internet Security on a ThinkPad T14s equipped with Windows 11, an AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7540U CPU, Radeon 740M graphics, and 16GB RAM. All antivirus scans were performed inside an Oracle VirtualBox running Windows 10 (64-bit) with 10GB memory, 50GB storage, and 5 vCPUs allocated – an environment close to what many everyday users might have.

During testing, the F‑Secure antivirus service showed significant resource usage, especially under full scans. During a full system scan that lasted 20 minutes, F-Secure used around 98% of CPU, 46% of RAM, and 64% of disk resources. Despite the heavy load, it didn’t detect any malware, likely because the malicious files had already been quarantined.

The quick scan, which took just under a minute, was much lighter on the system. It used about 52% CPU and 44% RAM, with no noticeable disk usage. However, like the full scan, it failed to detect any of the 50 test malware files.

While the app felt lightweight during idle use, active scanning noticeably strained the system, particularly the CPU load. This could lead to sluggish performance on lower-end machines, especially if you're multitasking.

Bottom line: F‑Secure still feels resource-heavy under pressure, and performance optimization remains an area for improvement. For casual users who scan infrequently, this may not be a deal-breaker, but power users will feel the drag.

Verdict: easy-to-use package

F‑Secure Internet Security delivers a clean, well-organized security suite with a focus on ease of use and essential tools like scam protection, a VPN, and a built-in password manager. It’s clearly designed with usability in mind, and the overall interface feels modern and efficient.

However, its real-world malware protection lags behind leading competitors. In testing, F‑Secure Internet Security failed to detect threats during full scans and showed inconsistent behavior with quarantined items. Despite high resource consumption, its detection rates didn’t meet the standard set by top performers like TotalAV or Norton.

While it may suit casual users who prioritize design and simplicity, those seeking advanced protection and performance would be better served by more established antivirus solutions.

FAQ