Kaspersky vs. Bitdefender

Key Similarities

During our examination of Kaspersky vs. Bitdefender, we learned that the two platforms are very similar to each other. While both are thorough in their antivirus protection services, they also have a few skeletons in the closet that potential customers should know about. Both Kaspersky and Bitdefender:

• Employ effective methods in protecting your devices from malware and viruses
• Have faced controversies in the past over how secure their users’ data is
• Only offer annual subscription plans

Key Differences

As for differences, it was abundantly clear that one platform is better for manual malware removal while the other offers a more automated process. Kaspersky’s process depends on lengthy, on-demand scans, while Bitdefender offers real-time protection via an automated process.

• Bitdefender is pricier than Kaspersky
• Bitdefender’s scans finish within an hour or two, while Kaspersky’s take longer to complete
• All of Kaspersky’s plans cover Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, while Bitdefender will only cover Windows unless you purchase a specific plan

Buying antivirus software is one of the best steps toward staying safe in the digital world. After all, malware is spreading across even the most secure and reputable platforms at an alarming rate. This is exactly why platforms like Kaspersky and Bitdefender have found their way onto the market. Both companies have dedicated their services to securing your devices and removing any malicious software.

Through our lengthy experience with each, we can safely say that Kaspersky and Bitdefender do exactly what they say they’ll do. However, it’s also worth acknowledging that both its pros and cons are worth discussing. In this article, we’ll go over cost, customer service, features, privacy policies, and the pros and cons for both Kaspersky and Bitdefender.

Company Overviews

First, let’s get an overview of what it’s like working with each company. Since we personally tested each antivirus software over two weeks, we got to see the full user experience of the software, dig into the privacy policies, and experience the customer support.

User Experience

The difference between the Kaspersky and Bitdefender websites and user experiences is night and day. During our initial visit to Kaspersky’s website, it was clear where we were supposed to go and what links we should click on first. Overall, the website is cohesive, slick, and easy to follow. Kaspersky’s website is intuitive and has all of its information well-organized.

On the other hand, Bitdefender’s website felt less modern and not as fun. It was simple to navigate, but it missed the call-to-action elements that Kaspersky laid out across its pages. Perhaps it was the blurry images that made things feel a bit more robotic, but that’s just marketing.

Speaking of marketing, we don’t love that Bitdefender markets a 50 percent discount for its plans but adds “first year” in small print underneath. Don’t get us wrong, we appreciate the discount, but more transparency would be great. While Kaspersky does this too, they don’t hide it as much.

Privacy Policies

Unfortunately, Kaspersky and Bitdefender both have developed a reputation for having difficulties when securing the data of their subscribers. We wouldn’t be doing our job as a cybersecurity website if we didn’t make you, the consumer, aware of these controversies.

Kaspersky has faced allegations1 that the data it was collecting was at risk of falling into the hands of foreign entities such as Russia. Eugene Kaspersky — the company’s founder — denied the allegations. However, the decision to move their data centers from Russia to Switzerland2 raised more eyebrows. Although, many think it may have been to ease the minds of its customers.

Bitdefender’s history of collecting its users’ data also isn’t clean. A data breach occurred in 20153 that revealed the usernames and passwords of some of its users. A similar security issue took place in 2019 when a major exploit put subscribers at risk of having their devices taken over by hackers. These issues did not affect the majority of users, but that still doesn’t fully erase questions regarding Bitdefender’s safety.

We said this in our Kaspersky and Norton comparison, and we’ll say it again here: Do Kaspersky and Bitdefender effectively protect your devices from malicious software? Yes, they do. Should you still be aware of controversies like data breaches and security risks with both platforms? Yes, you should.

Customer Support

There’s not much need for a Kaspersky vs. Bitdefender debate for customer support. Both have similar methods of reaching customer service platforms. The two companies offer 24/7 access to its chat, phone, and email support lines. In our experience reaching out for help, we found that all methods were efficient and quick. We also found customer service agents to be equally helpful and friendly. So, kudos to both of them.

Detailed Comparison

Now that you know our feelings about Kaspersky and Bitdefender, let’s get a bit more technical. We’ll dig into the cost, features, and security of both providers based on our hands-on experience with them.

Plans and Pricing

Like we mentioned, Kaspersky and Bitdefender offer introductory pricing for your first purchase and then your price nearly doubles. Since Bitdefender only lets you buy one year at a time, that introductory pricing only lasts for your first year.

Kaspersky lets you buy two years up front to give you two years at the introductory price. But, Bitdefenders long-term prices for just an antivirus are a bit lower. So, we recommend Kaspersky for budget shopping unless you only want an antivirus and want to stick to one provider.

Kaspersky’s Pricing

Bitdefender’s Pricing

Features Comparison

As far as features go, Bitdefender and Kaspersky are almost identical. They each offer pretty much the same cybersecurity benefits — if you have the right subscription plan. For example, Bitdefender’s cheapest plan only covers Windows devices, so make sure you refer to both tables to properly compare and contrast.

Security and Protection

We buy antivirus to protect our devices. While it’s nice to have an easy-to-use interface and competitive prices, if it doesn’t protect our device, it’s missing the plot. So, we broke down the security each provides into four key aspects of device security.

Before we deep dive into each aspect of security and protection, here’s a quick overview:

Real-Time Protection

A feature that is all but essential in cybersecurity software is real-time protection. Essentially, you get continuous protection from outside threats in addition to regular scans on your device. We’re happy to say that Kaspersky and Bitdefender offer reliable real-time protection we trusted to protect our devices.

Scanning

We’ve performed various scans through Kaspersky and Bitdefender, and almost every test we’ve run has snooped out malicious software across our devices. The key difference is the amount of time it takes to have the scans performed. We noticed that Kaspersky took a bit longer to do the same work. Although, both exhibited nearly the same results.

Firewall Protection

Kaspersky and Bitdefender utilize firewall protection on both platforms, but based on our testing, they operate differently. Let us explain: Kaspersky uses a two-way firewall,4 which detects suspicious traffic that is coming into your device and out of it. Bitdefender’s firewall only monitors traffic coming into your device, but it includes features to customize the firewall to your liking.

Impact on Device

Scanning your device for malware and other malicious software can put more of a burden on your device than you may think. When we were having Kaspersky and Bitdefender scan two of our devices, not only did we notice Kaspersky’s scanning process is a lengthy one, but it’s also is going to have a decent effect on your device’s performance while it’s taking place. Bitdefender’s process is much faster, and it also will have little to no impact on your device.

Final Thoughts

It’s a tough showdown, as both have very similar strengths and weaknesses. Both are excellent at scrubbing your computer down for dangerous programs, but they also have reputations for data breach potential. Where the two really differ is in how fast they can scan your computer and for how much.

Kaspersky takes some time to get results, but those results are worth it for the affordable price tag. Bitdefender will get your computer clean rapidly and efficiently, but it’ll cost you significantly more to do so. Once you pick the right software, you’ll likely have fewer cyberthreats to worry about. However, there’s more that you can do. Once you make your choice, consider reading our reviews of the best VPNs and best identity theft protection products for more protection.

Pick Kaspersky if you’d like…

Affordable, long-term protection. Kaspersky’s process takes a while and will have some impact on your device’s other operations. However, if you’re patient, Kaspersky is effective at keeping your computer safe from digital harm.

>> More On This: Top Alternatives to Kaspersky Antivirus

Pick Bitdefender if you’d like…

Pricier yet efficient protection. The price tag of Bitdefender is on the high side, with the 50 percent discount expiring after the first year. The price is almost double what you would be paying Kaspersky for that second year, but the trade-off is some rapid scanning ability.