The mac users may like to prefer Bitdefender as it is easier and lighter on Macs than PCs. While you consider Avast, you will find that it is lighter on PCs than Macs. Lastly, the special feature count for Bitdefender is also higher than that of avast.

• Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac
• Which Is Better Bitdefender Or Avast
• Malwarebytes For Mac
• Mac Bitdefender For Free
• Bitdefender Mac Review

Compare BitDefender vs. Avast. See pros and cons of BitDefender vs. Avast and easily decide which antivirus software is right for you.

• Avast Free Antivirus for Mac is a free antivirus program with a virus scanner, firewall, and various features that you can turn off or on. The program is free, but will request payment for some features, which means that you can’t expect everything in the features section to be free.
• Bitdefender is one of the best antivirus products available. It has excellent protection scores, a wide range of features and a reasonable price tag to boot. Avast, while lacking in some of these.
• Avast Free Mac Security is our favorite free option, as it provided nearly perfect malware protection and an easy-to-use interface with an imperceptible performance hit. Bitdefender Sale: 60.
• Avast vs Bitdefender — Offered Products & Pricing Structure Avast Products As we said, Avast security products are available for various platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone or iPad.

We live in a world where using an antivirus program is practically mandatory. That’s a settled matter. But, how do you decide which one to choose? There are several options out there with each one claiming to be just as good or better than the other.

In this comparison, we are going to look at two such antivirus programs you can currently get your hands on – BitDefender and Avast.

Which one’s better for you? Well, that’s exactly what we’re about to explore.

Initially, there’s no doubt that Avast will come off as the better option because of the fact that there’s a free version. However, free doesn’t really mean all-around protection. Plus, the impact on your system performance is also something you need to consider. Plus, BitDefender has a free version as well. It’s just not advertised as much.

Anyway, to get a better picture, let’s start exploring the aspects that really matter.

BitDefender Vs. Avast Antivirus Software Comparison

Protection

Both programs detect and prevent malware from spreading onto your PC. However, BitDefender has a winning edge in this regard.

According to extensive tests carried out by AV-Comparatives, a testing lab based in Austria, BitDefender was able to block around 99.9% of malware. Avast, on the other hand, came close but was still short by 0.3%.

As for false positives (benign programs flagged as malware), Avast registered around 13 programs while BitDefender registered none. In other words, BitDefender isn’t going to raise any false alarms.

In another round of extensive tests carried out by German lab AV-TEST, BitDefender, once again, outperformed Avast. These tests focused on the ability of both programs to detect widespread malware and unknown malware.

BitDefender managed to stop 100% of the malware, unknown and widespread alike and it managed to achieve this on both, Windows 7 and 10. As for its performance on Windows 8.1, it was only slightly below perfection, capturing 98.7% of unknown malware and 99.9% of widespread malware.

Avast managed to block 100% of unknown malware on the first round of Windows 10 tests, but only managed 98.8% on the second one. On Windows 8.1, it managed to prevent 100% of unknown malware in one out of 2 total test rounds. As for widespread malware, it managed to detect 99.8% in the first round of tests and 99.7% in the second round.

Avast’s worst performance was on Windows 7. In the first round of tests, it managed to detect only 97.5% of unknown malware. However, it redeemed itself in the second round of tests with 100% detection. The program’s detection of widespread malware on Windows 7 was better. It managed to catch 99.9% of infections and 99.8% of infections in the first test and second test, respectively.

So, the clear winner in this round of BitDefender vs. Avast is BitDefender Antivirus Plus. However, these tests were only done on PC.

On Mac, the tests were easier to conduct and BitDefender retained the crown. The program managed to detect 100% of malware while Avast managed just 96.8%.

Ease of Use & Installation

Both programs are quite effective when it comes to notifying you about the safety status of your system. However, the presentation is where you’ll notice the differences. For instance, BitDefender places the auto-pilot toggle switch on the home screen in a manner that makes it prominent. You simply can’t miss it.

Avast does something similar by placing a “Run Smart Scan” button at the center of the home screen. Bitdefender’s quick-scan button is placed along with other buttons, which can make it a bit difficult to spot right away.

When it comes to installing these programs, there is only one significant difference that might make you choose one over the other. Avast, being a free program, tries to slyly force the Google toolbar on you. If you don’t spot it and uncheck it, it’s going to get installed and even change the preferred home page on your browser.

This isn’t the case with BitDefender.

So, this round of BitDefender vs. Avast is mostly a draw. We really can’t complain too much about Avast forcing the Google Toolbar on you. It’s a free application that depends on these advertisements to stay funded. Plus, you can always uncheck the option.

Extra Features

In this BitDefender vs. Avast round, we’re just going to give you the verdict first and offer the explanation after that. So, here goes – Avast wins this one, hands down.

Now, for the justification.

As we said earlier, we’re looking at the free version of Avast here and what’s surprising is that the free version actually comes with a ton of goodies. For you to enjoy the same number of extras on BitDefender, you’d have to go for the paid version.

Avast offers a password manager, a secured web browser, a network security scanner, a rescue-disk option for systems that are too far gone, and even a game mode that lets you stay aware of the frag count without any disturbance.

Now, the paid version of BitDefender offers all of this, but, again, the keyword here is “paid”. In fact, the only extra features that remain unique to BitDefender are the virtual keyboard and the File Shredder.

As for Firewall, both programs offer that only as part of the paid package. So, yes; BitDefender does have a slight edge here. In fact, the BitDefender Firewall even offers parental controls to keep your kids safe, which isn’t the case with Avast.

Now, the reason we went with Avast on this one is that it simply offers a lot for free. BitDefender’s free version, on the other hand, only offers basic malware protection. As for the paid version of both programs, BitDefender only edges out Avast with 2-3 features, some of which you probably won’t even need.

Overall Verdict

So, who wins the bigger BitDefender vs. Avast battle?

Well, since the primary objective of an antivirus program is to protect your system from malicious programs, it’s clear that BitDefender deserves the victory. The program does a fantastic job of keeping out malware.

Avast might offer a lot of extras, but it doesn’t keep up with BitDefender as far as the primary objective is concerned.

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Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Avast Free Antivirus are two popular antivirus suites that offer a lot of special features, but how do they stack up in a one-on-one showdown?

At first glance, many customers will choose Avast because it's free, but that doesn't take into account each product’s malware-detection skills and system-performance impact. To figure out which antivirus solution might be best for you, we've evaluated these factors using our own in-house testing and experiences, as well as tests done by independent labs.

After six rounds of comparison, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (starting at $39.99 per year) comes out with the win, thanks to its multiple perfect malware-detection scores, low system impact and ease of use.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps

PC Protection

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Avast Free Antivirus both detect and stop most malware preying on PCs, but the former edges past the latter.

In evaluations conducted by the Austrian testing lab AV-Comparatives from July to November of 2016, Bitdefender blocked an average of 99.9 percent of online malware, while Avast nipped at Bitdefender’s heels with a rate of 99.6 percent. Avast registered 13 false positives -- benign programs or files mistakenly flagged as malware -- while Bitdefender registered none.

A similar pattern showed up in evaluations done during the same period by the German lab AV-TEST, which measured how well Bitdefender and Avast performed at detecting both known widespread malware and unknown “zero-day” malware. In both fields, Bitdefender excelled by small margins.

(Note: Both labs’ tests were conducted using Bitdefender Internet Security instead of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. But as both use the same malware-detection engine, they would have earned the same scores.)

Bitdefender stopped 100 percent of both kinds of malware for Windows 10 and Windows 7. It dipped below perfection in only one round of Windows 8.1 tests, catching 98.7 percent of zero-day malware and 99.9 percent of widespread malware in December 2016. (It got them all in November.)

On Windows 10, Avast blocked all the zero-day malware in one round, but fell below that otherwise, stopping 98.8 percent of zero-day attacks in the previous round. It detected 99.9 percent of widespread malware in September 2016 and 99.8 percent in October. On Windows 8.1, Avast stopped 100 percent of zero-day malware in both rounds, while catching 99.8 percent of widespread malware in November and 99.7 percent in December.

Avast got its worst score on Windows 7, catching 97.5 percent of zero-day malware in August but 100 percent in July. Avast's Windows 7 widespread-malware scores were better, at 99.9 percent in July and 99.8 percent in August.

Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. With zero false positives and the best detection, Bitdefender takes this round.

Which Is Better Bitdefender Or Avast

Mac Protection

When it comes to protecting Macs, your choice is a lot easier. AV-TEST's December 2016 test showed that Bitdefender detected 100 percent of malware attacking macOS Sierra, while Avast caught only 96.8 percent.

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. When it comes to antivirus protection, what matters isn’t how much gets stopped, but how much gets through.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software for Mac - Tom's Guide

Ease of Use and Installation

Avast Free Antivirus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus both make it easy to see messages saying that your system is safe, but they differ in the presentation. Bitdefender's home screen gives prominent placement to a toggle switch to enable Autopilot mode, which keeps a vigilant eye scanning your files. Avast places a 'Run Smart Scan' button in the middle of its home screen.

Bitdefender’s Quick-Scan button is also on its home page, but it’s jumbled among a bunch of other buttons and icons

MORE: Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

The installation processes for both programs are mostly the same, with one big difference: Avast will try to install the Google Toolbar into your default web browser and change your browser home page to Google. To avoid this, you'll need to uncheck two small boxes at the bottom left corner of the first Avast installation screen.

Winner: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. Avast needs to get its mitts off your default settings.

Special Features

Since you're actually paying for Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, it makes sense that it comes with features beyond superb malware detection. But you might be surprised how many freebies come with Avast's free offering.

The PC versions of Avast Free Antivirus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus each offer a password manager, a network security scanner, a secured web browser for banking and shopping, a rescue-disk option for severely infected machines (drive not included) and a game mode to keep from interrupting your frag count.

While we expect to see at least some of those features on a paid offering, they're a pleasant surprise in the Avast Free Antivirus package. In fact, the only features that Bitdefender Antivirus Plus can lord over Avast Free Antivirus are a virtual keyboard (for those worried about keylogging malware) and a file shredder.

MORE: The Best (and Worst) Identity Theft Protection

Bitdefender and Avast both make you pay more for a firewall, either as a part of Avast Pro Antivirus ($49.99 per year) or with Bitdefender Internet Security (starting at $44.99 per year). At that price, Bitdefender throws in parental controls for keeping a child out of places where he or she shouldn't be looking, while Avast doesn't offer such options at any price.

Over on the Mac, neither Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac nor Avast Free Mac Security offer much in the way of special features.

Winner: Tie. Bitdefender gives you a file shredder and virtual keyboard, but Avast offers a lot of goodies for free.

System Impact

Neither Bitdefender nor Avast will slow down your system much, but it might depend on the platform you use. When we tested both suites on an ASUS X555LA laptop running Windows 10, the Avast system exhibited a very light system impact, whereas the Bitdefender package created just a little more of a slowdown in performance.

MORE: Which Laptop CPU is Right for You?

In testing on a MacBook Pro, the reverse was true: While both Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Avast Free Mac Security had a small impact on performance, the system running Bitdefender ran slightly faster.

Winner: Tie. Avast caused less system drag on PCs, but Bitdefender evens the score on Macs.

Malwarebytes For Mac

Pricing

Mac Bitdefender For Free

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus starts at a relatively low $39.99 per year for one PC, but Avast Free Antivirus is, well, free. For many buyers, that's going to be a first-round knockout. But since these products aren't quite the same, we can't stop there. Ultimately, it’s about what you’re getting for the money.

Bitdefender Mac Review

Winner: Avast! Free Antivirus. No price can beat free.

Verdict

While it offers a surprising amount of features for being a free product, Avast Free Antivirus trails behind Bitdefender Antivirus Plus in malware detection, which is what really counts.

The lack of a price tag on Avast Free Antivirus makes it an alluring choice for budget-minded consumers, and, yes, it is better than nothing (or Windows Defender). But Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the better choice for anyone looking to batten down the hatches with antivirus protection.