To protect your PC or Mac, you need antivirus software. Many laptop users have been on the receiving end of malware attacks, and it’s no longer the case that bad actors target Windows devices only.
Bitdefender is a full-on security suite, though antivirus remains at its heart. Protection against malware is crucial, and it needs to be fast enough and comprehensive enough to stop threats before they can start to download.
Bitdefender is one of the products that is routinely recommended as exceptional at protection, and its various products offer extra features, from password managers to VPNs and more. The basic product works, the company says, 24/7 and can protect up to five devices on an individual account –and more on some of the pricier tariffs or a family plan.
While it’s best known for its Windows capabilities, it works for Mac, Android and even iOS as well. Here’s all you need to know.
Tested by: David Phelan
David Phelan has nearly three decades of experience reviewing smartphones, audio products, wearables and emerging technologies. Known for his rigorous testing and unbiased analysis, his reviews combine technical expertise with real-world usability.
Bitdefender Ultimate Security
★★★★
- Devices supported: Mac, Android and even iOS
- Number of simultaneous devices supported: Five
Bitdefender begins with antivirus protection, but it has many more features on board. For a start, there’s a firewall, a VPN, the Bitdefender SecurePass password manager and much more. It’s available in different packages, so you’re not forced to buy elements you don’t want. These include Bitdefender Antivirus Free, which, as it sounds, doesn’t cost anything. Unsurprisingly, this is what the company describes as “basic protection” and it only works on one machine, either Windows or Android.
Even this level of protection makes a claim that is central to all Bitdefender variants, that it comes with a light touch, that is, there is minimum impact on the performance of your device.
For this review, I’ve been running Bitdefender Ultimate Security, which is £69.98 for the first year £119.99 a year after that. I’ve also looked at the comparative values of the lower-priced options, Bitdefender Premium Security (£99.99 a year, £59.99 in year one) and the most affordable paid-for version, Bitdefender Total Security (£84.99, £49.99 in the first year).
Installation
Bitdefender is easy to set up. On Windows, once you’ve created an account and paid, if appropriate, you click and download a file from something called Bitdefender Central, the main dashboard. Note that you may need to close all browsers to complete the installation.
Within minutes, the program is doing its first scan of the system. Depending on how many files and programs are on your computer, this first scan can take time. On my Mac, for instance – with a lot of files and folders on board – the initial scan took just over an hour, while on my PC it was a little quicker.
Then, much of the work is done in the background without your intervention, though you can always roll your mouse across the Bitdefender icon in the Windows system tray to be rewarded with the message: “You are safe.”
The setup is similar on the Mac though Apple’s system requires more clicks to allow full access. This is straightforward, and you’re clearly guided through processes such as granting full disk access, but it takes time and is a little fiddly.
Once you’ve set up your first device, adding another of the five licences that comes with each of the three paid-for packages is simple. On the subsequent machine just log in and download the relevant packages. Adding the program to mobile is easy, with QR codes helping link other devices quickly.
Performance
Once the first scan is complete, the program provides suggestions for improving security, mostly including settings you can apply from Bitdefender’s programs.
The main on-device dashboard shows you how to set up scam protection, for instance, or chat protection, which scans messages in WhatsApp, Telegram and others to protect against scans, phishing and more. The dashboard is simple to understand, with clear notifications offering suggestions on how to improve your security.
The light touch referred to above is even true while the program is conducting active scans, with minimal resources diverted from whatever else it is you’re doing – though the flip side to this is it means they can go on for a while.
Gamers will be especially keen that the background activities don’t interfere or cause a lag – in my tests, they didn’t. The program is smart enough to spot when you’re doing something that’s making heavy demands on your laptop, say, and can halt non-critical activities for the duration.
None of which would matter much if Bitdefender wasn’t good at deterring threats. Fortunately, it seems robust and effective, protecting against a wide range of threats while leaning into false positives rarely.
On the Mac’s first scan, 14 issues were found and resolved. Out of the millions of files it scanned, 14 doesn’t seem like very many at all, but nonetheless, the peace of mind that came from seeing them sorted was considerable.
Features
There are plenty of these, growing according to which tariff you’re on.
The antivirus protection at the core of Bitdefender is the same on all versions, even the free one. But the three paid-for packages promise non-stop protection, powered by AI, for five devices.
Each paid-for version also includes a password manager. Apple users now have the excellent Passwords app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, but the benefit of Bitdefender’s version is it works on all platforms. It’s straightforward to use and is a godsend when you can’t remember exactly which version of your great-aunt’s parrot’s name you used on the latest password entry box.
There’s also a built-in VPN, handy for when you’re abroad and want to access content you’ve paid for at home, keep your browsing data to yourself and use public hotspots more securely. On the most affordable version, Total Security, this is limited to 200MB of traffic per day on each device, but on the more expensive packages, this is unlimited. That said, I found my VPN of choice, NordVPN, to be better. It didn’t slow my traffic at all, while Bitdefender’s model felt a little more sluggish. If you don’t have a VPN, then this is certainly better to have than none at all.
Trade up to Premium and there’s the addition of email protection for two mail addresses (Gmail or Outlook), which builds on the spam features common to all email programs by aiming to tag what it thinks are dangerous emails so you can spot them easily.
Premium and above also includes an anti-tracker. While on some devices you can insist that you don’t want an app or browser to track you, not all browsers obey. This adds extra protection and can display how many trackers from a given page on a toolbar button. Again, this adds to peace of mind.
Scam Protection Pro looks out for common phishing scams and warns you when it sees something suspicious. As well as with email, it works across messages, chats and the web.
Trade up to Ultimate and there are further protections, including an identity protection score that evaluates how safe you are and continuous dark web monitoring that studies unauthorised leaks.
Bitdefender Ultimate Security
We all want to be secure and to put dark worries out of our minds, which is where security systems like these come in. Bitdefender’s outstanding track record in spotting issues and nailing them down makes its products persuasive.
While the VPN was the least important part of the package, it was still decent, as was the password manager. But the core features of antivirus and continuous protection in the background were highly impressive.
The benefits that accrue from spending more with Bitdefender quickly add up. For many people, Total Security will be enough, though for an extra £15 a year (less in the first year) Premium Security is available. I’d say this is the sweet spot for most people.
Buy now £70.00, Bitdefender.com
How I tested Bitdefender Ultimate Security
For this review, I looked at how easy it was to purchase, download and install the Bitdefender Ultimate Security program, timing the processes and noting how complex it was to do. I installed it on a Windows PC and a Mac, and compared the pain points and simplicity in each. I checked out how easy it was to set up an initial scan, how long it took and how simple the solutions were to the problems it found.
Throughout using the software I checked if there was any noticeable slowdown because of the demands of Bitdefender’s scans updates and more. I tested individual features like the VPN and email protection to see how they performed, and checked out reliable independent testing organisations’ verdicts of Bitdefender. I compared the different program versions to see which was the sweet spot between performance and pricing.
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