Windows Defender Vs. 360 Total Security - For Desktop And Mobile

Joseph Baker - 2020-10-28T22:00:00.000Z

Windows Defender and 360 Total Security are both comprehensive antivirus suites that you can rely on. While the former accompanies all Windows 10 devices, the latter needs to be installed separately. Each comes with numerous features, but Total Security’s premium plan has some great add-ons that aren’t a part of Defender’s offering. This is mainly because Windows offers to safeguard devices at no cost.

That said, we’ll be comparing the free versions of both products to help you better understand the differences, pros, and cons so you can easily decide which solution is right for you.

Features	Windows Defender	360 Total Security
Pricing	Free version	Free version Premium version $14.99/year
Money-back Guarantee	-	Up to 30 days from purchase
Platform Compatibility	Windows	Windows, macOS, Android
Parental Controls	Yes	No
Email Protection	No	No
Chat Protection	No	No
VPN Service	No	No
Smartphone Optimizer	No	Yes
USB Virus Scans	Yes	Yes
Registry Scans	Yes	Yes
Passive Mode	Yes	Yes
Gaming Mode	Yes	Yes
Safe Browser	No	No
Anti-Spyware	Yes	Yes
Anti-Worm	Yes	Yes
Anti-Trojan	Yes	Yes
Anti-Rootkit	Yes	Yes
Anti-Phishing	Yes	Yes
Anti-Spam	No	Yes
Adware Prevention	Yes	No
Personal Firewall	Yes	Yes
Scanning (Real-time, automated, and scheduled)	Yes	Yes
Customer Support	Ticket	Email & Ticket

Features

Defender is a free antivirus; accordingly, there’s a lot of debate over whether it’s the best fit solution or not. While some feel that it does more than enough, others insist on adding a second layer of security. You get a handful of much-needed features like real-time protection from threats, a personal firewall, and parental controls. Its recent update enhances its reliability and ensures improved efficacy by supporting an array of new functions.

The core advantage of this product is that it’s free, and you don’t need to spend a penny for add-on functions. It works best for people who are looking for a clutter-free antivirus offering. Although free, Defender is also completely ad-free. Another upside of this product is that it’s developed by Microsoft, making it perfectly designed to serve its core purpose without hindering your Windows-based device’s overall performance.

Likewise, 360 Total Security is a neat bundle of security features and add-ons that offers a free as well as premium plan. With the free version, you’ll get multi-layered malware protection, real-time scans, document guard, firewall protection, a browser guard, and a lot more. It’s also compatible across Windows, Android, and macOS devices.

The service provider claims to use award-winning antivirus engines from 360 Cloud Scan engines, Avira, Bitdefender, Kunpeng, and 360 QVM II AI Engines to bring forth unparalleled threat detection and protection capabilities. Intelligent behavior monitoring prevents document hijacking and allows you to automatically backup important documents.

With the free version, you get add-ons such as sandbox, secure online shopping, and internet protection. It also provides optimization tools like device patch-up, clean-up, and speed-up.

Ease Of Use

Setting up 360 Total Security is relatively easy. All you need to do is go to the official website and click on the ‘Free Download’ button to download the installation package on your device. The user interface is neat and laid out with beautifully organized visual icons. You can even customize the theme from the dashboard’s menu bar. All of the primary categories are displayed on the left of the screen, and the most important functions are just a click away. However, advanced customization seems to be a hassle.

Performance

One major area to focus on when comparing 360 Total Security vs. Windows Defender is the performance and overall system impact. Unfortunately, Total Security hasn’t been included in recent performance tests organized by third-party testing labs like AV-Test and AV-Comparatives. Based on the last published AV-Test Product Review and Certification Report of Oct 2017, the default engine and the Avira + Bitdefender engine scored 5.5 out of 6, which is at par with some of the best service providers.

On the other hand, Microsoft took part in the April 2020 Performance Test organized by AV-Comparatives and was ranked 14th out of 16 products in terms of performance and system impact. It had a total impact score of 22.8, which is way higher than most products. In response, Defender was awarded a standard one-star rating alongside Trend Micro and G DATA.

That said, both products are cloud-based and work silently in the background to provide real-time protection. Therefore, you won’t find lags while browsing, gaming, or performing other day-to-day tasks.

Internet Security

Windows Defender antivirus software offers a safe browsing feature that works seamlessly with native search engines like Internet Explorer and Edge. Over the past few years, Microsoft has made various improvements. As a result, the current version offers decent protection. However, internet security and parental control features are only limited to native browsers, which is a big drawback.

It does a decent job of protecting your device from threats, but in the end, it’s just a bare-bones antivirus solution. It has been ranked in the top ten antivirus products in terms of security and reliability; however, the only notable drawback is the sheer number of false alarms. In the September 2020 False Alarm Test by Av-Test, Microsoft ranked 9th out of 12 products with 21 false positives.

Then again, in the September 2020Malware Protection Test organized by the same lab, Microsoft detected 100% of all online threats, leaving behind brands like ESET, Bitdefender, and Avira.

Total Security hasn’t been featured in any recent tests. Based on its last performance in the Sep/Oct 2017 AV-Test Product Review and Certification Report, the antivirus (Avira + Bitdefender engine) could only detect 91.7% of 202 samples (real-world testing and 0-day malware attacks), while the industry average was 99%.

Although the company claims to be using the industry-leading engines, it had a comparatively low test score of 1/6 (default engine) and 4/6 (Avira + Bitdefender Engine) in the Oct 2017 AV-Test Product Review and Certification for Windows Home Users.

All in all, it offers excellent protection from scam emails and web pages. The browser extension works perfectly across browsers like Chrome, Edge, Yandex, Opera, and Firefox, offering comprehensive protection from malicious URLs and content in real-time.

Both products offer near-perfect protection from phishing attacks, spyware, and ransomware. The firewall protection feature also allows you to further customize how and which apps will be able to connect to the network. You can easily manage incoming and outgoing connection requests using both the products.

Mobile Security

Defender works on Windows PC only. A new mobile-centric feature has been rolled out, but that’s for premium users. It’s still new, and more updates are expected to arrive soon.

On the other hand, Total Security is compatible with Android devices and is considered one of the best antivirus for mobile devices. It offers handy features like junk and plugin clean up, speed up, and device optimization. Additional features like data shredder, disk analyzer, and scheduled cleanup are offered under the premium plan.

Price

Defender is free to use and comes pre-installed with all Windows devices. You don’t need to pay anything to use the features. If you’re looking for basic protection with a few add-ons, it’s a great choice. One of the best things about this antivirus is that it doesn’t show intrusive ads, unlike most free versions.

360 Total Security offers two free plans and one premium plan. The company has been able to maintain cost-effective pricing while keeping free versions feature-packed. You can get full-fledged security for three devices at just $14.99 per year. There are no additional discounts, but we think the pricing is extremely competitive.

Users will be eligible for a 30-day money-back guarantee when they upgrade to the premium version. Besides, the pricing is favorable and allows you to save a lot if you subscribe for more extended periods. For instance, a one-year plan costs $14.99, but a two-year plan will cost you $16, and a three-year package will cost just $35.

Bottom Line

Based on our tests, third-party test results, and comparison of Windows Defender vs. 360 Total Security features and protection, we think both antiviruses for Windows are capable of providing reliable malware protection in real-time. Both have free versions and are compatible with low-end devices.

If you need basic protection, Defender will serve the purpose. If you need additional features like device optimization, a VPN, disk slimming, and more within budget, 360 Total Security is the best option. You get an antivirus solution and device optimization tools in a single package, without the need to spend heaps of money.

That said, we recommend using Total Security alongside Windows Defender for enhanced protection. For better performance, you can tweak the necessary features in both and use them in conjunction.