Bitdefender Total Security Review: One of the top antivirus options you can buy
Key points of ZDNET
- Comprehensive security Bitdefender bundles anti-virus and anti-malware software along with other digital security tools for $109.99 per year for individuals and $139.99 per year for up to a family five people, although Bitdefender often runs promotions on its annual plans. (At the time of writing, the subscriptions were discounted to $49.99 and $69.99, respectively.)
- Bitdefender provides solid threat protection across platforms through a collection of user-friendly applications and extensions.
- Bitdefender on Windows is significantly more powerful than on MacOS, and the included VPN is too limited for most desktop users.
A good antivirus and anti-malware solution can add security and privacy features to your device to combat growing digital threats, including ransomware. Blackmail and fraud software. Comprehensive security Bitdefender delivers multiple layers of protection and prevention across platforms in user-friendly apps and browser extensions.
Also: Best antivirus software and applications
Bitdefender offers a 30-day free trial of the Total Security suite — all you need to do is create an account, download and install the software on your computer or phone. If you do not purchase or activate your subscription before the trial period expires, your protection will end as Bitdefender does not require prepayment by credit card. Bitdefender Total Security for Personal allows access on up to five devices (Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS), so you can try before you buy on both desktop and mobile.
Like many antivirus programs, Bitdefender for Windows has the most features: antispam filtering, privacy firewall, and Wi-Fi security assessment, to name a few. Because I tested Bitdefender Total Security on MacOS, I wasn’t able to try all of the full suite of applications available for Windows users.
Bitdefender is currently our top choice for Overall best antivirus software.
Installation and setup process
You can install Bitdefender when you first sign up for a trial, or access your registration and download later by logging in to your Bitdefender Central account. Follow the prompts to add the software to your device. You will need to adjust Bitdefender permissions in your system settings, a setup wizard will guide you through. Bitdefender can also generate QR codes or download links to send via email or text message to other devices — remember, you can install Bitdefender Total Security on up to five devices at once — because So you can add the Bitdefender Mobile Security app on Android or iOS. You will need to log in with your Bitdefender Central credentials.
Once you have the app up and running, you can also add the Bitdefender Traffic Light extension, which helps protect against phishing attempts and malicious web content, and the Bitdefender Anti-tracker extension to your browser. your.
If you want to use Bitdefender VPN service — powered by Hotspot Shield and included with your subscription — you’ll have to download a separate app and enable the appropriate access permissions in your system settings.
Also: Best VPN services: Tested by experts
Finally, you can add the Bitdefender Password Manager browser extension, log in with your Bitdefender credentials, and set up a master password to access your vault. Bitdefender allows importing from several other popular platforms password management tool like Bitwarden, 1Password, and LastPass, or you can add individual entries for new or existing accounts, identities, or credit cards.
Mobile password management requires a separate app (Bitdefender Password Manager), and the VPN will soon be fully migrated to the standalone Bitdefender VPN app. You can also download Bitdefender Central to access your dashboard and manage your subscription.
Basic information about Bitdefender
The Bitdefender desktop app on MacOS allows you to manually scan your entire system, do “quick” scans on important areas, or select specific files or folders for custom scans. (There’s no option to set up scheduled scans.) Bitdefender Shield is the Mac version of real-time scanning — if enabled, it scans apps, updates, and new and installed files. Modified to detect threats. Bitdefender can disinfect or quarantine suspicious or infected items, which you can see below Protection > Antivirus in the application. Scan logs and results can be found on the Notifications tab.
Bitdefender for Windows has several settings — including game, movie, and work modes — to reduce application drag on your machine and optimize battery life. On MacOS, you can’t adjust settings for scanning speed or performance. A full scan took 90 minutes on my machine, while a quick scan took about 40 minutes. I also didn’t notice any impact on my system.
All Bitdefender applications have a clean design and are easy to navigate. However, I found having multiple desktop and mobile apps along with three separate browser extensions to be confusing.
Unique features (and how well they work)
Bitdefender Total Security includes VPN protection for 200 MB of traffic per device per day. For most users, 200MB isn’t too far off, so here’s Bitdefender’s opportunity to upsell you on Premium or Ultimate plans with unlimited VPN traffic (priced at $129.99 and $129.99 respectively). $159.99 without discount). In the VPN app, you can enable ad blocking and tracking protection, adjust auto-connect settings, and enable a kill switch, which will shut down all traffic if the VPN connection is lost .
On MacOS, Bitdefender protects against ransomware by preventing unknown programs from accessing, making changes, or deleting important files. The app automatically picks potentially sensitive folders and file paths, but you can remove or add more folders and watch for any apps that try to gain access. Time Machine protection does the same for your device backups.
TrafficLight browser extension detects threats like phishing and malware by showing you which links in your search results are safe or suspicious, and alerting you to you if you have clicked on something dangerous. Separately, Bitdefender Anti-tracker identifies and blocks ad trackers, web analytics trackers, third-party cookies, etc., as you browse, which also reduces page load times. You can also turn off blocking for specific websites. Both extensions are free and work independently of a Bitdefender subscription.
Mobile protection on iOS includes phishing protection for browsing and calendar event linking, device security scanning, SMS filtering, and data breach monitoring for your email address. On Android, you get additional security features like app locking and anti-theft to remotely lock or erase your device.
Also: Bitdefender vs. Malwarebytes: Which antivirus is best?
ZDNET Buying Tips
As we noted previously, You don’t necessarily have to pay for antivirus software: your device has built-in protection and there are a number of free third-party tools available. Bitdefender is actually one of our picks for this best free antivirus softwarewith basic scanning and free live customer support. Annual subscription worth $109.99 for Comprehensive security Bitdefender has the potential to bring more value to Windows users than to users on MacOS thanks to its more robust feature set, broader protection range, and more granular performance settings, so if you’re looking for Choose paid antivirus, Bitdefender is a solid choice.
Having a password manager, VPN, and data breach detection included may be appealing to some users — but Bitdefender’s versions of these tools are more limited than other services. Specific VPN and password management services (many of which are available at little or no cost) and is not the primary reason to pay for antivirus software.
Ultimately, at first glance, it’s hard to tell the difference between Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and the cheaper Bitdefender Total Security other than password management and the ability to protect up to five devices (versus one or three depending on your tier). select). There To be some additional features for Windows users, such as parental controls, privacy firewall, and cryptocurrency mining protection. However, on MacOS, the additional fee for Total Security doesn’t do you much good compared to Antivirus for Mac.
