Bitdefender Antivirus Cost and Plan Pricing

Unfortunately, we don’t have a money tree growing in our backyard. So, the idea of paying for antivirus software makes our wallets hurt. And yes, they can feel pain every time we take out a $10 bill to pay for our Starbucks. On a side note, when did Starbucks start costing so much? Anyways, sometimes that momentary pain of opening up our wallet is well worth it. For the best antivirus software available, that’s always the case.

With antivirus software running on our computers, we can use the internet without worrying about losing our identities or bank account login information. After all, either of those two things happening would definitely cost a lot more than an antivirus solution. But, that doesn’t mean we’re ready to pay a boatload for it. That’s why Bitdefender offers a 30-day trial so we can test it out and make sure it’s worth the price. What does it cost after the trial ends though? Let’s find out.

How Much Does BitDefender Antivirus Cost?

After the 30-day trial is over, you will begin one of five plans for both business and personal use. All of the contracts are annual, two years or three years, which is annoying but typical of antivirus software; and you can cover one, three, five, 10, 15 or 20 devices total.

What are the Differences Between Each BitDefender Plan?

In our BitDefender review, we tested out the Antivirus Plus plan. We didn’t go with any of the other packages, but Antivirus Plus gave us access to all of BitDefender’s antivirus tools. Here’s an overview of what you can expect from each of BitDefender’s five main packages:

• Antivirus Plus: Working only on Windows devices, the Antivirus Plus is your cheapest option for one, three, five or 10 devices. However, it lacks the device optimizer, the firewall, and the parental controls of the higher-priced options.
• Internet Security: Internet Security is the most basic plan available for three devices. Only working on Windows, it includes parental controls, protection against spyware, malware, adware and ransomware.
• Total Security: Bitdefender’s mid-level package includes what they call a device optimizer to make it run faster, plus all of the features included in Internet Security. It also works for macOS, Android and iOS devices in addition to Windows devices.
• Premium Security: Working on Androids, Windows, macOS and iOS devices, Premium Security adds on a VPN plus priority support. While we didn’t test out their VPN, we do have some tips on how to buy a VPN.
• Bitdefender Family Pack: But wait; some people may want protection for more than 10 devices! In that case, you might want to consider the Family Pack, which covers up to 15 devices in a single household. It also provides:
  • Parental controls
  • Protection against ransomware
  • VPN with 200 MB daily limit per device
  • Compatibility with Android, macOS, Windows and iOS.
• Small Office Security: If you run a small business, then you probably already know the importance of keeping your devices safe from ransomware, spyware and the like. Especially given the rise of remote work, 32 percent of organizations are concerned about malware, while another 24 percent are concerned about the sensitive data on remote devices.1 Fortunately, Bitdefender has plans for one, two or three years for five, 10 or 20 devices.

And that about does it for Bitdefender’s antivirus protection pricing! Phew.

Other Bitdefender Products

If you’re using Bitdefender for personal use, you might be interested in the pricing behind their non-antivirus product, Bitdefender BOX. You asked, and we delivered.

Bitdefender BOX

According to our smart home research, over six in 10 adults in the U.S are planning on investing in a new type of IoT device within the next year, but many may not be aware of the insecurity of these devices. In the past few years, we’ve seen a ton of hackings of IoT devices, from Ring cameras2 to more obscure items like WiFi-connected fish tanks.3

But Bitdefender has a solution with Bitdefender BOX. It secures all of a home’s IoT devices by combining a Network Security Hut with the Total Security package. While we haven’t tested it out ourselves, we’re a little skeptical of the $149.99 first year cost, although it goes down to $99 from the second year on. Sure, this includes professional installation, but you might be better off just getting a VPN for your router; that’ll protect your IoT devices on that network for much lower prices. We even made a guide on how to set up a VPN on your router if you need help. Or, you could make things even easier by just getting one of the best VPN routers that already include a VPN pre-installed.

What Is Bitdefender?

Bitdefender was founded in 2001, and with nearly 20 years in business, they now have a team of over 1,600 and a presence in more than 150 countries. Based in Romania, the company boasts 100 patents from the last few years, with over 230 more currently filed. But the company isn’t all positive; in fact, they’ve had a couple different scandals come their way, which we were more than interested enough to read about online.

In 2015, Bitdefender suffered a data leak of users’ usernames and passwords, which the hacker claimed were not encrypted. That’s especially disappointing for a cybersecurity company, not to mention ironic, but the company says that a very limited number of usernames and passwords were leaked, less than one percent of their small business customers, so we’re willing to let it slide, as the company resolved the issue ASAP.

However, Bitdefender’s troubles were far from over. Just in 2019, the company confirmed a flaw in their free antivirus service for Windows that would allow hackers to take over the entire device. Again, this isn’t great news to hear about a company that’s supposed to provide detection for malware, but just know that it only affected the free product. So your best bet is to pay money to Bitdefender, even though these breaches may be giving you second thoughts. Unfortunately, no company or software is safe from vulnerabilities, and many of the other antivirus software we tested out underwent similar experiences. Our conclusion? Nothing in life is ever 100 percent, and antivirus software is no exception.

Free Trials

You can try out Bitdefender for free on one MacOS or Android device. However, if you want antivirus protection for three, five, 10 devices or more, including Windows or iOS devices, you’ll need to cough up some money. That being said, we appreciate that Bitdefender has our backs on a free level, no matter how minimal.

Canceling

Bitdefender’s 30-day money-back guarantee ensures that when we canceled our subscription within a month of testing, just to see what would happen, we got our money back. To get a refund, we simply had to contact their support team, and within five business days, the money reappeared in our account. However, we ended up signing up again, as we were happy with Bitdefender’s service, which brings us to our next point…

Favorite Features

Although canceling with Bitdefender is pretty easy, we liked their software and don’t think you’ll want to cancel anyway. We’ll keep it short and sweet here, simply listing why we think it’s worth the price.

• Detected all five of the viruses we tested: A rarity, to put things likely, Bitdefender detected 100 percent of the five viruses we threw at it, some of which only a third of software detected! When it comes to the basics, Bitdefender has got it covered.
• Low prices: We like that Bitdefender has options for one through 20 devices, as that meant lower prices at checkout when we only wanted protection for one device.
• 30-day free trial: Signing up for Bitdefender took no financial risk whatsoever.
• Protection for up to 20 devices: Whether you’re an individual like us who just needed to protect one or a few devices, a family with upwards of 15 devices or an office with 20 devices, Bitdefender has a wide variety of antivirus software plans to choose from.
• Great Android app: While we found the iOS app to be less than savory, the Android app worked well, as evidenced by its 4.7 rating in the Google Play store.
• Solid support system: However we wanted to reach them, be it email, phone, live chat, or simply the community forum, it was easy to get help from Bitdefender when we needed it.
• Overall malware detection: Aside from our own virus testing, we found sources that said that, as of February 2022, Bitdefender detected 100-percent of the most widespread malware discovered throughout January, and 100-percent of zero-day malware attacks.

Recap

That’s about it for Bitdefender’s pricing! From its free trial to its cancellation policy, you should be covered when it comes to how much you’ll pay for Bitdefender. To learn more about antivirus software in general, read our antivirus guide. We’ve done all of the research and testing so you don’t have to.