Best free trial antivirus software in 2023
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Andželika Jasevičiūtė
Writer
The best way to choose a good antivirus is to test it yourself. You can do so by selecting a provider that offers a free trial. Free trials also come in handy when you need uninterrupted protection, or want access to premium features free of charge. Unfortunately, you will only get to use the service for a short while, but it’s worth it nevertheless.
But the main issue is that not all providers offer a free trial period and not all antiviruses performs well. Some companies restrict important features on their free trials in hopes of persuading you to buy a premium plan. However, we managed to find the best free trial antiviruses of 2023 to help avoid disappointments.
Top 5 best antivirus with free trials
- Norton Antivirus – best antivirus with a free trial overall
- TotalAV – high-level security with a 30-day refund guarantee
- Bitdefender – 30-day free trial with comprehensive security
- NordVPN Threat Protection – great malware protection and VPN duo
- Surfshark Antivirus – online security suite with a free trial
What makes a good free trial antivirus?
With so many options available on the market, finding the best antivirus with a free trial can be challenging. To help you get started, we suggest looking at these criteria:
- Free trial duration. Check if the antivirus software offers a free trial. Most reputable antivirus companies provide a free trial period that allows you to test the software before purchasing a subscription. Remember to look at the duration of the free trial and ensure that it provides enough time to test the software thoroughly
- No limitations. Some providers offer a free trial with limited features, preventing you from testing everything the antivirus has to offer. Thus, when choosing a provider, check what features are included or limited in the free trial.
- Constantly updated. Ensure that a provider offers frequent malware database updates. As cyber threats evolve daily, your antivirus software must quickly learn and adapt to new threats.
- Cross-platform support. If you're using more than one device, it's essential to choose a provider to keep all of them secure. Ensure that the antivirus of your choice works with various platforms and can work on several devices simultaneously.
- Customer support. Having access to professional customer support is a great benefit. With their help, you'll be able to quickly resolve any issue or learn about how to use the software better.
- Additional features. Additional features can greatly improve your experience with antivirus software. A VPN, cloud storage, and password manager can increase your security and help you save money since you don't have to buy them separately.
- Price. Market-leading protection comes at a cost. The best providers are known to be rather expensive. Thus you need to look for a reasonable price and a great variety of features. Also, remember to evaluate auto-renewal prices, which may differ once your subscription period ends.
The best free trial antivirus of 2023
After evaluating dozens of providers that offered a free trial based on their protection, performance, features, and pricing plans, we have compiled a list of the top 5 providers. Read on for our recommended antivirus free trial options.
1. Norton Antivirus – best and most secure antivirus with a 7-day free trial
| Simultaneous connections: | 10 |
| Free trial: | 7 days |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get up to 66% OFF Norton Antivirus🔥 |
Norton Antivirus enhances protection with various features and demonstrates excellent performance. The provider comes with a 7-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee for all of its plans, making it one of the best options for those needing a free trial.
Independent laboratory tests: According to test results, Norton antivirus catches 100% of zero-day malware. On top of that, this antivirus detects no false positives and doesn't impact your computer speeds.
In-house tests: Similar to independent testing, we found that Norton blocks all threats. Although, it did appear heavy on our system's resources.
Features: The secret behind its impressive success rates is artificial intelligence. Norton's AI-based software efficiently detects threats to keep you safe online. The provider offers a VPN to enhance your security further, which encrypts your browsing traffic. Other great assets in its arsenal of features are dark web monitoring, password manager, firewall, and 50GB Cloud Backup.
Compatibility: The antivirus is available for all major platforms, which include Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. We tested all these apps and found the interfaces well-organized and easy to use.
Price: This robust provider costs $19.99/month after the free trial ends. Remember that to use its 7-day free trial, you'll be asked to provide credit card information.
To find all features of this product, visit our Norton Antivirus review.
2. TotalAV – top-notch essential protection with a 30-day money-back guarantee
| Simultaneous connections: | 6 |
| Free trial: | 30-day money back |
| Platforms: | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get TotalAV, now 84% OFF!🔥 |
TotalAV comes with impressive malware detection rates, making it one of the best antivirus on the market. While it doesn't offer a free trial, the provider gives you a 30-day money-back guarantee to test its service.
Independent laboratory tests: the independent testing results don't lie – TotalAV blocks 97% of zero-day and 100% of 4-week-old malware attacks. The excellent detection comes with another perk – zero false positives.
In-house tests: the provider has also nailed the in-house testing. It has blocked 10 out of 10 threats. On top of that, it was quite gentle on system resources.
Features: TotalAV's real-time protection protects you from malware, ransomware, and phishing emails. It also detects and blocks malicious websites, trackers, junk, and cached files. When it comes to additional features, TotalAV offers a VPN with unlimited data and a secure password manager to encrypt your traffic and passwords.
Compatibility: TotalAV offers a variety of apps with great user experience. They are compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux platforms.
Price: you can get all the impressive features and great performance for the price of $19.00/month. You can also use a free version or get a 30-day refund if you need an antivirus for a short period of time.
To find all features of this product, visit our TotalAV Antivirus review.
3. Bitdefender Antivirus – comprehensive security suite with a 30-day free trial
| Simultaneous connections: | 3 |
| Free trial: | 30-day money back |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get Bitdefender for up to 62% OFF!🔥 |
Bitdefender Antivirus is a solid option when you need trustworthy protection from a wide range of threats. It can efficiently detect and block viruses, malware, and ransomware. You can test out Bitdefender's capabilities with a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Independent laboratory tests: In the most recent tests, Bitdefender has achieved a near-perfect score. Its ability to block 100% of threats paired with no false positives earned the provider the highest rating possible.
In-house tests: We found that Bitdefender is very gentle on the system resources while maintaining high success rates. It found nine malicious files we planted in the system, and it took only a few seconds.
Features: Apart from industry-standard real-time scanning, Bitdefender offers web protection to safeguard you from malicious websites and downloads. Ransomware and anti-phishing protection are also included for your device's and your files' full security. Additionally, Bitdefender offers a VPN to encrypt your traffic, a password manager to secure your logins, and a file shredder to prevent unauthorized recovery of your documents.
Compatibility: Bitdefender is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. The software is lightweight and does not impact system performance. Plus, apps are well-designed and user-friendly.
Price: Bitdefender comes with several pricing plans starting at $23.99/month.
To find all features of this product, visit our Bitdefender review.
4. NordVPN Threat Protection – excellent malware protection paired with a market-leading VPN
| Simultaneous connections: | 6 |
| Free trial: | 7 days |
| Platforms: | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get NordVPN with 63% OFF + 3 months FREE!🔥 |
NordVPN Threat Protection is a security suite that safeguards your devices by efficiently blocking harmful sites, programs, trackers, and ads. You can try out the market-leading VPN and Threat Protection with a free 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
In-house tests: During our tests, Threat Protection blocked all ads and trackers that posed a risk to the device. It showed a 90% success rate when blocking malware-infected websites. On top of that, it prevented 8 out of 10 malicious downloads.
Features: the best asset that comes with Threat Protection is, of course, the VPN service. It is powered by market-leading tunneling protocols and encryption, guaranteeing top-notch security and speeds. The provider further enhances your security with a dark web monitor that warns you of your personal data leaks and a password manager.
Compatibility: NordVPN comes with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can also get extensions for Chrome and Firefox browsers. The provider's apps are well-designed and have an excellent user experience.
Price: You can get Threat Protection for free with every NordVPN subscription plan. If you decide to stick with it after your free trial or refund period ends, pricing starts at $3.29/month.
To find all features of this product, check NordVPN Threat Protection review.
5. Surfshark Antivirus – full online security suite with 7-day free trial
| Simultaneous connections: | 5 |
| Free trial: | 7 days |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Android |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get Surfshark Antivirus - 76% OFF!🔥 |
Surfshark is better known for its market-leading VPN service. However, the provider also offers antivirus software which is just as good. This efficient internet security suite has an excellent malware detection rate and useful features. Surfshark Antivirus comes with a free 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee to test its capabilities.
Independent laboratory tests: Undoubtedly, the provider delivers excellent security that reflects positively in independent tests. Surfshark snatched a 100% score at malware detection rates.
In-house tests: The software is incredibly fast. During our tests, it found 7 out of 10 potentially malicious files in just 90 seconds, scanning through 100,000 files.
Features: the best part about Surfshark Antivirus is that its real-time protection always safeguards your system. It's also concerned with your personal data security. Thus, it constantly monitors for possible leaks. If you don't trust your search engine, Surfshark offers an alternative. It provides a private and secure search engine that doesn't log your activities.
Compatibility: The antivirus is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Android. The only drawback of the service is that it's not compatible with iOS yet.
Price: the affordable price for a premium version is Surfshark's best asset. You can get the subscription for $41.88/month after making the best of a 7-day free trial.
To find all features of this product, visit our Surfshark Antivirus review.
How we tested free trial antiviruses
We compiled this list after running extensive testing on dozens of providers. Only the best antivirus software has made it into our list. For the sake of transparency, we are sharing the main criteria:
- Malware detection rates. An antivirus without solid protection is a waste of money. Thus, we checked independent testing results to see how well antivirus software performs. Only the most efficient software made its way into our list.
- In-house tests. Our team of researchers took on the challenge of testing the antivirus software themselves. We tested how these programs perform against a set of threats. We also had the chance to evaluate usability and user experience.
- Additional features. We took a close look at the features each provider offers. While not crucial, features such as a VPN and password manager boost the software value and increase your security.
- Transparent pricing terms. We choose antiviruses that offer transparent and clear pricing plans. We filtered out providers with hidden fees, shady auto-renewal practices, and low value.
Comparison of best antivirus with free trials
| Norton 360 | TotalAV | Bitdefender | NordVPN TP | SurfsharkAV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand |  |  |  |  |  |
| Rating | |||||
| Free version | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days | 30 days | 7 days | 7 days |
| Price | From $19.99/year | From $19.00/year | From $23.99/year | From $3.29/month | From $41.88/year |
| Device support | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox | Windows, macOS, Android |
| Features |
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| Review | Norton 360 review | TotalAV review | Bitdefender review | NordVPN Threat Protection review | Surfshark AV review |
What are the benefits of a free trial antivirus?
By taking advantage of a free trial, you can select the right antivirus software that meets your needs and provides reliable protection for your device and personal information. Free trials are a great way to see what the provider offers without investing your money. You can even determine how software compares to other providers.
Getting a free trial antivirus is also a good idea when to need uninterrupted protection. This is especially useful when you are in the process of choosing a premium provider but you need protection now. Additionally, a free trial allows you to save money on the subscription. While temporary, they allow you to use full malware protection and additional features such as a VPN.
Antivirus free trial vs money-back guarantee: what's the difference?
A free trial and a money-back guarantee are both excellent ways to test out the service. However, there are some important differences between them. The main one is that typically free trials don't require you to provide a payment method. Meanwhile, to use the money-back guarantee, you must pay for the service first.
While the duration of a free trial is usually much shorter than a refund period, it provides enough time to get the gist of the service. You can use the service completely free and evaluate the features and performance of the software. However, remember that some providers offer limited access to features on the free trials to encourage you to subscribe for the full experience.
On the other hand, a money-back guarantee requires you to subscribe to a particular pricing plan. This way, you'll get access to everything the software offers. The main drawback here is clear – you must provide your billing details and pay for the subscription. If you fail to cancel the subscription within a certain period, you won't get your money back, even if you don't like the service.
All things considered, free trials have the edge over refund options. After all, it doesn't require much effort on your part and doesn't put your finances at risk.
How can I get an antivirus free trial?
Getting a free trial is a simple process. Here's how to get a Norton free trial:
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Visit the Norton website and choose a plan you would like to try for free.
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Once you select a product, click the "Free Trial" button.
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You will be asked to create a Norton account by providing your email address and creating a password.
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After creating your account, download and install the software
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Now you can log in and run your first scan.
Are free trial antivirus protection safe?
Yes, a free trial antivirus is entirely safe to use. If you choose a reputable provider, you will receive adequate protection for your device. However, there are several security precautions you should take note of.
First of all, make sure you download the software from a reputable and trustworthy source. When possible, avoid third-party websites. When you download software from unofficial sources, you risk getting infected with malware, spyware, and other threats.
Even though free trials typically don’t involve any commitments, you should always read the trial terms. In some cases, free trials can come with certain conditions and limitations. For instance, a provider may limit access to some features or charge your credit card without warning at the end of the term.
Lastly, it’s essential to double-check the duration of the trial. Since this free period varies from provider to provider, ensuring you know the exact end date will allow you to avoid surprises, such as automatic payments. Keeping in check with the trial duration will also let you see when the protection expires and you become exposed to online threats.
Conclusion
Choosing the right antivirus can be easier if you try it out. That's where a free trial comes in handy. Not only is it useful for trying out the provider's features, but it can also let you compare software to other providers, save costs, get uninterrupted security, and access premium features free of charge.
If you're ready to get an antivirus free trial, we recommend choosing Norton. The provider offers a 7-day free trial and a lengthy 60-day money-back guarantee. The best part about Norton is the performance. The antivirus has nailed in-house and independent testing, guaranteeing users the best possible protection. On top of that, Norton comes with a wide range of features, such as a VPN, dark web monitoring, password manager, and 50GB Cloud Backup.
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FAQ
What's the best antivirus with a free trial?
The best antivirus with a free trial is Norton. The provided has nailed both independent lab testing and our in-house tests, proving it's the top antivirus with a free trial. On top of that, it comes with a wide range of features to boost your browsing experience. You can try Norton Antivirus with a 7-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Can I get an antivirus free trial with no credit card?
Yes, some antiviruses offer a free trial without asking for credit card information. We recommend Bitdefender. The provider offers an easy setup for a 30-day free trial that doesn't require any payment information.
Which antivirus has the longest free trial?
Bitdefender antivirus offers a 30-day free trial. You can sign up for it without credit, and payment will be charged to your account. Once the trial ends, you may subscribe to the premium service for xx/month.
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