I tested every single antivirus program with an included virtual private network (VPN) — I only found a few products that were actually good.

Most of the antiviruses I tested were ineffective or their included VPN was really bad. Ineffective antiviruses can leave your system vulnerable to cyber attacks, and a bad VPN won’t do much to keep your browsing private.

That’s why it’s important to remember:

• You should only buy antivirus software from companies with a proven history of internet security.

If you don’t, then at best you’ll spend money on something that doesn’t work, and at worst you’ll end up downloading malware and leaking your data to hackers.

But I can help make sure that doesn’t happen!

I downloaded, installed, and ran each antivirus through a wide variety of tests to make this list of the best antivirus software with a VPN in 2020.

Here’s what I found out.

How To Find the Perfect Antivirus (with a VPN)

Before you even start thinking about a VPN, you need to make sure that the antivirus software it’s bundled with is 100% secure and offers what you need.

Good antivirus programs provide protection against all of the latest malware threats — including ransomware, rootkits, and spyware. Many also offer helpful extra features like parental controls, system cleanup tools, and password managers.

You also need to know what you’re looking for in a VPN.

Do you want to access geo-restricted streaming content? Then your VPN needs secure servers around the globe, as well as advanced streaming protocols that can get past Netflix and Amazon’s anti-VPN filters (Norton is good at that).

Are you looking for lightning-fast speeds? Then you want to look at ping and internet connection ratings to get a VPN that won’t slow down your speed too much (TotalAV is good at that).

Each antivirus (and each VPN) is different — with different features, different functions, and different pricing options.

There are 5 things you need to analyze for when looking for an antivirus with a VPN:

1. Level of protection
2. Antivirus/VPN features
3. Ease of use
4. Technical support
5. Overall value

And here’s what I did to help you:

1. I tested each anti-malware engine for detection rates, types of malware covered, and overall strength of the protection in all the antivirus products I could find.
2. I used every single feature (including VPN speed and privacy) to see if it was safe, secure, and easy to understand.
3. I made sure that each product was simple, easy to use, and intuitive for a wide range of users, both technical and non-technical.
4. I contacted each product’s customer/technical support teams to see if they were able to resolve both common and uncommon problems.
5. And I assessed whether or not each product provided a good value, or if it was way overpriced and unreliable.

Ready? Let’s go!

Norton is my #1 antivirus on the market in 2020, and it comes with an excellent VPN.

Norton is powered by one of the most sophisticated antivirus engines in the industry — it caught 100% of the malware in my testing, including hard-to-catch malware like ransomware and encrypted rootkits.

And Norton’s VPN is also fantastic — it’s simple to use, effective, and includes essential VPN features, such as:

• Servers around the world (73 servers in 29 countries).
• No-logs guarantee.
• Kill switch.
• DNS leak protection.

Norton 360 also has a ton of extra security features. It includes a secure password manager, encrypted storage space, a “smart” firewall, and the best parental controls on the market.

US users also get identity theft protections through LifeLock — including a $1 million insurance plan against identity theft damages.

Norton is the only company on my list to offer an unlimited VPN in their cheapest package, Norton 360 Standard. However, that plan only covers 1 device, so most users will probably want to upgrade to Norton 360 Deluxe, which covers 5 devices, includes parental controls, and gives 50 GB of encrypted storage space.

Bottom Line:

Norton 360 is my favorite antivirus program with an included VPN. It scored a 100% malware protection rating during testing, and it’s loaded with extra features.The VPN offers cutting-edge privacy protection, fast connections with servers around the world, and unlimited data for all 360 users. And all Norton plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Download Norton Now

TotalAV is a really easy-to-use antivirus, and it comes with lightning-fast VPN.

For starters, TotalAV’s antivirus scanner caught 100% of the malware in my testing, including some malware that Windows Defender didn’t catch.

And with over 60 server locations worldwide, TotalAV’s VPN helped me access geo-restricted content on a wide variety of streaming services. After all the tests were over, TotalAV’s VPN scored #1 for speed — almost zero slowdown.

TotalAV’s VPN uses 256-bit encryption to keep data private, but unfortunately they don’t offer a no-logs policy or data privacy guarantee. I’d like to see TotalAV offer a no-logs guarantee, but I know their software is secure, especially considering how reputable their antivirus engine is.

TotalAV also offers:

• Excellent web protections.
• A password manager.
• Device optimization tools.
• And a lot more…

TotalAV really stands out because of its intuitive user interface. All of the tools and settings are contained in one easy-to-use dashboard, and there’s never any confusion about how to use or access any of the features.

Bottom Line:

TotalAV is an excellent antivirus with an intuitive interface and a lightning-fast VPN. The antivirus engine is one of the best in the industry, and the VPN ranked fastest out of all the other antivirus VPNs I tested. I’d like the VPN to offer a no-logs guarantee, but TotalAV is still a great choice for anyone looking for a secure, easy-to-use antivirus with an included VPN.

Download TotalAV Now

BullGuard’s malware scanner is one of the best — it uses advanced heuristics along with a malware database, and it caught every single piece of malware in my testing.

The VPN is only available as an additional purchase, but it’s still a pretty good value, especially considering how versatile it is.

BullGuard’s VPN offers:

• No-logs guarantee.
• Many global servers for geo-restricted content.
• Good speeds.

While its connection speeds aren’t quite as fast as TotalAV’s or Bitdefender’s, they’re still fast enough to stream HD content on a variety of worldwide servers.

BullGuard also has a ton of extra features, like system cleanup tools, a smart network scanner, identity theft protection, and a password manager. PC gamers will be excited to hear about BullGuard’s unique Game Booster, which increases CPU performance while games are running. BullGuard is also one of the only antivirus programs to provide identity theft protections to users in Europe and Canada (unlike Norton which only offers this for US users).

Bottom Line:

BullGuard is a great antivirus suite. Their secure VPN (additional purchase at checkout) provides private servers around the globe, and it comes with a no-logs policy. While it’s a great antivirus for all purposes, BullGuard tops my list as the best antivirus for gamers in 2020 because of its fantastic Game Booster. BullGuard has a 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchases.

Download BullGuard Now

Bitdefender is an incredibly fast and lightweight cloud-based antivirus scanner which scored a perfect 100% protection rating against all of my test malware.

The included VPN is also incredibly fast — offering instant connections and quick speeds to servers in 27 locations around the globe. 

The VPN also includes:

• No-logs policy.
• Kill switch.
• DNS leak protection.

Bitdefender also offers a really good set of parental controls with geo-fencing, app and device limitations, content filtering, and even SMS monitoring.

Unfortunately, the VPN packaged with Bitdefender Total Security only allows 200 MB of data per day, so most users will want to upgrade to access unlimited data at checkout.

Bottom Line:

Bitdefender is a fast antivirus with a fast VPN. The malware engine is cloud-based, so it doesn’t weigh your computer down with bulky software. And Bitdefender’s VPN offers great security protections and quick connections to servers around the world — but you’ll probably want to upgrade at checkout to get unlimited data usage. Each Bitdefender plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Download Bitdefender Now

Avira’s antivirus software — apart from getting a perfect score in my tests — offers a fantastic “privacy scan” which finds and fixes all the privacy settings that might be leaking data.

Avira’s Phantom VPN is also pretty good, offering:

• No-logs policy.
• DNS leak protection.
• 50 locations in 36 countries.

Unfortunately, it’s not as fast as other VPNs on my list, but it’s still fast enough for content streaming and general browsing.

Avira’s lower-tier programs include a free VPN that allows 500 MB of daily bandwidth. That’s a good amount of data, but I prefer Avira Prime’s VPN, which includes unlimited data, a kill switch, and live chat support.

Bottom Line:

Avira has some of the best privacy protections I’ve ever seen in an antivirus, and the whole antivirus suite gets high marks for security, usability, and overall value. The included VPN is good. It’s not as fast as competitors like TotalAV and Bitdefender, but it’s still pretty good. All Avira plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Download Avira Now

Comparison of the Best Antiviruses with a VPN

🛡️ Can antivirus and VPN providers be trusted?

Yes, but you have to be careful. While a VPN shields your browsing data from third-parties, your history can still be logged by the VPN provider. All the same privacy risks of browsing without a VPN come into play when you use a VPN that logs your history — your data can be sold, stolen, and otherwise misused.

This is why a no-logs policy is a useful part of any VPN service. You should only be using products from well-known, reputable companies — Norton has a great reputation, and their VPN includes a strict no-logs guarantee.

💻 Does an antivirus work with a VPN?

Absolutely! A VPN won’t compromise the functionality of your antivirus program.

Your antivirus works on your individual system, and it won’t usually control what servers you connect to on the internet.

That said, some antiviruses do block certain connections to third-party VPN servers, but if you use something like Norton or TotalAV (antiviruses which already have a VPN), all of their VPN’s servers will be automatically whitelisted.

📱 Can a VPN be used on multiple devices?

It depends. Most antivirus packages offer multiple devices, but some of the lower-priced plans only cover one device. Norton can connect up to 5 users on its top-tier plan, TotalAV can connect up to 6, and Bitdefender can connect up to 15 on its family plan.

🤔 Does having a VPN replace an antivirus?

No! A VPN and an antivirus are not the same thing.

An antivirus protects your device by finding, analyzing, and destroying potentially harmful files. 

A VPN hides your IP address to allow for private browsing — this helps with maintaining privacy, but you can still be infected with malware while using a VPN.

Antivirus software like Norton and TotalAV are committed to protecting all aspects of your cybersecurity, so guaranteeing protection with BOTH an antivirus and a VPN is one of the best things to do.