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Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes: Which is Best?

Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes: Which is Best?

Bitdefender and Malwarebytes are among the leading antivirus security programs, and they keep pace with other big names such as Avast (full review here), Kaspersky (full review here), and Norton (read full review).

The problem with choosing an antivirus service or other security products is you don’t know how well they perform as anti-virus software, what their prices are, or what features they include without first testing them out. Some people don’t even use antivirus software because they’d rather not pay for a subscription.

But I urge you to use antivirus software. Failing to secure your system with antivirus is just asking for trouble, and if you’ve ever had a virus, ransomware, or another type of malicious program invade your computer, you know just how destructive they can be if you don’t scan it on time.

The best thing to do is to purchase a full-fledged version of a leading antivirus service or software. But if you don’t want to pay, at the very least, I urge you to use a free version for some antivirus protection from online threats.

Today we’re going to take a look at Bitdefender antivirus product and compare them to Malwarebytes software with all the pros and cons so you can make an educated decision before making a purchase. The first thing we’re going to look at is their respective pricing models.

Bottom Line Up Front Summary: In my opinion, there’s one clear winner here. While Bitdefender offers MORE features, many of the features just create a more bloated framework that may not be needed for most users. Bitdefender is also a bit more expensive (in general). All this being said, Malwarebytes is the more LIGHTWEIGHT and AFFORDABLE option to start with here.

I Prefer Malwarebytes Here

The truth is, for most users Malwarebytes is the right answer, unless you need specific advanced features that alternatives provide. Malwarebytes still has the best protection, for the best price, with the lowest draf on system performance.

Go with Malwarebytes Buy at Amazon.com
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The Main Differences Between Malwarebytes vs Bitdefender

The main differences between Malwarebytes vs Bitdefender are:

  • Bitdefender offers more security features and utilities, whereas Malwarebytes offers less but does it “better”
  • Malwarebytes is more lightweight with less system load, whereas Bitdefender takes up more CPU cycles
  • Bitdefender offers live support to answer any queries immediately, whereas Malwarebytes is only available through tickets and phone
  • Bitdefender free antivirus version is only available for Windows, whereas Malwarebytes free version is available for Windows and Mac

Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes Pricing

Bitdefender Pricing

bitdefender antivirus

If you like free software, then you’re in luck – both Bitdefender and Malwarebytes offer free versions of their antivirus and anti malware software with all the security you need.

Bitdefender antivirus offers a free service that can be used indefinitely as well as a 30-day free trial of their Antivirus Plus application.

In my opinion, Bitdefender antivirus has a rather complex pricing model that depends on the number of devices you wish to secure and how long of a subscription you want (between 1 and 3 years). The following outlines their pricing model:

  • 1 device for 1 year: $39.99
  • 3 devices for 1 year: $59.99
  • 5 devices for 1 year: $69.99 
  • 10 devices for 1 year: $79.99 
  • 1 device for 2 years: $69.99
  • 3 devices for 2 years: $89.99
  • 5 devices for 2 years: $109.99
  • 10 devices for 2 years: $129.99
  • 1 device for 2 years: $89.99
  • 3 devices for 2 years: $119.99
  • 5 devices for 2 years: $149.99
  • 10 devices for 2 years: $179.99

As far as antivirus software pricing is concerned, Bitdefender antivirus is a little on the high side. There are cheaper security products alternatives (even free alternatives), but they justify a higher price with cutting-edge features and the latest virus scan definitions.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus | Amazon
$29.99

With automatic updates and upgrades, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus gives you the most innovative technologies that predict, prevent, detect and remediate the latest cyber-threats. Antivirus Plus brings network-based protection, prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities in your system, and detects and blocks attacks from compromising your devices while keeping your sensitive information safe.

Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
03/10/2024 10:40 pm GMT

Malwarebytes security software does have a free version as well. The Malwarebytes Pro paid version (Malwarebytes Premium) does have a 14-day free trial, and the following outlines its cost structure:

Malwarebytes Premium Pricing

  • 1 PC for 1 year: $24.95 
  • 2 PCs for 1 year: $32.45
  • 3 PCs for 1 year: $39.95
  • 4 PCs for 1 year: $47.45
  • 5 PCs for 1 year: $54.95
  • 6 PCs for 1 year: $62.45
  • 7 PCs for 1 year: $69.95
  • 8 PCs for 1 year: $77.45
  • 9 PCs for 1 year: $84.95
  • 10 PCs for 1 year: $92.45
  • 1 PC for 2 years: $39.95
  • 2 PCs for 2 years: $51.95
  • 3 PCs for 2 years: $63.95
  • 4 PCs for 2 years: $75.95
  • 5 PCs for 2 years: $87.95
  • 6 PCs for 2 years: $99.95
  • 7 PCs for 2 years: $111.95
  • 8 PCs for 2 years: $123.95
  • 9 PCs for 2 years: $135.95
  • 10 PCs for 2 years: $147.95

As you can see, Malwarefbytes premium is nominally cheaper, usually between $5 and $10 dollars less for the same number of devices and length of subscription as Bitdefender. In all reality, they’re really very close on pricing, so I doubt a few extra dollars would sway a user one way or the other.

Malwarebytes Features

First off, it should be noted that neither product supports a wide range of operating systems. These antivirus protection products were specifically designed for the Windows operating system, and support Windows 7, 10 and later versions. And like every other antivirus program, they both claim that they have the smallest impact on system performance.

It seems that Bitdefender antivirus has a lot more features than Malwarebytes though.

Malwarebytes has a few main features as follows:

  • Can wipe and clean existing virus infections
  • Proactively protects against new infections
  • Offers real-time protection
  • Uses a blacklist of websites to prevent malicious scripts, phishing attempts, and similar threats
  • Offers optimized and expedited scanning tools
  • Hides from malware and identifies malware threats

The first feature is pretty straightforward. Malwarebytes can identify, quarantine, and destroy a whole host of threats such as malware, ransomware attacks, viruses, Trojans, adware, PUPs, keyloggers, and other similar attacks. And by using advanced virus signature identification, heuristics, and behavior analysis, Malwarebytes can prevent future attacks from breaking into your system.

Their real time protection can identify malicious background processes and strange files to quarantine them before they can do any damage.

Next, they use a constantly updated list of known malicious URLs to stop you from visiting a bad site. This will prevent phishing, bad domains, and scripting attacks. This feature can even prevent you from entering private payment card details into a fake site, which stops the attacker from stealing your credit card number.

In addition, Malwarebytes includes a HyperScan mode that only looks for active threats. This further decreases the number of system resources the scan consumes, so you can go about your business without experiencing any negative performance impact. Last but not least, the developers coded Malwarebytes to be invisible to viruses, so a virus can’t disable or break the anti-virus application.

I Prefer Malwarebytes Here

The truth is, for most users Malwarebytes is the right answer, unless you need specific advanced features that alternatives provide. Malwarebytes still has the best protection, for the best price, with the lowest draf on system performance.

Go with Malwarebytes Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Bitdefender’s Features

And that’s all of Malwarebyte’s pros and cons in a nutshell. But Bitdefender windows malware protection is a lot more feature-rich. First off, note that Bitdefender includes all of the aforementioned features included in Malwarebytes. For the sake of brevity, I will only include the additional features included in Bitdefender.

bitdefender review

The following details the features that Bitdefender offers that are lacking in Malwarebytes:

  • Privacy tools
  • Social networks malicious link detection and malware protection
  • Encrypted password manager database
  • Rescue mode, battery mode, and game and movie mode for hardware optimization
  • File shredder to ensure files are permanently deleted
  • Link checker for secure browsing
  • Technical support

First off, Bitdefender has privacy tools designed to stop ad tracking software and other attempts made by online entities to track your online activities. In addition, they include security for social media, helping to weed out bad links before you click on them. But two of the extra features I really like is the password database and the file shredder.

The password database uses a master password to encrypt all of your stored passwords. Even if a hacker got their hands on the database file, there’s no way they could get into it without the master password since it’s encrypted with AES-256.

Furthermore, the file shredder will eradicate data by writing over the space on the hard drive where it was stored multiple times with 1’s and 0’s. After putting a file through the shredder, you can rest assured that it can’t be recovered (which is great if you’re selling or throwing away an old PC).

Last but not least, they include a rescue mode feature. If you have been victimized by ransomware or your PC can’t boot due to a virus, the rescue feature will help clean your system.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus | Amazon
$29.99

With automatic updates and upgrades, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus gives you the most innovative technologies that predict, prevent, detect and remediate the latest cyber-threats. Antivirus Plus brings network-based protection, prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities in your system, and detects and blocks attacks from compromising your devices while keeping your sensitive information safe.

Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
03/10/2024 10:40 pm GMT

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GravityZone?

GravityZone is a solution by Bitdefender designed to provide full visibility for companies and prevent the loss of sensitive information in case of virtual theft.

Is Bitdefender Anti Malware?

Yes. Both Bitdefender and Malwarebytes are one of the best anti malware solutions on the market today. Bitdefender Total Security works to provide its users ransomware protection, malware protection, viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, and just provides with great internet security as the name suggests.

Will Bitdefender Antivirus Free Remove Malware?

Yes. The Bitdefender Antivirus Free version provides solid security for your system. In different tests, it shows that Bitdefender removes and blocks malware up to 80%. When combined with Windows Defender, these two may be enough for the average user.

Does Malwarebytes stop viruses?

Yes. Much like its competitor, Bitdefender, Malwarebytes also test great against malware, viruses, viruses, ransomware attacks, and threats and provide a safe online experience.

Final Thoughts on Malwarebytes vs Bitdefender

Bottom Line Summary: In my opinion, there’s one clear winner here. While Bitdefender offers MORE features, many of the features just create a more bloated framework that may not be needed for most users. Bitdefender is also a bit more expensive (in general). All this being said, Malwarebytes is the more LIGHTWEIGHT and AFFORDABLE option to start with here.

The fact remains that Malwarebytes is highly sophisticated and great tool for eradicating malicious programs. I just think that if you’re going to pay for an antivirus solution, you might as well choose Malwarebytes since it does a better job on the features THAT COUNT. 

On a final note, remember that both providers offer free versions of their security suite. If you don’t already have antivirus software running on your PC, please download one of the free versions so you have some defenses against viruses. If you don’t, you will regret it later.

I Prefer Malwarebytes Here

The truth is, for most users Malwarebytes is the right answer, unless you need specific advanced features that alternatives provide. Malwarebytes still has the best protection, for the best price, with the lowest draf on system performance.

Go with Malwarebytes Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

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