Do you need paid antivirus in 2026? Often no, but it depends on your habits.
Windows Defender
Built into Windows, decent protection, minimal impact. Good baseline.
Paid Suites
Bitdefender, Norton, and Kaspersky add extras like VPN, password manager, and identity protection.
Mac
Macs need less protection, but Malwarebytes is a solid on-demand scanner.
Verdict
Average user: Defender + safe browsing. High-risk user: paid suite.