Norton and Webroot are both reliable antivirus programs. However, Webroot just isn’t as good as Norton in most ways.
For instance, Norton has a higher malware detection rate (100%) than Webroot (93%). In addition, Norton provides useful extra features like parental controls and an unlimited-data VPN, whereas Webroot doesn’t have parental controls and its VPN is only available as a standalone product. However, Webroot does come with a subscription to LastPass — one of the best password managers on the market — and it has a longer money-back guarantee than Norton.
Today, I’ll summarize the key differences between Norton and Webroot so that you can easily decide which is better for you in 2023.
Norton vs. Webroot: Final Verdict
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
Norton has a more powerful malware engine and better web security. It also includes dark web monitoring, parental controls, an unlimited-data VPN, and more. If you want the best antivirus on the market, go with Norton.
Webroot has a better password manager than Norton and a longer money-back guarantee. If you want an excellent antivirus-bundled password manager and a 70-day money-back guarantee, go with Webroot.
Norton vs. Webroot: Malware Protection
Norton features a powerful malware engine that uses a vast malware database, machine learning, and heuristic analysis to detect both zero-day threats and known malware attacks. I tested Norton’s antivirus scanner by hiding 1,000 malware samples on my PC, including trojans, viruses, keyloggers, ransomware, and spyware. I then ran a full system scan — Norton detected 100% of the samples in about 40 minutes. What’s more, during the full system scan, I could still use my computer without experiencing any slowdown.
Norton’s real-time protection is great, too. I tested it by attempting to download the same malware samples to my computer again — Norton immediately blocked all of my attempts.
Webroot has a decent malware scanner that uses heuristic analysis and a cloud-based malware directory to detect threats on your system. To test Webroot’s malware scanner, I hid the same malware samples on my PC that I used to test Norton and ran a full system scan.
The scan was very fast at just 5 minutes, but it only detected 93% of my test samples — lower than Norton’s detection rate. I experienced some slowdown on my computer while the scan was running too.
I was disappointed with Webroot’s ability to block ransomware. When I ran some simulations, Webroot only blocked about 20% of my simulated ransomware threats.
Norton vs. Webroot: Web Security
Norton’s browser extension, Safe Web, restricts access to phishing sites that try to steal your data. In addition, it provides community reviews on suspicious web pages, making it easy to identify false positives.
I was really impressed when I tested Norton’s web security. I tried visiting over 100 phishing websites, and Norton’s Safe Web blocked every single one — including the ones default protections on Edge, Firefox, and Chrome failed to block.
Webroot provides 3 ‘shields’ for web security — Phishing Shield, Web Threat Shield, and Identity Shield. The Phishing Shield blocks dangerous phishing websites. I tried accessing 20 phishing websites, and Phishing Shield successfully blocked 16 of them. This isn’t bad, but it’s not as impressive as Norton’s 100% phishing detection rate.
The Web Threat Shield detects and blocks exploit attacks, and during my tests, it blocked all the web-based exploits I ran on my browser. However, I was really frustrated with Web Threat Shield’s browser extensions (Firefox and Chrome) because they kept crashing.
Identity Shield protects your financial information from screenloggers. It protects you from webcam theft too — during my tests, Identity Shield notified me of sites that were using my webcam. My only issue is that it didn’t block all of the keylogging tools I used in my tests.
Norton vs. Webroot: Features
Norton 360 offers coverage for up to 5 devices and includes:
- Malware scanner.
- Real-time protection.
- Password manager.
- Virtual private network (VPN).
- Smart Firewall.
- Dark web monitoring.
- Identity theft protection (US only)
- Webcam protection (Windows only).
- 50 GB cloud storage.
- And more…
I really like Norton’s Smart Firewall. It comes with SSL man-in-the-middle attack detection, port access detection, and several other advanced features. During my tests, Norton’s Smart Firewall detected all network intrusions, including the ones my Windows firewall missed.
I also like Norton’s VPN. It may not be as good as some standalone VPNs, but still, it provides industry-standard features like 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch, an ad blocker, and split-tunneling. In addition, it has 2,000+ servers in more than 30 countries, and it comes with unlimited data on all but the cheapest plan.
Webroot covers up to 5 devices and includes:
- Malware scanner.
- Real-time protection.
- Firewall.
- System cleanup tools.
- Web & phishing protection.
- LastPass password manager.
- Identity protection.
- Custom protection for Chromebook.
Webroot’s password manager — LastPass — is its standout feature. LastPass is one of the best password managers on the market. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge architecture to protect your data, and it provides password vault protections, password auto-filling and auto-saving, two-factor authentication (2FA) options, account recovery methods, and secure password sharing.
Webroot’s system optimizer, on the other hand, is pretty basic. It deletes junk files from your system and removes browser cookies, but that’s about all. It would be nice if Webroot came with other optimization tools such as a startup manager and a disk defragmenter. That said, Webroot’s range of features and effective internet security protections still makes it a good option.
Norton vs. Webroot: Ease of Use
Norton has many features, so its user interface has a bit of a learning curve. However, it doesn’t take long to get familiar with where the features are and what they do, and once you have, Norton is really easy to use.
I found Norton very simple to download and install, and the process only took a few minutes. After installation, you’re given 3 viewing options — a modern view, a classic view, and an online dashboard. I found the online dashboard easiest to navigate as I could access most features with just one click.
Norton’s mobile apps are also really good — they come with many features, including a VPN, web protection, a password manager, an SMS spam filter, and an App Advisor for Android. My only problem with Norton’s mobile version is that some of the features, like the password manager and the parental controls, come in separate apps rather than being integrated into a single app.
Webroot is very easy to install and set up. There are no complex options or settings, so it’s very beginner-friendly. I particularly like how easy Webroot makes it to schedule scans, and like Norton, Webroot has a browser-based dashboard that’s very well organized and easy to navigate.
Basically, Webroot doesn’t have many extra features, and this makes it really easy to get to grips with. Its mobile apps are also pretty minimal, so they’re simple to use as well. However, while Norton might take a bit longer to get to know, the range of features it offers makes it well worthwhile. Webroot’s offering is simple and intuitive, but fairly limited.
Norton vs. Webroot: Customer Support
Norton offers good customer support through phone and live chat, which is available in several languages, including English, German, Mandarin, and Turkish. In addition, Norton provides a knowledge base and a community forum, but there’s no email support.
I tested the phone support by chatting with agents from different countries like the UK and Colombia — each agent was super friendly and helpful, and they gave very clear answers to all my questions.
I also found the live chat representatives to be very helpful. However, Norton needs to improve its live chat support because sometimes the representatives took a long time to respond, while other times the live chat wouldn’t even open on my system.
Norton has a great knowledge base with troubleshooting guides and FAQs. I often found the answers I needed in the knowledge base, saving me the need to speak to a representative. There’s also a community forum, but it’s not very active, so I recommend using other support channels like the phone support instead.
Webroot offers various customer support options, including phone support, email support, a community forum, FAQs, and user guides. But unlike Norton, it doesn’t provide live chat support, and the customer support is only available in English.
I was able to contact an agent almost immediately when I tested Webroot’s phone support. The customer support agent was knowledgeable and could answer all my questions.
I also tested the email support — it took them 24 hours to get back to me. While the response to my question was quite helpful, this response time isn’t impressive.
Webroot’s online community forum is very helpful, though. Whenever I asked a question, I always got a helpful response within a few hours. The FAQs and user guides are also good — I often found answers to my questions there without having to contact a customer rep.
