From WIRED · Matthew S. Smith · · 3m
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus undercuts rivals on price
Bitdefender's entry-level antivirus costs $25 yearly for one device, beating competitors while detecting threats effectively.
In brief
Bitdefender's entry-level antivirus costs $25 yearly for one device, beating competitors while detecting threats effectively. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus offers effective malware protection at twenty five dollars per year for one device, undercutting Norton, McAfee and Avira while scoring well in independent testing…
Antivirus bundles confuse shoppers
Bitdefender pushes expensive all-inclusive bundles ranging from sixty to one hundred forty dollars for the first year, obscuring its cheaper Antivirus Plus option.
Antivirus Plus pricing beats rivals
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus costs twenty five dollars yearly for one device or thirty dollars for three devices, undercutting Norton Antivirus Standard, McAfee Essential, Avira Internet Security and Malwarebytes Standard.
Renewal prices jump significantly
After the first year, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus costs fifty dollars for one device or seventy dollars for three devices, doubling the introductory rate.
Free alternatives exist but have limits
Bitdefender offers free antivirus for Windows and Android but not macOS, iOS or iPadOS. Free versions typically display advertisements urging upgrades.
Windows installation is straightforward
The installer downloads roughly eight hundred megabytes and runs an initial virus check in less than five minutes on a Microsoft Surface Laptop seven running Windows eleven.
Dashboard offers standard security tools
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus provides quick scan, total system scan and vulnerability scan options. It includes Safepay, a sandboxed browsing environment meant to thwart keyloggers and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Windows version outshines macOS
The Windows interface is the best version of the software. The macOS client looks about five years out of date and seems to be missing a software refresh that other platforms received.
Independent testing shows strong detection
Bitdefender detected one hundred percent of tested attacks in AV-Test's latest report and earned AV-Test Top Product certification. AV-Comparatives found it detected ninety nine point five percent of threats.
Performance impact is minimal
Bitdefender services consumed about seven hundred megabytes of memory on both Windows eleven and macOS. The performance hit was not noticeable in typical use on tested devices.
Included VPN is severely limited
Bitdefender advertises an included VPN but limits it to two hundred megabytes of data per day per device. This is the free VPN available to anyone, not an exclusive benefit.
Premium VPN requires expensive upgrade
Bitdefender Premium VPN is not included until upgrading to Bitdefender Premium Security package at eighty dollars for the first year and one hundred thirty dollars per year after.
Competitors bundle better VPN deals
Norton and McAfee bundle unlimited VPN service into lower tiers, which though more expensive than Antivirus Plus alone, cost less than Antivirus Plus plus Premium VPN combined.
Best choice for antivirus alone
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is a superb choice if you want antivirus protection on its own for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS without paying for unnecessary add-ons.
“It's hard to think of a reason to pay more for an alternative when Bitdefender does the job well for as little as $25 for the first year.”
The main idea
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus offers effective malware protection at twenty five dollars per year for one device, undercutting Norton, McAfee and Avira while scoring well in independent testing.
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