Set it and forget it.
IGN is reviewing all the biggest antivirus programs all week long. They’re evaluated based on ease of use, price, features, and a variety of testing performed by our editor and IGN’s sister-site PCMag.com for scan times, false positives, and correct identification of threats. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
Bitdefender is a "kitchen sink" security package that offers the traditional virus/malware protection but throws in a password manager, file shredder, ransomware protection, and parental controls as well. BitDefender goes beyond simple scans and offers real-time protection along with an autopilot mode that makes it easy to operate. The basic package can be installed on up to five devices and costs $44.99 for one year of service. It works on Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS protection is coming soon.
Design and Features
Aesthetically, BitDefender has a small, clean interface that fits into the whole Windows 10 look really well. It almost looks like a native Windows app. The simplicity of its design adds to its ease of use as well. Navigating the menus is a snap, and everything is intuitively located and labelled.
The main navigation happens via a panel on the left, and while the icons aren't labeled each module loads instantly, making exploring the app easy. There's no frustrating loading if you accidentally click an icon you didn't intend to. It's a very responsive app. The auto-pilot setting is right there on the home screen, and it ensures you'll never see a pop-up or notification of any kind, which is appreciated.
In addition to active protection against malware, Bitdefender also provides phishing protection. When I first opened Chrome after installing Bitdefender, I was prompted to accept a Chrome extension. The extension checks the authenticity of links in the browser, and if a link goes to where it says it's going, a green check mark appears next to it.
Though it sounds like all that checking and and extra overlay on webpages would slow things down, but I didn't notice any performance penalties running the anti-phishing extension. The green checkmarks were obvious at first, but eventually blended into the background of my web surfing experience. I don't see any reason not to use it.
Bitdefender also has a feature to protect your online banking, one that asks you to install only after it detects you're paying for something. There's also a ransomware protection you can set up to keep files from falling prey to encryption or deletion schemes. It's an included feature, not something extra, which is certainly useful these days with Wannacry and it's friends running around.
There's even a feature to test the vulnerability of your wifi. I learned my modem doesn't have the most recent firmware, for example, which puts me at risk of attack.
Test Results
For real world test results we relied on sister site PCMag's thorough testing, which combines industry rankings as well as direct tests. On Virus Bulletin's RAP (Reactive and Proactive) test, BitDefender came in just below average at 81.08 percent. In AV-Compartives testing, it scored Advanced+, the highest possible grade. AV-Test Institute suite of tests gave BitDefender a score of 18, which is a perfect score.
With malware, BitDefender does a fine job, catching 90-percent of malware in tests and coming in at a score of 8.7 out of a possible 10. It also managed to block 90-percent of samples in real-time malware testing, which is a fantastic result.
Phishing tests, too, yielded excellent results for BitDefender. It was able to catch more than the built-in protection in Chrome, IE and Firefox, and even bested Norton.
As far as scanning time goes, BitDefender is a little slower than its competitors, coming in at 58 minutes for a full scan and around 30 minutes for repeat scans. The average for first-time, full-scans is 44 minutes. Repeat scans are often much, much faster with other products, taking mere minutes.
Purchasing Guide
Like most AV software suites, Bitdefender is available at a variety of price points, mostly differentiated by the number of devices covered. The one-year coverage prices are:
The Verdict
BitDefender is a low-cost, low-impact, and most importantly, low-annoyance software suite that does everything well. At just $39.99, it's a great deal, too, and you can get a 3-device license for just $59.99. It has an attractive, clean interface and the default autopilot mode takes care of everything without needing to fiddle with a ton of controls. It's out of sight, out of mind, and it makes BitDefender a fantastic choice.
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