Its easy setup process and behavior-based detection are why Bitdefender is our favorite antivirus pick.
With cyber threats everywhere, it’s not enough to protect just your devices. You also have to protect your entire network with a firewall, which scans for potential invasions. Fortunately, many antivirus programs include firewalls, and after testing many of them, we’ve rounded up the best options below. Let’s get started so we can improve your network security. line cards
When AV-Test tested Bitdefender’s Internet Security package in May and June of 2021, it detected 100 percent of zero-day malware attacks, which includes web and email threats as well as all of the widespread and prevalent malware of the past four weeks. Of course, you can’t do better than 100 percent, making Bitdefender the best antivirus software for Windows. And to protect your network, you can add a firewall rule in seconds.
Setting up our firewall with Bitdefender took just a few seconds. Here’s the process:
But that wasn’t all. In the Advanced tab, we could choose specific remote or local IP addresses and ports for the firewall to protect. With so many custom options, we felt secure having our firewall on in the background.
The most affordable firewall option with Bitdefender is the Internet Security package, which works with PCs only; if you need a firewall for macOS or Android, you’ll have to spring for Premium Security, which costs $89.99 per year for 10 devices. Unlike the Antivirus Plus option, Internet Security adds on a firewall, parental controls, and protection from adware, malware, spyware, and ransomware.
Bitdefender’s Firewall is included in all subscription tiers, which cost between $79.99 and $119.99 per year depending on the number of devices you want protected and the supplemental features you’re looking for. As far as functionality goes, their firewall is unobtrusive and effective — exactly what you want to hear about this particular feature. While they’re a little on the expensive side, we definitely think there is value in going with Bitdefender. Dive deeper into Bitdefender antivirus subscriptions or learn more about the cost of antivirus software in general.
If you also need a VPN, the Premium Security package adds a VPN for up to 10 devices; the cost is $89.99 per year, or only about $0.75 a month per device; that’s an amazingly low VPN cost! Learn more in our Bitdefender VPN review or our Bitdefender VPN pricing page, or read more about the average cost of VPNs.
Need an Android antivirus? In July 2020 tests on Android 8, ESET detected 99.9 percent of widespread Android malware in the past four months. On top of that, the antivirus software protected against 99.8 percent of the latest Android attacks in real time, which is higher than the industry average. What’s more, having the ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus app on our Android device didn’t slow down our other devices; no wonder it has a 4.8 rating in the Google Play store!
Unlike some of the other antivirus programs we’ve tested out, ESET’s firewall was available with all of its plans across desktop and mobile. To set it up, all we had to do was allow a firewall rule. Once we turned it on, the firewall filtered out our local network and internet communication, deciding whether or not to allow certain traffic.
We could even customize our firewall to allow for certain applications, like when we downloaded Spotify. If we know something is safe, we don’t need a virus scan, so we loved the fact that ESET let us protect only what was necessary.
To get ESET on our Android device, we had to sign up for Advanced Protection, the second-tier plan. The lowest tier, Essential Protection, works only on Linux, macOS, and Windows devices and lacks a firewall. That being said, the Advanced Protection option gave us more than the Essential Protection plan, including:
ESET’s antivirus pricing differs a little from their competitors. They don’t break out services into different subscription tiers; instead, they do things based on duration and number of devices that need protection. Here’s a quick breakdown of what it looks like:
Since you’ll need antivirus for the long haul anyway, it makes sense to sign up for three years, especially considering that you can try out ESET for free for 30 days. And if you want another free antivirus software, check out our list of the best free antivirus software.
Aside from using Android VPNs, we install antivirus software on all of our Android devices by using mobile applications from the Google Play store. The ESET app was a breeze to install and use, and we agreed with its rating of 4.8 out of 5. It was easy to run a scan whenever we opened our Android device, and it can run in the background with minimal impact on internet speeds.
Plus, when we started the free trial, we didn’t have to provide our credit card information to use the Android app, just our email address. Of course, keep in mind that the free version doesn’t include a firewall, but it is a nice way to test out the Android app for its usability, which was excellent.
Next we have AVG, one of the best antivirus programs for Macs. With the Internet Security package, which seems to be a theme, AVG scanned our apps, files, and network for threats, and provided extra ransomware protection, secure payments, and anti-phishing coverage.
And the best part? AVG is very affordable. Their basic package — Internet Security — is just $59.88 for the first year, and their advanced plan — AVG Ultimate — right now costs the exact same amount.
Our 2020 Macbook Pro came with Big Sur, which was compatible with the AVG Internet Security subscription. However, the antivirus also works with other versions of macOS, including:
Once we downloaded the AVG antivirus macOS app, not to be confused with the AVG VPN app, we headed over to the Preferences section to turn on the Wi-Fi Inspector. This showed us the nitty-gritty of the networks that the software had scanned previously. It was also where we told AVG to scan new networks when we brought our laptop into a coffee shop.
Next, we turned on the Enhanced Firewall, which, if you’ve read our page on AVG antivirus subscriptions, isn’t part of the free subscription; it’s part of the Internet Security package.
The Enhanced Firewall was enabled by default, but we customized it with network profiles for particular networks. For example, we had a private network profile for our home network and a public network profile for the public library we work in sometimes. This completely prevented all incoming communications from reaching our Mac and is the default network profile.
From there, we customized the firewall even further by organizing our work applications by vendor, specifying authorized ports, and determining actions for connections we haven’t authorized. These features make AVG a great business antivirus, with prices for Internet Security starting at $61.41 for a year.
NOTE: It’s not clear how many devices AVG’s Internet Security Business Edition covers; to find out, you’ll need to talk to a sales representative directly.
We signed up for Kaspersky’s Internet Security package to access the two-way firewall, and we were nothing if not impressed. Aside from blocking threats to our operating system by monitoring our network connections, the Kaspersky antivirus software also blocked malware, spyware, ransomware, adware, phishing attempts, and viruses. That’s more than enough protection for Windows, macOS, and Android devices as well as the network they’re connected to.
Kaspersky’s three plans — Standard, Plus, and Premium, all include a two-way firewall, and they’re all relatively affordable. They cost $34.99, $47.99 and $67.49 per year, respectively.
Aside from a firewall, the Plus package also adds the Kaspersky VPN, which we tested in our Kaspersky VPN review, as well as the locking of smart camera access.
While the Plus package lacks the extra features of Premium, such as an encrypted vault, password manager, and parental controls, it’s still a comprehensive antivirus solution. Plus, Kaspersky’s antivirus pricing is on par with its competitors, and it may be even cheaper if you take advantage of Kaspersky antivirus deals.
Although Kaspersky as a company is controversial, with alleged ties to the Russian government,1 when it comes to detecting malware, it’s at the top of its game. May 2020 tests from AV-Test revealed that Kaspersky detected 100 percent of the most widespread malware of the month, as well as 99.9 percent of the latest Android malware attacks in real time.
Both of these rates are higher than the industry averages of 98.1 percent and 96.9 percent, respectively. Because they draw from over 6,000 samples, we could trust Kaspersky to guard our devices and network (although the U.S. government might disagree, as Kaspersky is banned from all government departments).2
While iOS devices don’t need antivirus protection, you’ll need to get rid of viruses on Android devices. Similarly, even though there is some antivirus software built into their operating systems, Macs need antivirus software and Windows 10 devices need antivirus software.
Fortunately, whatever device we tested it on, Kaspersky had a clean interface. On our Macbook Pro, for example, the interface was clear. It’s broken into four sections: scans, reports, an on-screen keyboard, and a database. It was easy to see the results of our scans and start new ones. We decided to let Kaspersky antivirus run in the background, protecting us at all times.
Pro Tip: It’s best to have your antivirus and firewall running in the background. But if you don’t want slowdowns, run scans on demand or on access.
How did we pick out the best firewalls? Well, after testing dozens of antivirus programs, we focused on the software that included firewalls, prioritizing companies with firewalls in all of their subscriptions. However, we also included companies that have firewalls as part of certain packages only, depending on the quality of the antivirus software overall. Here are some things we look for while picking the best antivirus software with firewalls:
FYI: Personal antivirus software costs $40 per year on average, according to our report on the personal antivirus market. With 82 percent of U.S. households using antivirus software for personal reasons, that adds up to a $1.8-billion industry.
That’s all we have for the best firewalls, but if you want more information, read our complete guide to antivirus software. Or, if you want to see some other options that we’ve tested, read our list of the best antivirus software. Installing antivirus software is the first step to enhancing your digital security, especially if it includes a firewall, so there’s no better time than now to get started.
If you’re still unsure which firewall is best for you, read our FAQ section below.
The best firewall for home use is Kaspersky. The software has a two-way firewall that covers both incoming and outgoing traffic. However, you’ll need to sign up for the Internet Security package, not Antivirus, as that package doesn’t include a firewall.
The most secure firewall is ESET. Unlike many of its competitors, ESET hasn’t had any privacy violations, security breaches, lawsuits, etc. While the software keeps some user information, such as the user’s email address, phone number, IP address, and more, the company stores that information for as little time as possible and aggregates data sold for advertising purposes, making its users anonymous.
A home firewall is necessary, although it doesn’t need to be as strict as a firewall used on public Wi-Fi networks. Threats can still come into a local network’s internet, even at home, which is why it’s important to scan all incoming and outgoing traffic for suspicious behavior.
How you install a firewall depends on which antivirus software you’re using. For AVG’s Internet Security package, for example, the firewall is enabled by default. However, the firewall is not always on by default. To enable ESET’s firewall on your Windows device, for example:
The Wall Street Journal. (2017). Russia Has Turned Kaspersky Software Into Tool for Spying. wsj.com/articles/russian-hackers-scanned-networks-world-wide-for-secret-u-s-data-1507743874
line cards Reuters. (2017). Trump signs into law U.S. government ban on Kaspersky Lab software. reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-kaspersky/trump-signs-into-law-u-s-government-ban-on-kaspersky-lab-software-idUSKBN1E62V4