Both Bitdefender and Norton have been among the most popular antivirus solutions for years.
But how do both of these top software compare when pitted against one another? Let’s find
out in this video. At a time when computer users are always living
on the edge and almost at the mercy of cybercriminals, the tools that have constantly come to our
rescue are Bitdefender and Norton. Both companies have been at the forefront
of the war against cybercriminals and malware for many years. While both are incredibly
good at their jobs, we can’t help but wonder which one of them is actually better.
Of course, we know the answer is never straightforward. The rivalry between them dates back to nearly
two decades. And to be honest, nothing looks to be changing any time soon. So, if you have
narrowed your options down to these two, you may be having a hard time choosing one. It’s
understandable, as each one offers the highest level of protection.
In this video, we will compare Bitdefender and Norton in terms of four key aspects. These
are features, malware protection, system performance, and pricing. We will declare a winner in each
category, as well as our overall winner on both software at the end of this video.
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Let’s look at the features first. As you know, both Bitdefender and Norton offer
a wide range of plans, each one coming with different features.
First, let’s see the different plans on offer by Bitdefender and their respective
features. The first plan is Bitdefender Antivirus Plan.
It’s an entry-level plan but it comes with impressive features like multi-layered malware
protection, a password manager, a secure browser, a file shredder, and a vulnerability scanner.
Next up, we have Bitdefender Internet Security. Expectedly, it comes with all the features
found on the entry-level plan, and then some unique features like a file encryption utility,
parental controls, anti-spam mode, webcam protection, and a smart two-way Firewall.
It’s worth noting that both Antivirus Plans and Internet Security suites are only compatible
with Windows PCs. Last on the lineup is the company’s top-of-the-line
product – Bitdefender Total Security. Along with all the features in the previous suites,
it adds a few extra perks, which include protection for up to five devices (including Windows,
macOS, Android, and iOS), a OneClick Optimizer, and DiskCleanup, and a helpful anti-theft
module. The company also offers the Bitdefender Family
Pack, which is ideal for folks who need to protect many devices running on different
platforms. It can cover up to 15 devices. Now, let’s see the features that Norton
offers. Unsurprisingly, Norton also offers a range
of suites for various needs, with their beginner suite being Norton Antivirus Basic. The different
features you can expect to enjoy with the Norton Antivirus Basic include real-time threat
protection, a smart firewall, a password manager, and 2GB of cloud backup.
This product is only compatible with the Windows platform.
Up next in their lineup of suites is Norton 360 Standard. Of course, it comes with all
the features seen on the entry-level suite, and then some advanced features like 10GB
Cloud Backup, protection for one PC, one Mac, and one smartphone or tablet, compatibility
with both Windows and Mac, 2-way firewall, dark web monitoring, webcam protection, a
secure VPN, and a virus protection promise. Next up is the multi-platform compatible suite:
Norton 360 Deluxe. It’s also our recommended product in the Norton lineup. It offers all
the features of the previous products, and adds unique perks like protection for up to
5 devices, parental controls, a privacy monitor, and up to 50GB of cloud space.
Norton also offers a range of LifeLock plans that offer advanced identity-theft protection
and credit monitoring features. However, keep in mind that these plans are only available
for the US market (at least for now) and come at significantly higher price points. So if
you’re a normal computer user, you might not need these advanced features and Norton
360 Deluxe should be sufficient for you. In the end, we believe Norton wins this round
by a slight margin. While Bitdefender also holds its own with some incredible features,
it’s just difficult for any company in this industry to match or beat Norton in terms
of features. Next, let’s take a look at how each performs
when it comes to protection against malware. For this round, we will consider the latest
independent protection test results of both software from AV-Test, which is a reputable
antivirus testing firm that regularly conducts comprehensive tests to evaluate the performance
of leading antivirus software in terms of malware protection and system performance.
In the recent AV-Test assessment, Bitdefender did really well, and the results were nothing
short of remarkable. The malware protection test was divided into two main categories:
Protection against 0-day malware attacks and Protection against widespread and prevalent
malware. Bitdefender scored 100 percent in both categories,
and got a full score of 6 out of 6 – which is quite magnificent.
Now, let’s see Norton’s malware protection performance.
Tested for the same categories, Norton also scored 100 percent in both tests, which is
a screaming testament to the tool’s effectiveness against malware.
Overall, it also scored 6 out of 6, which caps what we’d label a flawless malware
protection performance. There is no winner in this round. Both tools
delivered incredible performances in the last assessment conducted by AV-Test, so we’ll
have to settle for a draw here. Now, let’s look at each company’s performance
in terms of impact on system performance. How does Bitdefender fare in this regard?
While it’s almost difficult for an antivirus software not to impact the performance of
your computer, Bitdefender has done well in keeping the impact at the minimum. When you
are running the antivirus software with a standard PC, you only experience a slow-down
of 15 percent when launching popular sites. If you use a high-end PC, the impact becomes
even smaller, at 14 percent. Meanwhile, when you download frequently used applications,
you only experience a speed loss of 1 percent, regardless of the type of system you are using.
In the end, Bitdefender scored 5.5 out of 6 for system performance. It’s not a perfect
score but still a good score. Now, let’s see how Norton fared in this
regard. If you thought Bitdefender performed well
in terms of impact on system performance, wait until we break down Norton’s. When
you are launching popular sites on a standard computer, you only experience a slow-down
of 9 percent, which is 7 percent smaller compared to the industry’s standard of 16 percent.
It becomes slightly better when you use a high-end computer, with the impact dropping
to 8 percent. When you download frequently used apps, you
experience no impact at all. This is quite impressive, considering that the industry
standard is 1 percent for both standard and high-end computers.
Considering all of these, it’s not surprising that Norton scored a perfect 6 out of 6 in
AV-Test’s latest evaluation on system performance. Overall, Norton wins this round by a slight
margin. Next, we will be looking at the pricing of
each antivirus software. Bitdefender offers four plans, which are Antivirus
Plus, Internet Security, Total Security, and Family Plan. The Antivirus Plus suite is the
cheapest, being priced at just $23.99 per year. Internet Security costs more, coming
at $32 per year. And as you’d expect, it delivers more value, as we already highlighted
earlier in the article. The company’s star plan is Total Security,
and it’s a combination of both Antivirus Plus and Internet security, and then some
more. It costs just $36 per year. Unlike the first two plans that are only compatible with
windows, Total Security supports Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
There’s one more plan, that is the Family Pack. It’s suitable for people looking to
protect a large number of devices. This suite can protect up to fifteen devices and costs
$49.99 per year. If we look at Norton’s pricing structure,
Norton primarily offers three plans for home users. These are Norton Antivirus Plus, Norton
360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe. Norton Antivirus Plus is the cheapest, costing
$19.99 per year. After that comes the 360 Standard, which is priced at $39.99 per year.
Then comes the 360 Deluxe, which costs $49.99 per year.
The good news is: The Cyber Lab viewers can get a special 50 percent discount on Bitdefender
and up to 70 percent discount on Norton. All you need to do is to make sure you buy through
the official links we have provided in the description section down below, and these
discounts will be automatically applied. It’s clear that both software are neck and
neck in this category, so it’s a draw. Overall, we believe both Norton and Bitdefender
are exceptional software. Right now, Norton is our number one pick for the best antivirus
software - thanks to its range of excellent features, flawless malware security, exceptional
system performance, and competitive pricing structure.
Bitdefender ranks second on our list, while McAfee takes the third spot.
Don’t forget to check out the discounted links we have provided below if you want to
secure maximum discounts. We hope you enjoyed watching this video. Please
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Also, let us know which of these antivirus products would you choose for yourself, and
why? Leave a comment down below.
The next video is a must-watch. It’s a rundown of the best antivirus software. So don’t
miss it.