Top Antivirus With Low CPU Usage (That Won’t Slow Down Your Computer)

Modern antivirus software programs offer a feature called real-time scanning where they scan all the files on your computer in real-time. This allows them to save you from downloading viruses on your computer. But this real-time scanning can increase your CPU usage and slow down your computer as it requires some processing power.

If you are looking for an antivirus that won’t slow down your computer, then you’re in the right place. This is our list of the best antiviruses on the market that have the lowest impact on your PC’s performance.

The antiviruses below are the best in terms of performance as rated by AV-Comparatives, an unbiased testing company.

What’s the best antivirus with low CPU and resource usage in 2024?

1. Kaspersky

• Available for Android, Mac, Windows, and iOS.
• Very low impact on performance.
• Free 300 MB of VPN browsing every day.

Kaspersky is one of the most popular antivirus software companies. Their antivirus suite not only comes with complete real-time protection against viruses. It also comes with protection against online threats.

It comes with an Ad Blocker that blocks all Ads on the websites you visit and apps you use. It also comes with a VPN service to hide your identity. It also comes with private browsing to block tracking cookies and a password manager to help you create better passwords without the need to remember them in your head.

Pros

• Online protection features such as WebCam Protection, Private Browsing, and Ad Blocker.
• VPN service with 300 MB of free data per day.
• Parental controls to manage your kids’ screen time.
• GPS Child-Locator can locate your child 24/7.

Cons

• iOS protection is only available on the most expensive plan.
• Only 300 MB of VPN browsing per day even on the most expensive plan.

Pricing

Pricing for Kaspersky starts at $59.99 per year for basic protection against viruses. If you want protection against internet threats, you can get complete online protection for $79.99 per year.

If you want a password manager, file protection, GPS Child-Locator, and 5 devices, you should get Kaspersky Total Security.

2. Panda

• Available for Mac, Windows, and Android.
• Has the least impact on your computer’s performance.
• The best virus detection rate in the industry.

According to the AV Comparatives’ report cited above, Panda is the fastest of all antiviruses in the market and has the least impact on your computer’s performance.

According to AV Comparatives’ 2020 report, in a test for “real-world protection”, Panda was able to detect 100% of the viruses. The second-best Avast could only detect 99.7% of the viruses. So, it’s safe to say that you can’t go wrong with Panda when it comes to security.

Panda comes with everything you need to protect your devices from viruses and hackers. Its real-time protection system will detect and block viruses as soon as they enter your system. It comes with a password manager and a VPN to make your online experience safer. It also comes with parental control so you can protect your children from unwanted content.

Pros

• Built-in password manager.
• Parental control to manage your child’s internet use.
• PC optimizer tools to fix performance issues.
• 100% virus detection rate.
• Best antivirus for low end PCs

Cons

• No apps for iPhone and iPad.

Pricing

Panda’s pricing starts at $4.99 per month or $35.99 per year for the Essential plan. The essential plan comes with the basics you need to secure your devices from viruses.

If you want parental control, it comes with the Advanced plan for $5.99 per month or $42.74 per year. If you want premium VPN and 24/7 support, you should get Panda Premium.

3. AVG

• Free version available.
• Available for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows.
• Tuneup tools to remove bottlenecks in your computer’s performance.

AVG Antivirus offers complete protection against viruses and online threats for all your devices. It comes with a VPN service that lets you browse the web anonymously and securely. It also comes with tuneup tools such as Startup Optimizer to speed up your PC.

If you just want to protect your PC against viruses, you can use the free version of AVG. It protects your PC against most viruses. The best part about AVG’s premium plans is that, unlike their competitors, they don’t have any bandwidth limits on their VPN service.

Pros

• AVG VPN offers unlimited data bandwidth.
• Privacy features such as App Lock, Webcam Protection, and Sensitive Data Shield.
• Protects Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices.
• Good antivirus software for low end PC

Cons

• No protection for linux.

Pricing

AVG offers a free version of their antivirus that you can try. It offers basic protection for your PC.

AVG’s premium plans start at $69.99 and offer features such as VPN, TuneUp tools, App Lock, Anti-Theft, and much more. All their plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. Avast

• Free version available.
• Protects Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.

One of the most popular antivirus software on the market. It’s one of the oldest and is trusted by millions of users around the world. Avast’s free antivirus offers basic protection against viruses for all your devices.

Avast’s premium plans offer a complimentary VPN service that hides your identity online and unblocks region-locked content. You can use their VPN to watch Netflix content that’s not available in your country by simply changing your country in the VPN. The best part is the VPN offers unlimited bandwidth.

You also get tune-up tools to fix your device’s performance issues. It fixes any bottlenecks that might be slowing down your system. It also comes with other privacy features such as cookie blocking.

Pros

• Unlimited VPN bandwidth with 55 locations.
• Free version available.
• WebCam protection, cookie blocking, and many other privacy features.

Cons

• Only 5 devices allowed on their premium $99.99 per year plan.
• No built-in ad blocker.

Pricing

Avast offers a free version of their antivirus you can download to test the waters. If you want complete protection online and against viruses, their complete protection plan is $99.99 per year.

It gets you unlimited VPN, online protection, and tuneup tools. Avast offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and also offers a 30-day free trial for their premium antivirus.

5. K7

• One of the cheapest prices of all antiviruses on this list.
• Protection for Android, iOS, MacOS & Windows.

The K7 antivirus has over 3 decades of experience with internet security. Their product is one of the best in the market. Their antivirus protection includes everything from Parental Control to Anti-Theft Protection. It can go toe-toe with any antivirus on this list in terms of protection.

One of the biggest differentiators for K7 is that they offer a Lifetime Plan that supports up to 5 devices. Once you buy this plan, there’s no need to renew. Ever!

Even if you decide to go for one of their yearly plans, K7’s plans are the cheapest in the market starting at just $34 per year.

Pros

• Cheaper than most other antiviruses on this list.
• Privacy features that protect your WebCam and microphone from getting hacked.
• Protection for all your devices.
• Data backup and restoration tools.

Cons

• No VPN service included.

Pricing

K7 Security offers a free trial of their antivirus that you can download on any of your devices to test the waters. They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all their plans.

6. ESET

• Protection for Windows, macOS, Android.
• 30-day free trial.

Eset Antivirus offers complete protection both offline and online. It comes with privacy-protection features such as Webcam protection, Antispam, and Botnet protection. It also comes with online-protection features such as Firewall, Network Inspector, Network Attack Protection, and Online Payment Protection.

Eset Antivirus premium plans come with a Password Manager that helps you create secure passwords and makes it easy to manage them.

Pros

• Password Manager helps create and manage secure passwords.
• Webcam protection and other privacy features.
• Parental control tools to protect your kids online.

Cons

• No protection for iOS devices.
• No complimentary VPN service.

Pricing

Eset offers a 30-day free trial for their antivirus, so you can test it before buying a subscription. Their pricing starts at $59.99 per year for one device and goes up to $99.99 per year for 5 devices.

7. Bitdefender

• Protection for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
• VPN with 200 MB/day data limit.

Bitdefender is one of the most popular Antiviruses on the market. It offers more than just basic virus protection. It comes with tune-up tools that help speed up your device. It also comes with web-filtering technology that prevents you from visiting virus-infected websites.

Bitdefender comes with a VPN that keeps you anonymous and makes it difficult for advertisers to track you. It also comes with Anti-Phishing, Anti-Spam, and Anti-Fraud features to protect your web browsing experience.

Pros

• VPN hides your location and allows you to view region-locked content.
• Privacy features such as Webcam and Microphone protection.
• Parental control to manage your kids’ internet exposure.
• Built-in password manager.

Cons

• VPN only allows 200 MB of data per day.

Pricing

Bitdefender offers a 30-day free trial. Their pricing starts at $89.99 per year for complete protection and includes password manager, VPN, and tune-up tools.

8. McAfee

• The oldest antivirus of all.
• Protection for macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows.

The infamous John McAfee created the first Antivirus software in 1987. McAfee is the oldest antivirus software of all. Millions of people still use this antivirus to protect their devices.

McAfee antivirus suite comes with a VPN to hide your identity online. It also comes with Firewall and Safe Browsing to ensure your device doesn’t get infected from the websites you visit. It also comes with PC Optimization tools to speed up your PC. McAfee offers all-in-one protection for all your devices.

Pros

• Privacy features such as File Shredder.
• Parental control features.
• Unlimited VPN bandwidth.
• Firewall, Safebrowsing, and Password Manager to secure your online experience.

Cons

• The yearly price for 1-year of protection for 5 devices is a little higher than most other antiviruses on this list.
• Browse good McAfee alternatives here.

Pricing

McAfee Total Protection’s pricing starts at $104.99 per year. It comes with a VPN, identity theft protection features, and premium antivirus. McAfee offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

9. Norton

• Protection for Android, Windows, and Mac.
• Complimentary insurance against identity theft.

Norton is popular not only with home users but also with enterprise companies. They offer a complete antivirus and online protection suite of tools. It includes a VPN service, Privacy Monitor, WebCam protection, and Parental Control.

One of the reasons why people love Norton is because they offer complimentary insurance with all their plans. They offer coverage of up to $1 million for lawyers and experts in case you need help with identity theft.

Pros

• Password manager to help you create and manage secure passwords.
• 100 GB of free cloud storage for backing up your important files.
• Insurance of up to $1 million against identity theft.
• Monitors your credit.

Cons

• No protection for iOS devices.
• Only a 7-day free trial.

Pricing

Norton’s pricing starts at $149.99 per year for up to 5 devices. They offer a 7-day free trial so you can try Norton Antivirus before buying.

Questions & Answers

Our Verdict ⭐

Antivirus software needs to constantly keep track of the files on your computer to protect you from viruses. A bad antivirus software takes up all the memory and slows down your computer when doing this.

Fortunately, all the antiviruses on our list have a very small, unnoticeable impact on performance. You cannot go wrong with any of the antivirus software on this list.

If speed is your only concern, then Kaspersky and Panda are easily the best choices. They are the fastest antivirus on the market and have the least impact on your computer’s performance.

How We Test Antivirus Software: Our Methodology

Our antivirus and antimalware recommendations are based on real testing of the protection, user-friendliness, and minimal system impact, providing clear, practical advice for choosing the right antivirus software.

1. Purchasing and Installing: We start by buying the antivirus software, just like any customer would. We then install it on our systems to assess the ease of installation and initial setup. This real-world approach helps us understand the user experience from the get-go.
2. Real-World Phishing Defense: Our evaluation includes testing each program’s ability to detect and block phishing attempts. We interact with suspicious emails and links to see how effectively the software protects against these common threats.
3. Usability Assessment: An antivirus should be user-friendly. We rate each software based on its interface, ease of navigation, and the clarity of its alerts and instructions.
4. Feature Examination: We scrutinize additional features offered, especially in paid versions. This includes analyzing the value of extras like parental controls and VPNs, comparing them against the utility of free versions.
5. System Impact Analysis: We measure the impact of each antivirus on system performance. It’s crucial that the software runs smoothly and doesn’t noticeably slow down everyday computer operations.

Learn more about our review methodology.