Bitdefender for Mac evaluation: reliable safety for macOS
Bitdefender Premium Security
MSRP $160.00
“Bitdefender Premium Security is a great way to increase antivirus protection and privacy on a Mac and all your devices.”
- Near-perfect safety for years
- Quick and useful assist
- Easy setup
- Integrates effectively with macOS
- Affordable multidevice plans
- Lacks some Windows options
- 200MB-per-day restrict on VPN of low-cost plans
Bitdefender for Mac goals to dam malware and shield your privateness. Bitdefender is already one of the best antivirus software solutions for Windows, so I examined the Mac model to learn how effectively it integrates with macOS and the Apple ecosystem.
I break down the pricing, set up, usability, cybersecurity options, buyer assist, and extra on this full evaluation of Bitdefender for Mac.
Tiers and pricing
Bitdefender gives a free antivirus app for Windows PCs that gives real-time safety, however Mac customers solely get a Bitdefender virus scanner. You should subscribe to get proactive protection that may forestall viruses earlier than your Mac is contaminated.
Thirty-day free trials can be found for many plans and each multi-device possibility helps macOS and iOS, in addition to Windows and Android. If you share information between gadgets, cross-platform assist gives the perfect safety.
Bitdefender’s primary antivirus software program for Mac begins at $30 for the primary yr, then renews at $40 thereafter. For this low value, Bitdefender protects one Mac desktop or MacE book from malware and features a digital personal community (VPN) that’s capped at 200MB per day. It’s a great deal on antivirus software for your Mac.
If you’ll want to shield your cellphone or Windows PC, a cross-platform plan like Bitdefender Total Security covers 5 gadgets and guards in opposition to ransomware, crypto mining, and browser extensions for malware and phishing detection. It additionally consists of parental controls. The subscription begins at $70 and climbs to $100 yearly.
I examined Bitdefender Premium Security, which protects as much as 10 gadgets for $80 for the primary yr. It’s a pleasant bundle that features an uncapped VPN and a password supervisor. The top-level plan, Ultimate Security, provides id theft safety, insured as much as $1 million, and credit score reporting for $90. Unfortunately, each plans double in value after the primary yr.
Design
Setting up Bitdefender Premium Security is comparatively straightforward. I by chance began with the VPN, then the password supervisor, earlier than putting in the primary app Bitdefender Total Security antivirus safety. I believe beginning with the primary app would have simplified the method additional.
Each installer guided me to allow the required System Settings permissions and set up the Safari safety extensions. The app acknowledged I’ve Google’s Chrome browser and urged putting in extensions there as effectively.
The Bitdefender dashboard exhibits a inexperienced protect to point my Mac is protected, and guides me towards higher safety with system scans, malware detection and cleanup, if wanted. My Mac was already clear.
Running via the suggestions, I enabled macOS notifications and did a Time Machine backup. It’s useful that Bitdefender is acquainted sufficient with Apple’s ecosystem to combine with built-in options like this.
Bitdefender limits entry to the information, a easy and efficient technique to shield in opposition to ransomware. By default, the desktop, paperwork, downloads, and footage are restricted, however I may add and take away folders as wanted.
Bitdefender builds an inventory of apps as I permit entry to those protected folders. This is a superb proactive strategy to ransomware. Norton 360’s ransomware answer depends on cloud backups.
Overall, Bitdefender’s app is easy and simple to grasp and precisely what’s wanted for cybersecurity.
Features
Malware safety is a crucial metric for antivirus software program, and Bitdefender is among the many greatest obtainable. I reviewed Bitdefender for Windows just lately and was impressed with its sturdy safety. However, a Mac makes use of totally different software program, so it requires additional testing.
According to main third-party cybersecurity researcher AV-Test, Bitdefender maintains a near-perfect antivirus score. Bitdefender additionally loved prime scores in AV-Test’s efficiency and value testing.
Bitdefender scored six out of six in malware safety testing in all however one interval in over seven years. A minor weak point in September 2020 resulted in a 5.5 score. That constant, dependable safety exhibits ongoing dedication to the Mac.
I examined Bitdefender’s malware safety with a go to to WICAR.org, an antivirus take a look at web site that hosts fake malware. The Bitdefender extension blocked entry and alerted me to the potential hazard. However, I ran right into a minor glitch the place the Bitdefender warning web page gave a 404 error. I reported the issue to Bitdefender and it must be resolved quickly. The malware detection labored regardless of this situation.
Bitdefender Premium Security comes with a VPN to assist forestall monitoring. I examined it by setting my location to Australia and looking out the online. Results for the Sydney space confirmed Google thought I used to be Down Under, so my true location was unknown.
Support
The Bitdefender app’s assist tab lets me replay the fast tour that I noticed throughout setup, browser the consumer information, and go to the assist heart. From the assist heart, I can seek for articles that may reply questions, letting me resolve points by myself.
I scrolled to the underside and located the button to contact assist for private service. Despite reaching out on a Saturday, a dwell agent responded instantly and was fairly useful.
I requested about accessing the passwords on my Mac after beginning on a Windows PC. I wanted the grasp password, which I pretended to lose. The agent jogged my memory that I ought to have a restoration key that’s saved in the course of the preliminary setup of Bitdefender’s password supervisor.
Privacy and safety
Like most different cybersecurity corporations, Bitdefender will adjust to authorized requests for private information. However, it gained’t promote or share your data with third-party corporations for advertising and marketing. You can see the total particulars in Bitdefender’s privay policy.
Bitdefender might promote extra providers and call you with particular gives. There isn’t a barrage of emails, however you possibly can decide out of selling emails should you don’t wish to be bothered.
Bitdefender hasn’t had any safety points since July 2015. According to Forbes, hackers gained entry to a single server and uncovered over 250 buyer usernames and passwords. The final 9 years have been blissfully uneventful.
Bitdefender protects your Mac?
If your Mac is behaving surprisingly and also you wish to verify if one thing slipped previous Apple’s built-in XProtect antivirus software, Bitdefender’s free malware scanner is an effective place to start out. It can determine and show you how to clear up your Mac.
For real-time detection and prevention, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac gives stable malware safety at an inexpensive value. The $40 renewal payment makes this a greater discount than Norton’s Antivirus Plus.
If you want a VPN or wish to safe all of your gadgets, Bitdefender’s cross-platform plans cowl computer systems, tablets, and telephones. Malwarebytes additionally has plans that shield a number of gadgets, however its Mac software program isn’t as full-featured as Bitdefender’s app.
While there are different antivirus options obtainable, Bitdefender’s robust efficiency, user-friendly interface, and inexpensive pricing make it a nice selection for your Mac.
