# Webroot > Lightweight cloud antivirus, with identity and VPN bundles Webroot is OpenText's consumer antivirus, a cloud-based scanner that uses machine learning and is built to stay small on the device. Essentials covers antivirus, a firewall, scam protection and a password manager; Smart Protection adds a VPN and identity monitoring, Premium adds credit monitoring and fraud reimbursement, and Total Protection adds cloud backup and parental controls. - **Category:** Antivirus & Malware Protection - **Made by:** Open Text Corporation - **Website:** https://www.webroot.com - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Android, iOS - **Facts last checked:** Oct 17, 2026 ## Pricing Webroot is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $34.99 per year for 1 device (Essentials), first term; renewal price not stated. - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** 14-day free trial, no credit card required. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Essentials | $34.99 per year for 1 device, first term; renewal price not stated | Antivirus, firewall, scam and breach alerts, password manager. Shown against $49.99. 3 devices $41.99 ($69.99), 5 devices $44.99 ($89.99). | | Smart Protection | $53.99 per year for 3 devices, first term; renewal price not stated | Adds VPN, identity and dark web monitoring for 1 person, and up to $25k scam reimbursement. Shown against $89.99; 5 devices $69.99 ($99.99). | | Premium | $64.99 per year for 5 devices, first term; renewal price not stated | Essentials plus credit bureau monitoring and up to $1M fraud expense reimbursement for 1 person. Shown against $129.99; 10 people $124.99. | | Total Protection | $89.99 per year for 5 devices, first term; renewal price not stated | Premium plus VPN for 5 devices, parental controls and unlimited cloud backup for 1 PC or Mac. Shown against $179.99; 10 devices $149.99. | Read from https://www.webroot.com/products/compare/ on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Webroot before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **30% to 50% off the first year** (Other savings): Essentials $34.99 (from $49.99), Smart Protection $53.99 ($89.99), Premium $64.99 ($129.99) and Total Protection $89.99 ($179.99) for the first year. Source: https://www.webroot.com/products/compare/ ## Key features - **Cloud-based antivirus:** A cloud-based, machine-learning antivirus aimed at zero-day threats; Webroot says its scans are quick and the app takes little space. - **Firewall and Web Threat Shield:** Every plan includes a firewall and network monitor, plus blocking of risky websites, phishing and ransomware. - **Scam protection:** Text scam detection and breach alerts on phones; Smart Protection and Total add Scam Check, ID Check before payments and a 24/7 scam hotline. - **Password manager:** A password manager comes with every plan, alongside protection for personal details typed into AI chats. - **Identity protection:** Higher plans monitor the dark web and financial accounts, add credit bureau monitoring and give US-based restoration help with up to $1M in reimbursement. - **Cloud backup and parental controls:** Total Protection adds unlimited cloud storage for one PC or Mac and parental controls, which run on Windows only. ## Good for - Older or slower PCs that need light antivirus - Households covering Chromebooks along with PCs, Macs and phones - US buyers who want identity theft cover with their antivirus ## Worth knowing - Every price is a first-year price, shown against a higher regular price; Webroot's pages do not state what plans renew at. - The VPN starts at Smart Protection and covers only 3 or 5 devices depending on the plan. - Parental controls and the activity and clutter cleaners work on Windows PCs only. - Text scam detection and breach alerts work on iOS and Android only. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Oct 17, 2026. Webroot is a small, cloud-based antivirus built not to slow a computer down, and every plan includes a firewall and a password manager. Five devices on Essentials are $44.99 the first year. What comes next is the catch: Webroot doesn't say what it renews at, so the second year is a guess. - **Value for money: C.** Essentials for 5 devices is $44.99 the first year, shown against $89.99, and Webroot doesn't state the renewal price. If year two is that $89.99, two years cost $134.98, about $5.62 a month, above the dearer quarter of antivirus. - **Free plan and trial: C.** No free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed. Two weeks is enough to see whether it slows your PC. - **Features: B.** Cloud antivirus, a firewall, web threat blocking and a password manager on every plan, then a VPN and identity monitoring from Smart Protection, and cloud backup on Total. Parental controls and the cleaners are Windows only. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. It's built to install quickly and scan fast, and Webroot says it takes up little space. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone. Text scam detection is phones only and parental controls Windows only, and there's no API on record, so it stops at B. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Webroot's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among antivirus apps - Webroot's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 7 of the 14 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 2. - It stands best on features (B, above 4 of 14) and worst on value for money (C, above 3). - Its paid plans start at $2.92 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.17 for the category: 2 of the 10 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/antivirus ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Webroot you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $34.99 a year. - You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. - You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. - You could not: A password vault, the last thing anyone should make for themselves. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Malware protection, VPN, Password manager, AI features ## Alternatives - [Trend Micro](https://toolgpa.com/tools/trend-micro): Antivirus suites for PCs, Macs and phones, up to an ID-theft bundle. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/trend-micro-vs-webroot) - [Norton 360](https://toolgpa.com/tools/norton-360): Antivirus suite with VPN, password manager and PC cloud backup. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/norton-360-vs-webroot) - [Bitdefender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitdefender): Antivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-webroot) - [Malwarebytes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/malwarebytes): Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/malwarebytes-vs-webroot) - [Sophos Home](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sophos-home): Business-grade antivirus for up to 10 Windows PCs and Macs. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/sophos-home-vs-webroot) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026: - https://www.webroot.com/products/compare/ - https://www.webroot.com/products/trials/ - https://www.webroot.com/customers/renewal/ - https://www.webroot.com/products/mobile/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/webroot Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).