Microsoft Defender vs. Norton 360 2024: A Microsoft Classic vs. Norton‘s Powerhouse Antivirus

If you‘re a Windows user, you may think the built-in Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender) provides all the security you need. But is it enough protection on its own against today‘s sophisticated threats? Or should you consider a full-featured third-party antivirus solution like Norton 360 for more robust defense?

In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll pit Microsoft Defender head-to-head against Norton 360, examining the pricing, features, malware protection, system impact, ease of use, and support for both these prominent products. By the end, you‘ll have a clear sense of whether Microsoft‘s free antivirus is sufficient or if Norton‘s richer suite is worth the investment.

An Overview of Microsoft Defender and Norton 360

First, let‘s briefly introduce both solutions before diving into the details:

Microsoft Defender comes built-in with Windows 10 and 11, providing real-time antimalware protection for the operating system. It offers core security tools like antivirus scanning, ransomware protection, phishing defenses, firewall, and more.

Defender used to be called Windows Defender until a rebranding in 2019 aligned it with the broader Microsoft Defender/Microsoft 365 security portfolio. To use Defender, you need an active Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription.

• Microsoft Defender holds about 15% market share of antivirus products, with over 100 million active users as of 2022 according to Statista. As the default for Windows, it has a built-in advantage in adoption.

Norton 360, on the other hand, is a paid antivirus suite offered by NortonLifeLock (formerly Symantec). Norton has been around for over 3 decades, evolving from pure antivirus into an all-in-one solution.

Norton 360 plans can include a VPN, dark web monitoring, password manager, intelligent firewall, parental controls, online backups, device optimization tools, and more surrounding its core antivirus engine. It competes as a premium third-party antivirus product.

• Norton has around 9% market share and 67 million users worldwide as of 2022, making it a top consumer choice for paid antivirus. Its reputation has recovered from past performance problems.

So in a nutshell, Microsoft Defender enhances the free security already in Windows, while Norton 360 goes above and beyond with a robust all-in-one security solution. Let‘s compare them in-depth across several key criteria:

Pricing: Norton 360 Offers More Flexible Plans

The first major difference that jumps out is their pricing models – Microsoft Defender comes free with a Microsoft 365 subscription, while Norton sells standalone antivirus plans.

Norton 360 divides its security capabilities across four tiers:

• Norton 360 Standard ($99.99/year first year) – Base antivirus, dark web monitoring, 10GB storage
• Norton 360 Deluxe ($49.99/year first year) – Adds parental controls, password manager, 50GB storage
• Norton 360 Premium ($99.99/year first year) – Adds automated backups, cloud storage, antivirus for Mac
• Norton 360 Platinum ($149.99/year first year) – Top tier with unlimited VPN, LifeLock identity theft protection

As you move up the pricing tiers, you gain additional security tools. This "good-better-best" approach provides flexibility to find the right level of protection for your needs and budget.

Microsoft Defender, on the other hand, comes as part of Microsoft 365. It does not have tiered plans, just two bundled subscription options:

• Microsoft 365 Personal – $6.99/month ($83.88/year)
• Microsoft 365 Family – $9.99/month ($119.88/year)

The only difference between Personal and Family plans is that Family covers up to 6 people and extra OneDrive storage. So there‘s no stepping up in security capabilities, only a usage difference.

Over a 3 year ownership cycle, Microsoft Defender would cost between $251 and $359, depending on the plan. Norton 360 plans would range from $240 to $450 over 3 years.

Norton also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, allowing time to evaluate if you like the product. Microsoft does not provide a money-back period for Defender since it‘s bundled with Microsoft 365.

Winner: Norton 360 offers more flexible pricing options to match your family size, features needed, and budget preferences.

Features: Norton 360 Has More Security Extras

When comparing features, Norton 360 clearly comes out ahead as a more full-featured security suite:

Features	Microsoft Defender	Norton 360
Core Antivirus	✅	✅
Real-time Protection	✅	✅
Malware Scanning	✅	✅
Ransomware Protection	✅	✅
Phishing Protection	✅	✅
Firewall	✅	✅
Cloud Backup	✅ (1TB)	✅ (10-50GB)
Password Manager	❌	✅
VPN	❌	✅
Parental Controls	❌	✅
Webcam Protection	❌	✅
Identity Protection	❌	Premium plans
Device Optimization	❌	✅

Norton 360 offers many extra features surrounding core antivirus

Microsoft Defender provides fundamental antivirus capabilities like real-time scanning, behavior monitoring, ransomware protection, phishing blocking, firewall, limited cloud backups, and not much else.

Norton 360 contains all the essentials above, but layers on extras like:

• VPN – Encrypts network traffic to keep browsing private and secure when on public WiFi
• Password manager – Securely stores login credentials and generates strong passwords
• Parental controls – Lets parents monitor childrens‘ online activities and limit screen time
• Webcam protection – Blocks unauthorized access to device webcams
• Device optimization tools – Cleans up junk files and optimizes system performance
• Identity protection on premium plans – Scans dark web and alerts to compromised credentials

This breadth of security tools surrounding its antivirus engine makes Norton 360 a more robust all-in-one solution compared to Microsoft Defender‘s more basic scope.

Winner: Norton 360 for wider range of included security features

Protection Scores: Both Ace Independent Lab Tests

More important than sheer features is how well each antivirus actually protects you from the latest malware and threats. To objectively measure this, we can look at tests conducted by independent security labs like AV-Test Institute.

AV-Test conducts regular testing on all major antivirus products, evaluating both malware protection as well as system performance impact. Tests are conducted in environments designed to simulate real-world conditions.

In recent AV-Test results spanning over 6 months of testing, both Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 achieved perfect 6 out of 6 star ratings for malware protection on Windows 10.

Perfect 6/6 star scores from AV-Test show top-tier antivirus capabilities

This indicates both antivirus engines are highly capable of detecting and blocking widespread malware, viruses, ransomware, zero-day exploits, and other threats with minimal misses. However, based on the lab‘s detailed results reports, we can see:

• Microsoft Defender allowed 2 threats to slip through out of 275 samples tested over 6 months, for a 99.3% block rate.
• Norton 360 caught 100% of threats, with zero missed samples across both testing periods.

So while both products earned top marks, Norton 360 maintained a slight accuracy edge over Microsoft Defender based on the granular reports.

AV Comparatives is another leading independent testing lab, conducting similar antivirus tests. Their latest results also show:

• Norton 360 with 100% protection rate and zero false positives
• Microsoft Defender with 99.6% protection and a few false flags

Again, Norton comes out slightly ahead for detection rates. But both are clearly excelling as top-tier antivirus tools.

Winner: Norton 360 for slightly higher malware detection rates

System Impact: Comparable Light Footprint

In addition to evaluating malware protection, reputable testing labs like AV-Test also measure the system performance impact caused by antivirus solutions.

After all, you want your antivirus to defend your device without dragging down speed and responsiveness in the process. Excessive scanning and file checks can tax the CPU and memory.

In its performance benchmarking, AV-Test measures:

• Slowdown during launches of popular software programs
• Impact on file copying and archiving operations
• Installation slowdowns for new applications

As mentioned earlier, both Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 earned top marks from AV-Test for performance, indicating optimally light system footprints overall.

In the latest results:

• Microsoft Defender caused 10-15% average slowdowns, which is slightly higher than industry averages around 5-10% for launches and installations.
• Norton 360 likewise saw slowdowns around 15-25%, also moderately higher than industry medians.

So both solutions are having a minor dragging effect. But these levels of system impact are quite normal for antivirus tools given all the behind-the-scenes monitoring they perform. The differences between Norton and Defender are marginal.

Independent testing confirms that both antivirus solutions have relatively light and comparable system performance footprints, despite their active scanning operations. Most users are unlikely to notice material slowdowns from either.

Winner: Tie given negligible real-world difference in system impact

Ease of Use: Microsoft Defender Is More Streamlined

Let‘s now compare the user experience of both Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 in terms of ease of use and simplicity.

Microsoft Defender has the advantage here given its clean integration directly within the Windows Security application rather than a separate console. All Defender settings and alerts are surfaced under the "Virus & threat protection" tab in Windows Security:

Microsoft Defender folds neatly into Windows Security app

Everything is cleanly laid out in simple menus and switches, with no complex workflows. This streamlined experience extends to the mobile app too.

Norton 360 has a well-designed web console, but its wider range of features means more tabs and panes to navigate and learn:

Norton 360 dashboard with various security modules just a click away

For new users, it may take a bit more time to understand where all Norton‘s tools and customizations are located. The breadth of capabilities adds some inherent complexity.

However, Norton does try to surface key info and controls in its main dashboard for easy access. With a bit of upfront learning, most users should be able to navigate Norton without major difficulty.

But Microsoft Defender‘s inherent simplicity gives it an edge in core usability and user experience. The lack of bells and whistles is a plus here.

Winner: Microsoft Defender for simpler, streamlined interface

Customer Support: Big Advantage for Norton 360

Let‘s round things out by comparing the customer support you get with Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 in case issues arise.

Here‘s an overview of the support channels provided by each antivirus:

Support Options	Microsoft Defender	Norton 360
Phone Support	❌	✅ (24/7)
Live Chat	❌	✅ (24/7)
Email Support	✅	❌
Online Knowledgebase	✅	✅
User Forums	✅	✅
Social Media Help	❌	✅

Norton 360 offers 24/7 live phone and chat support, which Microsoft Defender lacks. Microsoft relies more on self-help through online knowledge articles and community forums for peer troubleshooting.

For those who prefer contacting a live person for assistance, Norton has a clear advantage. Independent testing of antivirus support by outlets like TechRadar often find Norton‘s phone support resolves issues most quickly and effectively compared to other top vendors.

Norton also offers social media support via Twitter and Facebook, responding to inquiries publicly to help users faster. Microsoft does not leverage social media for Defender support currently.

Winner: Norton 360 for superior live support and service options

Conclusion: Norton Is the More Robust Security Solution

To summarize, here‘s an overview of how Microsoft Defender and Norton 360 compared across our evaluation criteria:

Criteria	Winner
Pricing	Norton 360
Features	Norton 360
Malware Protection	Norton 360
Performance Impact	Tie
Ease of Use	Microsoft Defender
Customer Support	Norton 360

Looking at the big picture, Norton 360 emerges as the superior security suite – it simply provides more robust antivirus capabilities along with valuable extras like a VPN, password manager, dark web monitoring, and device optimization tools.

Microsoft Defender holds its own for core Windows security. But Norton brings a lot more to the table, with consistently higher malware detection rates in independent testing to boot. And support options like 24/7 live chat make it easier to get help if needed.

These advantages make Norton 360 worth the annual subscription investment for Windows users who want a true all-in-one cybersecurity solution from a seasoned vendor.

Microsoft Defender remains a good built-in option for those who already pay for Microsoft 365. But for the best third-party consumer antivirus for Windows, Norton 360 is hard to beat in 2022 and beyond.