Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition review
Our Verdict
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition runs on autopilot and offers no extras or customization options, merely it's ideal for anyone who doesn't want to fuss with antivirus software.
For
- Very good malware protection
- Completely automated interface
- Truly no muss, no fuss
Against
- No browse scheduling or quick-scan selection
- No extra features at all
Tom's Guide Verdict
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition runs on autopilot and offers no extras or customization options, but it'due south platonic for anyone who doesn't want to fuss with antivirus software.
Pros
- +
Very expert malware protection
- +
Completely automatic interface
- +
Truly no muss, no fuss
Cons
- -
No browse scheduling or quick-browse selection
- -
No actress features at all
If y'all desire a simple, no-nonsense malware program that does everything for you, Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition should do the trick with its all-automated arroyo to security.
Editor'southward note: Bitdefender has decided to discontinue Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition, constructive December. 31, 2021. Until so, Tom's Guide readers can still download it at this link , but support will end on June 30, 2022.
Bitdefender Antivirus Costless Edition specs
Malware protection: Very good
System impact, groundwork: Light
System affect, scans: Moderate
Windows compatibility: 7 through x
Electronic mail scans: No
File shredder: No
Game/silent mode: No
Hardened/secure browser: No
Password manager: No
Performance scanner: No
Ransomware file reversal: No
Rescue deejay: Gratuitous download
Scan scheduler: No
Support options: FAQs, forums
URL screener: Yes, every bit a separate costless tool
Upsell nag factor: Minimal
There are no options, accessories or choices; you can't turn specific defenses on or off, run a quick scan or schedule scans. Just Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition protects against the worst malware, and it'south ideal for anyone who wants to install antivirus software on their own machine — or a grandparent's motorcar — and so forget nearly information technology.
Avast Costless Antivirus offers many extra features, such equally a countersign manager and a secure browser, but its malware protection isn't equally good every bit Bitdefender's, or even Windows Defender's.
The existent winner is Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, which offers the best malware protection and has a decent number of actress features, lots of customization options and a very calorie-free system-operation impact. Information technology'south our pick for the all-time gratuitous antivirus software.
Read on for our full Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition review.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: What'due south covered, and upgrade options
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition uses the aforementioned malware-stopping technology as the company's paid software. The program has a web filter to block malicious sites and protect against phishing and spam, and monitors the system for potentially malevolent beliefs.
The cheapest paid programme is Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (starting at $twoscore per twelvemonth), which comes with a password manager, a secure browser, a file shredder and an on-screen keyboard. It'due south 1 of our choices for best Windows 10 antivirus.
Bitdefender Internet Security (starting at $lx per yr) adds webcam protection, a firewall, a vulnerability scanner and parental controls. Bitdefender Total Security (starting at $ninety per year) adds licenses for Bitdefender's Mac, Android and iOS protection software, a system optimizer and the ability to track a lost or stolen laptop. Bitdefender Family Pack is a version of Total Security that can cover up to 15 systems for $120 a yr.
All the Bitdefender paid programs to this betoken include client software for Bitdefender's VPN service but are limited to 200MB of data per day. To go unlimited VPN service, you can pay an additional $40 per yr or trade upwards to Bitdefender Premium Security, a version of Total Security that costs $150 per year for 10 devices and also includes priority tech support.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition supports Windows seven (with Service Pack 1), Windows viii/viii.ane and Windows 10.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Antivirus protection
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition'south protection scans for known malware, looks for potentially unsafe beliefs such as malicious encrypting of key files, and uploads suspicious files to Bitdefender's servers for analysis. Malware-definition updates are dispersed to 500 million users worldwide several times daily.
There's little in the way of adjustment and customization. Forget most toggling major features on or off or choosing what the program scans for. Everything is automatic, except the scanning of USB flash drives when they're plugged in — yous have to manually right-click the drive in Windows Explorer or drag-and-drop its contents onto the main Bitdefender interface.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Antivirus performance
In recent evaluations conducted by contained malware-testing labs, Bitdefender did very well, although it showed a tendency to make simulated warnings.
Over all 24 of German lab AV-Examination's monthly evaluations in 2018 and 2019, and in the beginning four tests of 2020, Bitdefender detected 100% of known "widespread" malware in every time, but missed some previously unseen "nothing-day" malware iii times.
Only Kaspersky did better, detecting both types of malware all the fourth dimension until it finally stumbled in April 2020 with a 99.0% detection rate of zero-day malware.
Windows Defender was in the middle of the pack, consistently detecting either 100% or 99.9% of known malware, but missing the marker with zero-day malware seven times over 28 months.
Bringing up the rear were Avast and AVG, which use the same malware engine. They missed some zero-day malware 15 times since Jan 2017, and some widespread malware 10 times.
Notwithstanding, Bitdefender registered the nearly false positives — 47 — among all five malware engines over those two-plus years. Microsoft had 39 and Avast and AVG 26 each, while Kaspersky had simply three, indicating a well-tuned detection engine.
In Austrian lab AV-Comparatives' February-May 2019 serial of tests, Bitdefender'south defenses were nearly perfect, stopping an boilerplate of 99.9% of online malware and racking up only two false positives. Kaspersky was indeed perfect, with a 100% detection average and zero fake positives.
The positions were reversed in the July-October 2019 circular, in which Bitdefender got 99.7% and Kaspersky 99.ane%, although the false-positive scores remained the same. In Febuary-March 2020, the results swung dorsum Kaspersky's way; it got a perfect 100% while Bitdefender got only 99.five%, but neither had any false positives.
Amid the other three brands, Microsoft'southward malware engine may have been a bit as well aggressive, as its Windows Defender had a decent 99.half dozen% detection rate but a whopping 74 false positives in the before circular, and 99.3% in the second circular with 58 simulated positives.
Microsoft told us that the loftier false-positive counts were a issue of its Smart Screen characteristic flagging annihilation unknown as potential malware, and AV-Comparatives chalking up a fake positive every time that happened.
For its February-March 2020 tests, AV-Comparatives reportedly turned Smart Screen off, and Defender came away with only five false positives and an overall detection store of 99.7%.
Avast and AVG had the reverse problem: only five false positives each just underwhelming 99.2% boilerplate detection rates in the February-May round, and 99.3% with eight false positives each in July-October. In Feb-March 2020, they each scored 99.7% with five fake positives, the same equally Windows Defender.
We unremarkably employ examination results from Britain's SE Labs, but Bitdefender stopped existence tested in mid-2018 afterward it got mediocre scores for neutralizing some malware rather than completely removing it.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Security and privacy features
Bitdefender Antivirus Gratuitous Edition's minimalist features range from anti-phishing defenses to warnings of known malicious websites. That's all that comes with the software.
Bitdefender's gratis Traffic Light browser add-ons for Chrome, Firefox and Safari need to be downloaded separately, as does the Home Scanner tool that looks for insecure devices on a home network.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Performance and system touch on
Bitdefender Antivirus Free had a moderate impact on system performance every bit measured past our custom benchmark test, which clocks how long a CPU takes to friction match 20,000 names and addresses in an Excel spreadsheet.
Nosotros used an Asus X555LA notebook with a 2-GHz Core i3-5005U processor, 6GB of RAM and 59.5GB of files on a 500GB hard drive. It used Windows 10 with the latest updates.
Before we installed Bitdefender Antivirus Gratuitous Edition, nosotros ran the benchmark to provide a baseline for comparing. The CPU took an average of 13.vii seconds to consummate the examination. The time rose to 14.0 seconds after Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis was loaded, but before it started scanning.
The two.1% background slowdown was the 2nd best of the free antivirus programs, just behind Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, which actually sped up the system past 0.9% after its installation.
Bitdefender Antivirus Costless was boring to consummate its showtime full scan, which took 1 60 minutes, 4 minutes and 47 seconds. That improved dramatically after the first become-round, because the program had learned what to ignore and what to examine.
On subsequent scans it averaged three minutes and 38 seconds, which was and then quick that it doesn't matter if Bitdefender Costless lacks a quick-scan choice.
However, agile scanning slowed system performance considerably. Our data-matching criterion took an average of 17.7 seconds to complete its tasks while Bitdefender Antivirus Free ran total scans.
That's 29% slower than the preinstallation baseline, matching Avast's, and 26% slower than the background load subsequently installation.
By comparison, AVG'south full browse slowed the system past thirteen% from the baseline and 7.i% from the background. Windows Defender's full browse caused a xx% slowdown from the groundwork. Kaspersky was the speed gnaw, slowing things down by only 1.1% from the baseline.
Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition: Interface
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition'southward interface is open and accessible merely overwhelmingly nighttime. The black primary window has a large green checkmark when everything is proficient, or a ruby-red Ten when things aren't so good. Beneath that are listed the last 4 tasks the software has performed, including scans and updates.
The gear icon in the upper correct opens the few options bachelor. The Events section mirrors the principal folio's recent activeness, Quarantine is for defenseless malware and Exclusions is for whitelisting safe items. The Protection section shows which versions of the software and engine are in apply and lets you turn the Protection Shield on and off.
Account Info lets you log into your Bitdefender Central account, stop Bitdefender upgrade reminders and stop malware information-sharing. But there'south no way to forcefulness a malware-definition update.
The program's System Tray icon is a disappointment, as all it does is open the main interface window. Other free AV programs' System Tray icons requite status checks, look for definition updates and outset scans.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Installation and support
The first footstep is to download and run the x.1MB installer program, which in plough downloads the 384MB primary installer. In our case, the process ground to a halt after 14 minutes. Information technology took an actress half dozen minutes and 2 reboots to become it done. Your feel should be better.
The next step is to ready a Bitdefender Cardinal online account to monitor your security and those of other devices with Bitdefender software installed. You volition demand to answer to an e-mail verification cheque.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition's Assist and Support section is a thinly veiled try to go y'all to upgrade to a paid subscription (and, thankfully, nearly the merely one y'all'll run across), but there'south a link to ship the visitor feedback.
At that place's no guaranteed phone or chat tech support with Bitdefender Antivirus Gratis Edition. Instead, there are lots of online aid available for common issues along with videos and reports of recent hacks. Nonetheless, we were able to starting time a alive chat with a tech-support agent with no problem from the Bitdefender support website.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition review: Lesser line
Bitdefender Antivirus Gratuitous Edition makes a virtue out of beingness basic and automatic. It lacks customizability, options and extra features. Its protection is good, and the program can whip through a hard drive in record time. But its initial browse seems to take forever, there's no quick-browse pick and you can't even schedule scans.
If you lot want more extras, Avast Free Antivirus comes with a lot of goodies, only its malware protection isn't that good. Your best bet volition be Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, which aced nigh all the protection tests, has a skilful number of extras, is highly customizable and had a very low-cal system impact on our exam machine.
Updated with latest lab-examination results. This review was originally published in May 2020.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/bitdefender-antivirus-free
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