OUR VERDICT
All three, Norton 360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe, and Norton 360 with LifeLock are complete identity protector and virus protector services offered by Norton. You can rely on it in today’s time where malware is rampant.
Features – Norton 360 Total Protection
This multi-platform security tool focuses on five important areas. They are:
- Device Security.
- Cloud Backup.
- Encrypted VPN.
- Password Manager.
- Parental Control (360 Deluxe and 360 Premium only).
Detailed information about all these features can be found below:
Pros
- Advanced virus, malware, and malicious file threat protection
- Offers online storage, webcam protection, password manager, and a backup software
- Unlimited VPN service
- Light on system resources
- LifeLock ID identity protection optional
Cons
- More features = more money
- No file encryption
Detailed Review – Norton 360 Security Tool
Until a few years ago Norton was condemned for its annoying notifications, user interface, and slow performance. But with time things and Norton both have changed.
Now, Norton security tools are one of the most trusted and reliable ones. With features like unlimited VPN services, password manager, malware protection, backup software, parental control, and different levels of identity protection Norton 360 is highly popular as a complete security tool.
This antivirus software for Windows offers everything in one place, but to enjoy all its features you need to pay a good price. This means as you add features the price for Norton security goes up. In addition to this, it also works as complete digital security and privacy solution that can save you from identity theft.
But, there’s a downside when a full system scan is performed a lot of system resources are used. Furthermore, if you are looking for file encryption or shredding functionality then you will be disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, Norton is still the best as none of its competitors have that much expertise as Norton does.
Kaspersky does offer similar features and is an excellent malware protector tool but it doesn’t provide an identity protection option. McAfee has an identity protection feature, but its malware protection shield isn’t quite strong.
All this and the way Norton stands strong against malware, identity theft, and other similar issues concveniçes me that it is the best Norton product- in fact using it you can also set parental control rules and can hide IP addresses also.
Here’s an in-depth explanation of what I have found during my test about Norton 360.
Device Security
While testing Norton with other security tools like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, I found that Norton is powerful antivirus software. Also, it was quick to quarantine malicious files and blocked potential threats from running.
It also prevented my CPU from cryptojacking. Also, during the full scan, I was able to use the system seamlessly.
To check the efficiency and to ensure Norton works efficiently I did not quarantine a few files, but trust me Full Scan detected them and no files were skipped. This convinced me Norton is excellent and a lightweight malware protection tool.
If you still have doubts about Norton, use it yourself and if any infections aren’t removed get a complete refund under Norton’s “Virus Protection Promise”.
Cloud Backup
Cloud Backup the name itself is self-explanatory. Using this feature you can securely store important data in Cloud and can access it from anywhere, anytime.
But why does a security tool offer Cloud Backup?
The answer is simple: to keep your data protected from ransomware attacks. Cybercriminals to make money use ransomware and encrypt all data thereby blocking you from accessing it. But if you have data stored in the cloud you can safely access them without paying hackers. Also, you can use its auto-backup feature to upload data automatically, even when you are not around.
So, what plans does Norton offer, and are they useful?
If you have just a handful of data that you need to upload go with Norton 360 standard, the most inexpensive plan that offers 10 GB storage. However, if you want more space choose between Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton 360 Premium. The former offers 50GB storage while the latter gives 75GB.
This might seem expensive at first but if you compare with Comodo and Kaspersky it is reasonable, Comodo’s top tier offers a maximum of 50GB and Kaspersky only 2GB.
I like this feature a lot, but you are looking for only a backup tool and hence want to go with Norton, then try using Right Backup.
This excellent online storage tool is impressive and inexpensive. Just by paying a small cost, you can get up to 1 TB of storage space.
To know more about it read the complete review and download it today
Parental Control
The Internet is full of different things and not all are appropriate for children. With that said, if you are looking for online parental control software, Norton Parental Control is best.
To set up Norton Parental Control you need to create a profile for your child and then can select from Presets for four different age groups.
Once this is done you will need to install the Norton Family app on the child’s device. Setting it up is not at all difficult. Most importantly Norton gives an explanation for each permission it asks for and also helps lock certain apps after the defined time. It is transparent with its privacy settings.
Here’s an example of what your child will see when they exceed the set limit to access an app.
Note: You can enjoy Norton’s Parental Control feature only if you go with multiple devices plan, like Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton 360 Premium.
Secure VPN
Virtual Private Network aka VPN is a service used to disguise your IP address via tunneling. It transfers data in encrypted form making it impossible for hackers to intercept and steal data. Whether you want to access restricted content, use public Wi-Fi, stay protected from hackers, or download confidential information VPN plays an important role in protecting.
Norton’s Secure VPN is just the tool you want with a strict “no log” policy; it never saves any of your online activity and keeps everything truly private.
Alongside you can watch all your favorite shows irrespective of the country you are living in. Norton Secure VPN has servers in over 30 countries while McAfee has in 22 countries and Kaspersky in 18.
Also, to check the speed I used my regular Systweak VPN and it scored significantly better. Certainly, since it is a tool designed to provide uninterrupted internet access with security it will be better. The only downside is that Systweak VPN is available only for Windows systems. So, if you are a Windows user you can use it to hide IP addresses, defeat censorship, and access restricted sites. Also, using it you can reveal the hidden discounted deals.
Password Manager
Using a password manager you can store all passwords at a place and can also generate strong complex passwords. Norton’s Password Manager offers all this and a few other things explained below:
- A Secure Vault that uses 256-bit encryption to save passwords, contact details, usernames, notes, etc.
- Create strong and complex passwords.
- Get to know if a password is weak or strong
- Automatically change passwords of almost 60 sites
- Autofill login details
It runs as a web app and helps create a password vault where you can save passwords, usernames, and other sensitive information.
As far as I know, TweakPass, LastPass, and Dashlane also offer the same features. But they are more advanced when compared with Norton Password Manager. And they provide form auto-filling, secure notes, and other features.
Norton’s Password Manager also helps generate complex passwords and is very impressive. If you are new to password creators, Norton Password Manager is worth trying. Note, if you are using Norton 360 plans you can use it without any problem.
Norton 360 Plans and Pricing
Compared to other antivirus companies Norton offers plans and pricing a bit differently. There are three plans from which you can choose from. Two are more expensive as they offer Parental Control and Cloud Storage.
This means, based on your requirements you can pick the plan you like to use. Also, it comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
So, if you are looking for a security tool with different features go with Norton 360 Premium. However, if you want a robust antivirus tool and can live without a password manager and parental control feature go with Norton 360 Standard.
Basic Plan: Norton 360 Standard
Norton 360 Standard is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and it offers the following features:
- Protects on 1 device.
- Keeps you guarded against malware, viruses, ransomware, spyware, and other threats.
- Includes real-time protection on-demand scan and custom scan
- Cloud Backup storage up to 10 GB
- Secure VPN, Password Manager.
- Norton Smart Firewall for PC and Mac.
- 100% Virus Protection Promise.
- SafeCam for PC — prevents unauthorized access to your webcam.
This is the cheapest of all the plans Norton has to offer. If you have only one device and have no kids this is the right plan for you. By choosing this plan you can secure your device and save money both at the same time.
Best Value: Norton 360 Deluxe
Norton 360 Deluxe offers the same features as Norton 360 Standard. The only difference you will see is in the number of devices i.e. up to 5 it supports, backup storage space up to 50GB, and one extra Parental Control feature.
More Advanced: Norton 360 Premium
Norton 360 Premium offers similar features to the previous two. It’s just that it allows 10 licenses and gives 75GB cloud storage.
This plan is best for bigger families and large data storage.
Wrap Up:
Looking at all this and the features, Norton has to offer, it’s hard to believe that Norton once was known for its slow performance. But trust me with time Norton has changed and the company has learned from user feedback and mistakes. This is the reason why now it is one of the most efficient and trusted security applications in the market.
Installing it is very simple and it also reduces the need to use Password Manager, VPN, and other apps.
To make it work the way you want you can customize settings and exclude or add apps, the software you either want to allow or block.
Overall, Norton is an effective, simple, and great security tool. It also offers 24/7 support and a money-back guarantee. All this and the way this tool works make me trust it more. Unlike another cybersecurity tool it is fast and also offers an option to email or chat to get a resolution for the problems.
We hope you find this review useful and will give Norton a try. In case we missed anything do let us know. It will help us improve. Also, share your feedback about this great security tool and how well it worked in the comments section.