BitDefender Reviewer's Comments

For those seeking the best Internet security software for the money AND an “install and forget” proposition, BitDefender is the choice for the best antivirus software and earns the “TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award.” Not only does it protect your computer and files, but BitDefender is easy to use, light on your computer and, maybe most importantly, light on your pocketbook. No matter how technically proficient any piece of software may be, the productivity enhancement it offers is only effective if people use it. This is especially true and pertinent in antivirus software. The primary reasons people fail to protect their computers from a variety of malware are the cost and the 'burden' of installing and maintaining antivirus software. The best protection in the world is worthless if people find it cumbersome and distracting to use. The same holds true for price. This is the beauty of BitDefender: It provides comprehensive protection, takes up little space on your computer, costs less, and, for the average computer user, it’s an “install-and-forget” proposition.

Deal Makers

* Effective antivirus protection
* Light footprint on your computer
* Excellent price (One user license for one year at $24.95; A full-featured trial version is available for download and runs for 24 days).
* Special Gamer mode that protects your machine without interrupting your play and game performance

Deal Breakers

* Technical support could be better, and they need U.S. phone tech support.
* Scanning was on the slower side of the programs we tested and the uninstall utility was less than perfect in removing traces of the program when we removed it.

Ease of Use:

Most people want antivirus software they can install and forget and BitDefender does just that! In less than a half an hour, you can download, install, follow the prompts, re-boot your system and voila!, you're protected and can forget about viruses, Trojans, spyware, worms, and malware. Nobody wants to spend time tweaking antivirus software when they could otherwise be getting work done or watching the latest videos on Youtube. We all want protection without the effort or expense, and now we can have our cake and eat it too. When tested right out-of-the-box with the default setting, BitDefender dis exactly what it was supposed to do. It scanned files at boot-up, recently accessed files, packed files and incoming and outgoing emails. For those who want more aggressive protection, BitDefender can be enabled to scan HTTP blocks on port 80 and 443 for malicious ActiveX and JavaScript which is nice, but not necessary. Simple installation of the program using the default setting is recommended for the average user.

Effectiveness:

You might think that antivirus software that is this easy to use and this inexpensive might not be as effective as products with bigger brand names and bigger price tags, but you would be wrong. AV-Test.org is among the most prestigious, independent research laboratories in the world for testing antivirus software. In their most recent (1Q 2008) tests, BitDefender received their highest rating for having removed 98% of all viruses and spyware in their rigorous tests. In addition, BitDefender has received the highest ratings for effectiveness by Virus Bulletin (VB100%) and AV Comparatives.org, and was certified by ICSA2007, Checkvir.com and West Coast Labs for its ability to detect viruses, virus replication while minimizing false positives (detecting viruses that are not there).

One of the key features BitDefender has developed is a virtual machine that runs invisibly in the background on your computer where it tests suspicious code, code that looks like a virus, but doesn't currently match any of the known virus signatures. In this way, BitDefender can protect you from viruses no one has reported yet. In the same tests by AV-Test.org, BitDefender scored higher than Kaspersky, Norton, Computer Associates (CA) and McAfee on its proactive detection of viruses and other malware with this heuristic approach. BitDefender scans somewhat slower than some of its competitors, due, we believe, to this virtual machine running. Naturally, there's going to be a price for this type of protection, but other products like ESET's NOD32 have done a better job at minimizing it.

Although BitDefender is great at removing viruses and spyware, it excels at protecting your system from incoming viruses. The new BitDefender can actually strip viruses from your incoming HTML stream before the virus makes it to your browser. We think every new computer should be outfitted with this kind of protection.

Updates:

Virus signatures need to be updated regularly to maintain overall effectiveness. The heart and soul of antivirus software is recognizing malicious code and BitDefender does that primarily by matching code on your computer with known virus signatures. BitDefender updates its virus signatures every hour, unless you adjust it to a longer interval. Or, if you are really into managing your antivirus software (does you photo appear in Wikipedia under the listing geek?), you can set it to “manual” and manually update the virus signatures and decide what other features you want updated. Otherwise, just sit back and know that your BitDefender is updating itself every hour, 24/7.

Feature Set:

In the spirit of “install and forget” software, BitDefender doesn't go in for the blinking red and green lights to notify you of its activity. Instead, a tiny red and black icon appears in the lower-right corner of your desktop, just above the system tray. This unobtrusive icon is the scan activity monitor. A green line indicates when files are being scanned for viruses and spyware. To remove the monitor, you can do so by going into the configuration monitor.

The antispyware section of BitDefender includes Privacy Protection. This feature is disabled by default, but turning this feature ON is recommended. In the Advanced Setting link, you can enter your credit card numbers or other private information, and if any Windows application attempts to send these over the Internet, it stops and requires your active permission. Otherwise, BitDefender will refuse any program that attempts to send your personal information over the Internet.

BitDefender is the only antivirus software reviewed with a gamer mode. With gamer mode enabled, online gamers are protected without sacrificing much performance. Since online gamers are notorious for disabling firewalls and other protection to optimize performance, this could be a lifesaver for the family computer used for online gaming by members of your household.

BitDefender also has a Parental Control option where parents can block and control what sites their children are able to access online.

Ease of Installation:

Here is where BitDefender really shines. Installation is easy and intuitive. BitDefender also easily and transparently removes any other antivirus software you might have on your computer. (This is a requirement for effective use of your computer after installation. Two antivirus packages on your system do not give you twice as much protection, but rather play havoc with performance and diminish protection).

Bit Defender uses about 60MB of hard disk space (new computers average about 200GB hard drive so it uses about .03% of your hard drive space), which is more than Kaspersky and NOD32, but about 1/3 of the space required for Norton AntiVirus.

Help/Support:

The ideal software, to most everyone, should be “install-and-forget.” BitDefender its job without you having to fuss or tinker with it. BitDefender is much like your car or phone, ready when you are. It works without you having to. You can rest assured, though, in the rare case when you may need some help, BitDefender offers good live support either over the phone (BitDefender is located in Romania and international phone rates may apply) or the live chat online. Many of the other antivirus software firms have opened phone support offices in U.S. and BitDefender would be well-advised to do the same. For most issues, BitDefender offers a FAQs page. BitDefender can also be reached via email, and they have been very prompt and effective in answering questions.