Tallyho Gents. It is I, Josh, a defender of the bits. When I want to protect my giblets,
I use BitDefender, an antivirus only used by the most “pippin” members of society.
This antivirus software will allow you to enjoy the “snuggery” of your home. Your lower stress
will also make you more of a “Fairhead” so you can get the “jammiest bits of jam.”
Yeah, boss. I can’t do this one. Who is
writing this stuff? I’m going to be laughed off of YouTube.
You know how serious YouTube is as a platform. [What
guy in corner of the screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvqIL59uJ0g ]
I can’t do this; it will ruin my professional career!
Double it?
Hey gang. If you have been paying attention,
you know we are talking about something that defends your bits: BitDefender.
BitDefender is a well-known antivirus software with a lot of popularity. But clout often comes
from fat marketing budgets. This doesn’t translate to what makes a good antivirus.
So if you want to know if BitDefender is worth your wallet, you’ve come to the right Josh.
We will be going through its malware scanning tools, additional features,
and pricing compared to others on the market.
But before we get into all that,
make sure to click our discounted link for BitDefender in the description link below.
Also, how about giving this video a cheeky like and hitting the old
subscribe button? You know what you wanna!
So let’s get started with the most crucial point:
Does This Antivirus Software Scan and Remove Malware Effectively?
The short answer: is yes.
The long answer: The software has been certified by AV-Test, a well-known
third-party auditing team, since 2010. It wasn’t considered a top product until February 2016.
AV-Test runs tests regarding protection, performance, and user-friendliness. Across
all fronts, BitDefender has been perfect or near-perfect with monthly checking.
As we continue to see more malware variants, you need antivirus software
that works. BitDefender won the best antivirus of 2021 for security-based
AV testing. If that doesn’t prove it, I don’t know what will. It’s also free.
But the centerpiece of Bitdefender is its free scanning software. You don’t have to pay for it,
but you will have to if you want the more advanced features we will
talk about throughout this video. Bitdefender has four scan types:
A quick scan that goes through the system and temporary files where viruses are most common
A slower system scan that goes through everything A custom scan where you can target
specific file locations And a vulnerability scan
to remind you about system critical updates and risky application settings
Plus a cat scan to ensure there are no adorable cat memes nearby.
See? It’s working already.
.
Beyond scanning, Bitdefender also offers real-time protection for its paid users.
This process helps track active malware, keyloggers, or new (unwanted) files. This
security is necessary because files have become easier to hide within your computer.
Of course, scanning and real-time protection are a fraction of your antivirus solution.
To find out what makes up the other half, we must look into paid features:
First, it’s important to note that BitDefender is a multiplatform antivirus tool. So you will
need a PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device to take advantage of this software.
If you run on Linux, good luck.
Compared to other antiviruses, Bitdefender is average, with intro pricing running between$30
to $75 per year. Double that cost in a year once you get through the introductory pricing.
Bitdefender also sometimes removes intro pricing if you have specific needs. So
look at all your options before you pull the trigger on Bitdefender’s website.
Bitdefender breaks these prices into multiple feature levels that we will talk about below:
The first level, Antivirus plus, gives away what it offers in the
title. It is an antivirus “plus” anti-phishing protection. It also only works for Windows,
so you will need to pay extra for other operating systems.
Bitdefender’s anti-phishing tool is effective at blocking known phishing
sites. You’ll also receive notifications of phishing attempts based on your browser
data. The notifications tab provides you with info on any phishing attempts.
Anti-phishing protection is part of Bitdefender’s browser protection platform. Browser protection
lets you see the trackers and risk factors behind a website. If a site is too risky,
it will block the website from being accessed. For example, facebook.com is different from
phasebook.com, but only one is real. Lastly, all paid options also come
with a “premium VPN.”The free VPN service limits you to 200 MB a day. You can choose
to remove this limit by paying more money, but there are cheaper VPN services out there.
So if your goal is to use this VPN to watch your favorite programs, it will
take you years to finish anything. Consider it a diet from TV. If you want a real VPN,
check out our channel for plenty of reviews. Still, the VPN included with Bitdefender does
offer some nifty features like a kill switch and breakneck speed, so it isn’t a total loss.
Another unique feature with all levels is SafePay. This feature provides you protection
when making purchases online. Combined with the password manager and remote hacking prevention,
you’ll be able to have comprehensive protection for all personal data you send. However,
if you’re somebody who steers clear of putting your payment details online, you won’t need this.
Lastly, all levels include a file shredder, which takes the deletion of your data to
the next level. When you use the recycling bin, residual data is left behind. You can
often find this data and return the file using tools like Recuva. A file shredder reduces the
chances of this happening, protecting people from gathering information from old files.
The next level up is BitDefender Internet Security, or as I like to call it,
BitDefender BitDefender. So what part of this package is worth the extra $5? Well, two things:
First, it provides anti-hijacking tools for your microphone and webcam. So if you are worried
about someone sneaking a peak of you walking by in your bathrobe, this offers automatic protection.
Yes, this is a real problem that people have,
mainly if you regularly use the remote access features of your computer. Bitdefender
does an excellent job of providing this security, but only for Windows devices.
The second feature is adding a “privacy firewall,” which means handing your firewall
protection off to BitDefender. Because this feature is already through Windows Defender,
it just prevents you from needing to click another thing to manage
your firewall. It’s useful, but not a reason to buy BitDefender alone.
The last available feature is offering parental controls.
But we’ll revisit parental controls a bit later.
Now if you need further protection, you’ll need Total Security, the next tier of protection.
Total security has everything from before and, you guessed it,
even more stuff. The most advanced form of this stuff comes through protection for macOS,
Android, and iOS devices beyond its standard Windows platform.
When testing this antivirus on multiple devices, performance was
not an issue. Bitdefender is incredibly lightweight and fast across all devices.
Also, Bitdefender does offer device optimization and cleaning across those platforms. This removes
temporary files (which can be a security risk) and improves performance on your computer.
One of the basics of internet security is to clear old files. This is easier
and more effective through the cleaning software and the file
shredder. You probably don’t need to keep that cute picture of your
cat with your whole social security number and banking information in the background.
Ransomware remediation is arguably an essential
feature across the board when paying for BitDefender. The “remediation” refers to
automatically detecting files undergoing ransomware attacks.
Ransomware is an attempt to steal your files and hold them for ransom, so you have to pay to get
them back. This feature automatically recovers those files and prevents encryption, creating a
multi-layer approach. If there is any one reason to get BitDefender, this would be the reason.
Paying for Total security also provides your physical devices
with anti-theft protection. You can find your phone using the online
dashboard. This makes Total Security one of the most effective tiers to purchase.
Of course, if you have too many devices (or kids), you should consider the Family Pack.
The BitDefender Family Pack offers protection for 15 devices. So if you are like this:
You might want a family plan. This brings us to
something made available in all plans but Antivirus plus: Parental controls.
Creating child profiles with time limits and web restrictions is available through
this system. This way, you can limit your kiddo’s screen time with relatively little
effort. You can even go as far as geofencing, enabling you to track your child’s location.
You’ll just need to add a child profile, set up a password,
and establish limitations. It’s pretty handy but not a mainline feature.
Still, creating user profiles is incredibly handy to track who is doing what. So if you
have a family member who regularly visits risky sites, you know who to blame. Also,
this allows you to catch people who are hijacking your internet.
But if you still aren’t satisfied, you’ll need to look at premium security.
Before we get to this last plan, I’d like to ask you to like, subscribe,
and share this video with your friends. This helps the channel grow,
and it also keeps our team behind the scenes from going feral with hunger.
Premium Security, the last available premium option, offers everything we’ve mentioned
so far and gives you both priority support and unlimited use of the VPN. This security
package is helpful if you have vital and timely needs regarding your security.
However, it supports just ten devices (five fewer than the family plan) and
doesn’t provide additional features. That being said, it does give you premium customer service,
giving you priority access and eliminating customer service wait times. So overall,
the premium security option is somewhat weak in my opinion.
Outside of the standard plans, there are two optional features:
A password manager for about $2 bucks a month and data breach protection for $80 a year.
The password manager is quickly becoming a staple of modern security suites. BitDefender has it,
just not as part of its standard security. Bitdefender will generate
and store passwords with you, enabling a single master password to access this info.
It is straightforward but doesn’t offer password-sharing options like LastPass.
The same can be said of its data breach tracking features, which are cheaper at
other sites like SurfShark, and easily one of the best VPN service providers out there. Also,
unlike other virus protection programs, you don’t get insurance by buying data breach protection.
So why not lump it in with one of the plans above or add a new plan that includes it? Your guess is
as good as mine, but it’s pretty inconvenient to manage multiple recurring subscriptions on
two different services from the same provider when you could easily include it in one payment.
When looking at everything, the best value does come from the
Total Protection or Family Plans. Lower-end plans are restricted to
Windows devices, while higher tiers offer protection on multiple fronts.
When comparing this pricing to others, Bitdefender gets a four out of five.
Regardless of what tier you choose, you’ll find that all of them have solid options.
Bitdefender offers robust protection for almost any need when looking at features. The only thing
you could call garbage is the VPN, but this isn’t uncommon, as most antivirus companies don’t know
what people want from their VPNs. In terms of features, Bitdefender gets a four out of five.
The user experience is excellent given that it provides apps for all platforms. The iOS
app is incredibly weak, offering fewer features than other options. Regardless,
our user experience score is another case of almost perfect at four out of five.
At security, it’s a solid five out of five. It’s been effective with
AV tests and catches more than 90% of phishing websites while blocking
ransomware attacks. You can trust Bitdefender to protect your computer.
Overall we give Bitdefender a total of four out of five which is pretty good, I must say.
But what do you think? Is Bitdefender worth you
spending a bit of money on? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
Otherwise, don’t stop being “threepenny” and “straight-fingered.” Also,
“Bricky.” Something old-timey words! I’ve got to catch a horse. Goodbye!