12 Best Security Software for Small Business in 2026, Compared

Microsoft Defender for Business is the cheapest way into real endpoint detection and response: $3 per user per month on annual billing, covering up to 5 devices per user, for businesses with up to 300 users. Next-generation antivirus, automated investigation and remediation, and threat and vulnerability management come in one console. If the business already pays for Microsoft 365 Business Premium at $22 per user per month, Defender for Business is already included.

It works best on Windows, covers macOS less deeply, and does not support Linux at all. It is endpoint protection only — no VPN, no password manager and no backup — so it is one layer, not the whole stack. Buy it when the business already lives in Microsoft 365; buy Bitdefender or Norton for a mixed Windows and Mac fleet.

Bitdefender GravityZone is the value pick for endpoint protection: Small Business Security costs $118.99 a year for 5 devices on a one-year term, bought online with no partner, and a 10-device licence lists at $324.99 a year. One cloud console manages Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile, and the product scores near the top of independent business protection tests. Patch management and web access control are add-ons rather than bundled.

The limits are the tiers. EDR — the ability to investigate an incident after it happens — sits in Business Security Premium, not the entry plan, so a business that needs investigation pays more. First-term promotions of about 30% also end at renewal, so budget on the list price. Choose GravityZone when detection quality per dollar matters most; choose Defender for Business when the business is already on Microsoft 365.

Norton Small Business is the all-in-one option: one subscription covers antivirus, a password vault, dark web monitoring, a secure browser, a software updater and 250 GB of cloud backup. The 5-employee pack lists at $179.99 a year and costs $89.99 for the first year; the 3-employee pack lists at $119.99. Each employee covers 2 devices across Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, and the 60-day money-back guarantee is the longest in this list.

The trade-off is control. Norton says the product needs no business dashboard, which is good for a hands-off owner and bad for anyone who wants to manage employee devices centrally. VPN, financial monitoring and 24/7 tech support all wait for the Premium tier at $299.99 a year for 5 employees. Pick Norton when one subscription for everything beats best-of-breed tools; pick Defender for Business when central management matters.

Malwarebytes for Teams is built for micro-businesses: a central cloud dashboard, real-time protection, web filtering and brute-force protection, sold in fixed packs of 3, 10 or 20 devices. The 3-device pack costs $119.99 a year, the 10-device pack $399.99, and the 20-device pack $519.99 against a $799.99 list price. The agent is light, the console needs no IT background, and the upgrade path to ThreatDown EDR is clear past 20 devices.

The pack sizes are the catch. A 7-device office buys the 10-device pack and pays for 3 empty seats, and the per-device price barely moves until the 20-device pack. There is no EDR on Teams, so incident investigation means stepping up to ThreatDown Core at $69 per device per year. Choose Teams when simplicity beats everything; choose Bitdefender when the device count is awkward and per-device pricing fits better.

McAfee Small Business Security keeps the maths simple: $94.99 a year covers 5 PCs or Macs, plus unlimited iOS and Android devices, with 24/7 technical support included in the base price. There is no console to learn and no per-device arithmetic — one flat price, one renewal date. That suits a small office where the owner wants a support number rather than a dashboard.

The ceiling is the 5-desktop cap. A sixth PC means buying a second pack or switching products, and there is no Linux support and no central console for managing a growing fleet. There is also no EDR tier, so this is antivirus plus support rather than incident investigation. Pick McAfee for a small, stable office; pick Avast or AVG when the device count will grow past five desktops.

ESET Small Office Protection is the lightweight pick: a small, fast agent built for older hardware, with strong independent test results for protection and few false positives. The 5-device pack costs $179.99 a year, 10 devices cost $204.99, and 25 devices cost $512.50. One licence covers Windows, macOS and Linux, including file servers, and everything is bought online and managed through ESET PROTECT Hub.

The pack structure is the weakness. There is no single-device option, and the 5-device pack is the most expensive per device in this list. EDR and full-disk encryption wait for the higher PROTECT tiers, so incident investigation costs more. Choose ESET when the office runs older machines that heavier agents slow down; choose Bitdefender when the per-device price matters more than the footprint.

Avast Business Security is the cheapest per-device managed antivirus in this list: Essential costs $36.99 a device a year, Premium $46.99 and the top tier $56.99, all managed from the Cloud Management Console. CyberCapture sends unknown files for cloud analysis before they run, and the entry tier covers malware and ransomware protection, data protection and IT support. Staff who used Avast Free at home will already know the product.

The entry tier is Windows-focused, so Mac and server cover costs more, and patch management and password protection wait for the top tier. Support on the entry plan is ticket-based rather than phone. Pick Avast when the fleet is mostly Windows and the per-device price is the deciding factor; pick ESET when the office runs Macs and Linux machines too.

AVG AntiVirus Business Edition costs $46.99 a device a year with a 3-device minimum, managed from the Cloud Management Console, with volume discounts from 10 devices. CyberCapture and cloud-based real-time outbreak detection are included, and patch management is a $16.42 per device per year add-on for offices that want Windows and third-party updates handled automatically. Internet Security Business Edition, at $56.99 a device a year, adds server and browser controls.

AVG and Avast share a parent company, an engine and a console, so the choice between them is mostly price and packaging rather than protection. The 3-device minimum rules out the smallest offices, and renewal pricing can rise above the first-year figure. Pick AVG when patch management matters and the office is all Windows; pick Avast when the per-device price is lower for the same job.

Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security is a cloud-managed suite for up to 250 devices: no server to install, one console, and a per-user licence that covers a workstation, a server or a mobile device. Standard costs $37.75 per user per year for 2–25 seats, Advanced costs $62.02 with email security added, and Worry-Free XDR costs $90 when incident investigation is needed. AI-powered threat defence, device control and web filtering are included from Standard.

The buying experience is the weak point: Trend Micro publishes no price on its own site, so the figure comes from reseller listings and orders go through a partner. Per-user licensing also punishes shared PCs — three staff on one machine need three licences. Choose Worry-Free when a cloud console with no server appeals; choose Bitdefender when you want to buy online at a published price.

Sophos Endpoint — sold as Intercept X until the October 2025 rename — is the enterprise-grade pick: deep-learning malware detection, CryptoGuard anti-ransomware and exploit prevention in one agent, managed from Sophos Central. It carries the highest G2 reviewer scores among the endpoint tools here, and the fixed-price Endpoint 100 bundle suits businesses with up to 100 employees. The same console can later cover a Sophos firewall and email security.

The price is the problem: Sophos publishes none, and every quote comes from a partner, so a straight comparison with the published prices in this list takes a phone call. Third-party estimates put the endpoint tiers at roughly $28–$70 per user per year. Choose Sophos when detection quality and a single console for endpoint, firewall and email matter more than a published price.

Keeper Business is the password layer every endpoint tool in this list lacks: shared vaults, passkeys, autofill and two-factor codes under an admin console, with zero-knowledge encryption so Keeper itself cannot read your vaults. Business Starter costs $2 per user per month billed annually for 5–10 seats, Business costs $4 with shared team folders and delegated administration, and every Business user gets a free Family plan for personal use.

The add-ons are the catch. BreachWatch dark web monitoring costs $2 per user per month extra, and SSO with SCIM provisioning waits for Enterprise at $6 per user per month. Business Starter also caps at 10 seats, so an 11-person team moves to Business at $4. Buy Keeper alongside any endpoint tool here — it solves the shared-password problem antivirus cannot touch.

Backblaze Business Backup is the recovery layer: unlimited offsite backup for one Mac or Windows computer, including attached drives, for $9 a month or $99 a year, with one year of version history included free. Backup runs continuously in the background with nothing to schedule, and the Business plan adds central admin for managing many computers. When ransomware encrypts files, the one-year version history lets you roll back to the clean copy.

The per-computer price is the catch: ten machines cost $990 a year, which can exceed the endpoint protection itself. Backblaze also cannot back up Windows Server, Linux or NAS devices, and a restore by mailed drive costs extra and takes days. Buy it with any endpoint tool here — antivirus stops most attacks, but backup is what saves the business when one gets through.