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Cybersecurity · head to head

Kaspersky Total Security vs Very Good Security

Kaspersky Total Security logo

Kaspersky Total Security

Cybersecurity

Complete protection for your digital life

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Very Good Security logo

Very Good Security

Cybersecurity

Tokenisation proxy that keeps card and personal data out of your own systems and out of PCI scope

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kaspersky Total Security has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kaspersky Total Security uS sales banned since June 2024 with support ending September 29, 2024; Very Good Security vGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
  • They diverge on capability: Kaspersky Total Security covers Real-time protection, Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kaspersky Total Security and Very Good Security actually diverge.

Attributes where Kaspersky Total Security and Very Good Security differ
AttributeKaspersky Total SecurityVery Good Security
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelUnknownPer month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, API
Founded1997Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Kaspersky Total Security

  • Real-time protection
  • Ransomware protection
  • Safe Money
  • Privacy protection
  • Parental controls
  • Password manager
  • VPN
  • File encryption

Only in Very Good Security

  • Aliasing proxy
  • PCI scope reduction
  • Network tokenisation
  • Processor optionality
  • Card issuing data
  • Vault and access controls
  • Data residency options
  • Compliance artefacts

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Kaspersky Total Security

  • Antivirusnot Very Good Security
  • Internet Securitynot Very Good Security
  • Parental Controlnot Very Good Security

Very Good Security

  • A marketplace facing its first PCI DSS Level 1 assessment that wants to keep card data off its own estate rather than harden a dozen servicesnot Kaspersky Total Security
  • A merchant negotiating with a second acquirer that needs card credentials portable so the negotiation is real rather than theoreticalnot Kaspersky Total Security
  • A fintech collecting bank account and identity documents that wants sensitive fields absent from logs, backups and analytics warehouses by constructionnot Kaspersky Total Security
  • A card issuer that must display a full PAN in its own mobile app without the app or its backend touching cardholder datanot Kaspersky Total Security

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kaspersky Total Security

  • US sales banned since June 2024 with support ending September 29, 2024
  • VPN limited to 200 MB per day and servers in only 24 countries
  • Password manager has privacy concerns with questionable terms and policies
  • VPN and password manager only included in Plus and Premium tiers, not in Standard
  • Occasionally flags legitimate files as false positives
  • Firewall leaves open ports on public networks

Very Good Security

  • VGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
  • Token portability is the whole selling point yet leaving VGS means migrating tokens back out, a project the vendor has no incentive to streamline, so the lock-in you removed from your acquirer partly moves to VGS.
  • Entry pricing at around one thousand US dollars a month is real money for a pre-revenue fintech, and it buys volume-limited throughput, so cost scales with exactly the growth that made you buy it.
  • Scope reduction is not scope elimination: your QSA still assesses how you integrate, and teams regularly discover that a support tool or an internal admin screen pulled plaintext back in and dragged systems into scope again.
  • Proxy-based interception constrains how you design request flows, and non-standard payloads, streaming uploads or binary formats often need custom routing rules that make debugging production issues noticeably harder.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kaspersky Total Security

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic antivirus
    • No real-time protection
  • Standard$38.99/year
    • Antivirus
    • Firewall
    • Anti-phishing
  • Plus$52.99/year
    • Standard features
    • Password manager
    • VPN with limit
  • Premium$74.99/year
    • Plus features
    • Identity protection
    • Unlimited VPN

Very Good Security

$1000/month
  • Starter$1000/month
    • Aliasing proxy
    • Vault storage
    • PCI scope reduction
  • Growth$undefined/month
    • Network tokenisation
    • Multiple processors
    • Data residency options
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom vault architecture
    • Dedicated support and SLA
    • Contractual compliance coverage

Which should you pick?

Choose Kaspersky Total Security if

  • You need real-time protection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want ransomware protection.
Kaspersky Total Security review

Choose Very Good Security if

  • You need aliasing proxy.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want pci scope reduction.
Very Good Security review

Questions people ask

Is Kaspersky Total Security or Very Good Security better?
Neither clearly leads. Kaspersky Total Security starts at Free and Very Good Security at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kaspersky Total Security or Very Good Security?
Kaspersky Total Security has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kaspersky Total Security and $1000/month for Very Good Security.
Does Kaspersky Total Security or Very Good Security run on more platforms?
Kaspersky Total Security runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Very Good Security runs on Web, API.
Can I use Kaspersky Total Security for free?
Yes. Kaspersky Total Security has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Very Good Security starts at $1000/month.
What is Kaspersky Total Security best used for?
Kaspersky Total Security is most often used for antivirus, internet security, parental control. Of those, antivirus and internet security are not what Very Good Security is typically brought in for.
What can Kaspersky Total Security do that Very Good Security cannot?
Kaspersky Total Security covers Real-time protection, Ransomware protection, Safe Money, Privacy protection. Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy, PCI scope reduction, Network tokenisation, Processor optionality.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kaspersky Total Security: What does Kaspersky Total Security include?

Kaspersky Total Security (Premium tier) includes antivirus, firewall, password manager, VPN with 200 MB daily limit, parental controls (Kaspersky Safe Kids), and anti-ransomware protection.

Source
Very Good Security: Does VGS make me PCI compliant?

No. It removes cardholder data from your systems so your assessment covers a far smaller boundary, but you still complete an assessment and your integration is part of it.

Kaspersky Total Security: How much does Kaspersky Total Security cost?

Kaspersky Standard costs $38.99/year for 3 devices. Plus tier is $52.99/year for 5 devices. Premium is $74.99/year for 10 devices. Multi-year discounts available.

Source
Very Good Security: Can I move to another processor without re-collecting cards?

Yes, that is a core reason people buy it. The vault reveals stored credentials to whichever processor you route to.

Kaspersky Total Security: Is Kaspersky available in the United States?

No. The U.S. government banned Kaspersky software sales in June 2024, with support and software updates ceasing September 29, 2024, citing national security concerns regarding Russian government ties.

Source
Very Good Security: What does it cost?

Published entry pricing is about one thousand US dollars per month; growth and enterprise tiers are quoted.

Kaspersky Total Security: Does Kaspersky have parental controls?

Yes. Premium and Plus tiers include one year free access to Kaspersky Safe Kids parental controls app, which provides activity reports, app monitoring, usage limits, and geo-fencing with location tracking.

Source
Very Good Security: Is it only for card data?

No. The proxy handles any sensitive field, including bank details, national identifiers and documents, though payments is where the product is now focused.

Kaspersky Total Security: How much does the VPN provide?

Kaspersky's free VPN (Kaspersky Secure Connection) offers only 200 MB per day of traffic, limiting data usage. Full VPN is included in Plus and Premium plans but with limited servers in only 24 countries.

Source
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