Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. Review. The good. Nearly flawless malware protection. Very light system- performance impact.
Ransomware protection. Password manager. Secure browser with virtual keyboard. File shredder. The bad. No Windows XP or Vista compatibility. Verdict. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2.
Bitdefender goes well beyond basic security protection with its Antivirus Plus 2. PC against ransomware, but also provides several unexpected extras, such as a password manager and a file shredder. The software had the top score for finding and eradicating malware, and scans a system quickly with minimum performance impact. It's our Editor's Choice for basic Windows antivirus software. Costs and What's Covered. Like many of its competitors, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2.
PC and $6. 0 for three PCs, with frequent online discounts. There's a separate package called Bitdefender Security for XP and Vista; at $6. Antivirus Plus 2.
Microsoft Windows Defender Review. Microsoft Windows Defender in Best Antivirus Software and Apps 2017. Microsoft Windows Defender - Free download and software reviews. Windows Defender helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security. Between Vista and Windows 7, Windows Defender kept to its anti-spyware roots, which limited its usefulness. With Windows 8, Microsoft smartened up and decided to. Still, it's best to get a second opinion, probably from. Learn about Windows Defender, the malware protection software that replaces Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8, on the Microsoft Security website. Read our unbiased review of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus to see how it ranks among the best antivirus software.
Antivirus Protection. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. These are backed up with information from Bitdefender's Global Protection Network, which gathers data about new malware from the 5. Bitdefender software.
No other brand we reviewed matched Bitdefender's nearly perfect AV- TEST record. Bitdefender's Autopilot feature configures security parameters for you based on the Web's current threats and on what you're currently doing with your PC. A vulnerability scanner looks for uninstalled Windows updates, out- of- date software components and weak passwords. Bitdefender also has something few antivirus makers yet offer: a way to safeguard your system from encrypting ransomware such as Cryptolocker. It does so by shielding specified folders from unauthorized encryption; unfortunately, you'll need to manually designate those folders ahead of time, and, if you're like most computer users, you may not know which ones ought to be protected until after an attack.
The company has two free tools anyone can use: Quick. Scan, which scans a PC remotely over the Internet, and the 6. Second Virus Scanner, which uses similar technology but is PC- based. Antivirus Performance. To assess how well Bitdefender protects a Windows system, we used evaluations conducted by two independent testing labs, AV- TEST in Germany and AV- Comparatives in Austria. Both subject products from about 2.
Overall, Bitdefender's scanning engine was a very effective malware killer. Its AV- TEST results on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Bitdefender did have one false positive in Windows 7 testing. Bitdefender's work with Windows 1. AV- TEST's two widespread- malware rounds. The software scored 1.
Windows XP, Vista and 2003 are compatible with its use, as well as Windows 7 and 8. Microsoft Windows Defender Review by Ali Qamar time to read: 3 min.
Microsoft Defender Review
Windows 1. 0 rounds. No other brand we reviewed matched Bitdefender's nearly perfect record on all three operating systems, although Avira came close. Bitdefender had tougher competition in AV- Comparatives' tests, which were conducted on Windows 7. In September, Bitdefender detected 9. Web- based zero- days thrown at it, matched by Avira.
But it was beaten by Kaspersky and Panda's perfect scores. In October, the tables were turned — Bitdefender joined Avira and Kaspersky in finding and blocking everything thrown at it, while Panda slipped to 9. These four sets of results put Bitdefender in the upper echelon of antivirus brands we've reviewed, alongside Avira; Kaspersky and Panda are a bit lower. Security and Privacy Features.
Read this review of Bitdefender to learn if its internet security suite is a good fit for your computer protection needs. Best free antivirus 2017: The four top choices for protecting your PC from malware and viruses.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. But it does include a password manager and a file shredder, two features often found in more expensive products. The password manager integrates nicely with Bitdefender's Safepay, a hardened stand- alone browser that makes online banking and shopping safer by limiting add- ons and disabling screenshots. Safepay includes a virtual keyboard for thwarting keylogging malware. It screens Web links in emails, Web browsers and instant messages, but Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2.
Nor does it have the dedicated webcam protection found in mid- and high- range Kaspersky products. MORE: Kapersky Anti- virus Review. Bitdefender's file shredder can obliterate any compromising or sensitive material, but doesn't use U.
Reinstall Windows Defender On Vista
S. If your system is so gunked up with malware that it can barely be used, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. During installation, it puts a hidden .
But the rescue partition won't work with PCs that use Microsoft's Secure Boot — for those systems, you'll need to download the company's Rescue CD software and burn it to an optical disc or USB stick. Performance and System Impact. Antivirus Plus 2. Bitdefender's PC Optimizer, which comes with the more expensive Total Security suite and can also be bought as a $6. But it does have the company's Photon performance technology, which streamlines operations during malware scans.
The payoff is one of the best performance scores in the basic- security- software arena. We installed Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. Windows 8. 1- based Asus X5. LA notebook with an Intel Core i. GB of RAM and a 5. GB hard drive containing 3. GB of assorted files.
We used our custom Open. Office benchmark test, which matches 2. Antivirus Plus 2. We timed how long it took to run quick and full malware scans, then ran those scans concurrently with the Open. Office test to see how much longer it took the benchmark to complete. The results were very impressive. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2.
Open. Office benchmark taking 6 minutes and 5. Bitdefender has something few antivirus makers yet offer: a way to safeguard your system from encrypting ransomware. It was also one of the fastest programs to scan our Asus test system. After an initial full scan that took 6. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2.
The other million or so files were presumed to be safe, and ignoring them helps quicken the pace. Overall, Bitdefender's full- scan time was in the middle of the pack — significantly slower than Kaspersky Anti- Virus' full scan, which took only 3. Avast Pro Anti. Virus' seemingly interminable scans of more than an hour. But Bitdefender's Quick.
Scan was the fastest we've seen, looking at 3,3. MORE: Best Antivirus Software. Antivirus Plus 2. Open. Office benchmark test in 7 minutes and 4.
That puts Bitdefender into a virtual tie with Panda Antivirus Pro 2. Second- place finisher Kaspersky Anti- Virus was 1. Setup and Support.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. MB beachhead installer that runs a quick scan of your system. After that, the company's servers send down the full installer. The installation software has three progress bars for scanning, downloading and installing. Like many other security programs, Antivirus Plus 2. This can be undone, but requires sending an email to Bitdefender's support staff. Once you've created an account with Bitdefender or set it up to use your Google+, Facebook or Microsoft login credentials, you're set.
It took us 5 minutes and 5. Antivirus Plus 2. Bitdefender includes 2. Bitdefender warns on its website that there could be a 1. Interface. The main screen of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. It turns to yellow for noncritical items, and red when the PC is under attack.
A large icon on the main screen sends you to the Bitdefender Central website, where you can make account changes, check on your subscription and contact support personnel. It's also where you set up Parental Advisor to keep children away from dangerous websites. But this feature stops short of full parental controls; for those, you'll need to upgrade to a more expensive package, or shell out for a $3. The main window puts a scan only one click away. You can set scans to be Aggressive, Normal or Permissive, or instead let Autopilot take care of them.
Scans can be scheduled for anytime, day or night, and can be repeated daily, weekly or monthly. Bottom Line. One of the most effective shields against dangerous and intrusive malware, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. It includes features that other companies charge for, such as a password manager and file shredder. Although you can't use Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2. XP or Vista machines, this is the best $4.
Bitdefender Total Security 2. Free download and software reviews.
Bitdefender Total Security 2. Windows, Mac, and Android devices against viruses and a variety of other software threats. You also get a firewall, a reinforced browser (for things like logging in to a bank website more safely), and ransomware protection.
Pros. High- quality malware detection: Bitdefender's virus and malware detection is consistently ranked as one of the best, according to independent testing labs such as AV- Comparatives and AV- Test. Bitdefender is fast, consistently distinguishes between hostile and benign software activities, and doesn't bog down your system. In fact, during our testing, it detected a Trojan in the Windows recycle bin that wasn't picked up by Malwarebytes, which had been actively running in the background. Centralized online management hub: The Bitdefender Central website lets you log in to an account where you can see everything in one place, which is especially handy for families or someone with a lot of devices. This service (bundled with your subscription) can perform a remote malware scan, as well as locate a lost or stolen device, lock it, or wipe it. Cons. Function labels can be unclear: A section of Bitdefender's interface tells you that the app is up- to- date. Right next to this is a link labeled Update Now.
When you click that link, it will say . More precise language would prevent confusion. Some settings could use more explanation: You have the option to enable Paranoid Mode in the settings, but Bitdefender doesn't explain in app what this mode entails. You can find a description in the online documentation - - but it's under a different heading labeled . But closer inspection showed that almost all of that was Google Chrome's (Windows, Mac, i.
OS, Android) browser cache, which we don't necessarily want to wipe out, as caching lets pages load more quickly and uses less data. Relatively pricey: The default purchase option for the Total Security version of Bitdefender 2. This is only $1. 0 higher than comparable packages from Norton and Mc. Afee, but it's still a pretty tough price tag, especially when the competition's packages can regularly be found heavily discounted on Amazon or the publishers' websites. For example, Mc. Afee Total Protection is currently slashed to $3. If you poke around Bitdefender's website, you can find a five- device license, but it's only $1. This is also the only version of Bitdefender that bundles Mac and Android versions.
There's a Family Pack that supports unlimited devices, but a one- year subscription will cost you $1. If you are upgrading from a previous version of Bitdefender, you are currently offered a 3. And if you commit to multiple years on top of that, the company shaves off a few more dollars. For example, a three- year subscription to a five- device copy of Total Security works out to about $4.
That may be low enough for your comfort zone, but it's also a long commitment just to get a competitive price. Bitdefender Mobile Security protects one Android device for $1. There isn't multidevice option here, however, so the price tag adds up quickly if you want to install Mobile Security on a family's worth of Android phones and tablets. Bottom Line. Bitdefender offers some of the best malware protection in the business, and the remote security features are welcome. But the pricing for the Total Security version creates a high barrier to entry.
We could recommend the less expensive tiers, but they don't support Mac or Android, which many people will find too deep a compromise between value and features.