Pros & Cons
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- Same core antivirus protection as the paid version
- Excellent scores from independent testing labs
- Unusually effective ransomware defense
- Includes VPN
- Free
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- Poor score in our hands-on malware protection test
- Full VPN access requires a separate subscription
Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows Specs
| Behavior-Based Detection | |
| Malicious URL Blocking | |
| On-Access Malware Scan | |
| On-Demand Malware Scan | |
| Phishing Protection |
You probably know you need an antivirus for your PC, but what if you just can’t afford it? Fortunately, there are plenty of free antivirus tools available, including Bitdefender Free Antivirus for Windows. With it, you get most of the impressive malware-fighting power found in the company's commercial antivirus, just without the wealth of bonus features. It’s worth a look if you need high-powered antivirus protection at the lowest possible price. For that same no-price, however, Avast One Basic protects all popular platforms, not just Windows, and adds a firewall, network inspector, and other bonuses. AVG AntiVirus Free also includes a firewall and helpful security features. Bitdefender won't let you down, but Avast and AVG are our Editors' Choice winners.
Installing Bitdefender Free
Getting Bitdefender Free running on your system is quick and easy. You need to sign up for a Bitdefender Central account to activate the antivirus (or sign in if you already have one). Once you’ve activated your free subscription, you can install protection on up to three Windows devices, a somewhat odd limitation. Since it’s free, you could spin up another account on a different email address to protect more PCs. Unlike Bitdefender’s paid security apps, macOS, Android, and iOS devices need not apply.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)After installation, the antivirus offers a Device Assessment that includes a quick scan for malware and remnants of previous infections. You can opt to run the assessment in the background while you start using the app. I skipped the assessment for testing purposes.
Like other members of the Bitdefender product line, the free edition defaults to displaying a security dashboard with a left-rail menu that gives direct access to the app's features. Security recommendations occupy the top of the window, with a half-dozen quick-action icons below: Quick Scan, System Scan, Vulnerability Scan, VPN, and SafePay, plus a button to change which features appear as quick actions.
Of the quick actions, only Quick Scan, System Scan, and VPN are enabled. The option to swap in different quick scan features isn’t helpful in the free edition, since the other possible choices are locked.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)It would seem logical for this free antivirus to display the same features as Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, just locking away premium-only components. However, when you dig into the Protection, Privacy, and Utilities pages, you find that the free antivirus is more like a locked-down version of the Bitdefender Total Security suite.
The Protection page in all three apps includes Antivirus, Advanced Threat Defense, and Online Threat Prevention. All of these are enabled in the free edition. Vulnerability Scan and Ransomware Remediation also appear in all three, but the free edition locks them away. Finally, Cryptomining Protection, Firewall, and Antispam, also locked in the free edition, don’t appear in the for-pay antivirus—only in the suite.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)If you’re not paying for your antivirus, everything on the Privacy page except VPN is locked, including Safepay (a hardened browser for financial transactions), Video & Audio Protection, Anti-tracker, and Parental Control. The parental and video features simply don’t appear in the for-pay antivirus. Of course, in the full security suite, all these features are present and active.
The complete security suite presents five items on its Utilities page: Decryption Tools, Anti-Theft, OneClick Optimizer, Profiles, and Data Protection (a simple file shredder). All five are on view in the interface in free antivirus, reviewed here, and all but Decryption Tools are locked.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)Don’t get too excited about those ransomware decryption tools, though. There are just three, and the newest dates back to 2021. You’re a bit better off visiting Bitdefender’s latest ransomware file decryption tools online, but even in this group, the newest is from 2023.
Getting Started With Bitdefender Free
You should run a full scan right after installation to root out any malware that may have infected the system before you installed this antivirus. At the first full scan, Bitdefender warns that “due to its complexity, it might take a while to complete,” but that subsequent scans should go much more quickly. Indeed, the initial full scan finished in two hours and nine minutes, a bit faster than the current average of one hour and 57 minutes.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)As promised, the repeat scan was much faster, finishing in 9.5 minutes, a 93% improvement. K7 Antivirus Premium cut the repeat scan time by slightly more, about 95%.
In theory, real-time protection should handle any malware problems after the full scan. Still, for an extra layer of security, you can schedule a daily, weekly, or monthly scan, or set the antivirus to scan at every system startup.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)The free edition still doesn’t let you use the Rescue Environment. This premium-only feature reboots the computer to a non-Windows platform, which is suitable for removing even the most persistent malware. And if you dig into the Advanced page of antivirus settings, you’ll find that everything is locked against changes except top-level on-off control of the real-time antivirus shield.
Perfect and Near-Perfect Lab Results
While Bitdefender Free doesn’t include every feature of the commercial edition, its core antivirus engine is the same as what the independent labs test. The labs make it clear that their results are guaranteed only for the specific program they tested. Still, it’s worth looking at the excellent scores the commercial edition earned.
Four of the five labs I follow include Bitdefender in their latest reports. In the three-part test regularly reported by AV-Test Institute, antivirus programs can earn up to six points each for effective protection, low impact on performance, and few usability problems (meaning false positives). Bitdefender earned a perfect 18 points in this lab’s latest test, as it often does. About two-thirds of the tested apps reached 18 points, among them F-Secure Internet Security, Norton AntiVirus Plus, and TotalAV Antivirus Pro.
The researchers at AV-Comparatives perform many tests; I follow three of them. Antiviruses that pass a test earn Standard certification, while those that go significantly beyond the minimum passing grade receive Advanced or even Advanced+ certification. Bitdefender took Advanced+ in two of the latest three tests and Advanced in the third. Avast, AVG, ESET NOD32 Antivirus, and Norton took Advanced+ in all three tests.
The tests performed by the experts at MRG-Effitas differ slightly from the rest. The 360-degree test, using a wide variety of malware, offers two passing levels. If a security app blocks every malware installation attempt, it passes at Level 1. If some malware gets through but is eliminated within 24 hours, that earns Level 2.
In the latest round of testing, ESET, Norton, and Malwarebytes earned Level 1 certification, while Avast, Bitdefender, and Microsoft Defender Antivirus earned Level 2 certification.
SE Labs attempts to simulate the real world of malware as closely as possible for testing purposes, using a capture-and-replay system to present each antivirus with a real-world Web-based attack. This lab’s certification comes at five levels: AAA, AA, A, B, and C. Bitdefender has previously reached AAA certification, but it hasn’t appeared in this lab’s recent tests.
The latest addition to my roundup of lab tests is AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation. Scoring with this lab is based on the percentage of in-the-wild malware blocked. Bitdefender, along with almost all competitors, reached 100% in this test. The one exception was Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security, with 99.24%.
I have built an algorithm that maps all the test results onto a 10-point scale and returns an aggregate lab score. Bitdefender has achieved a perfect 10-point aggregate score in the past; at present, it has a respectable 9.6 points, based on results from four labs. Of course, the more labs the better. Tested by all five labs, Norton achieved a perfect 10 points, Avast managed 9.8, and even Microsoft scored 9.4 points overall.
Mixed Malware Protection Test Scores
Even when lab results are plentiful, I always run my own hands-on testing just to get a feel for how a program handles malware. If I don’t get enough data from the labs, my hands-on malware protection test is the only way I can rate antivirus accuracy. In this case, the labs have already made it clear that Bitdefender’s technology is top-notch.
The test begins when I open a folder containing real-world malware samples I’ve collected and carefully analyzed. In many cases, the tiny file access required to get each file's name and properties is enough to trigger on-access scanning. If that doesn’t get the antivirus utility’s attention, I copy the files to a new folder. Occasionally, I encounter a tool such as Guardio that only scans files at download. And, of course, some real-time scanning systems don’t kick in until you try to launch the file.
Bitdefender got to work the moment I opened the malware folder. It slowly but steadily eliminated the malware samples it recognized, taking about 15 minutes to finish the process.
Bitdefender knocked out almost 80% of the samples on sight, including all the ransomware samples. That’s good, but McAfee AntiVirus Plus and UltraAV wiped out all the samples on sight.
To complete the malware protection test, I launched the samples that Bitdefender didn’t eliminate on sight. One way or another, it detected 90% of the samples and scored 8.6 of 10 possible points.
That score is the lowest among the handful of apps tested with this particular set of malware samples. Malwarebytes scored 9.8 points, the current top score. Avast, AVG, and Norton, which all use the same antivirus engine, all scored 9.7 points. Bitdefender’s score isn’t great, but when my results don’t jibe with those of independent testing labs, I give those labs significantly more weight.
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When Bitdefender defends against a malware attack, it pops up a small notification with an option to learn more about what happened. In many cases, the available information includes an attack timeline that shows just how the malware got onto your system and how far it got before Bitdefender nabbed it. It also includes an “alternative outcome” track, which drives home the point that without Bitdefender, the attack would have succeeded.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)When I collect and curate a new set of malware samples for testing, I deliberately draw from samples that are a few months old to avoid disadvantaging the first antiviruses tested with the new collection. I use the same samples for up to a year because it takes a great deal of time and effort to prepare a new set of real-world malware.
To view how each antivirus handles the latest threats, I use a different test. This test starts with a feed of new discoveries generously supplied by MRG-Effitas, typically no more than a few days old. Each antivirus gets two chances to prevent malware from being downloaded from these URLs. It can block all access to the URL for full credit, or it can eliminate the malware payload during or after download, also for full credit. What I don’t want to see is a verified malicious program downloaded without any defensive action from the antivirus.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)Bitdefender blocks access to malicious URLs at the browser level, so it doesn't need to install a browser extension. That capability blocked almost half of the malware-hosting URLs. It wiped out most of the rest before the download finished, for a 95% protection score. That’s a good score, though a third of recent competitors did even better. Avira Free Security scored 100% in its own latest test, while Aura, Emsisoft, Norton, and UltraAV all managed 99%.
Excellent Phishing Detection
The most perfect malware-detection system in the world can't help you if you fall for a phishing scam and give away your precious login credentials. Phishing websites masquerade as banks, online merchants, and even dating sites, and they do their best to entice you with a perfect replica of the actual login page. When you enter your credentials on the fake page, the fraudsters immediately take over your account. Say goodbye to your bank balance or your game avatar’s hoard of in-game gold. These fakes get caught and blocklisted quickly enough, but their owners just scoop up their winnings and move on.
I scrape phishing URLs from various reporting sites to test how well an app keeps its users safe from this kind of fraud. For testing, I collect verified phishing frauds, including URLs, so new that they haven't been analyzed and verified. I run the test simultaneously in the antivirus under test and in instances of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, relying on the phishing protection built into the three browsers.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)I launch the URL in all four browsers for each suspected fraud and record the results. If any of the four can't load the URL, I discard it. If the page doesn't actively attempt to capture login credentials for a secure site, I discard it. After checking several hundred possible fraudulent URLs, I ran the numbers.
When Bitdefender detects a phishing page, it diverts the browser to a safe warning page, just as it does when it finds a dangerous page. The warning page offers a brief explanation and allows a bold (or foolish) user to ignore the risk and visit the page regardless. In testing, I found that it identified most as Phishing pages, though some got flagged as Dangerous, Fraudulent, or Suspicious.
As it often does, Bitdefender scored a perfect 100% in this test. So did AVG, Avira, ESET, Guardio, McAfee, and Webroot Essentials. The phishing-centric Norton Genie and VPN-focused Surfshark One also joined the 100% winners’ circle.
Effective Ransomware Recognition
I mentioned earlier that Ransomware Remediation is one of the many premium-only features that are out of reach for free users. You might think that means the free edition doesn’t protect against ransomware, but in fact, the behavior-based Advanced Threat Defense fends off ransomware quite effectively.
To test Bitdefender’s ransomware defense, I rolled back the test virtual machine to a snapshot just after the antivirus installation. I quickly turned off Bitdefender Shield, the main real-time protection component. After cutting all connections between the test virtual machine and the internet, I tried launching a collection of real-world ransomware attacks.
Two of the samples encrypt the whole disk, not just important files. They function by crashing the system and taking over on reboot. I didn’t expect Advanced Threat Defense to catch these, so the fact that it got one of the two was a plus.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)As for the dozen file-encrypting ransomware samples, Bitdefender caught every single one and, in all but one case, prevented them from encrypting even a single file. The lone exception managed to encrypt two Excel files before protection kicked in. And of course, this entire test was only possible because I turned off the regular real-time antivirus. With all protective layers active, Bitdefender wiped out all the ransomware samples on sight.
A Limited VPN
Bitdefender's many layers of antivirus, web, and network protection keep you, your devices, and your data safe. However, when you connect to the internet, your data in transit could be at risk. To protect your data, you need a VPN (virtual private network). When you connect using a VPN, nobody, not even the owner of the shady Wi-Fi network you're using, can access your network traffic, and you'll be harder to track as you move across the web. Even the free Bitdefender antivirus comes with VPN protection, but it’s severely limited compared with the full Bitdefender Premium VPN, which costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)The Bitdefender VPN displays a world map as its background. When you’re connected, the map centers on the VPN server location. But don’t imagine you’ll see it centered on faraway places. Clicking the Locations link at the bottom left reveals that choosing a specific server location worldwide is a feature reserved for paying customers. Those at the basic level must accept whatever server the VPN chooses. The double-hop feature, which runs your communications through two VPN servers to thoroughly obscure your actual IP address, is also a premium-only feature.
Basic users also see a counter at the top right showing how much of the current day’s 200MB of bandwidth remains. In testing, I found that 10 minutes of video watching used up my entire daily allowance.
The bandwidth counter sits atop a stack of other statistics panels. You see how much time you’ve been connected, how much you’ve used the VPN during the last week, and the amount of secured upload and download traffic. One panel shows the IP address of your VPN server—websites you visit will see that address, not your real one. You can quickly configure the VPN's ad-blocking and kill-switch features.
Kill switch sounds violent, but it’s an important VPN security feature. If the VPN connection drops, it simply disconnects from the unprotected internet until the VPN comes back online.
There’s also an unusually comprehensive collection of auto-connect options. You can have the VPN connect automatically when the system boots, when you log in to unsecured Wi-Fi, when you use peer-to-peer sharing, or when you connect to specific apps, domains, or website categories.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)Bitdefender licenses its VPN technology from IPVanish. (Editors' Note: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com's parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.) It has servers in 150 cities across 112 countries, with a good global spread. How many VPNs offer servers in Bosnia, Liechtenstein, or the Isle of Man? You can choose from almost two dozen cities within the US, six cities in the UK, and five in Australia. Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Spain also offer a choice of two or three cities.
Server locations matter, partly because a larger collection of locations means more options for spoofing your location, and partly because a closer server usually yields better speed and lower latency. But again, in the limited edition available with Bitdefender’s antivirus, you don’t get to make that choice.
(Credit: Bitdefender/PCMag)This antivirus supports several VPN protocols, but by default it chooses the best protocol for the connection. Those with the knowledge to make the choice can select IKEv2, OpenVPN, or WireGuard, or let the VPN choose. WireGuard and OpenVPN are modern options, and as they’re both open-source projects, they’ve been scrutinized by all interested parties. We like to see VPNs that use these two protocols.
The VPN can block ads and trackers at the domain level, supplementing Bitdefender's other defenses against dangerous websites. Its split-tunneling feature lets you exempt specified apps or websites from connecting through the VPN. The App Traffic Optimizer, an uncommon but welcome feature, lets you designate up to three apps for priority connection when using the VPN.
A major concern with using a VPN is its impact on internet connection speeds. Using the Ookla speed test tool, we calculate the percent change in speed test results with and without the VPN. (Editors' Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
Our latest speed test results for Bitdefender were conducted while Bitdefender relied on a different partner’s VPN server network, so they don’t necessarily apply. At that time, Bitdefender’s impact on the all-important download speed was slightly higher than the median of current VPNs, as was its impact on upload speed. It didn’t increase latency as much as most competitors, though. It’s important to remember that variations in network traffic can affect speed test results. The fastest VPN today may not be the fastest tomorrow, and the fastest VPN in New York may not be the fastest VPN in Kalamazoo. We don’t recommend choosing a VPN based solely on speed.
Unless you spring for a Premium VPN subscription, you’ll have to be sparing with your use of the VPN. As noted, burning through your daily limit of 200MB doesn't take long, especially if you’re doing streaming or other data-intensive activities. Your best bet is to leave all auto-connect options turned off and rely on Bitdefender to suggest enabling the VPN when you visit websites in categories like Financial, Online Payments, or Health.
What's Not in Bitdefender Free?
I've described everything Bitdefender Free does, but the feature list of the full, premium Bitdefender Antivirus goes far beyond this. Please read my review for all the details on what you get with the full edition. Among other things, paying customers get the Safepay protection system to prevent interference with online financial transactions, an Anti-Tracker tool for your browsers, a secure deletion File Shredder, and ransomware remediation in case ransomware damages some files before being defeated.
You’ll find several other features locked away in the free edition, but not even visible in the for-pay antivirus. Anti-theft, Antispam, Decryption Tools, Firewall, OneClick Optimizer, Parental Control, and Video & Audio Protection are all locked in Bitdefender Antivirus Free and don’t appear as available features unless you upgrade to Bitdefender Total Security.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Bitdefender)
Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows
Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows offers the same excellent core technology found in the commercial version, focusing on the essential task of antivirus protection with minimal add-ons.
