 Avast
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 Bitdefender
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Pricing
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| Price | $69.99 | $29.99 |
| Money back Guarantee | ||
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Scanning
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| Real-time Antivirus | ||
| Manual Virus Scanning | ||
| USB Virus Scan | ||
| Registry Startup Scan | ||
| Auto Virus Scanning | ||
| Scheduled scan | ||
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Threat type
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| Anti-Spyware | ||
| Anti-Worm | ||
| Anti-Trojan | ||
| Anti-Rootkit | ||
| Anti-Phishing | ||
| Anti-Spam | ||
| Email Protection | ||
| Chat/IM Protection | ||
| Adware Prevention | ||
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Compatibility
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| Windows | ||
| Mac | ||
| Android | ||
| IOS | ||
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Usage
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| Ease of use | ||
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Extra features
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| Personal Firewall | ||
| Parental Controls | ||
| Gamer Mode | ||
| VPN Service | ||
| Smartphone Optimizer | ||
| Device Tune-up | ||
| Safe browser | ||
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Support
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| Live Help | ||
| Phone support | ||
| Email support | ||
| Ticket support |
Avast vs Bitdefender: Which is the Best?
In today’s world of complicated viruses and invasive malware, it can be tricky to know which antivirus you should spend your money on. There are so many antiviruses to choose from, and we’ve taken two of the best and put them together in a comparative analysis to offer you the knowledge to make the most informed decision when choosing what’s right for you.
Two of the most popular antivirus programs out there are Avast and Bitdefender. Each of these antivirus programs provides you with protection from some of the viruses and problems that your computer can pick up from downloading unsafe files, visiting unsecured websites, and being taken advantage of from hackers and outside influences. However, many people are left wondering which one of these programs is better to use and which one does the job better.
We’ll analyze each of these programs at a close level to give you the information and features that you need to make your decision between the two. By the end, you should have a pretty good idea of which of these programs is better suited to your needs and performs better for the general population.
Security
The first primary consideration that we’re going to examine is the security of each of these programs. It is probably the most crucial part of our analysis, considering the main purpose for these programs is to protect your computer and personal information from security threats.
For most people, you are going to want the program that offers the most protection when it comes to security. However, there are other considerations, as well. This analysis will give you a good idea of what level of security each of these programs has to offer and what threats they each can help to protect you from.
Antivirus Protection
Each of these software provides virus protection services, but it leaves many people wondering which one is superior in this area. To determine this, we should examine each of them on an individual basis to decide which features it has to offer and where it gains the upper hand on the other.
Viruses are one of the most common computer threats. They come in many different forms that are often designed to deceive and confuse you into allowing them on your computer. A good antivirus program snuffs out these threats before they take place on your computer.
One of the most important features of antivirus is protection. So, when it comes to Bitdefender vs. Avast, which one is the best?
Avast and Bitdefender are rated as some of the best antivirus programs around. And in some of the AVTest results, both antivirus programs were found to be 100% effective against zero-day and widespread malware.
It seems that more recently, Bitdefender may have the edge because Avast has been less adept at solving the latest malware spreads, but both of these antivirus programs are head and shoulders above the average in the industry.
When it comes to antivirus protection, we consider both of these programs to be equally able to handle repelling viruses with their proprietary technology. This section ends in a tie.
Scanning
One of the essential parts of any antivirus program is its ability to scan your computer for potential threats and viruses effectively. It is an important feature because sometimes viruses do make it onto your computer even if you have an antivirus installed. When that happens, you could end up never knowing if a harmful program is on your computer collecting data. A useful tool to combat this from happening is to get an antivirus program that has a robust and complete scanning feature.
A complete scan of your computer or device could uncover issues that have been lurking in the background and causing damage. These programs can perform a quick sweep of the device to ensure that everything is in order, and there are no outstanding threats. Both Bitdefender and Avast offer scanning features within their application to help you identify these problems. Each program has a robust set of scans, but we discovered that you get a bit more for your money with Avast.
The reason that we feel that Avast has an edge here. Avast offers more scan types and features with their scan that Bitdefender simply hasn’t built the functionality to match. Both programs will give you a pretty good scan of your device. But if you’re looking for the premium option that gives you the most, then that’s probably going to mean that you choose Avast for your scanning needs.
Firewall Protection
A crucial part of your antivirus program is the level of firewall protection that it’s able to offer. Your firewall acts as the gatekeeper to the internet. It helps to protect your device and determines what is allowed to enter the computer via download or administrator access. When you download an antivirus program, sometimes they will feature an additional firewall that is very strict with what it allows to enter your device’s system. If you feel that you are at increased risk, you might be much more inclined to get an antivirus program with another built-in firewall.
If this is the case, you probably want to go with Avast. Though Bitdefender is often praised for the innovative ways that it protects your device, it does not contain firewall protection or offers a firewall in its program. Avast antivirus does provide a firewall and gives you added protection from programs that might seek to do your device harm. If you know that you are looking for increased firewall protection, be sure to go with Avast.
Malware Protection & Phishing Protection
When you’re looking at antivirus programs, what you mostly want to know is how much protection they offer all-around. The whole purpose of getting a program like this is to protect your device and your personal information from external attack. Some of the ways that you can be attached are by phishing attempts and malware downloads. The effectiveness of an antivirus program is measured by its ability to handle all threats comprehensively. While the benefits of Bitdefender are undeniable from an end-user standpoint, Avast does have a complete set of tools for dealing with security threats.
If you are looking for a program that is going to offer the most options when it comes to device and information protection, you’re probably going to want to go with Avast. Avast has a complete suite of tools that are each dedicated to protecting you from a different and unique type of threat. This specialization and extensive functionality is both impressive and puts you in the best situation possible to protect yourself and your device from harm.
Features
One of the main things to look out for when comparing different antivirus programs is how many built-in features and extra functionality each of the programs has. Some of these are going to be integral to the protection of your device, while others are merely a matter of convenience and ease-of-use. A good idea to help you decide on this area is to lay out what features are important to you ahead of time. If you would like phishing detection, then make sure that you record that and look out for it when you are shopping around for your antivirus program.
When you compare the two directly, you’ll find that both offer very similar scanning types and features. Avast and Bitdefender both offer email security, antispam, cloud antivirus, and macro protection. You’ll also be able to do quick scans, full scans and boot-time scans on either antivirus.
While Avast has probably the most comprehensive set of scans to protect your computer, Bitdefender makes a real case for edging out Avast when it comes to the number of features. There are so many things that you can do with Bitdefender, and you have a bit more flexibility than what you have with Avast, which has a standardized set of protection scans that it runs. Bitdefender can even help you with your passwords and identify weak passwords on your network so that you can adjust accordingly.
If you plan to go for the top of the range product in each antivirus, you’ll likely find that Bitdefender has a great set of features. You’ll get access to a password manager and a VPN that you can use. Both of these, while necessary, are excellent additions to the full plan that you’ll be getting.
Bitdefender will give you multi-layer ransomware protection and a feature called Rescue Mode which will allow you to boot into your machine safely to remove even the peskiest of rootkits and malware.
If you are looking for the program with the most options and features, you might want to consider Bitdefender as the right option for you instead of Avast.
System Performance
While having a great antivirus program is good for your computer, and the overall purpose is well-meaning, these programs can also sometimes affect your computer negatively. The most common way that these computers can have a harmful effect is through the performance of your computer. Antivirus programs are often very robust. It can take a lot of memory to run, so computers and other devices can understandably have a hard time running them and also maintaining machine performance.
These effects can almost eliminate the purpose in the first place of purchasing an antivirus program. So, it must be a requirement before buying an antivirus program that you understand the effects on your system performance and that you know whether your computer can handle it or not. The good news is that most computers that are in good shape and are of high-quality should be able to handle either of these programs well.
However, that’s not always the case. Some cheaper computers that don’t have as much RAM or processing power could have a problem running these robust programs that require a significant amount of energy. If this is a concern for you, then we would recommend that you go with the Bitdefender antivirus program. Bitdefender has specifically designed its antivirus software to be more lightweight and work well on computers with low RAM.
If you have a cheaper computer that needs something lightweight to run efficiently on their program while also protecting them from viruses, then Bitdefender is probably the one for you.
User Interface
The user interface of your antivirus program is very important to your ability to use the antivirus program effectively. Without the ergonomic interface, an antivirus program could end up being useless to the person using it, even if it does prevent viruses very well. Being able to use an antivirus program will always depend on the amount of skill and experience that someone has with operating computers and other devices. But the user interface can simplify the whole process and make things a lot easier.
Looking at Bitdefender’s antivirus interface can be a little overwhelming for someone who doesn’t have a complete understanding of what antivirus programs do and how they work. The presentation of information that Bitdefender offers is not super easy to understand and might provide at least an intermediate knowledge of computer concepts to really grasp. In contrast, Avast seems to have planned for this and adjusted accordingly.
The Avast antivirus interface is much easier to understand and pleasant to look at. It would be better for someone who is very new to these programs and doesn’t have a lot of experience operating antivirus programs or interpreting the data that these programs give to us. If you are looking for the most comfortable and most clear interface, the choice is clear – you need Avast. However, both interfaces will be usable for anyone comfortable using antivirus programs and various devices.
User-friendliness is a dream with Bitdefender as many people will be able to make use of the “quick actions” feature on the front page of the program. Avast doesn’t have these kinds of features, but it also quite easy to navigate, but Bitdefender has a little bit of an edge here.
If you’re running a free version of Avast, you’ll be able to see everything that you’re missing that the paid subscribers can get. That can be frustrating, and should you accidentally click one of those buttons; you’ll be pushed through to a website, asking you to upgrade.
As far as the interface goes, Bitdefender is the clear winner here.
Pricing & Plans
Pricing
One of the main factors that will likely factor into your decision on which antivirus program to get will be the pricing model. The first thing to consider when talking about the pricing plans is what your needs are going to be concerning how many computers you need to cover and what type of protection you need. The cost for an individual is going to be drastically different from, say, a multi-level corporation with hundreds of devices that need protection.
Avast Pricing
| 1 Device | 3 Devices | 5 Devices | 10 Devices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Security for Windows | $59.99 | $79.99 | $104.99 | $179.99 |
| Premier for Windows | $69.99 | $99.99 | $134.99 | $219.99 |
| Ultimate for Windows (unlimited devices) | $119.99 | |||
| Security Pro for Mac | $59.99 | $69.99 | $79.99 | $99.99 |
Bitdefender Pricing
| 1 Device | 3 Devices | 5 Devices | 10 Devices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender Antivirus Plus | $39.98 | $59.99 | $69.99 | $79.99 |
| Bitdefender Internet Security | $59.99 | $79.99 | $84.99 | $89.99 |
| Bitdefender Total Security | Not available | Not available | $89.99 | $99.99 |
| Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac | $39.99 | $59.99 | Not available | Not available |
The best way to decide which is the best is to compare all of these levels of protection and decide which price is lower across the board. Looking at all possible packages, it is clear that Bitdefender is the most affordable antivirus program. However, Avast has the most comprehensive set of packages for businesses and other commercial needs. If you are an individual, it is probably more economical to go with Bitdefender. If you are looking for a full-scale solution for your business, then it’s probably best to use Avast’s business suite.
Since each of the programs has a distinct advantage in different areas of this consideration, we’ll call this one a tie between Bitdefender and Avast.
Trial & Free Versions
If you don’t plan to pay for your antivirus program or you want to get a trial version to test it out before you commit to purchasing it in full, then you will want to know what each of these programs offers in the way of trial and free versions. These free options are a great way to determine the quality of a program and whether it will meet your needs as an antivirus program designed to protect your computer or another device.
Both Avast and Bitdefender offer free versions of their antivirus software, so it’s just a matter of determining which one is better and provides the most value. For this, we turn to how many features the Avast free version has. The thing about Avast is that they see a lot of value in business clients and connecting with smaller customers through the free version. To foster this relationship, they offer a very comprehensive free version that provides a lot of features. For that reason, we see Avast as the best free version of an antivirus program.
The downside with Avast is that they will try to upsell you any chance they get. So, if you can deal with having to refuse to upgrade your subscription all the time, then the Avast free version is an excellent option for you. The Bitdefender free version does offer some intriguing features but falls short of the Avast version which provides a lot more functionality.
Guarantee
The right way that you know how effective and trustworthy an antivirus program has been is to look at what they offer when it comes to guarantees. A company that believes in their program will often time guarantee it and at least refund you your purchase if it does not live up to expectations. With all of the data breaches and fear about stolen data out there, it’s understandable that people would want a guarantee out of a program that boasts the capability to protect them from some of those very harmful things.
In addition to that, a paid version of antivirus can represent an investment that you’d rather not waste on something that doesn’t even work well. A guarantee can help you overcome that fear and take the leap to get an effective antivirus program to protect yourself and your device.
As for Avast and Bitdefender, they both offer 30-day money-back guarantees for customers if you are not satisfied with their product. That means that within 30 days of your purchase, you can contact either company for a full refund. If you find that your purchase doesn’t live up to expectations, you can back out of the sale and recover your investment; no harm is done.
It is excellent for peace of mind, especially for those who are uncertain about their purchase and don’t know which program is the one for them quite yet. It allows you to try it out and reverse your purchase if things don’t work out quite like how you expected them to.
Verdict: Who Wins?
Based on all of the data we gathered on these two programs, we believe Avast to be the superior of the two options. Both for people who are looking for something for their personal devices and those who are looking for large-scale business solutions. Avast was able to get the edge on Bitdefender in a number of areas, so we are confident in crowning Avast the champion. However, that’s not to say that Bitdefender is a lousy program. Bitdefender does have some strengths as well. What it ultimately comes down to is which program fits your needs better and has more of what you need for your device or your company.
Avast highlights:
- Compatible with all modern platforms.
- Different levels of protection against malware.
- Effectively detects phishing sites.
- A strong security plug-in for browsers which automatically detects suspicious websites.
- New passive mode for running multiple security products in parallel.
Bitdefender highlights:
- Bitdefender comes with many outstanding features, including anti-fishing/fraud, autopilot, work/movie/game modes, Wi-Fi SA (Security Advisor), online banking protection (it’s awesome), safe browsing, and more.
- This is, by far, one of the most intuitive and simple antiviruses on the market.
- Impressive third-party test results (only rivaled by Kaspersky).
- There’s a 30-day free trial for most packages. Total Security offers a 90-day trial.
