While the internet can be a safe and secure place to have fun and educate yourself, more often than not, it’s very dangerous. People who don’t know what they’re doing can easily fall victim to malware, expose their privacy to malicious companies and sites, or hand out their personal info on a silver platter. These issues are pretty typical for everyone who goes online (everyone, in general) and they can be fixed by using a VPN or antivirus.
And this brings us to today’s topic, VPN vs antivirus. What is the difference between an antivirus and a VPN? Which one should you use? Should you use both of them? These questions – and more – will be answered in today’s article, so let’s get into our analysis and see what these services can do for you.
What Is Antivirus?
Let’s first start with antivirus since, I think, people are more acquainted with this concept, rather than the concept of a VPN service. Antivirus is a tool that allows you to secure your device from viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and other types of threats.
The main thing about it is that it secures your DEVICE and that’s something to remember. This software usually works in real-time, in the background, and detects virus/malware intrusions. If you visit a particular site and you “catch” a virus, this tool will react and eliminate it immediately.
Moreover, antivirus also constantly monitors and scans your device for potential threats. As said, it does so in the background, and if you’re using a good antivirus, it won’t be resource-taxing, meaning you’ll maintain the level of performance of your device for productivity, gaming, or anything else.
Antivirus can be extremely helpful if you’ve never used one. A few times I tried using it, I found that my computer was littered with malware, and this software helped me quarantine or delete the infected files, after which, I noticed my Windows PC became significantly faster.
However, keep in mind that an antivirus won’t protect your online identity and it has nothing to do with privacy, unlike a VPN. Although, antivirus solutions today include bonus tools that often extend to online security, but not to the extent that the VPNs do.
Finally, I’ll also mention that many antivirus companies will include even a VPN that you can either buy separately or receive as a part of the threat-protection package. To be honest, these types of VPNs are below average as they’re not the company’s primary product but rather an addition.
That’s why, if you want the best possible VPN, it’s always recommended to get a provider like ExpressVPN, for example. It’s a VPN-only company and this is its main product, so you get the best performance, security, privacy, and everything else.
Antivirus Pros
We’ll talk about VPNs a bit later, but for now, let’s see what are the main pros of antivirus to summarize it a bit better.
✅ Extremely Efficient at Eliminating Viruses & Malware
As said, antivirus software is very efficient at removing and preventing unwanted software from entering your device. Thanks to real-time monitoring of your system, everything will happen in the background without you having to take any steps.
The best antivirus solutions promise at least 99.9% efficiency in eliminating online threats. This is further enhanced if you update your antivirus often, which ensures increased protection against new threats that emerge pretty much every day.
✅ They’re Very Easy to Use
Antiviruses are easy to use. Sure, they might take a bit longer to install and the first run is always going to be a total system scan. However, once you get past that and you clean up your system from malware and viruses, it’s smooth sailing.
After that, this software will turn on with your PC and you’ll get non-stop virus protection without having to open the app at all. This is very suitable for non-tech-savvy users who don’t like to fiddle around the app in fear that they’ll do something wrong.
✅ Many Antivirus Services Are Free
Perhaps the best thing about antiviruses is that, in many instances, they can be free. While I do prefer premium services (I’ll explain why in a minute), free antivirus software is often more than enough for less demanding people.
It’s also efficient at eliminating online threats and while it may lack functions like real-time monitoring and other advanced functionalities, you can still delete viruses and malware by conducting a manual system scan. A bit time-consuming but functional nonetheless.
Antivirus Cons
With the pros out of the way, let’s talk about what you should be careful about regarding antivirus tools.
❌ Some Antivirus Software Will Impact Your Device Performance
Earlier in this VPN vs antivirus comparison, I mentioned that this software works in the background. Well, some antivirus software is more impactful on your device’s resources, which is why you hear many people complaining about their computers becoming slower.
This doesn’t have to be the case always, but it’s worth keeping in mind when purchasing antivirus. Besides, if you have an ancient CPU with 2 GB of RAM and an old, slow HDD, chances are that any antivirus you choose will make your PC run like a snail.
On the other hand, if you’re having an average office PC or laptop with somewhat modern specs and an SSD, you won’t notice an antivirus impact on the performance in most cases.
❌ They’re Known for Storing Logs and Selling Personal Data
This one is pretty concerning and it’s the reason why I dislike free antiviruses. Avast is a prime example of this. The company used to sell the personal data of its free users, which is quite alarming considering that millions of people use its free antivirus.
While I hate this practice, I will say that free services like these are often going for it to be able to make some money. Remember that nothing is free, and if something is, you’re the product – or your personal data if you will. This applies to antiviruses and VPNs.
On top of that, antiviruses will need access to a variety of your device’s parameters to provide protection. They constantly scan your system for threats, so they know all your files, settings, and everything else.
This means you’ll trade a bit of your privacy for protection against online threats. If we factor in other advanced features that antivirus offers, they also require more collected information to provide additional protection, but that’s just how the service works.
It’s always better to get a paid antivirus either way because it’s less likely to collect and sell your personal data to third parties. That’s why we dislike free VPNs compared to paid providers as well.
What Is a VPN?
Now, when talking about a VPN, this is a completely different service than an antivirus.
A VPN is a tool for online privacy, which allows you to use the internet anonymously by changing your IP address and encrypting your connection on a system level.
As a result, every bit of incoming and outgoing traffic is encrypted, meaning you can’t be tracked online and spied on by your ISP, hackers, or anyone else. A VPN will NOT protect you from viruses and malware, although some of them have these features as an addition – NordVPN, for example.
Still, A VPN’s function is to ensure online privacy and allow you to hide your browsing activities. Moreover, this service’s encryption is beneficial for staying safe on public WiFi networks. It’s important to mention that this IP-changing aspect has another benefit.
A VPN routes your connection through a server in another country whose IP address is assigned to you. In doing so, you can bypass geo-restrictions and unblock restricted sites, streaming platforms, or any other site that isn’t available in your country.
Similarly to antivirus, a VPN also works in the background, although it requires a bit more user interaction. Once you install a VPN, you’ll need to open the app and choose the server location you want to connect to. The connection process lasts a few seconds, after which, the encryption takes place.
When the VPN connects, you get a notification and you can close the app, which will still work in the background and encrypt your connection. VPNs are, undoubtedly, easy to use as well, and paid providers offer unlimited bandwidth and fast speeds for limitless browsing and enjoying the internet.
To summarize, a VPN works by routing your traffic through a VPN server, during which, the traffic is encrypted and you’re assigned an IP of that server. This anonymizes your activities online and makes everything you do online 100% private.
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VPN Pros
In a similar fashion as before in this antivirus vs VPN duel, let’s talk about the pros of this service and why using a VPN is a good idea.
✅ Online Privacy
The hallmark of a VPN service is its ability to protect your online privacy. As your connection is encrypted, it’s completely untraceable and you can do anything you want online without your ISP monitoring your activities.
This is done through many encryption protocols and IP/DNS leak protection, which ensures your personal data is never exposed. Providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN also have their in-house DNS servers used for routing your traffic.
Unlike free DNS services that monitor your traffic and store logs, these DNS servers are no-log servers, so you get additional privacy. These two VPNs also offer a no-logging policy, so they store zero information about your IP, browsing history, location, DNS requests, and other bits of data.
As a result, a VPN is great for anonymous torrenting, for example, but also for browsing the dark web safely and enjoying the internet without worrying about your privacy.
✅ Bypassing Geo-Restrictions
By changing your IP to another country, a VPN also lets you unblock geo-restricted sites. You can, for example, access streaming platforms that won’t work in your country or even unblock foreign TV channels by having a corresponding IP address.
This allows you to broaden your internet horizons and access way more content than you’d be able to otherwise. A VPN is the only service that allows you to do this with 100% certainty, unlike proxies which we compared to VPNs recently too.
✅ Public WiFi Protection
In this VPN vs antivirus comparison, we should also mention the VPN’s WiFi protection. Public WiFi networks are dangerous in a way that they offer no encryption or advanced security features, making anyone who uses them potential prey for hackers.
A VPN ensures you’re still safe on public WiFi by hiding your IP address and applying encryption. This way, even the most skilled hacker won’t be able to hijack your IP and steal your personal data, which is useful for tourists in foreign countries or people who use public WiFi frequently.
✅ Extra Security Features
Lastly, a VPN offers bonus security features that make it more versatile. Not all of them, of course, but ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost are known for these practices. Some of the features they offer include an ad-blocker, antivirus, malware protection, Double VPN, a kill switch, split tunneling, etc.
All of these features extend the VPN’s capabilities beyond its basic functions and make it a great tool for overall privacy and online security. That’s why, in many cases, a VPN and antivirus can overlap. Antiviruses offer a VPN and some VPNs offer antivirus built-in within the app.
VPN Cons
VPNs aren’t perfect and there are some things to think about when using them – check them out.
❌ They’re Not Free
Generally speaking, VPNs aren’t free and they require a subscription to be used. That’s why many people are thinking twice before using this service. However, VPNs are usually not very expensive, and in many instances, they’re even cheaper than antiviruses!
A VPN can cost you from around $2 to $15 a month depending on the provider you choose and the subscription plan you go for. Long-term plans require you to pay upfront, and this can be a hefty amount of money that some people refuse to pay.
Are paid VPNs worth it, though? Yes, they absolutely are, which is why millions of people enjoy NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Free VPNs are available as well but they’re much like free antiviruses in terms of security and privacy issues which I’ll discuss soon.
❌ Some VPNs Will Slow Down Your Internet Connection
Anyone who says that a VPN won’t slow down your internet connection is lying. A VPN must slow down your internet connection due to additional encryption and the distance between you and the server you’re using.
This performance reduction doesn’t need to be drastic and it isn’t when using a server location close to you. But if you live in Europe and you connect to a server in Australia, you should expect your internet speed to be slower for the reasons explained above.
Faster VPNs like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost will make this reduction far less noticeable but if you’re using a slow provider, this reduction can go up to 80% in some cases!
❌ Not All VPNs are Trustworthy
Not all VPNs are going to give you the level of security you want. Some of them have empty promises and deliver nothing great to the table. Free VPNs are especially guilty of this, as many of them collect, store, and sell your personal data, violating your privacy as a result.
They also offer weaker encryption and don’t have all the advanced features we talked about. Unfortunately, even some paid providers can’t be trusted, which is another reason why people are hesitant about paying for this service.
To make sure you’re on the right side of the spectrum, getting a trustworthy VPN like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or NordVPN is always a good idea. Don’t bother with Hola VPN, Betternet, Hotspot Shield, and other less-trustworthy companies.
VPN vs Antivirus: Key Differences Summarized
Having said everything about VPNs and antiviruses, I think it’s time to summarize their differences in an easy-to-understand comparison.
- Antiviruses are great tools for protecting your device against viruses and malware. VPNs protect your online privacy by encrypting your connection and anonymizing your online activities.
- Generally speaking, antiviruses won’t protect your online privacy unless they include some sort of VPN. VPNs will not protect you against viruses unless they also include bonus security features for this purpose.
- Antiviruses require a great deal of information to operate, as they’re performing constant scans of your device and going through all your files. VPNs store no logs and they require a minimal amount of information to operate, such as your email address and payment info.
- A VPN can make your internet slower due to added encryption and the distance between you and the server you’re using. Antivirus will sometimes slow down your device as a result of 24/7 monitoring and scanning that occurs in the background.
- Antivirus solutions will often be free while VPNs are mostly paid services. And while free VPNs aren’t great, there are some great free antiviruses with very high efficiency in eliminating viruses and malware. Keep in mind that both free VPNs and antiviruses will store and sell your personal info, so they’re not recommended.
Conclusion: VPN vs Antivirus, Which One Is Better?
The final verdict is that VPNs and antiviruses are two VERY different solutions, with a few overlaps here and there. However, on a grand scale, VPNs do one thing and antiviruses do something else. We can’t say which one is better, therefore, because each specializes in its own thing.
While VPNs are great for online privacy and bypassing geo-blocks, antivirus software is great for keeping your device clean from viruses and malware. Think of these tools this way. They both cover several important aspects of your privacy and device security.
And because of that, I think that you should use them BOTH. With a VPN, you’ll ensure that hackers and your ISP can’t follow your online activities, while antivirus will protect your device by eliminating and preventing viruses and malware from infesting it.
If your budget isn’t too limited and you can afford to pay for both of them, it’s always better to go down this route. However, if you’re limited in any way, you can go for a paid VPN like ExpressVPN, for instance, and then use a free antivirus that won’t store logs and sell your personal information.
Besides, you can get a special 49% discount on ExpressVPN’s annual plan (our favorite VPN), plus 3 free months through our site. At least, you can save some money on this end, and perhaps, get a cheaper antivirus app with all the bells and whistles for even more protection.
FAQ
As the icing on the cake, let’s answer a few questions related to this topic to make sure you understand everything fully.
Can I use only a VPN or antivirus?
Yes, absolutely. I, for example, use a VPN only because I don’t think I need antivirus. If you think otherwise, you can use both or just one of these tools. In this case, you’ll get only the benefits of the tool you’re using and miss out on the benefits of the other.
These tools can function independently and they don’t require each other in any way. Of course, it’s better to maximize your privacy and security in any way but many people find just one of these enough for their needs.
Why are VPNs from antivirus companies bad?
Because they aren’t their primary products. We recently tested Bitdefender VPN but also VPNs from Norton, Avira, Avast, AVG, Malwarebytes, and many other companies. During all of these reviews, we found these providers to be lacking features that standalone VPNs have.
They’re coming with smaller server networks, no streaming capabilities, slower speeds, very few security features, and other annoying limitations. These VPNs are made for basic needs, just to complement antivirus as the main product.
Standalone providers like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost focus fully on the VPN functionality, which is why you get a lot more from them in every scenario.
Which VPNs include antivirus?
NordVPN is a VPN that has antivirus in all subscription plans. Providers like Surfshark and CyberGhost also offer it but it’s a bonus feature that costs extra. I found NordVPN’s antivirus to be great, though, as it still manages to detect and remove threats with ease once enabled – plus, it doesn’t cost extra money.
Is anti-malware the same as antivirus?
In a way, it is. Malware is an umbrella term for malicious software that also includes viruses. Antivirus specializes in removing “established” malicious software like trojans, worms, and so on. It usually deals with “older” and well-known threats.
Anti-malware can remove newer and more complex threats. In many cases, anti-malware will detect the threat first and its list of threats is updated more frequently to meet your needs. However, it doesn’t make it superior or inferior to antivirus.
Both have their purpose. Antivirus will help you with infected USBs and dangerous attachments that could infect your device. It is, however, powerless against polymorphic threats that often change their form to circumvent detection.
Anti-malware can detect these and remove them, unlike antivirus, which usually fails. We recommend using a good antivirus with malware detection/removal capabilities to ensure 360-degree protection against 99.9% of the threats.
