If you’re looking to save money and have no-fuss security, it’s hard to get much better than the security suite that is built into Windows 10 and 11. It’s also known as Windows Security or Microsoft Defender and it includes security for antivirus with the ability to monitor devices, a firewall as well as kid security (you can set permissions to what your children can do online) as well as other features.
It also includes a password manager as well as an anti-phishing tool, among other features. Its firewall monitors all connections, inbound and outbound including Wi-Fi networks. It also has a sophisticated menu that lets you see detailed information about suspicious connections, which is a an important feature.
In our tests it did a great job at blocking most websites that are phishing and downloading dangerous files. Its reputation-based protection system utilizes a massive database to assign app and website reputation scores. Programs with low scores are automatically blocked. It also offers protection against exploits. This protects against attacks that attempt to change the settings of your computer.
It’s pretty good in general but it doesn’t have the malware detection rates that standalone competitors like Norton and Bitdefender have. While it does come with the password manager, it does not include other valuable extras like a PC optimizer or a VPN. The customer support options available are extensive. There’s a massive community that has detailed FAQs and forums as well as a variety of ways to reach an expert tech support via email or live chat.