Is Bitdefender Total Security good or bad?
A robust package that safeguards your desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets
- Benefits of
+Notable security software
+Preserves all major operating systems
+Remote control and online management
+Numerous extras, such as a virtual private network and a system optimizer
- CONS
-A separate subscription is necessary to get full VPN features.
-Parental content filter not fully functional
-Support for iOS is limited
Is Bitdefender worth it in 2024?
- BITDEFENDER TOTAL SECURITY SPECS
- Active Do Not Track
- Antispam
- Application Privacy Scan
- Behavior-Based Detection
- Firewall
- Hardened Browser
- Network Security Scan
- On-Access Malware Scan
- On-Demand Malware Scan
- Pairs With Android Wear
- Parental Control
- Protection Type Security Suite
- Ransomware Protection
- Snaps Photo of Thief
- Tune-Up
- Virtual Keyboard
- VPN Limited
- Warns About Insecure Wi-Fi
- Webcam Protection
Bitdefender Total Security 2024 Optimization for Windows
Every security suite contains antivirus protection at its foundation, but they differ significantly when they go beyond that simple protection. Some hardly add enough elements to qualify being dubbed a suite, while others flaunt an astounding smorgasbord of features. Some just protect PCs, while others give protection to all common platforms. Bitdefender Total Security strengthens the protection supplied by the superb Bitdefender Internet Security and delivers cross-platform security, making it our Editors' Choice winner for feature-rich mega-suites.
Why is Bitdefender so cheap?
For $99.99 a year, you can install Bitdefender on five devices. Upping it to $109.99 lifts the maximum to 10 devices. Bitdefender also offers a 15-license family pack at a quoted price of $119.99 per year. A five-device license for Norton 360 Deluxe costs the same as Bitdefender’s family plan. That sounds pricey, but to be fair, Norton also provides five no-limits VPN licenses and 50GB of hosted storage for online backups.
Looking at 10-license subscriptions, Bitdefender’s cost is bang in the middle. ESET, F-Secure, and ZoneAlarm all run close to $140 for 10 licenses. But you can acquire a 10-license membership to Avast, AVG, or Total Defense for just under $100.
For individuals who manage a ton of devices, McAfee+ is an excellent price, as it costs $149.99 per year for unlimited installations on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS. However, depending on the number of devices in your household, Bitdefender’s 15-license family bundle may be just as useful as McAfee’s unlimited membership.
As befits a program that covers numerous platforms, you activate your subscription by entering a code in the Bitdefender Central web panel. Once the product appears in your console, you can install it on the machine you're using, snap a QR code with your mobile device, or send an email with a link to install it on other devices. The installation link automatically downloads the relevant installer for the present operating system.
Bitdefender Total Security Shared Antivirus Features
This suite looks almost precisely like Bitdefender Internet Security, which looks almost exactly like Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. Each app contains a left-rail menu with icons for Dashboard, Protection, Privacy, and Utilities. The top of the main display reflects security status and offers recommendations from the AutoPilot component. And six user-configurable button panels allow easy access to your most-used features. Naturally, this top-of-the-heap package contains everything included in the feature-rich standalone antivirus.
Bitdefender presently holds flawless scores from three of the four independent antivirus testing labs that I monitor. It scored a flawless 18 points with AV-Test Institute, for starters. In the three tests I track from AV-Comparatives, Bitdefender achieved three ratings of Advanced+, the maximum attainable rating. It passed the difficult banking defense test by MRG-Effitas and received Level 1 accreditation in that lab’s 360 evaluation, a remarkable feat. In multiple earlier reports, it obtained the top-level AAA certification from SE Labs, yet this lab’s recent report didn’t contain Bitdefender.
Bitdefender Total Security Shared Suite Features
When you upgrade from Antivirus Plus to Bitdefender Internet Security, all the additional features pop up on the Protection and Privacy pages. Specifically, Firewall and Antispam appear on the Protection tab, and the Privacy page gains Parental Control and Video & Audio Protection.
Bitdefender’s firewall stays in the background, blocking outside assaults and watching for programs that misuse their network connection. You can compel it to display firewall pop-up prompts when it detects new programs attempting to utilize the network, but you should just leave it alone. I torture-tested it, trying to disable protection in ways a malicious application could manage. I couldn’t breach its self-protection in any substantial way.
Most people don’t require a local spam filter these days, but for those who have the necessity, Bitdefender interfaces with Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. Those using some other email client won’t receive the same level of interaction, but they can still establish rules to kick spam into its own folder. Settings for this component are pleasantly modest.
It’s conceivable for a malevolent program or website to turn on your PC’s camera and look at you without turning on the telltale light. The Video & Audio Protection technology ensures sure this kind of surveillance doesn’t happen. If an untrusted program tries to activate the webcam or mic, Bitdefender asks what to do. It’s easy enough to allow a new video chat program and just as quick to prevent a suspicious peeper.
Like spam filtering, parental control is a feature not everyone wants or needs. Bitdefender’s parental control system includes all the expected features. It prevents access to websites in improper categories, helps parents schedule screen time and independently implement a daily cap, and locates your kids (by finding their devices). Other features include geofencing, application management, and barring undesirable contacts. In testing, the content filter’s performance was uneven, even under Windows, where it buckled when tested with HTTPS porn sites and a wholly off-brand browser.
Bitdefender Total Security 2024 New Features for Windows
As indicated, going from the standalone antivirus to the entry-level suite brings new capabilities to the main window’s Protection and Privacy tabs. Taking the following level, to Total Protection, the new features show up on the Utilities page.
The Profiles function helps Bitdefender tailor its behavior to your current computer usage, while the File Shredder deletes crucial files beyond forensic retrieval. These two components carry over from the entry-level suite. New in this top-tier package, OneClick Optimizer does its best to speed up your system’s performance, while Anti-Theft, as the name suggests, helps you deal with loss or theft of your device.
Bitdefender Total Security 2024 Optimization for Windows
On Bitdefender’s Utilities tab, you'll find a handy tune-up tool called OneClick Optimizer, something not found in Bitdefender Internet Security. Just click Optimize to get things started. On my test PC, the scan immediately detected hundreds of items in the categories Disk Cleanup, Registry Cleanup, and Privacy Cleanup. As instructed, I clicked to read details in each category.
Disk Cleanup difficulties can include garbage, temporary, and cache files. On my test PC, the software detected such files using almost a third of a gigabit of disk space. In the Registry Cleanup category, Bitdefender reported worthless or erroneous entries of numerous categories, including help files and shared DLLs. Privacy Cleanup relates to browser cache, cookies, and history. Specifically, it reported on Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera—but not Edge. That’s an interesting error, given Microsoft put the last nail in the Internet Explorer coffin earlier this year.
After examining what the scan detected, I clicked the big blue Optimize button to fix all the faults. On completion, the suite supplied a full report in the form of a large HTML document documenting every single file and Registry update. Similar components in other suites let you preview the changes and exempt specific ones, while others let you roll back some or all of the modifications later. Most people would have no idea what to look for among the hundreds of things, thus Bitdefender doesn't bother with either preview or rollback, except inasmuch as it lets you exempt a complete category, such as Windows Junk Files or Chrome Cookies.
Bitdefender Total Security Anti-Theft for Windows
A desktop computer normally sits in your home or a secured office, tethered by several cables and power connections. Theft isn’t the primary worry in such case. However, contemporary laptops are so powerful that many individuals (and corporations) bypass the desktop completely. It’s convenient to carry your computer anywhere you want, but for a thief, it’s convenient to take it, period.
You don't have to do anything specific to enable anti-theft on a Windows laptop. To manage this feature, simply log into Bitdefender Central and dig into the device you wish to protect. Buttons on the Anti-Theft screen enable you find, lock, or wipe the device. The option to sound a loud alarm only displays for Android smartphones.
When the device connects over Wi-Fi, Bitdefender gets its location via Wi-Fi triangulation, which can be extremely accurate. However, with an Ethernet connection, it falls back on IP address geolocation with far coarser precision. You'll be lucky if it gives you the right city. It located my test virtual machine in a river, roughly 12 miles distant, as the crow flies. Fortunately, a stolen laptop will nearly always connect via Wi-Fi.
If the thief stole your laptop while it was logged in to your account and managed to run off without allowing it go into sleep mode, you could have a problem. No worries. Bitdefender can send a command to lock your user account remotely. Without your Administrator password, the thief can't touch your data. Be sure to use a strong password to protect your account. Carrying around a laptop computer without password protection is stupid, but if you do, Bitdefender can still help. You get an option to add a password during the lock procedure, and this will continue to be your login password.
In testing, the virtual machine replied to the lock command instantly. Selecting the wipe command produced a warning that all data and apps on the lost PC would be deleted. When I verified my intention, the test virtual PC quickly rebooted and started the data-wipe process. I had to recover from a stored snapshot to continue testing.
That's it for anti-theft, but this is everything you need for a laptop. Yes, the option to sound an alarm is gone, but you're much more likely to lose an Android phone around the house than a laptop. You can find and secure a lost or stolen laptop to prevent misuse. If it's completely unrecoverable, you can issue a remote command to delete the device, keeping your data out of unwanted hands.
Bitdefender Total Security Protection for macOS
Installing this cross-platform product on a Mac, you get a complete installation of Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac plus the free, feature-limited version of the VPN package. The password manager available in Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and the parental control system from Bitdefender’s entry-level package also support Macs, but they’re not integrated.
The independent antivirus labs that extend their testing to macOS enjoy this product, and it achieved an exceptional score in our hands-on phishing protection test. It protects your files and your backups against ransomware. The TrafficLight browser plugin warns about unsafe links in search results.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is an Editors' Choice in its sector, sharing that accolade with Norton 360 Deluxe for Mac. Please read my complete review to understand all the specifics about Bitdefender's macOS software.
Bitdefender Protection for Android
Bitdefender Internet Security is purely a Windows suite. Upgrading to Windows Total Security expands protection to Android and iOS devices and loops in the independent macOS antivirus mentioned above.
To install Bitdefender Security on an Android device, you can snap a QR code from Bitdefender Central or email yourself a link. You can also download the independent Bitdefender Central mobile app and use it to install the mobile security software.
Initially, Bitdefender Security walks you through a lengthy series of crucial permissions and configuration activities. You need to give it Device Administrator status to allow anti-theft and more commonplace permissions, such as access to your images, media, and files. It advises a comprehensive malware scan, and it asks you to enable App Lock (more about that momentarily).
Once you’ve worked through the several early steps, you’ll find a sparse and straightforward main screen with a security status symbol in the middle and a menu of five icons at the bottom. The icons across the bottom represent Dashboard, Malware Scan, Browser Protection, Scam Alert, and More, with the last one providing a menu of all options.
Bitdefender Total Security Malware Scan and Browser Protection
The virus scan at startup is rapid, and you can relaunch it whenever you feel uneasy. Bitdefender also checks new programs when you install them. It doesn't go as far as Android apps from Norton and Trend Micro, which rate apps as you look at them in the Play Store, but it won't allow you install anything harmful. In a unique touch, the malware scanner page includes an exhaustive list of malware kinds it identifies, including CoinMiner, Banker, and Obfuscated. You can tap any item for an explanation.
Bitdefender also applies its advanced web protection to safeguard you from harmful and fraudulent sites, just as it does on Windows. By observation, it secures Chrome, Firefox, and Brave automatically. You may extend protection to an exceptionally extensive variety of alternative browsers, including Dolphin, DuckDuckGo, and Yandex.
Bitdefender Total Security Perfect Android Lab Scores
I’m not equipped to test Android antivirus utilities by targeting them with real-world malware. Fortunately, two of the four antivirus labs I follow for Windows antivirus also run tests on Android-centric security. Like its Windows cousin, the Android antivirus scored top grades from all three.
Bitdefender Total Security Scam Alert and Account Privacy
The Scam Alert tool watches the links in incoming text messages and highlights any dubious ones. It also examines messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Discord) for evidence of illicit linkages. When it senses trouble, it urges you to desist from opening the link, delete the message, and (if it’s not someone you recognize) block the sender.
Account Privacy is a mobile-specific feature that checks the email address connected with your Bitdefender account against known breaches and reports any hits. On my test device, it detected a couple of breaches dating back a few years. The software urges you to reset the account password and mark the alerts as solved. You can add other email accounts to check, but you can’t go snooping other people’s email for breaches. Bitdefender won’t scan unless you enter a confirmation code emailed to the selected address.
Bitdefender Anti-Theft Features
From the Bitdefender Central web panel, you may locate, lock, or wipe the device, as with Windows. You can also make it sound a loud alert, which is handy if you've misplaced your phone.
Within the software itself, more anti-theft capabilities become obvious. You can disable remote-control functions here—but don’t do that. There’s an option to capture a photo of someone trying to guess your lock screen PIN. And you may test the “scream” feature, which forces a lost device to emit a very loud sound.
Bitdefender Unusually Flexible App Lock
Nobody can access your phone when it's locked with a PIN or, even better, a biometric lock. However, someone who picks it up unlocked when you're not looking could snoop into your private email or other data. App Lock helps you put additional protection on Mail, Messages, Settings, or any other apps you desire. Just press to choose the protected apps. Avast, ESET, and Trend Micro also offer a similar App Lock option for Android.
With most security programs, App Lock is a simple toggle. Bitdefender gives you some unexpected alternatives. By default, every time you open or move to a protected app, it requires unlocking via PIN or fingerprint. You can set it to keep unlocked apps open until the screen goes off, but it negates the purpose of this function. More usefully, you can make it so apps stay unlocked for 30 seconds after leaving, making it easy to return immediately back. Don’t want to mess with all that when you’re at home? You can configure it to stay unlocked when you’re on a Wi-Fi network that you’ve marked as trusted.
Bitdefender VPN Dual Personality
When you tap the More icon, you’ll notice a VPN menu item. Unsurprisingly, tapping it launches the bundled VPN. However, you’ll also discover an ad urging you try the dedicated VPN program. Indeed, the standalone software is a major upgrade over the simple on/off VPN included inside the mobile security app.
The standalone VPN app provides important features like a Kill Switch to avoid mistakenly sending exposed data if the VPN connection dies and split tunneling to identify programs and websites that connect without going via the VPN. Split tunneling is especially significant, given that you’re limited to 200MB of bandwidth each day unless you pay for a separate VPN subscription. Other features include the option to choose your VPN protocol, engage ad and tracker blocking, and automatically connect through the VPN on public Wi-Fi.
Upgrading to the full-power VPN removes the bandwidth cap and lets you choose your VPN server from a list of global possibilities. You also have access to the double-hop feature, which thoroughly obscures your IP address by sending your traffic via two VPN servers. If you do want to pay for the full-blown VPN service, you’ll want to use the dedicated software, not the built-in.
Bitdefender Truly Total Security
Bitdefender Total Security improves on the remarkable security protection seen in the company's previous security products. Among its many security-focused features are an award-winning antivirus, a firewall, a spam filter, and an innovative laptop anti-theft system. It also extends protection to your Android and macOS devices and, to a lesser extent, your iOS devices. With its vast array of protection capabilities, all of them top-notch, Bitdefender Total protection is our Editors' Choice winner for security mega-suites. If your main purpose is full protection for several devices on different platforms, also consider Norton 360 Deluxe, our top selection for cross-platform, multi-device security.
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