Antivirus Comparison
Two fundamentally different approaches to antivirus protection. Norton bundles everything into one subscription. Malwarebytes strips everything away except pure malware detection. We break down which philosophy wins for different users.
Antivirus
Security Suites
Norton 360 wins for users who want all-in-one protection (antivirus + VPN + password manager + backup). Malwarebytes wins for users who want focused malware detection with minimal system impact. Both are excellent at catching threats.
Head-to-Head
| Category | Norton 360 | Malwarebytes | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Rating | 9.2/10 | 8.7/10 | Norton |
| Malware Detection | 99.98% | 99.6% | Norton |
| Zero-Day Detection | 99.7% | 99.1% | Norton |
| RAM Usage (Idle) | 220MB | 85MB | Malwarebytes |
| Boot Time Impact | +5 seconds | +2 seconds | Malwarebytes |
| Built-in VPN | Yes (included) | $15/yr add-on | Norton |
| Password Manager | Yes (included) | No | Norton |
| Cloud Backup | Up to 250GB | No | Norton |
| Firewall | Smart Firewall | No (uses OS firewall) | Norton |
| Identity Protection | LifeLock option | No | Norton |
| Browser Extension | Norton Safe Web | Browser Guard (free) | Malwarebytes |
| Exploit Protection | Basic | Advanced | Malwarebytes |
| Ransomware Rollback | No | Yes (Windows) | Malwarebytes |
| Single Device Price | $49.99/yr | $44.99/yr | Malwarebytes |
| 5-Device Price | $99.99/yr ($20/device) | $84.96/yr (add-on pricing) | Close — Norton better value |
| Upsell Notifications | Aggressive | Minimal | Malwarebytes |
Category 1
Norton's detection engine is marginally better than Malwarebytes in independent lab testing: 99.98% vs 99.6% for known malware, and 99.7% vs 99.1% for zero-day threats. These differences sound small, and they are — but at scale, they translate to Norton catching a handful of additional threats per million samples.
In practical terms, both products will catch virtually every real-world threat you encounter. The 0.4% difference in detection rate is unlikely to affect you unless you routinely visit high-risk websites or open suspicious email attachments.
Where Norton has a clear advantage is in its SONAR behavioral analysis engine, which monitors running processes for suspicious patterns. Malwarebytes has its own behavioral analysis, but Norton's is more sophisticated and catches more evasive malware that tries to disguise itself as legitimate software.
Detection verdict: Norton has the better engine by a small margin. For most users, both are "good enough" — the threats that slip past Malwarebytes would likely also require targeted, sophisticated attacks to bypass Norton. The real difference is in edge cases and zero-day threats.
Category 2
This is where the two products diverge most dramatically. Malwarebytes uses 85MB of RAM at idle — less than a typical browser tab. Norton uses 220MB, nearly three times as much. This difference is visible in Task Manager and measurable in real-world performance.
Malwarebytes adds roughly 2 seconds to boot time. Norton adds approximately 5 seconds. On modern SSDs, neither is terrible, but the cumulative impact over thousands of restarts adds up. On older spinning-disk hard drives, Norton's boot impact is more noticeable.
In our testing, Norton slowed application launches by 7% on average (compared to a clean system). Malwarebytes slowed them by 3%. For apps like Photoshop, video editors, and games, this difference is perceptible.
Malwarebytes completes a full scan of a 500GB drive in about 18 minutes. Norton takes approximately 32 minutes. Malwarebytes' scanning engine is significantly more efficient, partly because it's not also scanning for the dozen other things Norton checks (firewall rules, backup integrity, etc.).
Malwarebytes runs 2-3 background processes. Norton runs 6-8. On systems with 8GB of RAM or less, Norton's process overhead can compete with user applications for resources. Malwarebytes is virtually invisible.
System impact verdict: Malwarebytes is dramatically lighter. If you have a modern system with 16GB+ of RAM, Norton's overhead is manageable. If you have an older system, a laptop you want to preserve battery life on, or you simply value a snappy, responsive computer, Malwarebytes is the clear choice.
Category 3
Norton 360 includes a VPN, password manager, cloud backup (up to 250GB), smart firewall, dark web monitoring, SafeCam, parental controls, and optional LifeLock identity protection. Malwarebytes includes... malware detection, Browser Guard, and exploit protection.
This isn't a fair comparison, because the products have fundamentally different goals. Norton aims to be your entire security stack. Malwarebytes aims to be the best antivirus engine and nothing more.
However, Malwarebytes has a few features Norton lacks: ransomware rollback (restore files encrypted by ransomware) and superior exploit protection (blocks attacks targeting software vulnerabilities). These are niche but powerful capabilities for security-conscious users.
Still deciding? Read our full reviews for the complete picture.
Category 4
| Scenario | Norton Cost | Malwarebytes Cost | Better Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antivirus only (1 device) | $49.99/yr | $44.99/yr | Malwarebytes |
| Antivirus + VPN (1 device) | $49.99/yr (VPN included) | $59.99/yr (Plus plan) | Norton |
| Family (5 devices) | $99.99/yr (all features) | ~$85/yr (antivirus only) | Norton |
| Full security stack | $99.99/yr (everything bundled) | $44.99 + VPN + PW mgr = ~$120+/yr | Norton |
| Already have VPN + PW manager | $49.99/yr (redundant tools) | $44.99/yr (no redundancy) | Malwarebytes |
Pricing verdict: If you need antivirus only and already have a VPN and password manager, Malwarebytes is cheaper and doesn't duplicate tools. If you need the full security stack (antivirus + VPN + password manager + backup), Norton is significantly cheaper than buying everything separately. Your existing setup determines which is the better value.
Recommendations
You want one subscription for everything (antivirus, VPN, password manager, backup). You have a family with multiple devices. You want identity protection with LifeLock. You prefer "set it and forget it" security. You don't already have a VPN or password manager.
You already use tools like 1Password and NordVPN and don't want duplicates. You have an older computer and need minimal system impact. You hate bloatware and aggressive upsell notifications. You want the lightest possible antivirus that still catches 99.6% of threats.
A power-user strategy: use Norton 360 as your primary protection and run Malwarebytes Free as a periodic second-opinion scanner. Malwarebytes is specifically designed to coexist with other antivirus products, and its on-demand scanner excels at finding threats other products miss.
If cost is the primary concern, Malwarebytes Premium ($44.99) + NordPass ($17.88) gives you excellent antivirus and password management for $62.87/year. Add NordVPN when affordable. This modular approach lets you build your security stack over time.
Common Questions
You can run Malwarebytes Free alongside Norton for on-demand scanning. However, running both Norton 360 and Malwarebytes Premium (both with real-time protection) simultaneously is not recommended — they can conflict and slow your system. Choose one for real-time protection and use the other for occasional manual scans.
It depends on your perspective. If "overkill" means "more features than you need," then yes — many users won't use the VPN, password manager, or cloud backup. But if you value having everything covered by one subscription with zero setup, Norton's comprehensiveness is a feature, not a bug. You're paying $100/year for peace of mind.
For malware protection, absolutely. Malwarebytes Premium provides excellent real-time detection, ransomware defense, and exploit protection. What it doesn't provide is a VPN, password manager, firewall, or cloud backup. If you need those (and most people should have at least a password manager and VPN), you'll need separate subscriptions.
Malwarebytes, hands down. Its 85MB RAM footprint and minimal CPU usage mean virtually zero impact on game performance. Norton's 220MB+ footprint and background processes can cause stuttering in resource-intensive games. Both have "game mode" features, but Malwarebytes doesn't need one — it's light enough that gaming performance is unaffected even without special modes.
Norton for comprehensive all-in-one protection. Malwarebytes for focused, lightweight malware defense. Both are excellent choices.
Norton: 9.2/10 (Best Suite) · Malwarebytes: 8.7/10 (Best Lightweight)