F-Secure Total review: affordable antivirus solution lets you build custom plan

With the ongoing and increasing threats to cybersecurity, you need a good antivirus solution that doesn’t break the bank. I reviewed F-Secure Total, an affordable antivirus solution that let me build a plan that covers all my devices with just the features I need.

While we all like to keep an eye on the budget, computer security isn’t the right place to cut corners. The best antivirus software provides excellent protection against online and offline malware at an affordable price.

F-Secure has flexible pricing that you can customize to precisely match your needs. The most affordable plan starts at $50 annually, covering one device with real-time antivirus, scam, and ransomware protection in the browser and offline.

You probably use a computer, phone, and possibly several other devices. If one gets hacked, all of your social and financial accounts are at risk, as is the personal data stored on that device.

It makes sense to protect them all and F-Secure plans can cover 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, or more devices. A three-device plan starts at $65, five devices cost $70, and 10 computers, phones, and tablets is $85.

The options don’t stop there. You can add a VPN with unlimited data for $10 more per year. A password manager and identity monitoring also adds $10 annually. With F-Secure, you pay only for what you need.

Still, you can find better deals on antivirus software, at least for the first year of service. I do like that F-Secure doesn’t have shocking price increases when it’s time to renew.

If you’re looking for a free solution, F-Secure has a free malware scan and removal tool. The website describes it as an online scanner, but it’s actually a Windows app that installs on your PC before running.

The free scanner detects and clears malicious apps that are already active on your computer, but doesn’t protect you from future threats. The best free antivirus software offers good browser protection without requiring a subscription.

Tiers and pricing

Design

I tested F-Secure Total, the version that includes antivirus, a VPN, identity monitoring, and more. After installing the app, the dashboard showed that real-time protection was active, but there were several other features to set up to maximize my cybersecurity.

I installed the browser extension for online protection, the password manager extension to help secure account logins, and a VPN to prevent activity tracking, then added my email address for monitoring.

With setup complete, I explored the user interface. The dashboard shows all the active features at a glance and lets me select one to make adjustments. A button at the top left opens a menu with more options, including account details, settings, support, and quick access to all the features.

I opened settings and found there are plenty of options to fine-tune each security feature, such as choosing which folders are locked to protect against ransomware.

Overall, F-Secure Total was easy to get started with and the design is clear and simple, with advanced features accessible via settings.

Features

The number one job of an antivirus is to protect my computer from malware. It should offer real-time detection and blocking to prevent infection. As a second line of defense, it should regularly scan for malicious apps and quarantine them so no harm is done.

To test how well F-Secure Total performed, I checked its score at full-time cybersecurity labs that continuously monitor the threat landscape and rate the effectiveness of leading antivirus software. F-Secure shows excellent AV-Test scores, falling below perfect only once with a minor miss in June 2023.

F-Secure didn’t fare well in AV-Comparatives scoring system, but a deeper dive into the real-time report reveals it blocked as many threats as antivirus leaders Norton, Avira, and McAfee, which have good protection track records.

F-Secure’s score dropped because it had a high false-positive rate, which includes incorrect app and website blocking. An overprotective antivirus can be annoying, but it isn’t dangerous. In my tests, I didn’t get any false alerts.

I always do spot-checks by visiting Wicar’s malware test website. F-Secure Total’s browser extension successfully identified and blocked all 13 malware downloads and browser exploits.

I tested the password manager and it autofilled logins as expected. It’s not as sophisticated as the best password managers that allow organization and password sharing, but it handles the basics well and syncs across devices.

F-Secure Total’s VPN defaults to OpenVPN protocol, which isn’t the fastest. I tried the only other option, IKEv2, which helped. Still, the best speed I measured was 20% as fast as my usual 900 Mbps. With the best dedicated VPN services, I enjoy over 700 Mbps downloads.

Support

F-Secure claims it offers 24/7 support via live chat, so I tested that out by asking about login sharing. A live agent answered immediately and continued to respond quickly as I clarified my question.

I’ve reviewed several antivirus services and found that live chat support varies. Solutions like ESET have good support, but during limited hours. Others use chat services that start off quickly, then slow dramatically after the first response. I also verified that live chat with a human is available for F-Secure customers all day, every day.

As I mentioned above, there’s no password sharing option in F-Secure, but the agent suggested I could copy and send the password via a message, email, or written on paper. I liked the inclusion of an offline solution from tech support.

Privacy and security

F-Secure’s privacy policy is very clear and states that it won’t sell or share your personal data to third-party advertisers. It will comply with legal requests, but it doesn’t allow backdoors in its software. The company is based in Finland, which isn’t part of any intelligence alliances for information sharing.

I couldn’t find any record of customer data breaches or cybersecurity incidents, so your personal and financial information should be secure when using F-Secure Total antivirus protection.

Is F-Secure right for you?

The least inexpensive option, F-Secure Internet Security, offers good protection, but doesn’t beat the best antivirus software. While the VPN and password manager are nice additions to F-Secure Total, dedicated services offer more advanced features.

The best password managers aren’t that expensive, and you can even find excellent free password managers. The same is true of VPNs. Proton offers a great free VPN], and you can often find VPN deals that minimize your cost without sacrificing speed.

While F-Secure Total’s high false positive score is a drawback, I didn’t have any problems with apps or websites being blocked. Also, a false positive is better than allowing malware to run wild on your computer.

That said, antivirus software like Bitdefender and Norton provide solid protection without the annoyance of overzealous blocking. However, I liked F-Secure Total’s customizable subscription plans and consistent pricing on renewal and still recommend it as a good solution if you want to fine-tune your subscription to exactly what you need.