Bitdefender Free vs. Avast Free: Which Is Better? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Internet, Networking, & Security > Antivirus 162 162 people found this article helpful
Bitdefender Free vs. Avast Free
Which free antivirus is best for protecting your computers and devices?
By Nicholas Congleton Nicholas Congleton Writer William Patterson University Nick Congleton has been a tech writer and blogger since 2015. His work has appeared in PCMech, Make Tech Easier, Infosec Institute, and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 29, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Overall Findings Current Versions and Prerequisites Ease of Installation Malware Protection Update Frequency Performance Extra: Additional Tools Final Verdict Both Avast and Bitdefender originally built their reputations on their high-quality, free solutions. Even though they've both grown into professional-grade security companies, they still offer top-notch free options. While you can't go wrong with either product, Avast Free Antivirus and Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition take very different approaches. Avast wants you to upgrade to a paid plan with lots of extras and additional tools. Bitdefender offers a bare-bones, no-nonsense antivirus that provides complete protection without other bells and whistles. Overall Findings
Bitdefender Excellent protection on the free version. Super simple to install and use. Ultra lightweight and fast. Both definition-based and behavioral protection. Avast Excellent free protection. Top-quality protection from a variety of threats. Clean interface with smooth performance. Definition-based and behavioral protection. Extras like a password vault and Wi-Fi protection. Avast and Bitdefender are both fantastic antivirus programs. Both provide the same level of protection you'd expect from a decently priced antivirus application, but for free. Avast and Bitdefender have both chosen not to compromise their free versions, opting instead to add more to their paid offerings. By providing the latest virus definitions and behavioral analysis that you'd find in their paid counterparts, both products measure up to any threat you could throw at them. Avast does give you a little more, including password storage and Wi-Fi analysis and protection. However, Bitdefender performs a little better. Which product you choose might just come down to preference. Current Versions and Prerequisites Both Cover Windows Mac and Mobile Devices
Bitdefender Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. MacOS. iOS and Android. Avast Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. MacOS. iOS and Android. Both Avast and Bitdefender protect a range of operating systems on their free and paid versions. You'll find that neither program uses static versions, like most software. Instead, they have yearly releases with continual updates and upgrades along the way. They also continually update their virus definition databases to provide the absolute latest protection. Ease of Installation Both Are Fast and Simple
Bitdefender Simple to find and download. Very quick installation. Mandatory account signup. Avast Simple and easily available download. Nearly automatic installation. Gets out of your way. Installs quickly. It's easy to install either Avast or Bitdefender. The free versions of both antivirus applications are readily available on the companies' websites, and neither developer makes it difficult to access or locate them. Once you start the install, Avast gets running and then gets out of your way. It'll minimize and let you keep working while the installation runs. It shouldn't take too long, though, and you'll be ready to scan quickly. The experience with Bitdefender is similar. The main difference is that Bitdefender requires you to sign up for a free account before you can complete the installation. It's not a huge deal, as you only need an email and password. Still, it's inconvenient, and it feels unnecessary. Types of Malware Protected Against Nearly Every Threat Out There
Bitdefender Viruses. Spyware. Ransomware. Trojans. Phishing. Avast Viruses. Spyware. Ransomware. Trojans. Phishing. Neither Avast nor Bitdefender compromised protection in their free releases. You get the absolute best protection with either one. They both defend against traditional computer viruses as well as spyware, Trojan horses, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Because Bitdefender and Avast both use real-time analysis of system behavior, they also protect against the latest and even unknown threats. Both also have excellent scores in independent industry scoring tests. They consistently perform perfectly or near-perfectly in test after test. The most you'll have to worry about is the occasional false positive, but even those are rare. Update Frequency Yearly Version Releases and Continual Updates
Bitdefender No static version. Continual updates. Regular definition updates. Avast Yearly versioned release. Continual definition releases. Minor updates and bug fixes as needed. Once again, these two are evenly matched. Both have yearly versioned releases while still updating regularly to patch bugs and improve their malware detection. Count on regular virus definition updates from Avast and Bitdefender. Combine that with the fact that both have heuristic monitoring built in to detect any new and unusual changes on your system. You can be assured that both companies are staying on top of newly released threats. Software Performance Bitdefender Is Built for Speed
Bitdefender Application is lightweight and fast. Scans are speedy. Avast Super light on system resources. Speedy basic scans. Smart targeted scans. Neither application lacks in the performance department. Avast features a well-designed interface that's snappy and responsive. You'll be able to find your way around with ease, and Avast won't slow down your computer's regular operations, even during scans. Even with Avast's admirable performance, Bitdefender is faster in every way. Bitdefender is built for speed, and the application is lightweight and responsive. Scanning with Bitdefender is also about as quick as it gets. Not only are the scans fast, but scans don't slow down the rest of the computer. Additional Tools Avast Has Some Useful Extra Tools
Bitdefender Anti-phishing. Anti-fraud. Avast Password storage. Wi-Fi and network protection. Generally, free antivirus programs don't come with a lot of extras. Bitdefender's extras are built-in functionality. So, while Bitdefender doesn't boast many extras, you get a lot of features right off the bat. Avast has a few super-helpful features if you want to take the time to use them. For example, Avast has a secure password vault to store your passwords without the need to remember them all or write them down where someone can find them. It also offers a Wi-Fi scanning feature to help you analyze your local network and make sure nothing suspicious is going on. Final Verdict You Really Can' t Lose With Either One
This is a tough one, and you can't really lose here. Avast offers an excellent free antivirus that scans your system and protects you from new threats in real time. It comes with a couple of neat extras and offers solid performance. If you like the features the paid Avast offers and you're considering upgrading, go with the free one for now. Bitdefender wins on performance, hands down. It's faster to use, simpler, and scans faster. Bitdefender will give you the same quality of protection as Avast, and it's not cluttered with a ton of features and links to try to get you to upgrade. It just does its job, with no pressure. Download Bitdefender Free Antivirus Download Avast Free Antivirus Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire The 9 Best Free Antivirus Software of 2022 360 Total Security Review: Everything You Need to Know 3 Best Free Antivirus Apps for Android Phones The 9 Best Antivirus Software for Windows 10 in 2022 12 Best Free Spyware Removal Tools (October 2022) The Best Antivirus Software of 2022 Norton Antivirus Review: Everything You Need to Know The 6 Best Free Malware Removal Tools of 2022 What Was Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition? Comodo Free Antivirus Review Avast Free Antivirus Review—Is It Really Free? Does Windows 10 Need Antivirus Protection? Immunet Antivirus Review 14 Best Free Bootable Antivirus Tools (October 2022) Comodo Internet Security Pro Review 9 Best Free Firewall Programs (Updated October 2022) Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies