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PC Matic vs Norton: Which Antivirus Is Better in 2022?

Overall Score:
7.2
Features
Value for money
Support
Ease of use
Price:$50
Overall Score:
8.4
Features
Value for money
Support
Ease of use
Price:$39.99
PC Matic 2019PCMatic Norton
Pricing
Price$50$39.99
Money back Guarantee
Scanning
Real-time Antivirus
Manual Virus Scanning
USB Virus Scan
Registry Startup Scan
Auto Virus Scanning
Scheduled scan
Threat type
Anti-Spyware
Anti-Worm
Anti-Trojan
Anti-Rootkit
Anti-Phishing
Anti-Spam
Chat/IM Protection
Adware Prevention
Compatibility
Windows
Mac
Android
IOS
Usage
Ease of use
Extra features
Personal Firewall
Parental Controls
Gamer Mode
VPN Service
Smartphone Optimizer
Device Tune-up
Safe browser
Support
Live Help
Phone support
Ticket support

PC Matic or Norton: Which one to choose?

PC Matic vs Norton Comparison.

Norton is a reliable, feature-packed product with a user-friendly interface. PC Matic is not an antivirus in the most traditional way, it is more of an optimization center, a piece of software that is equally good at anti-malware protection, OS optimization, performance boost, and disc cleaning.

PC Matic will be a better choice for a regular user who’s not looking for something specific. PC Matic offers more value, and the built-in automatic maintenance module will make sure to keep the operating system running smoothly.

But before you make your decision, it’s important to go over both programs in detail and talk about their pros and cons. If you are interested to check both programs read PC Matic Review and Norton Antivirus Review.

Norton vs PC Matic: Main Features Comparison

PC Matic Main Dashboard.

We’re comparing two different products in this review – with different approaches to dealing with malware. Plus, while Norton is a “brick-strong” kind of software with a strong focus on its antivirus engine, PC Matic aims to please a much wider range of users. This is mainly thanks to its large set of optimization settings.

If you’ve been looking for a program that would delete junk from the hard drive, improve browser performance, and boost startup times, PC Matic should be right up your alley. It keeps the network secure, automatically installs new drivers, and runs full hard disc defragmentation. Still, it does share some features with Norton, including:

  • Real-time anti-malware protection;
  • Protection against ransomware and phishing;
  • Spyware detection and elimination;
  • Registry startup scans;
  • Rootkit protection;
  • Money-back guarantee.

You might think that Norton is asignificantly worse choice because of its lack of optimization tools, but that’s not the case. True, PC Matic is quite an impressive option in that regard, and as far as the main features go, it is the obvious winner. However, in terms of extras, it’s not nearly as impressive. Norton, in contrast, comes packed with a generous line-up of additional features.

We’ll talk about them in a moment and compare PC Matic vs Norton. But first, let’s take a look at how they performed in the security tests and which platforms they support.

Security Comparison

Norton Antivirus Scans Screen.

In the most recent tests conducted by AV-Comparatives, Norton was able to detect and eliminate more than 93% of the malicious threats. AV-Test, another respected third-party tester, gave it 18/18 points (6 for performance, usability, and protection). Norton is strong against ransomware and phishing as well, thanks to its strong modules and the advanced firewall.

PC Matic also performed flawlessly in the AV-Test evaluation and earned a spot right next to the leaders of the industry. Anti-ransomware protection is decent, along with the anti-phishing features. We have to, however, say, that PC Matic has a very high number of false positives and will constantly flag legit apps and files.

That’s because it doesn’t follow the same “blacklisting” routine as most antivirus products. Instead, it creates a whitelist and fills it with files that it knows don’t pose a threat. All the heavy lifting is done on the company’s supercomputer, and this approach proves to be highly effective.

Compared to each other, Norton and PC Matic are mostly the same, if not for the above-average number of false flags that you’ll have to deal with if you choose PC Matic. On the other hand, we should all appreciate the fact that it is almost on par with one of the leading antivirus solutions on the market while being an optimization tool.

Compatibility Comparison

PC Matic Features.

Norton has always positioned itself as one of the most versatile and flexible antivirus products on the market. And, it’s fully compatible with all the leading platforms, including desktop (Windows and macOS), and mobile (Android and iOS). As for PC Matic, it’s a PC optimization suite and is a Windows-oriented product. For a very long time, it had only been available on the Win OS, but recently, the company added macOS and Android support.

Sadly, iOS is still not an option, so if you own an iPhone or an iPad, you might want to stick with Norton. The same is true for the macOS: Norton fully supports it and has a fast, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate client. Now, going back to Win, we have to say that PC Matic has more trumps up its sleeve there. All those optimization tools work smoothly on Windows XP up to Windows 10.

PC Matic is compatible with macOS 10.12 and higher and Android 4.4 and higher. As long as you have 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz CPU, the software will run in the background without causing any trouble. Norton isn’t available on XP, but fully supports Win 7 SP1 and higher (both 32- and 64-bit versions). The Mac and Android requirements are the same; iOS 10 or higher will be enough to run Norton on an Apple mobile device.

Extra Features Comparison

Norton Antivirus Extra Features.

As mentioned, the optimization/tune-up/boosting features of PC Matic is an integral part of the software, which is why we discussed them in the Main Features section. When it comes to extra features, such as password managers, firewalls, parental control services, and such, this product doesn’t have much to offer. Norton is a completely different story, especially if you purchase the LifeLock package.

Here is a quick list of useful Norton extras that are not available with PC Matic:

  • Cloud Backup (up to 100GB of secure online storage for the most important data);
  • Smart Firewall (protects the network and controls which apps get access to it);
  • Password Manager (generates hard-to-crack passwords and keeps them in a secure vault);
  • Parental controls (protects kids from explicit content on the Internet);
  • Email Protection (self-explanatory);
  • Webcam protection (prevents suspicious apps from taking control of the webcam).

Norton comes with a strong set of features that will be useful regularly. Again: PC Matic doesn’t include any of the extras we just mentioned. And with Norton LifeLock, you’ll also get:

  • Dark Web monitoring;
  • Stolen wallet protection;
  • Credit alerts;
  • SSN alerts;
  • $1 million in reimbursement.

Support Comparison

PC Matic Antivirus Support.

The Norton antivirus doesn’t have the good old ticket system, but it does offer email and phone support, along with a live chat. Live help is available Mondays through Fridays, and it only takes an agent two minutes to join the chat. The same is true for phone support. Emails might take a day or two to get processed, but that’s the industry average.

PC Matic doesn’t provide support live chat. Instead, it focuses on the ticket and email systems. It is important: during our review, we learned that, on average, it takes the PC Matic agents less time to hit you back through email compared to Norton’s customer service. True, this isn’t an exact science, and how fast they reply depends on many things.

Still, PC Matic’s lack of support options is well compensated. The bottom line is – in this round of the PCMatic vs Norton comparison, there are no obvious winners or losers. You’ll be able to contact the support agents and fix your problems regardless of the antivirus software you choose. If you want to get your money back (a refund), it would be best to let support handle everything. And don’t forget about the FAQs, knowledge bases, and how-to videos.

Pricing and Packages Comparison

PC Matic Antivirus Prices.

  • PCMatic Annual Subscription – $50 per year
  • PCMatic Lifetime Subscription – $150/year
  • Norton Antivirus Plus – $19.99/year
  • Norton 360 Standard (Norton Security) – $39.99/year
  • Norton 360 Deluxe – $49.99/year
  • Norton 360 With LifeLock Select – $99.99/year

There you have it – the available packages and their respective prices. Norton’s entry-level Antivirus Plus will be an excellent choice for users that only require protection for one single device. But if you’re looking to protect up to 5 devices, PC Matic’s Annual subscription will save you money in the long run.

The Lifetime subscription will protect those 5 devices for an unlimited amount of time – something that you won’t find with many similar products. The generous annual and unlimited packages are PC Matic’s biggest selling points, and we believe that it’s the winner in this round of our competition. Most users don’t look for ID theft protection services in an antivirus. If you are, then you might want to think again before you make a commitment.

Both companies offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. One final thing: PC Matic Pro is a business product, which is exactly why we didn’t include it on this list. Do you want to see a Norton Small Business vs Matic Pro comparison? Let us know in the comments!

PCMatic highlights:

  • A unique approach to detecting and eliminating malware
  • Whitelisting, Fileless Script Block and RDP Port Controls
  • Compatible with every single Windows OS, starting with XP
  • Available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese
  • Full support of Android devices
  • Automated PC Maintenance
  • Low system Impact, works with decades-old computers
  • Built-in AdBlocker
  • Very user-friendly, easy to install

Norton highlights:

  • Safe and reliable files and data storage
  • Blocking of illegitimate software
  • Flexible scanning options
  • User-friendly interface
  • Decent variety of packages

Last Customer Reviews: PCMatic vs Norton

P Howard
I had been checking customer reviews for PC Matic on a monthly basis for a couple years. Over that time, they had gotten very FEW "not so good" reviews. Bought it almost a year ago and had no hesitation purchasing the Lifetime Evergreen plan. I've had McAfee, Bitdefender, Norton & Kaspersky and none of these can hold a candle to PC Matic in both price and service. Installation was simple, although it does come with a LOT of material to read over, so it does take a while to go through, but it is all great information. They break it down into understandable terms, so it's easy to follow. So far, I've not had any problems or issues, and I really don't expect to because the program is so automated that it will take care of things you had not considered before until you get your report and see everything that is being taken care of for you. I specifically like it because it's a U.S. based business. None of the ones I've used in the past are U.S. companies and don't know any that are besides PC Matic. In fact, even though Bitdefender claims to be a free anti-virus, there is no one to contact. Probably because it's based in Russia. At least it was when I tried it. It's also a difficult program to get off your machine. Once it's downloaded, it put files in places all over the hard drive that other programs don't, so that was scary. I can also say the speed of my pc has increased. Another great plus for PC Matic is even though the whole program is completely automated, you are still in the driver's seat as to what & when you want things setup as well as how often. With any other anti-virus program it's here we are, put us on your pc and don't tell us how to do our job. Just go away and pay out fees! So if you haven't tried PC Matic yet, you should!
Michael Lanphere
All of it sounds good except it's not an all in one product if it doesn't cover the IOS.
Steve Schatz
Really good. Easy to understand.
Richard Stevens
You have given Norton a top rating and I have been using Norton on my computers for several years. However, after I had tried a Software cleaning program for a year then decided to uninstall it, it left an annoying nag pop up that Norton did nothing about. I tried Malwarebytes and it immediately detected it as malware and eliminated it. Shouldn't Norton have done that? What other programs would have worked like Malwarebytes since I notice that Malwarebytes doesn't get a top review from you?
Bridget Cunningham
April 2020--I have been a Norton customer for years. My subscription auto-renewed in January 2020. I began getting error messages on my laptop saying that my subscription has lapsed, which it had not, and that the virus protection programs could not run or update. I spent 3 hours on the phone with Norton Support for them to correct the issue. Supposedly, the issue was fixed. The same issue with error messages occurred again in February. Another 3 hour phone call, with the issue supposedly fixed. The same issue occurring in April. I had 2 more 3+ hour phone calls, with the Support person telling me in the end that he could not fix the issue and that the issue had to get raised to their engineering team and that I would hear back from them in 7-10 days! The support person had enabled and disabled dozens of settings on my computer so that my computer function was negatively impacted. I ended up having to spend another 5+ hours on the phone with Dell Support. In the end, my computer function had been so negatively impacted by Norton Support that Dell had to do a complete factory reset on my laptop. They had to remove Norton from my computer as a part of the exercise. I since spent another hour on a chat with Norton trying to find out when Norton Support is going to rectify the issue and get Norton replaced on my computer. I am paying for this service that I don't even have. They said another 7-10 business days! They have limited staff due to Coronavirus and everyone is working from home?? How does that even happen to a tech company??!! No capability to work from home. Are you kidding?? So, in the meantime, I have no virus or malware protection, and I am inundated with ad's. Awful. And I have no remedy. Beyond angry and I will post negative reviews on every site that I can find.
Frank Johnson
I've been using Norton antivirus for years and never been disappointed. It is a very good software with which everything can be secured & protected. Truly delightful product to use. I would recommend to a friend.
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