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(Last updated on January 9th, 2023)

Sophos or Trend Micro, which software is a better option in 2023?

Read this ultimate Sophos vs. Trend Micro comparison to make a smart choice. 

We’re constantly connected to our friends and family via several platforms that all require a connection to the internet. In essence, every single day, we are putting a lot of personal data out there. All the personal and family information makes us extremely vulnerable as hackers can use this information to launch ransomware attacks.

Did you know that a ransomware attack happens every 14 secondsBy 2021, this situation is expected to get even worse with an attack happening every 11 seconds. Moreover, according to a 2018 research, most of these attacks were delivered using means as commonly used as emails (65%) and malicious URLs (35%).

But if you have proper antivirus protection and healthy internet habits, you can create enough safety for your family and yourself. However, proper antivirus protection equals premium antivirus protection.

Do not fall into a false sense of security proffered by a free-of-cost software. It is nothing more than a basic protection tool that doesn’t offer any advanced features to face the rising tide of cybercrimes. 

If you want to enjoy a complete sense of security and peace of mind, you need a premium antivirus product. 

Premium software may charge you a little, but they also provide you tremendous value with advanced features that give protection from threats like ransomware, spyware, botnet, phishing attacks, exploits, etc.

Editor's Note

Best Antivirus Suite for 2021

Editor's Choice

Overall Score: 9.9/10

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Norton 360 Deluxe Final
During the past few months, we have ranked, rated, and reviewed 40 premium antivirus suites from the biggest names in cybersecurity. We did this so you can confidently choose the best antivirus software to protect yourself and your family.

Right now, we think that Norton is the best antivirus software your money can buy. It regularly earns perfect or near-perfect scores from independent labs and has the least impact on system performance compared to rival products. Its products combine top-notch security with an array of excellent security features and, best of all, offer exceptional value for money.

Overall, Norton 360 Deluxe (currently at 70% off) is our pick for the best antivirus suite in 2021. It is competitively priced and comes with almost everything you could possibly ask for, such as a firewall, a fully integrated VPN, dark web monitoring, cloud backup storage (50GB), a password manager, and parental controls. You can cover up to 5 PCs, Macs, smartphones or tablets with this suite.

If you want full-on identity protection and don’t mind paying more, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select (currently at 35% off) gives those in the US a full range of identity protection features, more backup space (100GB), as well as all the above.

Our today’s guide presents a detailed, head-to-head comparison between two popular cybersecurity companies: Sophos and Trend Micro. 

We’ll examine the two brands on various aspects, including their features, malware protection, system performance, pricing, etc. and see which one is a better antivirus product this year.

In a rush? Below is a quick summary of the comparison, and who comes out as the winner and for what reason.

A Quick Rundown of the Winners in Each Category

1. Features
Winner: Sophos. Sophos offers a more extensive feature-set compared to Trend Micro.

2. Malware Protection
Winner: Trend Micro. Overall, Trend Micro gave a sound performance. However, Sophos did not participate in independent assessments.

3. System Performance
Winner: Trend Micro. Trend Micro also demonstrated a pretty decent system performance on both tests.

4. User-Friendliness
Winner: Both. Both interfaces have their perks. Trend Micro may have a greater appeal for casual users. Whereas, Sophos online interface is more suited for veteran users.

5. Pricing
Winner: Sophos. Sophos offers better pricing and higher value for money compared to Trend Micro.

6. Customer Satisfaction
Winner: Both. Trend Micro received a modest rating on one site while an excellent score on the other. Sophos got a slightly better score than Trend Micro on one website, but it lacked rating on the other.

Short Verdict

Overall, Trend Micro is a better option than Sophos. Independent lab tests show that Trend Micro is better than Sophos in terms of malware protection and the impact on system performance. However, Sophos is slightly cheaper than Trend Micro if you want to cover multiple devices. 

1. Features

Cybersecurity experts all agree that you can’t settle for anything less than multi-layered antivirus protection. That’s why it is crucial for antivirus software to have an extensive range of inbuilt features and utilities for it to provide complete multi-layer protection. 

So, let’s look at the feature-sets from both Sophos and Trend Micro and see how many layers of security they add to their products.

The first product from Sophosis a free software called Sophos Home Free. When compared to paid tiers, this program is just a primary protection tool that doesn’t provide any advanced features against the latest malware and cyber-attacks.

Sophos Home Premium is the advanced antivirus software from the company that offers a wide range of premium features.

  • Sophos uses Real-Time Threat Prevention against all kinds of malware and digital threats, including exploits. 
  • The software also incorporates safety against unknown malware types, which is enabled by Artificial Intelligence aided Threat Detection.
  • There’s an encryption utility for all your sensitive data, personal documents, and media files to provide you strong ransomware protection.
  • The suite also secures your login credentials and private information so that you have complete identity protection from hackers.
  • The Web Security feature also protects you against phishing attacks and blocks access to malicious websites.
  • Parents can use the Web Filtering Tool to monitor their kid’s internet usage and limit their access to unwanted content and apps online.
  • Your webcam, microphone, and even keystrokes are secured against apps that try to record your activity through any of these mechanisms so that you can enjoy complete privacy protection.
  • The suite also offers Secure Online Banking by encoding your banking and credit card information during online transactions.
  • You also get the utility for Remote Security Management to manage your connected devices anytime, anywhere.
  • This suite covers 10 Windows and Mac devices.
Sophos Features

Now let’s see what features we get from Trend Micro. 

Unlike Sophos, Trend Micro doesn’t offer any free version. It has four paid options to choose from.

Trend Micro Internet Security is the entry-level product from this company. The features available with this product are:

  • Complete Security from all kinds of malware and cyber threats, including ransomware.
  • Web Shield allows you to have a safe browsing or online shopping experience by securing all your personal information.
  • Another similar tool called Pay Guard secures your financial information and prevents phishing attacks on malicious websites while you shop or bank online.
  • The software also blocks spam or junk email from getting to your inbox to keep you safe from viruses and malware that are transmitted through this channel.
  • Parental Controls so you can monitor and manage your children’s online activities, helping to create healthy internet habits. 
  • System Optimizer manages your temporary files and deleted junk data to free up valuable space on your device.
  • The suite also protects your privacy on social media.

Next up is the Trend Micro Maximum Security suite. This package includes everything from the previous product plus:

  • A Password Manager that secures all your usernames and passwords in a safe digital vault so they can’t be stolen.
  • This suite also covers protection for mobile devices

Trend Micro Premium Security is the third product from the company. It offers the same features as the previous package. The only difference is that:

  • It covers 6 devices (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS) as opposed to 1 device covered by the Maximum Security suite. 
  • This package also offers 24/7 premium support to its users.
Trend Micro Antivirus Suites

Trend Micro also offers a separate software for Apple users called Antivirus for Mac, which protects 1 Mac. This product provides complete protection to Mac devices from all kinds of malware and online threats, including ransomware, spyware, and anti-phishing protection.

For Trend Micro’s business security products, click here for more information.

Winner: Sophos. Despite Trend Micro’s range of multiple products, Sophos offers more advanced features with its premium product. Besides, all Sophos users get to enjoy the same extensive feature-set.

2. Malware Protection

Reputed testing organizations measure the malware protection of different antivirus products by evaluating their ability to secure sensitive information, devices, and networks. 

So, here we are going to look at protection test results from two independent organizations to see which one, from Sophos and Trend Micro, is a better runner in this realm. 

Unfortunately, Sophos did not take part in any of the independent tests; therefore, we’ll only consider Trend Micro’s results.

In the AV-Test’s protection test, Trend Micro showed an excellent ability to block malware attacks and received a full 6 out of 6 points.

Trend Micro AV-Test Protection Test August 2019

However, it wasn’t so impressive in the Real-World Protection Test by AV-Comparatives, securing the second-best ADVANCED award.

AV-Comparatives-Performance-Feb-May-2019

Winner: Trend Micro.Trend Micro was pretty good in both independent assessments. However, we can’t learn anything about Sophos’ anti-malware capacity as it was not available for both assessments.

3. System Performance

We all have an idea of how frustrating it can be to have a lagging device. That is why antivirus products are examined for their impact on system speed to see how resource-intensive they are.  

Let’s look at some performance tests to find out how our brands affect the system performance of a standard computer.

Once again, we only have Trend Micro’s test results to examine. 

In the Performance Test by AV-Test, Trend Micro scored an almost perfect 5.5 out of 6 points. 

Trend Micro AV-Test Performance Test August 2019

While in the AV-Comparatives’ Performance Test, Trend Micro once again received the ADVANCED award.

AV-Comparatives-Performance-Feb-May-2019

Winner: Trend Micro. The independent evaluations show that Trend Micro has a pretty decent system performance, and for the most part, wouldn’t affect a device’s speed negatively.

4. User-Friendliness

A good user experience is directly related to the software interface. If an interface is too complicated or too simple, it won’t serve the purpose for the users, and they will be disappointed.

So, let’s take a look at both companies’ user interfaces to find out which one brings superior user experience to the table. 

Sophos uses two different interfaces. There’s one for your device. This interface is simple in design and offers minimal functionality, only giving you updates about your device’s current security status.

The other interface is a web-based version that is meant for operational purposes. Here you have access to all the features and their settings to make whatever changes you like, such as Antivirus Protection, Web Protection, Ransomware Protection, Privacy Protection, and Malicious Traffic Detection.

You do need to sign into this interface. Sophos interface is easy-to-use, functional, and pretty intuitive.

Sophos Interface

Now let’s take a look at Trend Micro’s user interface.

Trend Micro has a simple yet functional design. You can access major functions through the prominent icons on the Home screen.

There’s a large “Scan” button in the middle of the screen. The drop-down menu and small icons next to it will take you to further settings for this function. You’ll also find your security status right underneath this button. 

It is a pretty user-friendly interface. Even novice computer users will find it super easy. However, you don’t have the option to customize the interface. But unless you’re a seasoned user requiring specific custom settings, this won’t be an issue for you.

Trend Micro User Interface as seen on Windows 10

Winner: Both. Both interfaces are user-friendly and functional. However, casual users might prefer Trend Micro more, whereas seasoned users will be happier with the Sophos online interface.

5. Pricing

A product can be extremely efficient, but if it isn’t priced right, it will never gain priority by users. That’s why it’s important to price a product keeping the majority of userbase in mind.

Let’s compare the pricing from both Sophos and Trend Micro to see which one offers more value for your money.

Sophos Home Premium costs you a reasonable $36 for one year and $72 for two years, for all its features. This suite covers ten devices. 

Sophos Products Regular Price Discounted Price
Sophos Home Premium$42.00/yearCheck here
Sophos Business Antivirus$63.25/year Check here

Now let’s see how Trend Micro prices its products.

Trend Micro Internet Security comes at $39 per year for 1 PC. 

Trend Micro Maximum Security which protects only 1 device, comes at $34 per year. 

Finally, Trend Micro Premium Security costs you $140 per year and provides comprehensive threat protection for 6 PCs, Macs, Android, and iOS devices.

Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac is available for the price of $39.99 per year for 1 Mac.

Check out the table below for Trend Micro’s prices of business security solutions.

Trend Micro Products Regular Price Discounted Price
Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security $39.95/yearCheck here
Trend Micro Internet Security $79.95/year Check here
Trend Micro Maximum Security $89.95/year Check here

Winner: Sophos. Sophos offers a much more reasonable price compared to Trend Micro. It also provides more value for money with a single premium package for all kinds of users.

6. Customer Satisfaction

If you want to know how a company will support you as a user, you should go to review websites to look at customer satisfaction ratings. That’s what we’re going to do now to see what users think about Sophos and Trend Micro.

The first website we’re going to look at is Consumeraffirs.com. This site ranks products on a 5-star scale. Sophos does not have a rating on this site. Whereas, Trend Micro received an average 3-star rating, which shows users generally have a neutral response towards this company’s support services.

Now, let’s turn to our other website called G2. This site gives ratings based on a 1-5 points scale (5 being the best score). On this site, Sophos was given an excellent score of 4.5. Trend Micro was only behind by a small margin with a 4.3 rating.

Winner: Both. Although Sophos received a better rating from one of the sources, Trend Micro was rated on both sites. That’s why both win this category.

Final Thoughts

It was a tough comparison. Sophos put up an intense competition, winning two categories while tying Trend Micro in a further two. The only categories it lost to Trend Micro were the ones where it lacked ratings. So, although Trend Micro is the winner today but, from the looks of it, the verdict could have been in Sophos’ favor, had it taken part in the independent assessments.

Our recommendations: If you want to get the highest level of security and performance, there's no better choice than Norton, which protects over 50 million users worldwide.

 

After reviewing dozens of antivirus products from some of the biggest names in the cybersecurity realm, we believe that Norton 360 Deluxe is the best antivirus suite available on the market. It provides flawless anti-malware protection without slowing you down. Plus, you get almost all the advanced features you could ever want.

 

If you're willing to pay more for advanced identity protection features, we recommend Norton 360 with LifeLock select (only available in the US). It's a bit pricey but worth the price. 

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