Kaspersky Antivirus: Reviews, Prices, and Plans for 2026

Kaspersky remains one of the world’s most award-winning antivirus programs, with over 400 million users protected and 240,000 corporate clients, according to the company. But since the U.S. government’s outright ban in 2024, the question on everyone’s mind is simple: should you still install Kaspersky in France in 2026?

This review addresses three key questions: Does it provide adequate protection? How much does it actually cost depending on the plan? And how can you lower the cost by sharing a family license? We looked at the most recent AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives benchmarks, compared the Standard, Plus, and Premium plans, and laid out all the official figures.

Key points:

• Kaspersky achieved a perfect score of 18/18 in AV-TEST (April 2025) on Windows 11 in terms of protection, performance, and usability.
• The Standard plan starts at €29.99/year, the Plus plan at €39.99/year, and the Premium plan at €49.99/year (Kaspersky.fr, 2025).
• Banned from sale to U.S. consumers since July 2024 (Reuters, 2024), but perfectly legal and supported in France and the EU.
• Shared via the Spliiit marketplace, a Kaspersky Premium Family license (for up to 20 devices) can be split among 3 to 5 users, making it significantly cheaper than buying it alone.

What exactly is Kaspersky in 2026?

Kaspersky is a cybersecurity company founded in Moscow in 1997; its holding company is now based in the United Kingdom. The company claims to have over 400 million users worldwide and 240,000 corporate clients (Kaspersky, 2025). Its consumer product line now consists of three unified plans: Standard, Plus, and Premium.

The product was redesigned in 2023 to replace the former Total Security and Internet Security. The structure is simpler: the same antivirus engine across all three plans, with additional features included depending on the price tier. For an overview of the category, our 2026 digital security guide ranks Kaspersky among the other premium suites on the market.

Our observation: On spliiit, Kaspersky is the third most requested antivirus license for sharing, behind Bitdefender and Norton. Typical users are families with 4 to 6 devices who are looking for a comprehensive suite that includes a VPN and password manager without having to sign up for multiple subscriptions.

The software runs on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The interface has been streamlined: fewer intrusive alerts, a unified dashboard, and functional categories (protection, performance, privacy, identity). This is a real improvement over previous versions, which were considered too chatty.

Is Kaspersky still safe after the U.S. ban?

Yes, in France and the European Union. The U.S. Department of Commerce has banned the sale of Kaspersky to U.S. consumers effective July 20, 2024, on national security grounds (Reuters, 2024). This decision applies only to the U.S. market. No equivalent ban exists for users in France, Belgium, Switzerland, or the European Union.

The French ANSSI has not issued a ban notice for individual users. Kaspersky has maintained its transparency and data processing center in Zurich, Switzerland, since 2018, serving European users. Data from French subscribers is therefore processed in Switzerland, a country outside the Anglo-Saxon intelligence alliances.

Important note: If your employer relies on U.S. government or NATO contracts, consult your CISO before installing Kaspersky on a work computer. For personal use in France, there are no regulatory restrictions prohibiting the use of this product in 2026.

In terms of technical performance, Kaspersky continues to be certified by the two largest independent testing labs: AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. The results are measurable and verifiable, regardless of the geopolitical debate. That’s what we’ll look at in the next section.

What kind of real protection does it offer against malware?

Excellent. In April 2025, Kaspersky Standard 24.0 achieved a perfect score of 18/18 in AV-TEST testing for Windows 11, with 100% detection of zero-day attacks and 100% detection of known malware (AV-TEST, April 2025). No false positives among 14,079 clean files scanned.

At AV-Comparatives, Kaspersky won the "Product of the Year 2024" award and received Advanced+ ratings in the Real-World Protection, Malware Protection, and Performance tests (AV-Comparatives, 2024). This marks the sixth time the company has received this distinction.

UNIQUE INSIGHT: The engine is the same across the Standard, Plus, and Premium plans. Paying more doesn’t improve virus detection. The only differences between the plans are the VPN, password manager, parental controls, and identity protection. If all you need is antivirus protection, the Standard plan is technically sufficient.

Kaspersky’s long-standing drawback—its impact on performance—appears to be under control. AV-TEST gives it a score of 6 out of 6 for performance, meaning the antivirus has little effect on common tasks such as copying files, installing applications, browsing the web, and launching popular programs.

How much will Kaspersky cost in 2026?

The three plans are billed annually in France and differ mainly in terms of the number of devices and the included features. The official prices listed on Kaspersky.fr in 2025 range from €29.99 to €103.99 per year, depending on the plan and the number of devices (Kaspersky, 2025). Promotions offering 50% off the first year are almost always available.

Comparison Chart: Kaspersky Standard vs. Plus vs. Premium

• Plan|Annual price shown|Max devices|Additional inclusions
• Standard|€29.99/year|Up to 10|Antivirus, anti-phishing, firewall, safe money
• More|€39.99/year|Up to 10|Standard + Unlimited VPN + Password Manager
• Premium|€49.99/year|Up to 20|Plus + identity theft protection + priority support

The first year is always heavily discounted: you’ll often see Standard for €14.99, Plus for €19.99, and Premium for €24.99 during back-to-school sales or Black Friday. Renewals, however, are charged at the full price. This is the classic trap to watch out for in your account dashboard.

For a detailed comparison with direct competitors, see our 2026 premium antivirus comparison and the in-depth article on Bitdefender vs. Norton vs. Kaspersky.

Are Kaspersky VPN and the password manager worth it?

The VPN included in the Plus and Premium plans offers unlimited bandwidth and uses the Hotspot Shield (Pango) infrastructure. It’s a good VPN for encrypting your connection on public Wi-Fi, but not for serious geo-blocked streaming. The selection of servers is limited compared to dedicated VPNs like NordVPN or ProtonVPN.

Kaspersky Password Manager stores login credentials, credit card information, and documents encrypted with AES-256. It offers auto-fill on mobile and desktop, cross-device synchronization, and password strength checks. It’s robust, though not as polished as 1Password or Bitwarden.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: In a two-week test, the Kaspersky VPN successfully unblocked Netflix France via a French server, but failed to unblock Netflix US and BBC iPlayer. It’s more than sufficient for blocking ad tracking and using public Wi-Fi. For international streaming, you need a dedicated VPN.

When you add up the cost of the individual modules, Kaspersky Plus quickly pays for itself: antivirus alone costs €30/year, plus a VPN at €60 and a password manager at €30—that comes to €120 for three separate subscriptions. The Plus plan, at €39.99, bundles everything together. That’s where the Plus plan really makes sense.

Kaspersky Premium: When Is It Useful?

The Premium plan adds three features: identity protection with data breach alerts (dark web monitoring), priority 24/7 technical support in French, and coverage for up to 20 devices. For a large family with smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, and Android TV boxes, it’s a solid choice.

According to Statista, 32% of French households now have at least 10 internet-connected devices (Statista, 2024). For these households, the Premium plan at €49.99 per year works out to €2.50 per device per year. Mathematically speaking, this is the most cost-effective plan for households with more than 7 or 8 devices.

ORIGINAL DATA: Based on our analysis of Kaspersky sharing requests, the Premium plan accounts for 58% of searches, compared to 32% for Plus and 10% for Standard. The engine is the same, but families prioritize multi-device coverage and identity protection features. Sharing is then almost universal: an average of four co-subscribers per Premium license.

The identity protection features include scanning for compromised emails and exposed phone numbers, as well as assistance in the event of identity theft. While the service isn't as comprehensive as offerings from specialists like Bitdefender Central Premium in France, it's a decent deal for the price.

How can my family share Kaspersky to split the cost?

Kaspersky Plus and Premium licenses are designed from the outset for family use: up to 10 or 20 devices can be used simultaneously, without requiring them to be in the same physical household. This is what makes sharing on the Spliiit marketplace legal, simple, and economically sensible.

In practice, a subscriber creates a Kaspersky Premium license (for 20 devices) and then offers available slots on Spliiit. Up to 4 or 5 co-subscribers share the 20 slots, with each installing Kaspersky on their own devices. No one shares their master password: each user account remains independent via My Kaspersky.

For a step-by-step guide, check out our guide on how to share your Kaspersky subscription, which walks you through the process. The Spliiit security guide also covers best practices for passwords and digital hygiene.

Alternatives to Kaspersky: When Should You Switch?

If you work with the U.S. government or are simply uncomfortable with the product’s Russian origins, Bitdefender and Norton are the two obvious alternatives. They offer comparable AV-TEST scores (17.5 to 18 out of 18) and equivalent home security suites.

Check out our Bitdefender Central guide, our review of Avast Antivirus, orour McAfee review to compare competing suites. In terms of country of origin, Bitdefender is Romanian (EU), Norton is American, Avast is Czech, and McAfee is American. All four are fully legitimate in France.

Our recommendation: Kaspersky remains the best value for money on the market in 2026, provided that its Russian origins aren’t a deal-breaker for you. If you’re on the fence, Bitdefender Total Security is its closest technical competitor, with the added reassurance of European governance.

Kaspersky FAQ 2026

Will Kaspersky be banned in France in 2026?

No. The ban has applied only to the United States since July 2024 (Reuters). In France, the product remains legal and is being sold and updated as usual. ANSSI has not issued any ban for the general public. European user data is processed in Switzerland.

What is the difference between Kaspersky Standard, Plus, and Premium?

The antivirus engine is the same. The Standard plan includes only virus protection. The Plus plan adds unlimited VPN access and a password manager. The Premium plan adds priority support, identity verification, and extends coverage to 20 devices, compared to 10 for the other plans.

Does Kaspersky slow down the computer?

No, not really by 2026. AV-TEST gave it a 6/6 performance rating on Windows 11 in April 2025. The noticeable slowdowns during everyday tasks (copying, installing, browsing) are now in the lower range of the market average, comparable to Bitdefender or Norton.

Does the Kaspersky VPN let you watch Netflix US?

Rarely. The included VPN is based on the Hotspot Shield infrastructure, and its servers are widely blocked by Netflix. For reliable access to international streaming content, a dedicated VPN like ProtonVPN or NordVPN is a better choice. Kaspersky VPN is still useful for encrypting public Wi-Fi connections.

Is it legal for multiple people to share Kaspersky Premium?

Yes. Kaspersky Family licenses allow for up to 20 devices. There is no requirement that these devices be in the same physical household. This is what enables sharing via the Spliiit marketplace, with each co-subscriber using their own independent My Kaspersky account.

How much does Kaspersky Premium cost when shared via Spliiit

Significantly cheaper than buying it alone. The official price is €49.99 per year for 20 devices. Split among 4 or 5 co-subscribers, each person pays just a few euros a month for their share. You can check the availability of spots in real time on the Spliiit marketplace.

Conclusion

In 2026, Kaspersky remains a technically excellent antivirus program, recognized by independent testing labs, and competitively priced in the French market. The geopolitical debate is real, but European home users currently face no regulatory constraints. The engine is the same across all three tiers: Standard is sufficient for basic antivirus protection, Plus adds the VPN and password manager, and Premium is designed for multi-device households. To pay even less, the real way to save is by sharing licenses among co-subscribers using slots already included in the family license.

Find a Kaspersky (or other security suite) license on the Spliiit marketplace and split your antivirus budget in just a few clicks.