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If you’re shopping for antivirus Black Friday deals, I’d read the renewal price before the discount. A 5-device plan at $29.99 looks cheap until it renews at $124.99, and it’s set to renew automatically. You can also end up paying for protection that Windows already gives you for free.
My advice is simple. If you’re on Windows, mostly online and don’t need a VPN or identity insurance, I’d stay on Microsoft Defender and skip the sale. If you want a paid suite, I’d buy Bitdefender Total Security, because it had the strongest detection of the big brands in the latest lab tests.
Bitdefender Total Security is a security suite that covers up to 5 devices with antivirus, a password manager and a small daily VPN allowance. It’s $59.99 for the first year right now, and last year’s Black Friday price was $50, so waiting saves you about $10.
No antivirus company has posted a dated Black Friday price for this year on the pages I could read. Before the details, here’s where each one stands.
Antivirus Black Friday Deals at a Glance
These are the US prices on each company’s site right now, before tax. The first-year prices are standing offers and can change once the sales open.
| Plan | Devices | Price today | Renews at | Last Black Friday | What I’d do |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender | Your Windows PC | Free | Free | Free | Start here on Windows |
| Bitdefender Total Security | 5 | $59.99 first year | $109.99, the listed full price | $50 | Buy when you need it |
| Norton 360 Deluxe | 5 | $49.99 first year | $124.99 | $29.99 | Wait for Black Friday |
| Malwarebytes Standard | 3 | $59.99 a year | Not published | $29.99 | Wait for Black Friday |
| ESET HOME Security Essential | 3 | $59.99 first term | Not published | Not confirmed | Buy when you need it |
| Avast Premium Security | 10 | $69.48 first year | $99.99 | Not confirmed | Try the free edition first |
| McAfee Total Protection Essential | Not confirmed | $39.99 first year | $119.99 | Not confirmed | Only at a steep discount |
| Trend Micro Maximum Security | 5 | $74.95 first term | $104.95, the listed full price | Not confirmed | Skip it |
I’d avoid Kaspersky if you’re in the US. It’s banned there, and its updates to US customers stopped on September 29, 2024.
Do You Need Paid Antivirus?
Many Windows users don’t. Microsoft Defender blocked 99.0% of attacks in the latest real-world test from AV-Comparatives, with 0 false alarms, and Bitdefender blocked 99.5% with 5 false alarms.
So paying buys a small gain in that test. AV-Comparatives itself calls the choice a question of fit, and the gaps show up in a few specific situations:
- You’re often offline: Defender detected 82.2% of malware without a connection, against 97.2% for Bitdefender.
- You don’t use Edge and Outlook: AV-Comparatives says third-party products add value outside those 2 apps.
- Your PC is slow: Defender’s slowdown score was 13.5, against 4.9 for Norton and 3.1 for McAfee. Lower is better.
- You want the extras in one bill: a VPN, identity insurance or parental controls can justify a suite, as long as you’ve priced the renewal.
On a Mac, the case is weaker still. Apple builds in malware detection through XProtect and Gatekeeper, and AV-Test’s Mac round doesn’t test those, so no lab figure shows a paid suite beating them. I’d buy a Mac suite only for its extras.
Best Antivirus Black Friday Deals
I’ve put these in the order I’d consider them, and my list of the best antivirus software goes deeper on features.
Microsoft Defender
Microsoft Defender comes with Windows, costs nothing and is the baseline every paid option has to beat. It scored 17.5 out of 18 in AV-Test’s August round, losing half a point on performance.
Its weak spots are offline detection and system slowdown, and it has no bundled VPN or identity cover. If those don’t affect you, I’d keep your money.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is my pick if you want to pay, with the best detection of the big brands here in both AV-Comparatives tests. The gap between today’s price and last year’s sale is small, so I wouldn’t hold off if you need it now.
- Total Security, 5 devices: $59.99 for the first year, or $119.99 for 2 years
- Antivirus Plus, 3 devices: $39.99 for the first year
- Family, 25 devices across 5 people: $79.99 for the first year
- Last Black Friday: $50 at Bitdefender, as TechRadar reported it. PCWorld’s store sold a third-party 1-year license at $22.50
- Refund: 30 days from purchase or from an automatic renewal
Bitdefender says only that renewal “may be higher”, and it lists $109.99 as the old price. The included VPN is limited to 200 MB a day per device, so you’d still want one of my Black Friday VPN deals for regular use.
Norton
Norton 360 is the one to wait for, because its sale price has been far below today’s. Deluxe was $29.99 last Black Friday through December 2, and the same price came back until about September 29 this year.
- Standard, 3 devices: $39.99 for the first year, renews at $94.99
- Deluxe, 5 devices: $49.99 for the first year, renews at $124.99, with 50 GB of backup and parental controls
- Select Plus with LifeLock, 10 devices: $99.99 for the first year, renews at $189.99
- Refund: 60 days on annual plans
Norton bills annual renewals up to 35 days early. It also ties its Virus Protection Promise to automatic renewal, so turning renewal off gives something up.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a simpler pick that halved its Standard and Plus plans last year, in a sale that ran through December 7. I’d wait for that to return, because its lab results give you no reason to pay full price.
- Standard, 3 devices: $59.99 a year today, $29.99 last Black Friday
- Plus, 3 devices with a VPN: $79.99 a year today, $39.99 last Black Friday
- Lab results: 39 false alarms in the real-world test and 84.2% offline detection
- Refund: 60 days
Those false alarms cost it an award level in that test, so you may see safe files flagged more often. Current customers should sign in to its account page, where Malwarebytes says personalized deals appear.
ESET
ESET suits someone who wants few interruptions, with just 2 false alarms in the real-world test and 95.7% offline detection. HOME Security Essential is $59.99 for 3 devices for the first term, and Premium with unlimited VPN data is $89.99.
ESET doesn’t publish a renewal price, and says the price holds for the first term only. You should check that in your account before you plan on keeping it. It also offers a 30-day trial with no card.
Avast
Avast’s free edition is the interesting part. It matched Norton’s 99.3% in the real-world test, so I’d try that before paying. Premium Security is $69.48 for 10 devices for the first year and renews at $99.99, which is low for that many devices.
AVG tested alike, with AVG Ultimate at $59.88 for 10 devices. It lists $149.99 as the full price. Avast ties its virus guarantee to keeping automatic renewal on.
McAfee
McAfee has a low slowdown score at 3.1, but its detection trailed the others at 98.5% in the real-world test and 81.3% offline. I’d consider it only at a steep discount.
Its pages show Total Protection Essential at $39.99 for the first year, renewing at $119.99. McAfee’s terms have limited the intro price to people without an existing subscription, and it bills 30 days before your plan expires.
Trend Micro
I’d skip Trend Micro unless you already like it. It had 83 false alarms in the real-world test and 76.3% offline detection, the weakest numbers here, at $74.95 for the first term of Maximum Security.
Antivirus Lab Test Results
A discount means little if the product misses more. These are the latest results from AV-Comparatives real-world test, its malware test and its performance test:
| Product | Attacks blocked | False alarms | Offline detection | Slowdown score, lower is better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender | 99.5% | 5 | 97.2% | 8.7 |
| Norton | 99.3% | 5 | 95.4% | 4.9 |
| Avast | 99.3% | 5 | 95.4% | 5.2 |
| Microsoft Defender | 99.0% | 0 | 82.2% | 13.5 |
| Malwarebytes | 98.8% | 39 | 84.2% | 19.1 |
| ESET | 98.5% | 2 | 95.7% | 9.5 |
| McAfee | 98.5% | 4 | 81.3% | 3.1 |
| Trend Micro | 98.3% | 83 | 76.3% | 17.5 |
The attacks column comes from the February to May round, and the other 2 test columns from September. In the August round from AV-Test, every paid brand it listed scored 18 out of 18, and it didn’t list Trend Micro. So protection barely separates these brands, and false alarms and offline detection do more of the work.
What Antivirus Costs Over 3 Years
The first-year price is the smallest part of the bill, because you pay the renewal twice after it. Here’s how that works, assuming prices stay flat and you leave automatic renewal on:
| Plan | Devices | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender | Your Windows PC | $0 |
| Bitdefender Total Security, 2 years then 1 renewal | 5 | $229.98 |
| Avast Premium Security | 10 | $269.46 |
| Bitdefender Total Security, yearly | 5 | $279.97 |
| Norton 360 Deluxe, at last year’s $29.99 | 5 | $279.97 |
| Trend Micro Maximum Security | 5 | $284.85 |
| Norton 360 Deluxe, at today’s $49.99 | 5 | $299.97 |
So catching Norton’s $29.99 instead of $49.99 saves you $20 over 3 years, while the 2 renewals cost $249.98. That’s why I’d compare renewals first. Bitdefender’s and Trend Micro’s renewals here are their listed full prices, because neither labels a renewal price.
How to Avoid the Higher Renewal
There are broadly two ways to deal with it. You can turn automatic renewal off the day you buy and shop again next year, or you can pay for 2 years up front while the price is low.
Being casual about it isn’t a good idea, because each company bills early or in its own way:
- Bitdefender: stop renewal under My Subscriptions in Bitdefender Central.
- Norton: manage renewal under My Subscriptions. An email states the price before it bills.
- Malwarebytes: turn it off from the payment page in your account.
- McAfee: change it on the My Account page.
- ESET: turn off the toggle in payment details in its eStore.
It is wise to check your email for a renewal notice about 5 weeks before the plan ends. New-customer prices generally don’t apply to renewals, though Norton says offers may appear when you go to cancel.
FAQs on Antivirus Black Friday Deals
When do antivirus Black Friday sales start?
No company has dated its sale yet this year. Last year’s Norton sale ran through December 2 and Malwarebytes through December 7, so you may not need to rush on the day itself.
Are cheap antivirus keys from other stores safe to buy?
PCWorld’s store sold a third-party Bitdefender license for $22.50 last year. I’d buy only from a named retailer, and check that the license is valid in your country.
Are these prices the same outside the US?
No. Antivirus prices vary by country, and I couldn’t confirm prices for India or the UK. You should check the local site before you compare.
Do I need a separate password manager?
Bitdefender and Norton include one in the plans above. If you’d rather keep it separate, my password manager Black Friday deals compare the options.
Final Remarks
If you’re still unsure, I’d give Microsoft Defender a proper try on your own PC first, since it costs nothing and you can always buy later. If it slows you down or you’re often offline, I’d take Bitdefender Total Security on the 2-year plan.
If you’re after Norton, I’d wait until the sales open and turn off renewal the day you buy. The other offers I track are on my Black Friday deals page.