Both Avast and Bitdefender built their reputations on providing high-quality, free software and have since developed into professional-grade security firms. While you can’t go wrong with either product, it doesn’t mean either may be suitable for your needs.
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Avast encourages you to subscribe to a paid plan, including several extra features and tools. Bitdefender is a bare-bones, no-frills antivirus that gives full protection without additional frills.
Both Avast and Bitdefender are excellent antivirus software and offer users the same levels of protection as any other reasonably priced antivirus program. Bother offers standard compatibility for Windows, Mac, Android, and IOS, easy to use.
Avast and Bitdefender Premium Security have expanded their paid offerings yet still keep a free version of their software. (Read Avast Says My Router Is Vulnerable)
Avast offers a few extra features, such as password storage and Wi-Fi analysis and protection. Bitdefender performs slightly better. In our guide, you can learn which is better for you, be it Avast or Bitdefender, as most choices could be down to preference.
Is Bitdefender Better Than Avast?
Here you can find a few features Avast has and are compared to what Bitdefender offers.
- Features: Bitdefender and Avast both have excellent features. Bitdefender has a wider range of security and performance-enhancing features than Avast. You can find parental controls included with both options, yet Bitdefender takes first place in this area.
- Malware Protection: Both companies performed well in independent lab tests, but Bitdefender outperformed the protection Avast offers for protection against malware. In both tests, it was Bitdefender leading as it has better multi-layer ransomware protection included.
- System Performance: Both companies received equal ratings in the independent performance evaluations; hence, this category is a tie.
- User-Friendliness: Avast’s interface is incredibly user-friendly and intuitive. But it’s Bitdefender’s flexibility to customize its user interface for both novice and experienced users that sets it apart. Both run on the same operating systems, so device compatibility is matched.
- Pricing: For the price, Bitdefender is ahead of Avast, and in addition, Bitdefender offers more licenses per product, but Avast is significantly more expensive.
- Customer Support: According to one of the two independent sources, Avast has a higher ranking than Bitdefender for customer support and satisfaction.
Can I Use Avast and Bitdefender?
Here is what you need to know about running two anti-virus security suite products on the same machine.
Experts advise consumers and businesses to use multiple antivirus programs to protect sensitive security. The free versions of Bitdefender and Avast provide less protection than their paid-for counterparts, but they are still available and are better than a free trial to test the product.
The programs’ features can conflict, so getting them to work together requires some setup.
Bitdefender and Avast offer real-time data protection and a periodic full system scan, or quick scan at set intervals. Real-time protection is active if Windows is running. The products monitor a computer for suspicious activity. (Read Avast VPN Problems)
Both Bitdefender and Avast can run on the same computer, but real-time protection must be disabled in one of them. When both applications have real-time antivirus protection enabled, they can cause performance issues.
Similarly, you can’t scan the computer with two anti-virus programs simultaneously because their scan engines conflict. You’d have to turn off the autoscan feature to avoid conflicting with an Avast scheduled security scan or vice versa.
What is Better Than Bitdefender?
Kaspersky Anti-Virus has a slight advantage in malware detection and a lighter system impact than Bitdefender, but a clunky interface and fewer useful features and tools. Kaspersky is often the company that first highlights zero-day exploits.
It doesn’t, however, offer a free edition that packs in features. It is strictly anti-virus and no more.
Is Bitdefender Really the Best?
Bitdefender is a great antivirus program. It has excellent anti-malware detection rates, a user-friendly interface, and is very affordable.
Bitdefender Total Security covers 5 devices and includes the following plus more:
- Web protection & a secure browser for online banking.
- System optimization tools & Wi-Fi network protection.
- VPN (limited to 200 MB using 1 server location).
- Password manager & Parental control solutions.
- File shredder & Firewall.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
Avast has a free antivirus option on your Windows PC and uses next-gen technologies to fight against viruses, malware, and cyber threats. All the major OS like Android, Windows, iOS, and Mac are supported by Avast.
Avast has four paid versions, including Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, Avast Ultimate, and Avast Premier, and are packed with features including a VPN.
Rather than the paid, you can compare Bitdefender free vs. Avast free, and here they are very similar for scanning and included features.
Both deliver email security, anti-spam, cloud anti-virus, and macro protection, among other security features in the antivirus suite.
While these free offerings protect your computer, when you test Bitdefender, it pulls in front with a password manager and VPN for several features.
In studies of performance, the test results from the AV-Test Institute show Bitdefender performed well, with Avast close behind. Bitdefender antivirus has the advantage as Avast isn’t as effective at dealing with the latest malware spread, even if it is above average.
Firewall protection has a better offering from Avast, as it lacks in Bitdefender antivirus software.
You then have malware protection and phishing protection, and again free version of Avast antivirus program inches in front by a slight margin.
When pricing Avast vs. Bitdefender, three licenses of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus cost around $19.99 per year. For Bitdefender Internet Security, the second layer of protection is around $39.98 per year. However, this is for Windows only.
For Bitdefender Total Security, the annual fee for 5 licenses is $44.99. Finally, Bitdefender Family Pack costs $69.98 per year, provides you with an unlimited number of licenses, and covers more operating systems.
Avast Internet Security is an entry-level product costing around $59.99 with a single PC-only license. On top of this is the Avast Premier for $69.99, which is also 1 device.
For Windows-only devices, the price of Avast Ultimate is the highest at $119.98 per device per year, and you have Avast Security for 1 Mac OS device for $59.99.
Both Bitdefender vs. Avast provides a number of features. However, Bitdefender vs. Avast has stronger security out of the two antivirus programs. (Read Avast VPN Review)
If one reason you are comparing Bitdefender, Avast, which is the best antivirus because of the added VPN, neither Bitdefender or Avast can match a dedicated VPN service.
While Avast, Bitdefender, and even other anti-virus products are good at what they do, this doesn’t translate to making them good at offering premium VPN services.
A premium VPN will run on mobile devices and desktops without wasting system resources. You also get around-the-clock live chat support rather than needing to pay for phone support.
