Bitdefender Vs Kaspersky

In fact, when it comes to antivirus and malware protection, these two titans arise for the confrontation. Bitdefender antivirus and Kaspersky are one of the best antivirus software you will find on the market. The question remains: after all, which security software is better for your needs? Let’s see some of their features.

Bitdefender Vs Kaspersky: Features

The first thing for us to evaluate is the general features of both Bitdefender and Kaspersky. It won’t be hard to see that Kaspersky anti-virus and Bitdefender are very close to each other in many advanced features, making it even harder to point out a winner. The first feature we are going to look at is malware protection.

Malware Protection and False Negatives

To determine which has the best malware detection and protection capacity, we need to look at independent labs research that tested both Bitdefender antivirus and Kaspersky.

These researches are from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, two different and independent lab tests. The versions used for the test were the Kaspersky Internet Security and Bitdefender Internet Security. 

The AV-Test

According to the most recent AV-Test results, Kaspersky and Bitdefender received the maximum score regarding malware identification and defense. For these tests, two different types of malware were used. Still, the security software from both companies got them all, showing excellent protection and security features against online threats.

The only difference in these AV tests was in the false positives. This is when the software indicates a problem, such as a virus in a place that is clean. The AV test evaluations indicated that Bitdefender antivirus had one false positive. Meanwhile, Kaspersky anti virus had none. The same results were verified on other protection tests done previously.

The AV-Comparatives Tests

Another company to compare Bitdefender antivirus and Kaspersky Anti Virus was the AV-Comparatives. On their evaluations, the results changed slightly. First: Bitdefender caught 99.7% of the Malware it was exposed to. It also detected four false positives.

On the other hand, the Kaspersky antivirus suite was able to catch 99.2% of the widespread malware it was exposed to. Kaspersky also ended with one false negative at the end of the whole process of tests related to malware protection.

Why Is it so Important?

Malware is all types of programs that intend to hack, attack, damage, or steal anything on PCs or mobile devices. They can not only destroy your PC or mobile device but also delete or make public personal information.

If a ransomware attack, for instance, passes the active scans, the Global protective Network, or the data protection layer, your integrity is completely compromised, so this software can’t fail, no matter the threat.

Considerations

It is really hard to determine which software takes the lead here in the Kaspersky vs Bitdefender rivalry. In one of the tests, Kaspersky seems to have a keener perception of Malware as it had the same 100% score but also fewer false negatives. 

On the other hand, the second test shows a slight difference of 0.5% in the Bitdefender vs Kaspersky comparison. This percentage value can make a huge difference in terms of real protection, which shows that Bitdefender antivirus is better. 

We know how false positives can be problematic, as they can end up blocking important things and causing headaches for the users. But a little over-protection won't hurt much. Also, the difference in the second test shows that Bitdefender is worth more.

Why Is it so Important?

Scanning

This is one of the most basic features of antivirus products, so it's only natural that most antiviruses have it, even in a free version. Kaspersky and Bitdefender are no different. Both security suites software have different ways to scan your computer. 

Kaspersky offers a quick scan, perfect for those who don’t want to commit much time or PC performance on it. This quick scan will check all the places where malware is generally found. The full system scan will look for malware in the entire PC and operating system files and essential features. 

Bitdefender offers its options of scan as well. One of the features at your hand is the possibility of scanning threats in apps and other outdated system resources on your OS. If you watch Bitdefender closely, you will have reports about threats identified and quarantine. Also, you will be able to see other potential problematic results that deserve your concern.

Firewall

Some of the best versions of antivirus, such as Bitdefender Premium Security, Bitdefender antivirus plus, and Kaspersky Security Cloud Family offer a Firewall, which is extremely important for your total security. The already tested Kaspersky Total Security and Bitdefender Total Security also come with this protection.

The Firewall's real-time protection is extremely important because it monitors your PC's incoming and outgoing connections. It also controls the access of different apps to your local area network (LAN). 

Kaspersky offers more freedom to its users than Bitdefender does on this matter. The antivirus gives you the means to allow or deny specific connections from random ports. If there are any connections already harming your PC, you can block them. To complete, you can establish connection rules, so further attempts don’t bother you.

Bitdefender doesn’t have that many features in terms of Firewall, and the customization options are limited when compared to Kaspersky. Yet, you can do things like tweak application access, rules, and network adapter settings. With more specialized protection, Kaspersky takes the lead here.

Other Features from Kaspersky and Bitdefender

Both Kaspersky and Bitdefender have lots of other features to ensure better protection. As the full security suite can’t be analyzed without them, it is time to talk a little more about these other software feature

Bitdefender

• SafePay - A secure browser for online transactions,
• Wallet - Password manager for identities, bank information, and other passwords,

• VPN - Private network for you to navigate without being tracked,

• Parental Control - Tools for parents to control children's online activities,

• Profile Protection - Allow you to determine levels of protection for each profile on your PC

Some Bitdefender features are ransomware protection, webcam exploits, internet downloads, and phishing. Bitdefender users also have the SafePay, a secure browser for online transactions. That way, you can manage your bank life knowing that you are 100% safe.

Bitdefender offers a wallet as well. It works as a password manager, and you can store things like identities, bank information, and general passwords. You will also have a bunch of other features and possibilities, such as the “rescue environment,” identity theft protection, Bitdefender premium VPN, wifi security advisor, time machine protection, and parental control.

To complete the list of features that Bitdefender includes, there’s profile protection. With that, you can create different layers, with different levels of protection, focused on combating the bigger threats that profiles encounter. 

For example, a work profile is highly susceptible to phishing, so you can set your Bitdefender account to prevent that and other online threats. If you have kids, you can configure it to give more attention to potential threats in download, for instance.

Bitdefender Plans

Bitdefender offers different plans for homes, businesses, and partners. You can also get protection for one computer and a lower purchase price or pay more for multiple devices. The antivirus works with all the major operating systems. The plans are:

• Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
• Bitdefender Internet Security
• Bitdefender Total Security
• Bitdefender Family pack
• Bitdefender Small Office Security

You can also go for the All-In-One plans. They are Bitdefender Ultimate Security and Bitdefender Premium Security.

Bitdefender has plans focused on businesses as well. There are nearly twenty different plans for you to choose from based on your business needs and size. The company offers you the Bitdefender Gravityzone Business Security and a lot of variants.

Kaspersky

• Safe Money - Encrypted browser for bank transactions.
• Webcam Protector - Keeps hackers or programs away from your webcam and the things in front of it.
• VPN - Differently from Kaspersky, users have it for free, with 200MB per day
• Password Manager - A even better password manager for you to keep all your personal information away from breaches on your system.

Following the comparison, you will see that Kaspersky has a similar set of features but, to take advantage of some of them, you will need higher plans than you would with Bitdefender. They also have an encrypted browser for banking, called Safe Money, where you can manage your bank life in a 100% safe space. Just mind that it isn’t a separate desktop, it is just a browser.

Kaspersky gives you access to VPN services as a courtesy from Hotspot Shield, and, just like it is with Bitdefender, you will get 200MB per day to enjoy. Other features are webcam protection, private browsing, and privacy cleaner.

The webcam protector ensures no app, hacker, or malware gets unauthorized access to your webcam. The private browser gives you social network protection, denying data collection by ad companies. The privacy cleaner helps you eliminate unnecessary data, allowing you to remove them and gain more privacy protection.

The password manager is only available in bigger versions of Kaspersky, such as Kaspersky Total Security. Their password manager is better than Bitdefender’s wallet, even though it also has some problems of its own. Once again, to have the full-featured password manager, you will need to get the best of Kaspersky's offering.

Kaspersky Plans

Kaspersky stands out for its great variety of plans available. Besides full packages and all of its features, you will find that specific plans that match all your needs. Just like Bitdefender, Kaspersky divides itself into possibilities for personal and business. Some of the personal plans are:

• Kaspersky Antivirus
• Kaspersky Internet Security
• Kaspersky Total Security
• Kaspersky Security Cloud Personal
• Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection
• Kaspersky Password Manager
• Kaspersky Safe Kids

For Business, the plans are divided between small, medium, and large companies, with adjusted prices considering the business size and needs. Kaspersky also splits its plans for Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, and Ipad.

Source

When comparing the 16 GB Memory demand, Kaspersky also had better results as it demanded 16% of the total capacity. Bitdefender, on the other hand, used 38%. Once again, Kaspersky needed less than half of the system’s performance compared to Bitdefender.

Source

The Excel Test

Another test, this time done by Tom’s Guide, using an excel spreadsheet and both antivirus showed some performance differences after both software did a full scan and a quick scan. This time, the process was realized in a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 laptop with a 2.5GHz Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. After the installation of Bitdefender, the general processes speed went down by 19%, 7% more than the Kaspersky’s 12% speed decrease. 

The whole excel process took 10.4 seconds without the antivirus software. After the Bitdefender full scan, the new time was 13.8 seconds, representing a slow tax of 32.7%. With Kaspersky, 12.9 seconds were necessary, 26.5% more than the baseline of 10.2. With the quick scans, Kaspersky also won, with a slowdown rate of 21.6% against 30.8% Bitdefender.

Considerations

Those numbers are more than enough to show that, here, Kaspersky has the upper head. On both tests, the Russian antivirus had less performance impact over two different computers with different processors and specs. Here’s the full Tom’s Guide report.

Bitdefender

A common complaint of Bitdefender users is the installation size, which is around 500MB. But, apart from that, the software is acclaimed for its user-friendliness. The best feature is the quick access list, which allows you to prepare scans, see reports or do anything else with just a click on the main screen.

Besides that, Bitdefender has a menu sidebar, giving access to more services and information, with “protection,” “privacy,” and “utilities” options. From there, all the features of Bitdefender are in your hand. To complete, you will also find space for account information, general settings, support, and notifications as a result of a great display and organized space.

Kaspersky

Following the comparison, Kaspersky also has a great software display. Like Bitdefender, it features quick-access buttons so you can conveniently use its functions. The only problem is that, unlike its competitor, Kaspersky doesn’t allow you to customize the quick access options.

Above the six icons, you will find all the warnings, threats, and recommendations regarding your protection. A great feature is located in the scan section, with four different types of scans. Below the scan button, and of all the other five icons, you will find the More Tools button. It will open all the other possibilities for Kaspersky, including VPN, for instance.