TotalAV review 2025
To introduce independent antivirus software reviews that are free from undue influence or bias, we conduct thorough in-house tests and analysis. Our final assessments are based on objective criteria and empirical evidence.
We frequently repeat our tests, evaluate new features, and perform reassessments to make sure our reviews are accurate and up to date.
Learn moreTotalAV is a simple, effective antivirus tool that’s perfect for day-to-day internet users. With powerful security features like malware detection, reliable real-time protection, and various device scanning methods, TotalAV will keep your device secure. If you want more security, you can choose an upgraded plan with a robust ad blocker, VPN, and device optimization tools.
Price: | From $19.00/year |
Free version: | Yes |
OS compatibility: | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
Coupons: | TotalAV coupon 80% OFF |
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Effective malware detection and removal – TotalAV offers top-tier malware detection rates and will keep your device safe
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Performance optimization tools – all plans include tools to help you optimize your device’s performance
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User-friendly interface – TotalAV’s interface is really simple and accessible, making it easy to ensure your device’s security
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Cross-platform compatibility – TotalAV is available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, so you can protect every device you own
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Frequent alerts and notifications – TotalAV’s tendency to pop up at various times can be frustrating, especially if it comes at an inopportune time
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Big difference between first and second-year prices – given the great deal you get for the first year, the price hike in the second year can be jarring




Our team of researchers thoroughly tests antivirus software following a well-established testing process. In unison, our experts combine in-house and independent testing lab findings with first-hand experience to help you make informed decisions about each product. Learn how we test antivirus software.
TotalAV is a cybersecurity company offering one of the best and most affordable antivirus solutions on the market. TotalAV protects your device from malware and removes it before it does any damage. To write this TotalAV review, we tested it thoroughly and found that while it does a great job dealing with ransomware, it can fail to detect phishing sites. Even so, I think its solid malware detection results and affordable prices make it an excellent choice in the current antivirus market.
TotalAV review – at a glance
Malware detection and protection: | ✅ Yes |
Web protection: | ✅ Yes |
Number of supported devices: | Up to 8, depending on plan |
Device performance optimization: | ✅ Yes |
Device compatibility: | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
Ad blocker: | ✅ Yes (Total Security plan) |
System clean-up tools: | ✅ Yes |
VPN: | ✅ Yes (Internet Security and Total Security plan) |
Password manager: | ✅ Yes (Total Security plan) |
Firewall: | ❌ No |
Money-back guarantee: | 30 days |
How much does TotalAV cost per year?
How much does TotalAV cost per year?
You can get TotalAV Antivirus Pro for as little as $19.00/year and protect up to 5 devices. While it’s one of the most affordable antivirus services available, you can find even more budget-friendly options, such as Bitdefender’s Antivirus Plus plan, which costs only $9.99/year but protects only one device.
For this review, I used the Total Security plan, which costs $49.00 for the first year. Nonetheless, other subscription options are available, including a basic free version.
All plans include an anti-malware scanner, anti-phishing protection, mobile apps, and customer support options. Below, you can explore each subscription's contents.
Note: TotalAV prices are usually the same regardless of currency, which means that, in practice, the service can be cheaper in the US than in the EU.
TotalAV's subscription plans:
Free | Antivirus Pro | Internet Security | Total Security | |
1st year price | $0.00 | $19.00 | $39.00 | $49.00 |
Price after 1st year | $0.00 | $99.00 | $129.00 | $149.00 |
Devices | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
Advanced ransomware protection | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Real-time protection | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
System clean-up tools | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Cloud-based malware scanning | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
VPN (Safe Browsing VPN) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Password manager (Password Vault) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Ad blocker (Total Adblock) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Anti-malware scanner | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Anti-phishing protection | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
The TotalAV website promotes monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual plans. However, I could not find an option for a subscription period – it only offered me an annual plan at checkout. When I contacted its customer service, all they suggested was subscribing to an annual plan and then contacting them to downgrade it. Not very helpful, is it?
Nevertheless, whichever plan you get (except for free and monthly plans), you get a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to get a full refund should you dislike the service. Besides, canceling the auto-renewal is pretty straightforward if you don’t want to continue with increased prices after the first year. You just need to go to your TotalAV account, find the Billing Support, click Disable Auto-Renewal, and follow the on-screen instructions.
The Antivirus Pro plan covers all the necessary security bases for 5 devices, but if you want an antivirus for 6 devices, you’ll have to upgrade to the Internet Security plan. The introductory price is $39.00/year.
However, if you need even more device coverage or require a password manager and an ad blocker, you’ll have to pick TotalAV’s most expensive plan – the Total Security package, which will initially cost you $49.00/year and cover 8 devices.
TotalAV’s Total Security is the best choice if you need top-tier protection for as many devices as possible at a reasonable price. Conversely, the Antivirus Pro plan is ideal for budget-conscious users looking for significant savings. You’ll get up to 80% OFF your subscription when choosing this plan.
TotalAV pricing vs competitors
Brand | 1st year pricing | 2nd year pricing |
TotalAV | $19.00 | $99.00 |
Norton | $29.99 | $59.99 |
Bitdefender | $9.99 | $59.99 |
Malwarebytes | $44.99 | $44.99 |
Can I get TotalAV for free?
Yes, you can get TotalAV for free directly from its official website, but the free plan is limited and lacks many extra features. In reality, you only get basic features like anti-malware scanner and anti-phishing protection. This plan will perform basic malware scanning and removal but will not provide real-time protection or give you system clean-up tools.
TotalAV security features
I subscribed to the Total Security plan to test and review a range of features that TotalAV offers. This plan provides the most features to protect your device from all kinds of threats, including ransomware and phishing attempts.
TotalAV offers an impressive variety of security features, although the selection varies by subscription plan. Thankfully, even the cheapest plan includes all you need for excellent daily security. For this review, I tested the Total Security plan to evaluate all of TotalAV’s features. Below is a table summarizing all the tools this antivirus offers.
TotalAV feature | What it does |
Real-time threat protection | Protects against various cyberthreats at all times. |
Total WebShield | Browser add-on that blocks malicious websites while browsing the web. |
Safe Browsing (VPN) | VPN feature for changing your location and encrypting your traffic. |
Total Cleaner | Device optimization features for improving overall performance. |
Total Password | Password manager for securely storing your passwords and other details. |
Breach Scan | Checks the web for data breaches with your information. |
Total Adblock | Blocks various online advertisements, pop-ups, and trackers. |
Real-time threat protection
TotalAV offers real-time protection for your devices by constantly monitoring for potential threats. You’ll find this feature is enabled by default. You can disable it if you want, but there’s no reason not to have it switched on – the impact on performance is minimal.

In addition, TotalAV uses advanced cloud scanning, which means that any programs that raise suspicions during scans are compared with the ones included in the cloud database of known malware threats. This method allows the antivirus to detect zero-day threats more accurately and protect the device more precisely.
If the suspected program appears to be a threat, TotalAV issues a warning to inform you of this malware and quarantines it. Afterward, the antivirus provides you with steps on how to remove malicious files from your system.
Malware and virus scans
TotalAV antivirus has a reliable virus scanner. It’s a version of Avira’s anti-malware engine, considered one of the best on the market. So, you can be assured of excellent protection against malware.

With TotalAV, you get four device scanning options:
- Quick scan. Your computer will be quickly scanned for temporary files where viruses are most commonly found.
- System scan. This is a full scan for identifying malware anywhere in your system.
- Smart scan. Schedule scans for malware, tracking cookies, and junk files to run automatically on your pre-set time.
- Custom scan. This on-demand scanning option allows you to pick a single file, folder, or disk to scan.
To better understand how efficient TotalAV’s scans are, I've put the two main ones (a quick scan and a system scan) to a test. While a full scan can affect your system resources and take more time, a quick scan should have less impact.
So, here are the results of my test scans:
Quick scan | System scan | |
Time | 0min 14s | 6min 36s |
CPU load | 8%-38% | 17%-99% |
Memory load | 40% | 45% |
Disk load | 2%-5% | 1%-95% |
Items scanned | 130 | 350-600 |
Zero-day malware found | 0 | 10 |
The results were excellent, with an average detection rate of 99%. And while a quick scan was rather gentle on system resources, the system scan showed far more CPU load. But it’s no surprise, considering the in-depth scans.

After TotalAV finishes scanning, you can select an action for each malicious file: quarantine, whitelist, or delete.

All in all, TotalAV is a powerful antivirus software for malware detection. So, you can securely download files or programs, and in case of a virus – TotalAV will have you covered.
Total WebShield
TotalAV offers protection against malicious sites through its Total WebShield feature. As long as it’s enabled, it will automatically block low-trust websites and crypto-mining URLs.
WebShield protects against threats designed to harm devices and cause security and online privacy risks. These include ransomware, scam and phishing websites, and other online threats.
It’s a free Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge add-on that constantly monitors websites that could pose a threat to your device and redirects searches away from anything it identifies as a potential risk. It’s also available on iOS and Android devices.

WebShield includes a Safe Search feature that redirects all web searches through TotalAV’s web engine for added security. It’s supposed to grade every site it surfaces with either a green tick to show it’s safe to click on or a red cross to indicate a potential threat.
I’ve tested how WebShield works, and here's what I found:
Platform | Safe Search | Blocks suspicious websites | Stops tracking |
Chrome | ✅ works | ✅ works | ✅ works |
Firefox | ✅ works | ✅ works | ✅ works |
Edge | ✅ works | ✅ works | ✅ works |
Opera | ❌ doesn't work | ✅ works | ✅ works |
Android | ❌ doesn't work | ❌ doesn't work | ❌ doesn't work |
iOS | ❌ doesn't work | ❌ doesn't work | ❌ doesn't work |
In practice, this feature didn’t work well for me on Android and iOS devices. Also, it doesn’t block intrusive ads. However, it might be a helpful browser add-on to avoid potentially dangerous sites and website tracking.
TotalVPN
Two of TotalAV’s most expensive plans (Internet Security and Total Security) include TotalVPN, and as far as antivirus VPNs go, it’s pretty decent. The virtual private network (VPN) reroutes traffic through a secure server in your chosen country. Meaning that it’s encrypted, and you can remain private when browsing online.
TotalVPN comes with unlimited data and includes a relatively wide range of servers, with over 50+ of them in 35 countries. I tested it out by connecting to a server in Belgium. I was connected within seconds, and, more importantly, it didn’t noticeably slow down my browsing experience.

Additionally, TotalAV VPN’s speed is quite impressive. In some instances, it successfully competed with our fastest-performing providers, such as NordVPN with its proprietary NordLynx protocol and Surfshark with the IKEv2 protocol.
Another VPN feature you might be interested in is streaming. And just like any other provider, TotalAV VPN can also unlock global content for you. However, when I tried streaming videos, it kept buffering, and the quality would often suffer. So, while it’s possible to access some geo-restricted content with this VPN, there are certainly better streaming VPN options out there.
To access the VPN, just go to Web Security in the sidebar of the TotalAV desktop app. Then, select Safe Browsing (VPN). Provided you’re signed up to a package that supports it, you’ll simply be given a list of regions to connect to. It really is that simple.
Total Cleaner
What’s worth mentioning is that all paid TotalAV subscription plans include system optimization features. This security software has a built-in junk cleaner and duplicate file finder.

These System Tune-up tools remove junk and duplicate files and even uninstall unused applications to clear disk space. They're especially useful if you want to improve your device’s performance and keep the system running smoothly.
Additionally, TotalAV provides browser cleanup as it manages history and cookies, so you can always be sure that unwanted third parties won’t store your information.

Independent lab testing results
Reliable independent experts, like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives, also test antivirus software, and TotalAV is no exception. They evaluate and rate software based on its reliability in detecting and removing malware, as well as performance and usability.
The most recent October 2024 TotalAV evaluation by AV-TEST gave perfect 6/6 scores in the protection and usability categories, while performance was almost perfect at 5.5 out of 6. Compared to a previous test in June, TotalAV improved in terms of protection and provided 100% protection against zero-day and prevalent malware.

AV-Comparatives performed Malware protection tests in September 2024, and the results were mostly favorable for TotalAV, although it wasn’t among the top-performing services. It had an incredible online protection rate of 99.98%. Moreover, the offline malware detection rate was 90.3%, while online detection was 95.1%, which are good results compared to the competition.

However, TotalAV’s most significant flaw was the 13 instances of false positives, leading to the service being ranked as Advanced, below the top Advanced+ tier. This is pretty disappointing because TotalAV also got the Advanced rank in a previous malware protection test conducted in March 2024.
In-house TotalAV antivirus testing results
The Cybernews research team conducted thorough TotalAV performance tests regarding malware detection, ransomware protection, and phishing prevention. We tested each attack vector’s relevant security features separately to better understand TotalAV’s strengths and weaknesses when tackling various cyberthreats. Moreover, we used threat samples from sites like phishtank.com and urlhaus.abuse.ch to simulate real-life cybersecurity incidents.
These particular tests were done on a Windows Server 2022 machine with an Intel Xeon 8259CL processor and 32GB of RAM.
However, remember that these internal tests aren’t the only indication of a provider’s effectiveness. You should also consider their independent lab test results and existing customer testimonials. Ultimately, whether an antivirus service works for you depends on your particular needs.
Malware detection test
Malware detection is arguably the most critical job of any antivirus service. As such, it’s crucial to test it thoroughly to evaluate the provider’s capabilities.
We tested malware detection by putting 10 malware samples onto the test device and then using TotalAV’s full scan to search for them. We also monitored CPU usage during this time to gauge the service’s impact on device performance.

The scan lasted 16 minutes in total and found 7 out of 10 malware samples, which is an adequate result. During this time, CPU usage ranged between 60% and 75%, which isn’t too severe and will allow doing other tasks while the scan runs.
Ransomware test
The ransomware testing process was similar to the previous malware test, where we planted 10 malicious samples onto the testing device. Additionally, we tested real-time protection capabilities in a controlled environment since antiviruses must prevent ransomware from even entering your system.
The research team tested both the quick and full scan to see if there was a notable performance difference. As expected, the quick scan took only 3 minutes, yet managed to find 9 out of 10 malware samples. Throughout the scan, CPU usage ranged between 70 and 85%, which is pretty severe. As for the full scan, it took a whopping 25 minutes, but the wait was worth it because it found all 10 ransomware files.

The final ransomware test evaluated TotalAV’s real-time protection in a controlled environment. The results were excellent because the antivirus detected all 10 ransomware samples and stopped them before they could do any harm. So, I can confidently say that TotalAV is an excellent antivirus program that protects against ransomware.
Phishing test
TotalAV’s anti-phishing tool is its WebShield Chrome add-on. As such, we tested it by installing it on our web browser and then visiting various malicious websites to see if the add-on would detect it. The research team tested generic malicious websites and phishing websites separately to see if there were any notable discrepancies.

WebShield detected 7 out of 10 malicious websites, which is an alright result. However, the phishing link test was even worse since the add-on detected only 3 out of 10 phishing links. This is a pretty disappointing result, although it’s not the end of the world since you can notice phishing attempts if you have a keen eye.

TotalAV additional features
Apart from protecting your device from malicious programs, TotalAV can also help you secure your credentials and identity, as well as avoid intrusive ads. Here’s an overview of the extra features that TotalAV offers.
Total Password
TotalAV’s Secure Password Vault is another feature available only on the most expensive (Total Security) plan. If you’re looking for a good password manager, TotalAV’s Secure Password Vault certainly does everything you’d want it to. It lets you securely store, organize, and retrieve all your login details and can generate secure and virtually unhackable passwords.
All you have to remember is your master password, and you’ll have safe and secure access to all your passwords.

To set it up, you’ll be asked to install the Password Vault browser extension for Chrome or Firefox. While not everyone is a fan of browser extensions, I find it makes filling in your passwords much easier.
My only complaint with TotalAV’s Secure Password Vault, besides the fact you have to pay extra for it, is that it doesn’t work with the mobile phone app. This is a real shame, as a password manager on mobile devices is useful.
Breach Scan
TotalAV provides identity theft protection services that are designed to reduce identity theft exposure. Here’s how it works:
- Monitor. TotalAV continuously monitors your credit card details, Social Security number (SSN), and health insurance information to prevent personal details from being sold online.
- Alert. If it identifies a breach, you’re immediately notified.
- Restore. In case your identity is compromised, you can expect TotalAV to provide full assistance when restoring stolen information.
Additionally, TotalAV offers up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. Meaning that if your identity is stolen, you can get generous compensation. However, coverage might not be available in all US jurisdictions, so you should check the official website for further information.
Total Adblock
Ads might not only be annoying but dangerous as well. Luckily, TotalAV includes an AdBlock feature, which comes as an extension for most popular browsers. It’s designed to get rid of all types of ads to improve your browsing experience and security.

I tested TotalAV AdBlock on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge, and it worked wonders with each of them. I didn’t see a single ad while browsing online, and it even managed to block YouTube video ads.
Impact on PC performance
I did some testing to see the impact on the device’s performance. The tests were performed on a Virtualbox VM with Windows 11 (with 20GB RAM and 4 CPU cores allocated), installed on Lenovo ThinkStation (AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX 12-core processor, 3.99 GHz, 64GB RAM, 3TB SSD).
Previously, the CPU load fluctuated between 7% and 56% when doing a full scan. However, the most recent tests showed a greater impact on performance, where the CPU load fluctuated in higher ranges of 60-75%.
Similarly, previous tests yielded lower CPU usage with the smart scan (checks for vulnerabilities, but scans fewer files), fluctuating between 5% and 26% of CPU load. Conversely, the more recent quick scan tests resulted in CPU loads between 70 and 85%, which greatly impacts performance.
I find these results a bit disappointing because it appears that TotalAV became less efficient than before, which could indicate a few things. On a positive note, it could mean that its scans are pretty thorough, which is confirmed by its ransomware detection results. However, I can no longer say that TotalAV is lighter on device resources than other antivirus services like Avira.

When not using the antivirus for scanning, or when it’s simply on in the background, the CPU load is less than 1%. This means there's basically no impact on the PC performance whatsoever.
TotalAV – ease of use and setup
To test TotalAV’s usability, I used the same Total Security plan as for other tests. It allowed me to fully evaluate the service’s various capabilities and ease of use. The first step I analyzed was the installation process since that’s a customer's very first experience with a digital service.
TotalAV installation
Downloading and installing TotalAV is straightforward, regardless of your device and OS. The process is pretty standard and shouldn’t cause any trouble if you’ve installed other apps on your device before.
Basically, all you have to do is visit TotalAV’s website, download the installer, and follow its instructions until the end. The final step is logging in with your account and enabling the necessary security features.
TotalAV ease of use
TotalAV apps seemed very easy to use and navigate across all operating systems – Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. I prefer the Windows version, as it has more features available. However, all apps have an intuitive interface and are nicely organized. Every feature has a short explanation of what it does.
TotalAV desktop app makes it pretty simple to find your way around the different features, whether you're using it on Windows or Mac devices. I felt the user interface makes good use of space without feeling cluttered, and it categorizes everything in a very intuitive way. There are lots of features, but they’re well organized, so you can always find what you’re looking for.

As soon as you open it, you’ll see four main tabs on the app’s dashboard:
- Antivirus
- System boost
- Disk cleaner
- Web security
Of course, these are some of the most popular functions of antivirus software. It’s great that you can do a quick antivirus scan with just several clicks. You’ll also find a very helpful sidebar with more handy options.
The WebShield browser, however, is another story. While the app is clean and simple, the browser extension for me seemed a tad more complicated and a lot less intuitive. But once I got used to it, I was able to find everything I needed.
TotalAV mobile apps
TotalAV offers dedicated apps for both Android and iOS devices. I have tested both apps to see if they at all differ from one another and whether they provide the same protection and overall experience.
TotalAV for Android
I tested TotalAV on Android and found it very easy to set up. As soon as you open the app, you’re prompted to log in or set up an account. And once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to access TotalAV’s security suite on your mobile device.
The Total AV antivirus Android app comes with pretty much every feature included in the desktop version. On the app’s main homepage, you’ll have the following options:
- Security scan that scans your apps for potential threats
- VPN access with identity theft protection included
- Device Tune-Up to improve speed and remove junk
- Wi-Fi checker to make sure your network connection is safe
- Data breach check to see if any of your data has been compromised
- Protect your devices to keep your phone safe online
You won’t have trouble finding any of these features on the Android app as it’s very structured, with everything displayed on the main window.

You can continue to use your phone as normal while the TotalAV app is performing antivirus scans. The performance will likely not slow down enough for you to notice.
TotalAV’s Android app also promises to deliver real-time antivirus protection to keep your device safe at all times. It also comes with an App Lock feature that lets you add a password or PIN to add an extra layer of protection to the apps you care about.
However, while TotalAV has a lot to like, there are many antivirus mobile apps that offer more features and don’t cost as much.
TotalAV for iPhone
When it comes to antivirus apps for iPhone, things get interesting. That’s because iOS devices require less antivirus protection than other OS.
Viruses for iPhones and iPads are pretty rare. For this reason, antivirus programs have to implement lots of useful features on their iOS applications to appeal to their users.

So, here’s what you can find on the TotalAV iOS app:
- Data breach check lets you know whether your email address has been compromised
- Device Locator tracks your smartphone in case it gets lost or stolen
- System Security alerts you about iOS updates
- Secure Search Browser lets you browse the web without trackers and ads
- Photo Manager lets you remove unwanted photos more easily
- WebShield blocks dangerous websites
- Private Connection VPN makes your browsing anonymous
As you can see, there is no virus scan feature like on the Android application because iPhones have built-in protection from viruses.
Overall, the TotalAV antivirus app for iOS offers great complementary features to the existing iOS antivirus protection.
Customer support
TotalAV’s customer support is good, which I find important, as users might need prompt assistance when dealing with their device’s protection.
TotalAV has all the usual troubleshooting guides and links to help you resolve the issue yourself. Plus, customer service via phone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number can be found on the customer support landing page. There’s also 24/7 live chat and an option to open a ticket by filling out an online form.
24/7 live chat | ✅ Yes |
✅ Yes | |
Phone line | ✅ Yes (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Europe, International number) |
Guides or articles | ✅ Yes |
FAQs | ✅ Yes |
I have tried several support options. The live chat option was initially very hard to find – I could not access it through the account dashboard or even from the help center. I then typed “TotalAV chat support” on Google search and found it straight away. However, once I contacted the live chat support, I had no complaints.
First, I was connected to a bot, but once I stated my issue, I was instantly redirected to a real agent. The agent was very prompt, knowledgeable, and helpful, and took only a few minutes to resolve my issue.

The email support came back within a couple of days, which I find is also a fair result if your issue is not urgent. There was a bit of a waiting time on the phone line, which is expected, but the agent was also eager to help.
In short, TotalAV makes it much easier to find help if you need it than a lot of its competitors, which usually try to deter people from phoning. If you actually want to talk to a person about an issue, you can phone, email, or use the TotalAV live chat.
TotalAV video review
Want to learn about TotalAV by watching a video rather than reading? Then check our YouTube channel, which includes a thorough TotalAV review.
User reviews
TotalAV has an interesting mix of feedback from its user base. Let’s have a look at its average ratings from some of the most popular review sites.
Website | Trustpilot | Capterra | G2 | Google Play | Apple App |
TotalAV average rating | 4.6 | N/A | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
As of updating this article in January 2025, TotalAV has a 4.6 rating on Trustpilot based on over 120 thousand reviews. I noticed that many of these reviews are labeled as Invited, meaning the company specifically invited its users to leave reviews on the site.
Interestingly, most of the 1-star reviews weren't invited, meaning unhappy users didn’t hesitate to voice their frustrations. As you can imagine, analyzing so many reviews is pretty unrealistic, so I’ll highlight a few recent ones.
For example, here’s an entirely positive review by an anonymous reviewer who claims TotalAV helped them get their phone back to acting normal.

On the other hand, another reviewer named Colin claims TotalAV completely failed to protect his computers. The service also renewed the subscription without his knowledge, thus forcing him to log a complaint with his bank. Finally, once he switched to another antivirus, the software supposedly found other issues that TotalAV didn’t.

Unfortunately, TotalAV isn’t available for review on Capterra. As such, G2 was the next review site I analyzed. Here, TotalAV has a 4.0 average rating based on 11 reviews. The review number is much more manageable so I’d suggest reading through all of them if you have the chance.
The most recent review is pretty positive and praises TotalAV’s effectiveness. However, the reviewer isn’t happy about the service’s automated billing and pushy advertising.

Overall, TotalAV seems to work well for most of its users based on the overwhelming number of positive reviews and high ratings across review sites.
TotalAV review: final verdict
TotalAV is a legitimate company, and my tests showed that it’s one of the safest antivirus programs out there. It uses strong antivirus technology to deliver a powerful and extensive security package. It offers robust protection against viruses, trojans, ransomware, phishing scams, and other cybersecurity threats. It also keeps you safe from spyware and has many tools to help you clean up your disk and optimize your devices.
During the independent tests, TotalAV showed impressive malware detection results and received the highest rankings from multiple firms, including AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE LABS.
Based on my findings and tests, I recommend TotalAV for those who:
- Are looking for a free antivirus. TotalAV offers a free antivirus with effective malware protection – perfect for those looking for basic security without advanced features.
- Need all-around protection. TotalAV’s most comprehensive plans include additional features like Secure VPN, Password Vault, and an ad blocker.
- Are looking for a service with good customer support. TotalAV’s customer support is prompt, effective, and is available through many different channels, including phone, email, and live chat.
However, I don’t recommend TotalAV if:
- You need a good antivirus browser extension. TotalAV’s browser extensions aren’t very well designed and need improvement.
- You’re looking for a long-term plan for an affordable price. While TotalAV’s prices for new users are very appealing, the renewal prices are quite expensive and could break the bank.
Nevertheless, this TotalAV review proved that it's one of the most secure antivirus software programs we’ve tested. It comes with everything you would possibly need to keep your devices completely safe online.
How I tested TotalAV antivirus
The research team and I adhered to the Cybernews antivirus testing process to thoroughly analyze the service’s capabilities. During our tests, we evaluated the provider’s overall ease of use, security features, customer support quality, and user reviews. Most importantly, we focused our efforts on testing the software’s protection capabilities regarding:
- Malware detection (40%). We planted malware samples onto test devices and used the service’s various scanning tools to see whether it would detect and eliminate all the samples. This approach also showed whether the software could detect threats in real time.
- Phishing protection (35%). Testing whether the software’s web protection features block common threats like phishing attacks, malicious ads, and online trackers was important.
- Performance impact (25%). We measured various performance metrics while doing multiple tasks with the antivirus software to determine its overall impact on daily activities.
FAQ
Is TotalAV to be trusted?
Yes, TotalAV is a legitimate cybersecurity firm offering reliable antivirus software. Some users find online comments that it’s a scam, however; TotalAV has good customer reviews on Trustpilot and other sites. It has also been examined and positively rated by independent testing firms. During my TotalAV testing, it effectively protected all devices, with the only negative being high renewal prices.
Is TotalAV really free?
Yes. You can download a free version of TotalAV. However, it has limited features, as it only provides a virus scanner. If you want real-time protection and other features, you should invest in the paid version of TotalAV.
How much is TotalAV per year?
It depends on which plan you go for. TotalAV’s price plans are:
TotalAV Pro: $19.00 for the first year – protects up to 5 devices. TotalAV Internet Security: $39.00 for the first year – protects up to 6 devices. TotalAV Total Security: $49.00 for the first year – protects up to 8 devices.
Does TotalAV slow down your computer?
No, TotalAV doesn’t slow your computer down. While it will take up your device’s resources while doing a scan, the real-time protection is designed not to have a big impact on its performance.
Do you have to pay monthly for TotalAV?
No, you can choose to pay either monthly or annually for your subscription. Once it’s auto-renewed, the payment plan will automatically renew for the same term as you ordered initially. All monthly plans will auto-renew each month unless you cancel your subscription.