Norton 360 Deluxe vs Kaspersky Premium
A side-by-side look at protection, performance, price, and features for Norton 360 Deluxe and Kaspersky Premium.
| Norton 360 Deluxe | Kaspersky Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9.6/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Protection rate | 100% | 99% |
| Performance impact | 96% | 97% |
| Price | $34.99/yr (introductory, 5 devices) | $21.99/yr (Kaspersky Standard, 3 devices) |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS |
| Best for | Home | Home, Business |
| Free plan | – | ✓ |
| Real-time protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| VPN included | ✓ | ✓ |
| Password manager | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support | 24/7 phone and live chat | 24/7 live chat and email |
Norton vs Kaspersky: Features or Value?
How they protect you
Both suites combine signature scanning, behavioral monitoring and cloud lookups, and both score at or near the top of independent lab tests. Kaspersky is known for a very low false-positive rate, so legitimate software is rarely blocked. Norton relies on a large threat intelligence network and strong behavioral detection. For everyday threats, you are well covered with either.
Performance
Kaspersky is a little lighter, especially on older hardware where background scans stay almost invisible. Norton is well optimized too, with only a minor effect on boot and app launch times. Unless your PC is several years old, both will feel smooth.
Features side by side
Norton 360 Deluxe is the more complete bundle. You get an unlimited VPN on every plan, 50GB of cloud backup for Windows, a password manager, a smart firewall and dark web monitoring for up to five devices.
Kaspersky spreads its features across Standard, Plus and Premium. Standard covers core protection and Safe Money for banking. Plus adds the password manager, and Premium adds identity protection, remote access detection and an unlimited VPN. Lower tiers cap the VPN at 300MB per day.
Free options
Kaspersky offers a free antivirus with real-time protection, which is useful for a single Windows PC. Norton has no permanent free tier, only a trial. If you want to test long term without paying, Kaspersky has the edge.
Trust and availability
Norton is part of Gen Digital, a US company. Kaspersky has Russian origins. Germany's BSI warned against using it in 2022 and the United States banned sales in 2024, so it is not available to US buyers at all. In Europe it is still sold, and the company processes European data in Switzerland, but some employers and public sector clients restrict it.
Price and renewal
Kaspersky Standard is one of the cheapest full suites for up to three devices. Norton costs more but includes more in the box. Both increase prices after the first year, so set a reminder and compare renewal offers.
Real-world scenarios
If you keep years of photos and documents on a Windows PC without any backup, Norton's included cloud storage solves two problems with one subscription. Frequent travellers who use hotel and airport Wi-Fi benefit from Norton's unlimited VPN without paying for a higher tier.
If you mainly need strong malware protection on an older laptop and do not plan to use a VPN or backup, Kaspersky Standard gives you excellent detection for less money. Budget users can start with Kaspersky Free and upgrade later. In a home office that handles work for public sector clients, Norton is the safer choice because Kaspersky may be restricted by contract.
Which should you choose?
Pick Norton if you want an all-in-one package with backup and an unlimited VPN and you will use those extras. Pick Kaspersky if you want excellent detection at a lower price, a usable free tier and the jurisdiction concerns do not affect you.