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There are few bigger names in antivirus and security than Norton, and that makes Norton 360 Deluxe one of the obvious choices for anyone who needs affordable, all-encompassing home security.

And with AV, scam protection, a VPN and dark web monitoring all included in this product alongside a bundle of other features, it’s easy to see why Norton’s tools continue to prove popular.

But with dozens of other products offering similar functionality, including competing security suites from big names like Bitdefender and Sophos, it’s worth taking a deep dive into the app to discover if Norton 360 Deluxe is still your best option – or if it’s been overtaken by more ambitious rivals.

The latest feature to arrive in Norton 360 Deluxe is Genie Scam Protection – a timely addition given how many people are understandably caught out by sophisticated and compelling online scams. This AI-powered feature is designed to cut through the noise and give users clear, straightforward answers about suspicious messages.

Elsewhere, Norton 360 Deluxe includes a familiar range of features. Real-time threat protection, a smart firewall, secure VPN and password manager are all normal additions to a home security suite, and Norton 360 goes further by including parental controls, dark web monitoring, webcam protection and more.

Norton 360 Deluxe looks very cheap in year one (but beware the renewal costs). (Image credit: Norton)Norton 360 Deluxe: Pricing

Norton 360 is available in four different tiers – 360 Deluxe is the third option available. It costs $49.99 for one year of access that protects five PCs, Macs, tablets or phones, and 360 Deluxe includes antivirus, malware, ransomware and hacking protection, Genie Scam protection, a password manager, a VPN, Dark Web monitoring and parental controls.

It also includes deepfake protection, although that feature is only available for Windows devices that have a Copilot+ licence and Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor.

It’s a comprehensive selection, but there are options if you don’t need every feature or if you’d like to save money. And while you do get cloud backup, at this level you only get 50GB – hardly enough to back up your entire PC.

Norton 360 Standard protects three devices, only includes 2GB of cloud backup and doesn’t include parental controls and it costs $39.99 per year – it’s a more affordable option if you don’t have children and if you don’t need any cloud storage.

The entry-level product, Norton AntiVirus Plus, protects a single device and doesn’t include a VPN or Dark Web Monitoring. It costs $29.99 for an annual subscription, and it remains a capable entry-level security tool.

If you decide that 360 Deluxe doesn’t offer enough functionality for you, then you can pay $99.99 annually for Norton 360 Select Plus with LifeLock. You’ll get protection for 10 devices, 250GB of cloud backup, and a host of identity protections including a privacy monitor, identity theft protection, stolen wallet protection, social security alerts, credit monitoring and up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement.

For busy families who want a complete level of coverage, including additions that protect identities and finances, that’s the best choice. And if you explore Norton’s plans beyond the 360 range, you’ll delve into specific products – like security for gamers or a dedicated VPN – and products designed for businesses rather than consumers.

One thing to bear in mind, though – you’ll have to enter payment details even if you just want to try Norton’s 30-day free trial, so remember to cancel that if you don’t want to continue using the product beyond that date.

After a speedy install, Norton 360 Deluxe walked us through setting up its various components. (Image credit: Future)Norton 360 Deluxe: Interface

Norton’s interface is good, even if it’s a little busier than some products – an app like Bitdefender Total Security is cleaner and potentially less overwhelming at first glance.

Load Norton 360 Deluxe and you’re greeted with an update about your traffic status, a control panel that grants quick access to scans, scam protection, the secure VPN, private browser and more, and another tab with alerts.

On the left-hand side there’s a navigation panel that opens up the app’s various modules and settings, and at the bottom of the main window is an unsightly advert that invites you to upgrade to Norton Utilities Ultimate. There’s even a link to the Store where you can upgrade to various other Norton utilities if you feel the need to invest in extra functionality.

The interface is busy and the upselling is unpleasant, but there’s nothing truly bad here – it’ll just take a little while to remember where everything is.

In the Security menu you’ll find options to scan, deploy cloud backup, configure parental controls and open the password manager, and you can dive into the advanced settings menu to activate or remote specific features. The Performance menu is a little sparse – it just includes PC cleanup tools – and the Identity area only includes a link to the Dark Web monitoring module.

In the Privacy part of the app, you can open and configure the VPN and camera protection tools, and in the Settings menu you can tweak notifications, app permissions and more.

And, thankfully, the installation process is better. It’s clear and straightforward, even giving you time estimates for the install, the time it’ll take for setting up your protection and for an initial scan. Norton gives you a warning if there are any conflicting apps on your system, too.

When you boot Norton 360 Deluxe for the first time, you also get the option of running through a five-step setup process that configures dark web monitoring, cloud backup, VPN usage, protecting another device and setting up your password manager.

It’s a neat wizard that ticks many of the protection boxes beyond straightforward scanning, and it’s a welcome addition for newcomers.

Buttons, icons, captions, colors - the Norton interface tries to convey perhaps too much. (Image credit: Future)

AV-Test lab results for Windows 11, August 2025 (Image credit: AV-Test)Norton 360 Deluxe: Antivirus Lab Test Results

Norton 360 Deluxe has a familiar range of antivirus abilities, including real-time threat detection that continuously scans for viruses, malware and phishing attempts, no matter what you’re doing with your device – a tremendous first line of defence against new and emerging threats.

Elsewhere, Norton’s firewall monitors and blocks suspicious network traffic without bothering users – it’s one of the best around, and includes loads of options for customisation, including options to block specific networks and devices, control access for particular apps and tweak traffic rules.

Norton’s app also features ransomware and hacking protection and anti-phishing browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, but you’re out of luck if you want to use a browser beyond those three.

AV-Comparatives’ September 2025 Performance Test evaluates the impact of antivirus software on system performance – a crucial metric if you want a security tool that won’t make your system sluggish when you’re running scans.

These tests incorporate file copying and archiving, app installations and launches, file downloads and web browsing – all common use cases, and situations where you won’t want a security product like Norton to slow you down.

And, thankfully, Norton performed well here. Its Impact Score of 3.8 is excellent, and the second-best in the entire test – only Kaspersky had less system impact than Norton. Unfortunately, Kaspersky has been shunned by the western-world due to being headquartered in Moscow.

In the results, Norton’s performance was recorded as “Very Fast” in every category tested. It’s enough to earn Norton 360 Deluxe an “Advanced+ Performance” badge from AV-Comparatives.

Norton’s performance on mobile impressed, too, with low battery drain on Android.

In AV Test’s August 2025 benchmarking, Norton remained impressive, with a perfect score of 6/6 for system performance.

Norton 360 Deluxe performed better than the industry average when launching websites and installing apps and matched the industry average when downloading apps and copying files. Its only slight stumble came when launching apps, but the performance hit wasn’t huge.

We assess every antivirus with our own in-depth tests. (Image credit: Future)Norton 360 Deluxe: Malware protection

Norton’s level of protection impressed, too. AV-Comparatives’ February-May 2025 Real World Protection Test simulates malware attacks to assess detection, protection and false positives, and Norton performed reasonably well.

It picked up eight false positives and one user-dependent false positive for an overall score of 8.5. That’s not as good as some other big hitters, like apps from Kaspersky, Bitdefender or Avira, but it’s still better than the industry average – and software from companies like AVG, Avast and Panda.

In the overall benchmark, AV-Comparatives sent 423 test cases at the security products under scrutiny, and Norton blocked 421 of those threats for a protection rate of 99.5%. That’s level with Avast, Malwarebytes, Trend Micro and a handful of other tools and barely behind Bitdefender – so, in short, it’s a very good result.

As with system impact tests, these results were enough to earn Norton a top grade of Advanced+. And you can expect similarly impressive protection if you’re using Norton on other platforms, too: its protection rate of 99.9% on Android is superb, and its Mac malware and unwanted applications detection rates of 100% and 99% are fantastic.

Unsurprisingly, Norton continued to perform well in AV Test’s benchmarks, too. It scored a perfect 6/6 in the Protection category, with 100% detection of malware attacks, and it didn’t return any false blockages, detections or warnings, either – so Norton 360 Deluxe’s reliability isn’t in question.

Norton 360 Deluxe isn’t the only product to perform this well: tools from Avira, Bitdefender, Avast, McAfee and a handful of others returned similarly impressive results. But if you end up investing in Norton 360 Deluxe, you can be sure that you’re getting a top-notch level of protection.

Norton 360 successfully blocked our ransomware simulator – eventually. (Image credit: Future)Norton 360 Deluxe: Other features

Norton 360 Deluxe’s other features are just as good. 360 Deluxe includes a full and unrestricted VPN – unlike Bitdefender with its 200mb daily usage limits – and it’s very easy to use, with “on” and “off” buttons clearly indicated. You can easily change location and let the app choose locations based on speed or P2P preferences, and you can opt to have the VPN connect automatically when you boot and kill the internet entirely if the VPN’s connection is interrupted.

Bear in mind that usage of older protocols in the background mean that standalone VPN products will generally be faster. But Norton 360 Deluxe’s VPN is easily fast enough for daily home use.

Dark web monitoring trawls the internet for your bank account, gamer tags, email addresses, phone numbers, insurance details and home addresses – it even scours the web for information about your passport and drivers licence. It’s a thorough system, and fast, too, with instant notifications if your data is spotted in a breach.

The included parental control module needs to be activated separately to 360 Deluxe, and it includes options to set screen time limits, block apps and websites and use real-time location monitoring on child devices. Management is handled through a web console, and there are over 45 different content categories that you can filter out.

There are also options to block sites during school hours, enable safe search and see full reports of your child’s online behavior.

It’s a solid option for parental controls, but you’ll find more power and innovation in dedicated parental control tools.

Elsewhere, Norton includes a password manager that supports multi-factor authentication – but, again, shop around if you want high-end features beyond standard inclusions. And while you get cloud backup with Norton 360 Deluxe, you don’t get the option to perform local or network-based backups.

You can install Norton’s Chromium-based private browser, use tools to keep software updated, clean up junk files and manage your PC’s boot processes, and use SafeCam to protect your webcam and microphone from remote access.

It’s a welcome range of features, if conventional, but it’s worth noting that Norton 360 Deluxe is one of the few antivirus suites that does a great job for mac OS users – it includes antivirus, the firewall, VPN, the private browser and a few other tools.

That’s an impressive array of options for Apple users, but you still don’t get parental controls or cloud backup.

This story is repeated on mobile platforms, too: Norton’s Android app is excellent and packed with features, and the iOS option is better than most – even if you still miss out on some peripheral options and tools.

Norton 360 Deluxe: Final verdict

There’s lots to like about Norton 360 Deluxe. Its antivirus performance is excellent – and it does a great job of protecting your technology without slowing down your devices. The pricing is good, too, with standard pricing and offers that help Norton regularly undercut its rivals.

It’s packed with functionality elsewhere, too, from its dark web monitoring and safe browsing to its unrestricted VPN, scam protection and cloud backup. Some features, like the parental control and password management modules, aren’t particularly innovative – but they work well, and they’re ideal for individuals or families who need effective, straightforward protection.

Bitdefender Total Security is a bit stronger for pure protection, and some other products offer more in terms of innovation. But Norton 360 Deluxe is an excellent all-rounder, especially for families – and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the biggest names in the industry.

Early Black Friday sales are live from your favorite retailers, and I'm rounding up today's best deals on appliances, TVs, Apple devices, vacuums, and gift ideas.

The Sirui SVM-145P is a versatile and robust monopod with fast operation and an impressive maximum payload, making it ideal for photography and video.

Sirui SVM-145P: two-minute review

Monopods are useful camera supports in a range of situations, and many tripods come with a detachable leg that can be converted into a monopod, a system that works extremely well. With this in mind, you might wonder why you'd need to buy a dedicated monopod. In a nutshell, the answer is that monopods like the Sirui SVM-145P bring something much more versatile and robust to the table.

Monopods are essentially a single tripod leg that can be used to provide stability, enabling you to shoot at slower shutter speeds than you could handheld. Plus, the SVM-145P has three metal feet to provide additional stability, making it perfect for video capture when you only need a simple camera support rather than the greater stability of a slower-to-use full-size video tripod.

As the name suggests, this is a monopod with a maximum height of 145cm, or 57.1 inches, while the P signifies ‘pedal’. The pedal is used to quickly release the lock at the bottom of the monopod to allow for 20 degrees of tilt and 360 degrees of rotation, providing the movement you need when the three metal feet are being used for stability.

An interesting feature is that there’s a friction control, which allows you to control how loose or restricted these two movements are. This is useful when shooting video because it allows for smoother pans and tilts.

You can, of course, attach a fluid tripod head for video and use this for panning rather than the monopod itself. My only criticism of the friction control is that the dial at the top of the feet section is itself stiff to turn. Stiff is good to avoid movements caused by accidental knocks, but it’s arguably too stiff.

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You can, of course, keep the feet folded up, in which configuration the SVM-145P performs like a standard monopod with a rubber foot at the bottom that can also be rotated to reveal a spike. The feet can also be removed from the monopod, which reduces size and weight when you require only basic functionality.

Moving on to the minimum height of the SVM-145P, the minimum in monopod mode is 77cm / 30.3 inches, which isn’t particularly low. The SVM-145P, however, has another trick up its sleeve: quick-release feet and the mounting plate where a tripod head can be attached.

These can then be put together to create a desktop / mini tripod, which is roughly 20cm / 7.87 inches. The mounting plate also features a 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch self-adaptive thread to allow tripod heads with either thread size to be attached.

The desktop tripod's minimum height isn’t listed in the specs, only the minimum heights of the basic monopod and monopod-plus-feet configuration. Adding a tripod head to the feet with the base attached will inevitably increase the minimum height, but it remains low to the ground, or not too high when positioned on a desk or table. There’s no denying that it’s a useful and interesting feature for a monopod.

Operation of the SVM-145P is quick and easy, with a simple twist lock at the top for extending and retracting the monopod. Plus, there’s the quick-release mounting plate for switching between monopod and desktop modes.

The aim of this design is speed of operation, and it certainly achieves this. The ability to move the SVM-145P quickly and to easily set it up in seconds also makes it suitable for fast-paced shooting situations. It’s undoubtedly much quicker to set up than a tripod, for instance.

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As far as monopods go, this one is pretty chunky, with the thickest tube having a 36mm / 1.42-inch diameter. The weight of the SVM-145P without a head is 1.49kg / 3.3lbs, so once a head is attached, it’s going to weigh as much as many travel tripods.

When you remove the metal feet, the overall weight is reduced by 720g / 1.6lbs. The maximum payload of the monopod is 10kg / 22lbs, which will include the tripod head if you attach one, but leaves plenty of room for many camera and lens combinations.

The SVM-145P doesn’t come with a head included. This frees you to choose your own head, as well as providing the ability to use different heads depending on what and how you’re shooting. This is standard in the world of mid-to-higher-end tripods and monopods, but more and more travel tripods come with a ball head included, which does reduce overall cost.

My biggest issues with the SVM-145P are that it weighs as much as some travel tripods that have multi-functionality, including monopod and desktop tripod modes, and the cost. The build quality and functionality are fantastic for a monopod, but it also costs the same as many travel tripods, which also come with a head included.

Sirui SVM-145P: key specs

Head

Purchased separately

Leg sections

Three

Height

770mm – 1450mm / 30.3 inches – 57.1 inches

Weight

1.53kg / 3.4lbs

Max Payload

10kg / 22.04lbs

Material

Carbon fiber

Sirui SVM-145P: Price and availability

The Sirui SVM-145P is available now and costs $274 / £239, which puts it in a similar price range to many travel tripods, and the SVM-145P doesn’t even include a tripod head. You can use the monopod without a head, which is ideal when using it to support larger telephoto lenses, but for general photo and video capture a tripod head does improve handling and control.

With this in mind, the SVM-145P is quite expensive. On the other hand, it’s much more feature-packed than a basic monopod or one that’s just a converted tripod leg. If you’re looking for a high-quality monopod and will get plenty of use from it, this could be a fantastic option to consider. If, however, you only need to use a monopod occasionally, you might be better off with a cheaper alternative.

There are also several other monopods available in the SVM range, with different heights, with and without the foot pedal that allows you to switch between a locked monopod and pan and tilt movements when the feet are in use. This means you can choose the height and functionality that works best for you, but as the model that loosely sits in the middle, the SVM-145P is likely to be one of the more popular options in the range.

Sirui SVM-145P: Also consider

Peak Design Pro Tripod

There are three Peak Design Pro Tripod models available, and this excellent travel tripod doesn't come cheap. Its design allows for a compact folded size, while optional ‘mods’ allow you to increase video functionality if required.

Read our Peak Design Pro Tripod review

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod

The Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod is a small and lightweight travel tripod featuring an innovative design, and the ability to support multiple camera types, including smartphones. The tripod also incorporates a mini tripod into the overall design, adding to its usefulness when traveling.

Read our Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod review

Should I buy the Sirui SVM-145P?

(Image credit: James Abbott)Buy it if...

You need speed

This monopod can be operated quickly and provides the support you need in a range of shooting situations.

You need portability

If you don’t need the full support of a tripod, monopods are often more compact, although this one is as heavy as travel tripods.

Don't buy it if...

You need greater support

If you need full camera support for capturing long exposures, for example, you’ll need a tripod rather than a monopod.

You’re on a budget

If you’re on a budget, you can buy cheaper and more basic monopods. Plus, many tripods have a convertible leg for monopod use.

How I tested the Sirui SVM-145P

• I tested it in all configurations
• I used it with different camera and lens combinations
• I tested it with and without a tripod head

I tested the Sirui SVM-145P for more than a week in situations when a monopod is the most appropriate solution, using it to capture both a range of photographic subjects and video. I also tested it alongside a travel tripod, so that I could directly compare the pros and cons of each system.

First reviewed October 2025

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