Microsoft Defender
Microsoft
Already on your PC, and better than its reputation.
Price
Free
Last checked
September 2026
Best for
Careful single-PC users
Category
Free & built-in
About Microsoft Defender
Microsoft Defender ships with Windows, updates itself through Windows Update, and never tries to sell you anything. In AV-TEST’s January-February 2026 round it scored the full 6 out of 6 for protection. It has honest limits. Phishing protection is strongest in Edge and weaker in other browsers, there is no VPN or password manager, and it covers only Windows. We list it without any affiliate link because a comparison site for antivirus that ignores Defender is not being straight with you.
Microsoft Defender pricing
Microsoft Defender is free. There is no paid plan.
Every plan Microsoft Defender sells, with the yearly price next to the monthly one.
Built into Windows
- Real-time protection and firewall
- Ransomware folder protection
- No upsells, no installs
What Microsoft Defender costs after the first year
Microsoft Defender is built into Windows at no charge, so there is no subscription and nothing to renew. That is what Microsoft's own pages said when we read them on September 8, 2026. A paid Microsoft 365 plan is a separate subscription with its own terms and is not priced on this page.
The Price Index lists it at $0 next to the paid suites, and the Renewal Price Index shows it as the one product with nothing to renew.
Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/, read . Amounts in the currency the vendor bills in.
Independent lab results
AV-TEST Institute, June 2026 (Windows) home-user round, scored 0 to 6. The lab tested Microsoft Defender Antivirus (Consumer) 4.18; that is the edition the lab names, and it can be a different tier than the plan priced on this page.
Protection
6.0/6
Performance
5.5/6
Usability
6.0/6
AV-Comparatives included Microsoft Defender in its Real-World Protection Test February-May 2026, published June 15, 2026. The lab asks for written permission before its ratings are reproduced, so the result is on the lab’s page rather than here.
AV-Comparatives: Real-World Protection Test February-May 2026“The free baseline that made half the paid market nervous. A perfect 6/6 protection score in recent AV-TEST rounds, zero nags, zero installs. It lacks a VPN, password manager, and cross-platform coverage, but for a careful single-PC user, Defender plus good habits is a legitimate choice.”Editorial team, via AntivirusShortlist
Where to get it
Free
Sign up directly with the provider.
Prices last checked on
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Questions about Microsoft Defender
More free antivirus software
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Who is behind Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender is run by Microsoft. That is the name on your invoice, in the terms and in the company register, while the website itself shows only the brand. If you searched for the company name and landed here, you are in the right place.
Some links on this site are affiliate links; a purchase through one of them can earn us a small commission and never adds to the price you pay. Prices and plans can change at any time; always check current pricing with the provider.