TotalAV is one of the more recognizable names in consumer antivirus software, and after testing it myself, I can see why it has built that reputation.
The protection scores from independent labs are among the best in the category, the installation process is one of the smoothest I have encountered, and the Total Security plan bundles enough extras, including a VPN, password manager, and ad blocker, to replace several standalone tools with a single subscription.
That said, reputation alone is not a reason to buy anything. There are limitations here that matter depending on what you need, and the pricing picture requires some attention before you click subscribe. Read on for the full breakdown.
Pros and Cons
- Perfect 18/18 score in latest AV-TESTs
- Simple installation in under two minutes
- Reliable real-time phishing protection
- Bundled VPN, password manager, & ad blocker
- Ultra-lightweight with <1% CPU impact
- Accurate, honest system clean-up tools
- No built-in firewall; relies on Windows
- Live chat support is buried and difficult
- Inconsistent WebShield performance on mobile
Rating Breakdown
I evaluated TotalAV across six parameters using a consistent methodology applied across all the antivirus reviews on this site.
Each parameter is scored out of 10.
| Parameter | Score | Why this score |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | 9.0/10 | Accessible promotional rates and strong bundle value in Total Security. Note: Renewal rates are significantly higher and auto-renewal is active by default. |
| Security features | 8.5/10 | Strong package including WebShield and data breach monitoring. The primary gap is the absence of a built-in firewall across all tiers. |
| Protection | 9.5/10 | Perfect 18/18 in AV-TEST (Jan-Feb 2026). 99% zero-day detection and 100% widespread malware detection. Advanced Plus award from AV-Comparatives (2025). |
| Performance | 9.6/10 | Minimal idle impact (<1% CPU). Full scans use 50-65% CPU. Note the 21% slowdown during application installs on standard hardware. |
| Ease of use | 9.0/10 | Smooth installation and clean dashboard. The only friction is the sidebar mixing locked and active features without clear visual distinction. |
| Support | 7.0/10 | Detailed knowledge base, but live chat is difficult to locate. Verification processes and partial answers from agents can cause delays. |
| Overall | 8.8/10 | A top-tier choice for protection and UX. Competitive entry pricing is balanced by the need for active subscription management and the lack of a native firewall. |
1. Plans and Pricing
TotalAV offers three plans: TotalAV Premium, Internet Security, and Total Security.
Each tier adds features on top of the core protection, which stays the same across all three. The pricing widget above shows the current rates for each plan.
| Feature | Premium | Internet Security | Total Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Antivirus Protection | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Malware & Ransomware Protection | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Zero-Day Cloud Scanning | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| System Tune-Up & Disk Cleaner | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Total Adblock | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Total VPN (Privacy) | – | – | ✔ |
| Total Password (Manager) | – | – | ✔ |
| Devices Supported | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Price | $99/year | $129/year | $149/year |
TotalAV Premium covers 3 devices and includes real-time protection, malware scanning, WebShield, and the system tune-up tools. Internet Security steps up to 6 devices and adds the VPN. Total Security covers 8 devices and brings in the full package, adding Total Password and Total Adblock.
TotalAV offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on annual and biannual plans. Monthly and quarterly subscribers get a 14-day window. One important distinction: canceling auto-renewal is not the same as requesting a refund.
If you want your money back, you need to fully terminate the subscription and submit a refund request within the eligible window. Turning off auto-renewal only stops future charges.
For payments, TotalAV accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
2. Security Features
TotalAV covers the core protection areas you would expect from a modern antivirus, and adds several extras through its bundled tools.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Real-time protection | Always-on scanning that monitors files as they are downloaded, opened, or executed. Uses cloud-assisted scanning to catch zero-day threats. Enabled by default on paid plans. |
| Malware & virus scanner | Offers Quick, Full System, Smart, and Custom scans. Smart scans combine malware detection with junk file and tracking cookie identification. |
| Ransomware defence | Integrated into real-time protection; monitors for behavioral patterns and stops suspicious processes before encryption occurs. |
| Web & phishing shield | WebShield browser extension (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.) blocks malicious sites using updated blocklists and AI-based detection. |
| Firewall | Not included. Relies on managing the native Windows firewall rather than providing a proprietary built-in module. |
| VPN | Included in Internet and Total Security plans. Uses IKEv2/OpenVPN with 50+ locations. Includes a kill switch and unblocks major streaming services. |
| Password manager | Exclusive to the Total Security plan. Stores/autofills credentials and syncs across devices via browser extensions. |
| System optimization | Included in all paid plans. Covers junk removal, startup management, browser clearing, and duplicate file detection. |
| Data breach monitoring | Available on all plans. Alerts users if their registered email addresses appear in public breach databases. |
| Total Adblock | Included in Internet and Total Security plans. Blocks pop-ups, trackers, and video ads, including YouTube pre-rolls. |
What is missing
The absence of a firewall is the most significant gap in TotalAV’s feature set relative to its price. A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and blocks unauthorized connections.
Without one, TotalAV leaves that layer of protection entirely to Windows Defender’s built-in firewall, which is adequate but not configurable in the same way a dedicated firewall would be.
TotalAV also lacks parental controls and webcam or microphone protection, which are features available in Bitdefender and Norton at comparable price points.
3. In-House Testing Results
To evaluate TotalAV’s protection, I reviewed the most recent results published by AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives, the two independent testing institutes that continuously evaluate antivirus software under controlled, real-world conditions.
AV-TEST’s January to February 2026 report covers TotalAV version 6.4 running on Windows 11, which is the most current published data available at the time of writing.
How AV-TEST works
AV-TEST scores every product across three categories, each worth a maximum of 6 points. Protection measures how well the software detects and blocks real threats. Performance measures how much the software slows down the system during everyday tasks. Usability measures false positives, meaning how often the software wrongly flags safe files or websites as dangerous. A perfect score is 18 out of 18. Products scoring 17.5 or above receive the Top Product award.
Protection
AV-TEST tested TotalAV against two types of threats: zero-day malware attacks, which are brand new threats that have never been seen before, and widespread malware, which covers threats that have been circulating in the wild over the previous four weeks.
| What was tested | January | February |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world protection against 0-day malware (285 samples) | 99% | 99% |
| Detection of widespread malware, last 4 weeks (12,729 samples) | 100% | 100% |
| Protection score | 6/6 | 6/6 |
The results are strong across both months. Blocking 99% of zero-day threats is a meaningful result because these are the attacks that signature-based engines struggle with most. The 100% detection rate on widespread malware across both months tells you the engine is keeping its definitions current and working as it should.
Performance
This category measures how much TotalAV slows down everyday tasks while running in the background. Lower numbers are better.
| Task measured | Standard PC | High-end PC |
|---|---|---|
| Slower when launching popular websites | 20% | 18% |
| Slower when downloading common apps | 1% | 0% |
| Slower when launching standard software | 8% | 8% |
| Slower when installing applications | 21% | 21% |
| Slower when copying files locally | 2% | 0% |
| Performance score | 6/6 | 6/6 |
Most of these figures are low enough that you would not notice them in normal use. The one number worth paying attention to is the 21% slowdown during application installs on a standard PC.
If you regularly install software, you may find that TotalAV adds a slight delay while it scans incoming files. It is not dramatic, but it is the most noticeable performance cost in the data.
On a high-end machine, the figure is the same, which suggests this is driven by how thorough the scanning is rather than raw processing power.
Usability
This category tracks false positives, which is how often TotalAV incorrectly identifies a safe file or website as a threat.
| What was tested | January | February |
|---|---|---|
| False warnings when visiting websites (500 samples) | 0 | 0 |
| False detections during system scan (845,581 samples) | 3 | 0 |
| False warnings when installing legitimate software | 0 | 0 |
| False blockages of legitimate software | 0 | 0 |
| Usability score | 6/6 | 6/6 |
Three false detections in January across a sample set of over 845,000 files is a negligible rate. By February, that figure dropped to zero. In practice, this means TotalAV is highly unlikely to quarantine something you actually need.
Overall AV-TEST result
TotalAV scored 18 out of 18 in the January to February 2026 test, earning the AV-TEST Top Product award.
This is the highest possible result and puts TotalAV among a small group of products that achieved a clean sweep across all three categories in this test period.
How AV-Comparatives rates TotalAV
AV-Comparatives runs a separate and equally rigorous annual test series. Across its full 2025 consumer test series, which covered 19 security products, TotalAV earned two Advanced Plus awards and one Advanced award.
Advanced Plus is the highest grade AV-Comparatives issues. The fact that TotalAV collected that grade twice across the year is a consistent result rather than a one-time peak.
The area where TotalAV has historically faced more scrutiny from AV-Comparatives is false positives. In their March 2025 Malware Protection Test, TotalAV triggered 28 false alarms, which is higher than competitors like Kaspersky, which triggered 3.
This is worth knowing because a high false positive rate can make an antivirus feel disruptive in daily use, even if the protection numbers are strong. The January to February 2026 AV-TEST usability results suggest the false positive situation has improved, but it is a metric worth watching across future tests.
4. Impact on PC Performance
The straightforward answer is that TotalAV does not noticeably affect your computer during normal use.
When it is running in the background and not actively scanning, the CPU impact is under 1%, and RAM usage sits at around 30 MB, which is light enough that you would not know the software was there.
The impact is felt during scans, and the degree depends on which scan type you run.
The AV-TEST January to February 2026 performance results give the clearest picture of how TotalAV affects everyday tasks while running in the background.
| Task measured | Standard PC | High-end PC |
|---|---|---|
| Slower when launching popular websites | 20% | 18% |
| Slower when downloading common applications | 1% | 0% |
| Slower when launching standard software | 8% | 8% |
| Slower when installing applications | 21% | 21% |
| Slower when copying files locally | 2% | 0% |
| AV-TEST Performance score | 6/6 | 6/6 |
Most of these figures are low enough that you would not notice them. Launching a website 20% slower still means a page that loads in one second takes 1.2 seconds. The figure worth paying attention to is the 21% slowdown during application installs on a standard PC.
If you regularly install software, you may find TotalAV adds a slight delay while it scans incoming files. On a high-end machine the figure is the same, which suggests this is driven by the thoroughness of the scan rather than raw processing power.
During active scans, the picture changes more noticeably.
| Metric | Measured |
|---|---|
| Quick scan CPU load | 40% to 60% |
| Full scan CPU load | 50% to 65% |
| Background CPU when idle | Under 1% |
| RAM in use when idle | Approx 30 MB |
These CPU load figures during scans mean you will notice some slowdown if you are running other demanding applications at the same time. A quick scan is manageable to run while working.
A full scan is best scheduled when the machine is idle, either overnight or during a break, since it can push CPU load into the 50 to 65% range for the duration.
5. Getting Started with TotalAV
To get a firsthand picture of what it is like to actually use TotalAV, I went through the full journey from scratch: visiting the website, downloading the installer, creating an account, and running the first scan.
I also spent time with the dashboard and the clean-up tools to understand how the product feels in day-to-day use, not just on first open. Here is exactly how it went.
Registration and installation
Getting TotalAV onto your machine is straightforward. From the TotalAV website, you click Download Now, and the installer file downloads immediately.
The site displays a clear three-step guide as the download runs: open the file, click Yes when Windows asks for permission to make changes, then click Install in the setup window that appears.
The installer itself is minimal. A single window appears with a brief description of what the product does and an Install button. There are no hidden checkboxes, no bundled software offers, and nothing to configure during installation. You click Install, and it handles the rest.
Onboarding and account setup
Once installation completes, TotalAV opens into a short onboarding sequence before asking you to log in. It walks through two protection areas, malware and phishing, with a brief plain-English explanation of each.
While these screens play out, the antivirus engine is downloading in the background, shown by a progress bar at the bottom of the window. On my connection, this took about 30 seconds.
The final onboarding screen confirms installation is complete and prompts you to log in or create an account. If you purchased a plan on the TotalAV website, you log in with the same email address used at checkout. New users are asked for a name, email, and password, nothing else.
The first scan and what it finds
After logging in, TotalAV runs an initial scan automatically without asking. The scan screen shows a circular progress counter in the centre of the window, the name of the file currently being examined beneath it, and a three-step visual at the bottom showing the sequence: scan, detect, remove.
A note in the bottom right corner indicates a clean-up scan follows automatically once the antivirus scan finishes.
When the scan finishes, TotalAV displays a summary screen across four categories: Antivirus, Internet Privacy, Clean-Up, and Disk Cleanup. On my machine, the antivirus scan found no malware threats and no potentially unwanted applications.
The other three categories told a different story. Internet Privacy flagged 2 tracking cookies with WebShield enabled. Clean-Up found 7 autorun programs, over 20,000 browser history entries, and nearly 7,000 browser cookies. Disk Cleanup identified 1,176 junk files accounting for 111.81 MB of recoverable space.
None of the non-malware findings are security threats. They are housekeeping items that accumulate on any regularly used Windows machine. What the scan does well is present them clearly in one place rather than making you hunt through multiple menus.
The quick scan results
After the initial scan, TotalAV ran a quick scan and presented the results on a dedicated screen showing 4 issues found. The malware scan came back clean, which matched the initial scan result.
The remaining four items were the same categories seen before: 111.81 MB of junk files, 305 tracking cookies, 27,598 browsing activity items, and 7 startup programs flagged as potentially slowing the PC.
The language TotalAV uses here is worth paying attention to. Phrases like “305 tracking cookies are monitoring your browsing activity” and “7 startup programs may be slowing down your PC” are accurate but written to prompt action.
Tracking cookies are a normal part of everyday browsing and not a threat in the same category as malware. The startup programs finding is more useful, as having too many applications launch at boot genuinely does slow Windows down, and reviewing that list is worth doing.
The clean-up tools
Clicking into the junk files result shows a breakdown by category. On my machine this included 597 Windows log files at 68.9 MB, 510 Windows error reporting files at 26 MB, 25 temporary files at 10.28 MB, and 38 thumbnail cache files at 4 MB.
Each category has a checkbox, and you select which ones to remove before clicking Clean Selected.
This level of detail is more useful than a single combined number. It lets you make an informed decision rather than blindly deleting everything the tool finds. Windows log files and error reporting files are generally safe to remove.
Temporary files are safe to remove. To be cautious, review the list and deselect anything you are unsure about before cleaning.
Dashboard and day-to-day experience
Once you move past the initial scan flow, TotalAV opens into the main dashboard. The left sidebar organises everything into two groups. Under My Suite you have TotalAV, Total Adblock, and Total WebShield, the three core applications that come with the plan. Below that, under Addons, you can see Total Password, Total Cleaner, Total VPN, Total Drive, and Licences. Each item in both lists has its own dedicated section accessible from the sidebar.
The main panel on first open shows a Complete Your Security Suite prompt with a Complete Setup button, along with three product tiles for TotalAV, Total Adblock, and Total WebShield, each with an Open button.
The overall layout is clean and uncluttered. Everything you need is visible from this single screen without drilling into submenus.
The four icons on the far-left edge of the window handle the most common actions: a shield for protection settings, a circular icon for privacy tools, a bell for notifications, and a gear for settings. The navigation is deliberately minimal. There are no nested menus, and nothing is buried more than one click deep.
The one area where the dashboard experience could be clearer is the distinction between the core suite and the add-ons. A user on the TotalAV Plus plan will see Total Password, Total VPN, and Total Drive listed in the sidebar, but will not have access to them without upgrading. The sidebar does not visually differentiate between what is active and what requires a higher plan until you click into each item. That is a minor point, but one worth knowing before you start exploring the product.
My verdict on the setup experience
The installation takes under two minutes and involves no confusing steps. The onboarding sequence is well designed, showing you what the product does before asking you to engage with it. The initial scan runs immediately and presents results in a clear, organized summary. The clean-up tool breakdown is detailed enough to make informed decisions rather than just clicking accept on everything.
The main caveat is the way non-security findings are presented alongside the malware results.
It is not misleading, but it does require a moment of reading to distinguish between an actual threat and a routine housekeeping item. That is a minor friction point in what is otherwise one of the smoother antivirus onboarding experiences I have seen.
6. Customer Support
To test TotalAV’s support properly, I went through the live chat myself, asking a real technical question rather than something a basic search would answer immediately.
Here is what I found.
Finding the live chat
The first friction point is getting to the live chat in the first place. The Help Center homepage organizes support into three clear categories:
- Technical Product Support
- Account Support
- And Billing Support, with additional sections for each bundled product below
What the Help Center does not do is make the live chat option readily visible. I navigated through the Technical Product Support section, which takes you to a sub-page covering Setup, Configuration and Settings, Issues and Malware, VPN, and Total Password.
I could not locate the live chat from within the Help Center navigation at all. I ended up finding it by searching for “TotalAV chat support” on Google, which brought me directly to the chat page.
Once I arrived there, I was asked to confirm my account details before the chat window opened.
This is worth flagging for anyone reading this review. If you need live chat support quickly, going directly to Google is faster than navigating through the Help Center. That is not ideal for a product that positions customer support as one of its strengths.
The live chat experience
Once I confirmed my details, I was connected to an agent named Stella Skye. The chat window opened immediately with no wait time, which is the best possible outcome on that front.
My question was: I have real-time protection enabled, but I want to exclude a specific folder from being scanned. How do I add a folder exclusion, and will that exclusion also apply to scheduled scans?
Before answering, Stella Skye asked for my full name, full address including postcode, payment method, and registered email address. This is standard account verification and not unreasonable, but it took several exchanges to work through.
There was also a point where the agent said she would end the chat in two minutes if I did not respond, while I was in the middle of locating the information she was asking for. That felt abrupt, given that the delay was caused by her own verification questions.
Once the account was confirmed, the answer came quickly and was accurate: folder exclusions are not available on a free TotalAV account and require a paid subscription. That is genuinely useful information and directly answered the question. The second part of my question, whether the exclusion would apply to scheduled scans, was not addressed, which is the kind of partial answer that leaves a user needing to follow up.
The knowledge base
The knowledge base is well structured. Articles are organized by product and topic, and the content is detailed enough to handle most common questions without needing to contact an agent.
The settings guide I found during my research, for example, walks through how to enable real-time protection across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android with step-by-step screenshots for each platform.
The left sidebar on each article page lists related topics, which makes it easy to move between related questions without returning to the main Help Center. The articles I reviewed were accurate and up to date.
Support summary
| Support channel | Available | My experience |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | Yes | Connected instantly once located, but the live chat itself is genuinely difficult to find from within the Help Center. |
| Phone support | Yes | Available for paid accounts. Number listed on the support page. |
| Knowledge base | Yes | Well organized and detailed. A reliable first stop for most questions. |
Verdict on support
The live chat works well once you are in it. The agent was professional, the connection was instant, and the answer to my question was correct. The two problems are the difficulty of finding the live chat in the first place and the verification process that slows things down when you have a straightforward technical question rather than a billing issue.
For most day-to-day questions, the knowledge base is the more practical option. It is detailed, well-organized, and does not require account verification to use. If you do need to speak to someone, build in a few extra minutes to locate the chat and work through the verification steps before you get to your actual question.
Is TotalAV Antivirus Worth It?
TotalAV is a capable antivirus that earns its place in a competitive market through strong independent test scores, a well-designed product, and a feature set that goes beyond basic malware protection.
After going through the full product myself and reviewing the most current independent lab data, my overall assessment is positive with two clear caveats.
The strongest argument for TotalAV is its protection performance. A perfect 18 out of 18 from AV-TEST in the January to February 2026 test, with 99% real-world detection against zero-day threats and 100% detection of widespread malware, puts it among the top performers in independent testing.
The two things to weigh carefully before committing are the absence of a firewall and the renewal pricing. TotalAV does not include a built-in firewall at any plan tier, meaning the layer of network protection that competitors like Norton and Bitdefender offer is not available here.
For users who want a solid, well-tested antivirus with a clean interface and useful extras such as WebShield, system cleanup tools, and optionally a VPN and password manager, TotalAV is a strong choice. For users who specifically need a firewall or parental controls, a product like Norton 360 is worth comparing before deciding.
