Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security are both powerful cybersecurity solutions from the Romanian cybersecurity company Bitdefender. The antivirus software built its name in the market through the past years against numerous other cybersecurity solutions, such as Kaspersky, which we’ve put through a rigorous comparison to determine which is best. The two cybersecurity agents are two of the seven packages available for individuals and small businesses, each with different features and cybersecurity solutions.
If you chose Bitdefender as your preferred cybersecurity solution, you should know there are free and paid plans for the antivirus to choose from. However, choosing the suitable Bitdefender solution for your needs can be confusing. This is where our Bitdefender Antivirus vs Internet Security comparison comes in handy. We objectively look at each solution to help you decide which is best for you.
What is Bitdefender?
Bitdefender is the label of all the cybersecurity products manufactured by the Romanian cybersecurity corporation of the same name, Bitdefender. The corporation offers numerous cybersecurity products that serve households, small businesses and big companies. Household cybersecurity agents include suitable packages for individuals and families, and the remaining packages offer additional services for small and big businesses.
Apart from the two protective agents we’re discussing in this article, Bitdefender Antivirus and Bitdefender Internet Security, there are more valuable packages. The corporation offers two main All-In-One packages, Bitdefender Ultimate Security and Bitdefender Premium Security. These two packages include all the features of other household packages in addition to providing protection for all common operating systems for desktops and smartphones, and they can cover up to 10 devices. The Ultimate Security package is more inclusive than the Premium one, with added features such as protection against identity theft.
The remaining packages include Bitdefender Total Security, Bitdefender Family Pack and Bitdefender Small Office Security. All these packages offer protection for all desktop and smartphone operating systems. However, the first package covers up to 5 devices, the second covers up to 15 devices and the latter covers up to 10 devices. The two cybersecurity agents we’re comparing here cover up to 3 devices each and are only compatible with the Windows operating system only. They aren’t compatible with any smartphone operating system.
What is Bitdefender Antivirus?
Bitdefender Antivirus is one of the strongest competing antivirus agents in the cyber protection field. With prices lower than the majority of other antivirus agents on the market and free and paid plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee, Bitdefender Antivirus continues to grow. The agent scored the Product of the Year Award four times in the Av-Comparatives independent lab tests, which is more than all other competitors on the market.
The free version of Bitdefender Antivirus is compatible with Windows, macOS operating systems and Android. Consequently, its features are limited to regular scans, real-time protection and preventing web attacks and only cover one device. The paid version is, unfortunately, compatible only with the Windows operating system. However, it provides extra protection against malware and phishing, a password manager and a secure VPN. For $19.99 a year, it protects three devices. If you add the Premium VPN service, the price goes up to $49.98 a year after the discount.
What is Bitdefender Internet Security?
Bitdefender Internet Security is an inclusive cybersecurity solution compatible with the Windows operating system. For $32.99 a year and an additional $29.99 for the Premium VPN, Bitdefender Internet Security provides protection for three devices. Many observe the Internet Security product as a powerful and lighter upgrade from Bitdefender Antivirus.
Despite all this, Bitdefender Internet Security gives you more indispensable security features. These features include a powerful firewall to monitor your network’s activity, parental controls with a wider scope and more features, enhanced settings to better secure your webcam and microphone and cloud-based anti-spam protection.
Similarities between Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security
In essence, both cybersecurity solutions share a great number of features. However, despite the similarities between Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security, the scope of these similarities differs from one protective agent to the other. Such similarities are:
- Bitdefender Antivirus and Bitdefender Internet Security offer you solid protection against viruses, anti-ransomware, anti-phishing and anti-fraud protection.
- As each agent uses machine learning technology to run its background protective measures, it doesn’t affect the performance of your device, which allows you to comfortably finish your work. Such a feature contributed to Bitdefender becoming one of the lightweight cybersecurity solutions on the market.
- With different alert profiles, such as work profile, gaming profile or film profile, you can set the alert notifications according to what you’re doing, so they don’t interrupt your work or game and will use AI technology to handle detected threats and take proper action.
- Both agents provide you with a file shredder to ensure the sensitive data you wish to dispose of, personal or work-related, doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. It’s worth noting that any data you dispose of using the file shredder cannot be retrieved afterwards.
- The two agents offer you a password manager feature, which helps you generate strong passwords and securely store all your login credentials and passwords.
- The added VPN feature protects your personal data online and allows you to securely browse the internet. The VPN’s only downside is it only gives you 200MB per day.
- Both cybersecurity agents use AI and Photon technology to handle possibly harmful factors and make decisions regarding them.
- The web protection feature in each agent will flawlessly scan each web page you visit for possible threats and will block any suspicious downloads you might initiate. This will also protect your device from phishing attempts as it alerts you about possibly malicious websites you’re visiting.
- A great feature of Bitdefender Antivirus and Bitdefender Internet Security is their social media protection feature, a feature we haven’t encountered in any other cybersecurity solution agent. This feature will monitor and analyse your social media platforms and alert you if it spots a possible threat.
- Bitdefender Antivirus and Bitdefender Internet Security offer you online banking protection, which safeguards your banking information log-in credentials and prevents hackers from inserting keyloggers to trace your keystrokes and steal your passwords. This feature creates a safe environment as you access your banking information online.
- If your system has a possible vulnerability, such as outdated software or an unpatched application, both agents perform vulnerability scans to spot such loops and alert you to take proper action.
- The Wi-Fi Security Advisor feature in Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security will monitor your network, any suspicious behaviour on it or devices attempting to connect to it. This allows you to block potentially harmful software from reaching your device.
Differences between Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security
Despite their various similarities, there are several differences between Bitdefender Antivirus and Internet Security, which we conclude as follows:
- Bitdefender Antivirus is the first basic protection agent available from Bitdefender. This agent is more suitable if you want a concise and easy-to-navigate antivirus agent. The Internet Security agent has more detailed and advanced features, which is suitable if you like a specialised cybersecurity agent.
- Bitdefender Antivirus has a free version that works on the Windows operating system, macOS and Android, and a paid version that works on the Windows operating system. This paid version starts at $19.99 a year and has an added advantage where you can subscribe to the agent’s VPN for an additional $29.99.
- Bitdefender Internet Security costs $32.99 a year, and you can also purchase the added VPN feature for $29.99 after a discount.
- Unlike Bitdefender Antivirus, Bitdefender Internet Security offers you a powerful Firewall. A firewall is essential to monitor the activity of your network’s incoming and outgoing connections to detect any suspicious activity. Bitdefender Internet Security’s firewall will protect your device on the LAN network and public Wi-Fi networks.
- One of the best protective features of Bitdefender Internet Security is its antispam feature. This cloud-based feature will scan all your e-mails in your inbox, filter any potentially harmful ones and label them as spam. Spam e-mail is frequently used for phishing attempts.
- Bitdefender Internet Security’s Parental Advisor is a powerful parental control tool. Such a tool will allow you to protect your children’s time online and block unwanted websites or files on your device. The Parental Advisor is accessible through your Central Account.
- Unfortunately, Bitdefender Antivirus doesn’t offer Microphone and Webcam Protection like Bitdefender Internet Security. This feature will prevent any unwanted or attempted illegal access to your microphone or webcam. You can configure this feature as you wish, and it will notify you if any application or browser is attempting to turn your microphone or webcam on without your authorisation. You can access this feature from the Video and Audio Protection menu.
Is Bitdefender Antivirus an alternative to Internet Security?
No.
Bitdefender Internet Security is an upgraded version of Bitdefender Antivirus. If you’re questioning which protection agent to buy, we recommend the Internet Security agent. The difference in prices between the two agents isn’t massive without adding the VPN service.
For these reasons, when you install the Internet Security Agent, you get tighter protection and more protective features.