Antivirus vs Internet Security: What's the Difference?

Antivirus software is focused on detecting and removing malware on the device it's installed on. Internet Security software includes that same malware scanning, plus network- and browser-facing protections — most commonly a managed firewall and phishing/malicious-site filtering.

The exact feature line that separates the two tiers differs by manufacturer, so the names alone aren't a reliable comparison tool. Compare the actual feature list for each plan, which our product overviews summarize and the publisher's website confirms, rather than relying on the tier name.

As a general rule: if you mainly want malware scanning on a single, well-maintained device, plain antivirus is usually enough. If you do a lot of online banking or shopping, or want more control over network-level protection, Internet Security is the more common step up.

Those extras usually appear at the 'Total Security' or '360' tier instead. See our Total Security category page for products that bundle those features in.