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Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky: Which antivirus is better?

Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky is two names that are likely to come up in your search for an antivirus program that can be installed on your various devices and used to give comprehensive protection. Both of these top-tier antivirus suites have been available for consumers for many years, during which time they have garnered positive feedback from customers.

But which of these two antivirus programs is best for you? Which option is more cost-effective without sacrificing any of the features?

Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky

What is Kaspersky

The Kaspersky security suite is ideal for you if you are an average user who is seeking an antivirus to protect you as you browse the internet. Additionally, the business released Kaspersky Safe Kids, a version of its software that protects children both online and offline, including when they are not connected to the internet.
One of the many remarkable qualities of Kaspersky is that it protects your online banking transactions and keeps the information you browse on Windows and Mac devices secret. This is only one of its many other outstanding qualities.

Individuals and organizations alike are welcome to subscribe to Kaspersky’s services, and the company offers several different pricing tiers and bundles from which to select the one that best suits their requirements and available resources.

What is Bitdefender?

Bitdefender is a cybersecurity company that was established in 2001 and provides a variety of antivirus suites that are designed to meet the needs of people, families, and enterprises.

When you purchase the whole security suite from Bitdefender, you will have access to an unlimited VPN service as well as encryption for all of your online information to keep you safe.

Bitdefender also has an anti-theft and anti-loss feature that secures your Windows devices and enables you to access them remotely whenever you want from any location in the world. This feature is included as standard with Bitdefender. In addition to that, it offers numerous levels of ransomware protection for the local data on your computer, including photographs, movies, documents, and music.

Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky: Prices and features comparison:

When selecting an antivirus program, the cost of the service is one of the most significant aspects to take into consideration.

Bitdefender’s all-in-one plans are known as Bitdefender Ultimate Security and Bitdefender Premium Security. These plans include all of the company’s security features. The first year of subscription for the first option costs $79.98, while the first year of subscription for the second option costs $59.99. After the first year, the yearly membership charge for Ultimate Security will increase to $179 while the annual subscription fee for Premium Security will remain at $159. Both plans support up to 10 devices connected at the same time.

These packages include not only comprehensive general internet security (in the form of protection against malware, for example), but also an unlimited premium VPN and a password manager. In addition, the Ultimate plan includes identity theft protection, which performs searches on both the visible web and the invisible web to determine whether or not any of your personal information has been exposed online. After determining whether or whether you have been the victim of a data breach, it will next provide you with recommendations regarding the next steps to take. You also have the option to subscribe to just one of these services, such as the virtual private network (VPN) or identity protection. However, if you sign up for a subscription to get everything that Bitdefender has to offer, you can save money doing so.

Kaspersky provides a subscription package that is significantly easier to understand, with only three tiers: Standard, Plus, and Premium. The price of each plan varies according to the number of years of service that are included in the subscription as well as the number of devices that are to be supported by the plan.

The Standard plan allows for one user account to be used across three different supported devices and costs $8.99 for the first year of the subscription. Subsequent years of the subscription cost $28.99 each. The Plus plan includes three devices and two user accounts for an initial fee of $11.99 for the first year and then increases to $39.99 for subsequent years.

The Premium plan is the most expensive option, costing $12.99 for the first year. This package covers two user accounts and three devices, and it also includes a free one-year membership to Kaspersky Kids. You can cancel your paid subscription at any time and receive a full refund, and all premium plans come with a free trial period of thirty days during which you will have complete access to all of the features of the plan that you select.

The plans each include, as you would think, a regular antivirus program in addition to payment protection (which offers you additional protection on websites where you input financial information, such as a bank or an online shop) and performance optimization. The Advanced Plan includes a virtual private network (VPN), which encrypts all of your data. And all of that is included in the Premium Plan, in addition to identity protection and safety for children, very much as Bitdefender offers. Importantly, the most expensive plan also provides help twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, which allows you to sleep easier (but does make you feel that Standard and Advanced subscribers are a little short-changed).

In spite of this, Kaspersky is far more economical than Bitdefender, and despite the fact that both companies provide a 30-day trial period along with a money-back guarantee, Kaspersky is the superior choice if you are seeking an inexpensive internet security package.

Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky Supported Devices

Bitdefender may be installed on almost any platform, including mobile and desktop computers. The software is compatible with both the Windows and Mac operating systems when used on desktop computers. Devices running Windows need to be running Windows 7 or a later version, while Mac computers need to be running macOS 10.10 or a later version. Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are examples of browsers that are supported.

The mobile operating systems Android and iOS are both supported, with Android 5.0 is the oldest version that is compatible with Bitdefender and iOS 12 or a newer version being necessary to utilize it.

Additionally, Kaspersky is compatible with the major operating systems, both mobile and desktop, that is now available. In a similar vein, Windows 7 or a later version is necessary, and the browsers that are supported include Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It is even supported if you continue to use the antiquated version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, which is something that we strongly advise against.

In addition to the browsers that are supported, users of macOS will require version 10.12 or later for the antivirus software to function properly. Devices running Android must be running version 4.2 or a later version. It used to be the case that devices running iOS weren’t supported by Kaspersky, because Apple insisted that its security was already quite good. However, this is no longer the case, as Kaspersky has acknowledged that your iPhone and iPad do require an antivirus package. However, given how recently it was released, in order to use it, your device must be running iOS 14.0 or a later version.

Bitdefender is the clear winner in this category due to the fact that it supports earlier versions of operating systems even though it is strongly recommended that everyone keep their operating systems up to date.

The free version of Bitdefender and Kaspersky

You don’t have to pay anything to make use of Bitdefender’s free antivirus software, which is compatible with all platforms and devices. The free antivirus plan is identical to the commercial plans in every way, with the exception that it only provides you with access to antivirus protection. Paid subscriptions provide extra layers of security, such as a virtual private network (VPN) and a password manager.

Kaspersky also offers free software for Windows, Android, and iOS devices, similar to Bitdefender’s offerings. However, unlike Bitdefender, which only provides antivirus protection, Kaspersky’s free package includes protection against ransomware and malware in addition to antivirus protection, ensuring that your devices are safe from cybercriminals.

The free antivirus software provided by Kaspersky protects users from a wider range of malware as well as ransomware, making it superior to Bitdefender in this regard.

Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky: Which Antivirus is Better?

Both Bitdefender and Kaspersky possess remarkable capabilities, which enable them to rank among the best internet security suites. However, when taking into account pricing, the range of supported devices, and the availability of free versions, Kaspersky comes out on top. This in no way undermines the quality of Bitdefender’s products. In point of fact, it is a really good security package, and whichever option you choose, you won’t really be making a mistake.

If, on the other hand, your objective is to obtain comprehensive security for your devices at a price that is not prohibitively expensive, you should go with Kaspersky because even its free version provides more than simply protection against viruses.

Would you like to read more about Bitdefender vs. Kaspersky-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!