Norton vs Zone Alarm: Which One is Better? [2024 Top Picks]

Find the best antivirus for you and your devices.
We compare security, extra features, ease of use, and more to help you decide.

Norton vs. Zone Alarm: Which Is Right for You?

Eric Goldstein
Eric Goldstein
Chief Editor

Norton vs. Zone Alarm: Which Is Right for You?

Norton and Zone Alarm both use heuristic behavioral signatures to spot zero-day attacks and other known malware. Both reserve most of their premium features for the most expensive price plans. While Zone Alarm offers anti-keylogging, anti-phishing, and anti-spyware, it doesn’t provide ransomware protection. Norton, on the other hand, promises protection from the full range of malware.

If you’re a new user, Norton provides comprehensive support for each element on the suite, alongside phone, email, and live chat service. Zone Alarm offers similar options, although the documentation is less extensive and the phone number isn’t immediately available on the site. Where Zone Alarm does excel is with their ‘find my laptop’ feature, which is an innovative theft protection protocol. It also wins regarding price, as its premium package is $20 cheaper than Norton.

Starting Price
Money Back Guarantee
Free Trial
$29.99
60 Days
$19.95
30 Days
Security
Features
Ease of Use
Support
Pricing
10
10
9
10
10
9
7
8
8
8
Latest Positive Review*User reviews are not verified
Lenjin
Oct. 10, 2022
Excellent antivirus
Hello. Honestly, Norton is a great antivirus. It does its job perfectly...
Sep. 28, 2022
Dark-web Monitoring
I have Norton 360 Premium and am having no luck enrolling in the dark web...
Ottoman Mint
Nov. 5, 2020
Zone Alarm User
I highly recommend ZoneAlarm! I’ve been using Zone Alarm Free Firewall...
Benny
Sep. 22, 2020
A good security product
A very good antivirus with firewall, and it's free !
Latest Negative Review*User reviews are not verified
DCVoltZZ
Aug. 25, 2024
Scary Customer support
after many attempts and 3 weeks of waiting for them to fix their so called...
Dec. 9, 2023
AVOID NORTON SECURE BROWSER
I have been using Norton 360 and it's predecessors for years. Yes it's...
Sanjay
Nov. 7, 2018
Use to be good, but not anymore
I've been using this program for a very long time and have always been...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No reviews yet
Our Verdict
Eric Goldstein
Eric Goldstein
Chief Editor
Norton receives top marks across the board, but it’s not the most budget-friendly option. If you want comprehensive security then we recommend making the investment. However, if what you need is a strong antivirus for a reasonable price, Zone Alarm is a better choice. They offer two free products, alongside the range of Pro services. No matter which software you pick, you’ll get a firewall, cloud storage, and real-time defense for your device.
Time To Decide Which One Is Best For You

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find the best antivirus for me?

The first thing to do is to understand what you need — all antiviruses come with different internet security tools to help you stay protected, so identifying what level of protection you want will help you figure out which product is right for you.

Some antiviruses have a virtual private network (VPN), some have safe browsing extensions, and some have a password manager. Some only work on certain operating systems, while others cover all operating systems across multiple devices.

It’s important to compare the best antiviruses on the market to find the perfect one with the functionality you need.

What makes an antivirus secure?

A high-quality antivirus suite will detect, flag, and remove viruses and various types of malware. It will also offer real-time protection against all threats, regardless of whether you are browsing the internet, downloading software, shopping online, or opening email. For additional security, many antivirus suites offer a VPN, secure storage, and a password manager — these things all add several layers of protection against various cyber threats.

For more information on how antiviruses work, read this.

What do I need to look for when searching for an antivirus?

An antivirus needs to protect against all types of malware — trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, viruses, ransomware, and anything else that might cause damage to your devices. This is done in a variety of ways, but the most essential feature of an antivirus is real-time protection — this makes sure that an active threat is effectively stopped before anything serious can happen.

Other things to look for include — excellent detection rates, fast system performance, included extra features (like a VPN, password manager, etc.), easy-to-use interface, good customer support, and overall value.

Go here for a list of the best antivirus software of 2024.

How do I know if one antivirus is better than another?

When researching antiviruses, it’s a good idea to visit a few well-known antivirus software websites such as Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender to directly compare each antivirus’s features.

You can also look at the expert opinions of our reviewers at SafetyDetectives.com to find the most up-to-date information about the best cybersecurity products on the market today.

The listings featured on this site are from companies from which this site receives compensation and some are co-owned by our parent company. This influence: Rank and manner in which listings are presented. 
Learn more