It’s challenging to know what to go for when it comes to antivirus and security software for your home computer. There’s plenty of big familiar names out there offering several different packages, but how do you know if what you’re about to buy is any good?
Thankfully, Bitdefender offers a free antivirus service to Windows users, so you can try it out without even spending a penny!
I must admit to not always employing any security software. This is probably down to my experiences 15 years ago, where security software from a well-established company practically ground my computer to a halt. It was heavy, unintuitive, and made my computer so slow that it may as well have been riddled with viruses!
Since then, I’ve had to endure a few viruses that did for a few of my laptops, while my eBay and Amazon accounts have also been the targets of malicious attacks.
My family is approaching a time of year with many birthdays in it, so I’m undoubtedly going to be spending a lot of time (and money) shopping online. With this in mind, I thought it was high time that I considered protecting my computer again. Bitdefender’s software appealed to me, as banks trust it, council authorities, and large corporations all over the world, so they should be able to handle little old me. With that in mind, I downloaded the free package and gave it a spin. Here’s what I thought.
Pros
It’s free.
An obvious point to start with, but an important one. Antivirus software is one of those things that you overlook unless it’s terrible, so it’s great to be able to try the basic version before deciding if you need anything else.
It’s very light so that you won’t strain your laptop at all.
This was very important to me. You don’t want your internet security to come at the expense of making your machine a chore to use. Bitdefender’s site shows that they beat out the likes of McAfee, Norton, and Kaspersky for speed while also coming out on top for protection.
I go by the mantra that ‘believing is seeing, though. After an extended spell using the free antivirus package, I can honestly say that I was not using antivirus software. They use an exclusive technology that adapts to your hardware setup whilst doing all the heavy lifting in the cloud to keep your computer’s speed unaffected. Whatever it is that they’re doing, it works!
It prevents you from accidentally using dodgy sites.
Bitdefender’s anti-phishing and anti-fraud protection automatically blocks unscrupulous websites that could put your financial details at risk. It’s set up to look out for several warning signs that a site may not be all that it purports to be. This feature is invaluable if you’re like me and like to try to source gifts and items from off the beaten track.
They also provide a super-fast VPN service.
Upgrade to one of their paid packages, and you can get access to a pretty nippy VPN service on top of the basic suite. While VPN services are undoubtedly valuable for keeping your identity and other sensitive details safe from hackers, they also allow you, rather brilliantly, to carry on watching your usual Netflix shows in other countries. You can plump for this as a standalone service, too, with a 7-day trial.
Cons
The free antivirus package is just for Windows.
It seems a little churlish to complain about such a good service when it’s free, but if there is one drawback, it’s only available to Windows users.
Bitdefender does, however, while cover macOS, Android, and IOS on their paid plans (which offer VPN, parental controls, and many more features), so users of other platforms can still take advantage of their software.
Verdict
Bitdefender is a class-leading security suite, so any free service from them is worth taking up. Sure, the free package isn’t anywhere close to being as comprehensive as their paid plans, but if you’re just looking for the bare security essentials, then it’s practically unbeatable.