# Bitdefender

> Antivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier

Bitdefender sells antivirus and security suites for home users, from a free Windows antivirus to bundles that add a VPN, a password manager and identity monitoring. Paid plans cover Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, for one person or a family. Every paid plan is sold at a first-year price and renews automatically at a higher one.

- **Category:** Antivirus & Malware Protection
- **Made by:** Bitdefender (since 2001)
- **Website:** https://www.bitdefender.com
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 17, 2026

## Pricing

Bitdefender has a free plan. Paid plans start at $49.99 per year at renewal (Antivirus Plus, 1 device), after a first year for $24.99.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Bitdefender Antivirus Free gives real-time malware and ransomware protection for Windows PCs, with no time limit. It needs a Bitdefender Central account.
- **Free trial:** 30-day free trial of Antivirus Plus and Total Security.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Antivirus Free | $0 | Basic real-time antivirus for Windows only. |
| Antivirus Plus | $49.99 per year for 1 device at renewal, after a first year for $24.99 | Antivirus, scam protection and a VPN capped at 200 MB a day. First year $24.99; 3 devices cost $39.99 the first year, then $69.99. |
| Total Security | $109.99 per year for up to 5 devices at renewal, after a first year for $59.99 | Adds a password manager and cryptomining protection. First year $59.99. Family (25 devices, parental controls): $79.99, then $139.99. |
| Premium Security | $129.99 per year for up to 5 devices at renewal, after a first year for $79.99 | Adds unlimited VPN traffic, Scam Protection Pro, an anti-tracker and email protection. First year $79.99. Family: $99.99, then $169.99. |
| Ultimate Security | $159.99 per year for up to 5 devices at renewal, after a first year for $89.99 | Adds dark web monitoring and real-time breach alerts. First year $89.99. Family (25 devices): $119.99, then $199.99. |
| Ultimate Security Plus | $189.99 per year for 5 devices at renewal, after a first year for $119.99 | Adds $1M identity theft insurance, credit monitoring and restoration help. First year $119.99. Family: $179.99, then $269.99. |

Read from https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/ on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bitdefender before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **First-year prices on every paid plan** (Other savings): First year: Antivirus Plus $24.99, Total Security $59.99, Premium Security $79.99, Ultimate Security $89.99, Ultimate Security Plus $119.99. Each then renews at its full price. Source: https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/
- **Total Security for 2 years at $119.99** (Other savings): Total Security is also sold as a 2-year subscription: $119.99 for the first 2 years for 5 devices, or $159.99 for the family plan. Source: https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/total-security

## Key features

- **Multi-platform malware protection:** Antivirus, malware and ransomware protection for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS on every paid plan, from 1 device up to 25 on family plans.
- **Scam protection:** Blocks phishing and fake shops as you browse. Premium Security and above add Scam Protection Pro, which checks email, chat and text messages.
- **Bitdefender VPN:** Antivirus Plus and Total Security include a VPN limited to 200 MB a day per device. Premium Security and higher plans remove the limit.
- **Password manager:** Total Security and the plans above it include Bitdefender's password manager, one account per member on family plans.
- **Parental controls:** Family plans add content filtering, internet time limits, routines, child location and activity reports.
- **Identity monitoring:** Ultimate Security watches the web and dark web for leaks of your data. Ultimate Security Plus adds identity theft insurance and credit monitoring.

## Good for

- Windows users who want free real-time antivirus
- Families covering up to 25 devices under one plan
- Buyers who want antivirus, a VPN and a password manager from one vendor

## Worth knowing

- Paid plans renew automatically at the full price after the first year: Total Security goes from $59.99 to $109.99, for example.
- Antivirus Free runs on Windows only; Mac and mobile protection need a paid plan.
- The VPN in Antivirus Plus and Total Security is capped at 200 MB a day per device.
- Refunds are available within 30 days of the first purchase or of an automatic renewal.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Oct 17, 2026. Bitdefender gives Windows users real-time antivirus for free, and its paid suites cover Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, up to 25 devices on family plans. Five devices on Total Security cost $119.99 if you pay for two years up front. Pay yearly and the price nearly doubles at renewal, and the VPN on that plan stops at 200 MB a day.

- **Value for money: C.** Total Security covers 5 devices for $119.99 for the first 2 years, about $5 a month, right at the dearer quarter of antivirus. Paid yearly it's $59.99 and then $109.99, so $169.98 over two years. Every plan renews at its full price.
- **Free plan and trial: B.** Antivirus Free gives a Windows PC real-time malware and ransomware protection with no time limit, and one person on Windows could live on that. Macs and phones need a paid plan, which you can try free for 30 days.
- **Features: B.** Antivirus and scam protection on all four platforms, a password manager from Total Security, parental controls on family plans and identity monitoring higher up. The VPN is capped at 200 MB a day below Premium Security, but the core protection has no gap.
- **Ease of use: B.** 4.68 from about 38,000 App Store ratings, a whisker under the 4.7 an A needs. Even the free version wants a Bitdefender Central account first.
- **Platforms and integrations: B.** Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, with family plans stretching to 25 devices. No web app, integration list or API on record, so it stops at B.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Bitdefender's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Its consumer page showed no prices to our reader when we went back to check it. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among antivirus apps

- Bitdefender's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 10 of the 14 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 3.
- It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 11 of 14) and worst on value for money (C, above 3).
- Its paid plans start at $4.17 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.17 for the category: 4 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/antivirus

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** To replace Bitdefender you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 10 of the 14 other antivirus apps we grade. It costs $49.99 a year.

- You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private.
- You could not: A password vault, the last thing anyone should make for themselves.
- You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 38,152 ratings in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1255893012

**Tags:** Malware protection, VPN, Password manager

## Alternatives

- [Norton 360](https://toolgpa.com/tools/norton-360): Antivirus suite with VPN, password manager and PC cloud backup. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-norton-360)
- [Malwarebytes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/malwarebytes): Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-malwarebytes)
- [ESET](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eset): Antivirus and home security plans priced by device count. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-eset)
- [Kaspersky](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kaspersky): Antivirus suites with a VPN and password manager on higher tiers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-kaspersky)
- [McAfee](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mcafee): Antivirus, VPN and identity monitoring for PCs, Macs and phones. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-mcafee)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026:

- https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/
- https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/total-security
- https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/antivirus
- https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/free-antivirus
- https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/company/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitdefender
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).