With only a few operating systems and yet so many users depending on them, viruses, malware, and ransomware can endanger everything you have on your computer and even make you lose everything you keep.
Bitdefender and Malwarebytes are two antivirus tools that help keep your computer clean of viruses, scan threats, and defend you from any viruses that have yet to try and enter your computer.
While both tools are very efficient at what they do, even the smallest differences can result in huge advantages when it comes down to something as serious as computer threats.
Therefore, in this review, you’ll learn everything about Malwarebytes and Bitdefender to learn which antivirus tool is a better fit for your computer and your needs.
What is Malwarebytes?
Malwarebytes is an antimalware tool that is compatible with the most common operating systems and its mission is to find and remove malware that could be secretly hidden on a computer.
Along with malware, this tool helps discover viruses, various threats, hacks, ransomware, and even the most recent and newest threats to keep you safe from the dangers of the internet.
What is Bitdefender?
Bitdefender is an antivirus protection tool that keeps any computer in good shape by detecting and deleting viruses and all types of threats.
On top of that, Bitdefender is also very good at providing multilayered security, so even if you don’t think your computer is infected, you can still take advantage of Bitdefender to stay protected at all times.
Not many users know that Bitdefender is also one of the oldest antivirus tools on the market. It still has a very strong presence and constantly evolves to protect people and their computers from the latest threats.
How to Get Started
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes made it very simple to get started, and all you have to do is visit the official Malwarebytes website.
There, you’ll see a bold “free download” button that’ll lead you to a tool download page.
You won’t even have to create an account. The download will automatically start. After you have successfully downloaded a copy of Malwarebytes, the only thing left to do is install it onto your computer and run the first scan to see what’s lurking on your computer.
From there, you can run through the settings and see if Malwarebytes is optimized to help you take care of your needs.
Bitdefender
When you visit the official Bitdefender website, you’ll be able to choose between a tool for home or business.
All you have to do is press “view solutions” for the purpose that matches your needs and then choose a plan that will work best for you.
Upon downloading the tool, you’ll only have to install it on your computer, run the first scan, and see the results.
From there, you can head straight into the settings to learn how capable Bitdefender is and how to take full advantage of it.
Protection
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes has two premium products, Premium and Premium Plus, which provide different levels of privacy.
Each product can cover and protect up to five devices. Compared with Bitdefender, Malwarebytes keeps features minimal, yet it’s efficient and strictly focused on the core protection of devices.
Malwarebytes can protect computers from web threats, malware, ransomware, and it even offers to exploit protection features.
Even though Malwarebytes doesn’t have as many features as Bitdefender, all of the protection types it offers are robust and can defend you well. Now, if you’re looking for something more than what Malwarebytes has to offer in terms of protection, Malwarebytes might not be the best fit for your needs.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender has many more protective features than Malwarebytes, and it can offer real-time protection with multi-layer ransomware protection.
On top of that, Bitdefender also provides advanced threat protection, and it can even keep your network safe from attacks and exploitation.
At the same time, while Bitdefender protects your device, it can also protect you while you’re browsing the internet. It is very efficient at preventing viruses from even getting into your computer in the first place.
One Bitdefender license can help you protect up to 10 devices, and each of the devices will also be protected with anti-theft functionality. So if your device ever gets stolen or lost, Bitdefender will still help you and provide you with an action you can take.
Performance
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a very light and efficient antivirus tool which means that you can run it in the background, and it won’t slow down your computer or use too many resources.
However, Malwarebytes only offers malware protection, so, with very few features, you won’t even notice that this tool is running in the background until it comes across malware and has to take action to remove it.
Some removal actions might require you to reboot your system, which can slow down your productivity, especially if you’re working on an older computer or a laptop, so that’s something to keep in mind.
But since Malwarebytes is so light, it’s a great fit for older devices as it won’t bog down the system and will provide decent performance.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is built on a newer technology called Photon technology. This technology helps Bitdefender adapt to your system and its hardware and software. This way, Bitdefender gets to know your system, and from there, it can help save resources while still performing a good job.
As a result, improved speed and performance are likely noticeable, especially compared to Bitdefender’s competitors, such as Malwarebytes.
Also, you shouldn’t forget that Bitdefender also integrates plenty more features than Malwarebytes, which shows superior performance.
On top of that, Bitdefender also uses cloud resources for some scans, so it won’t even use your computer’s resources at times, which can be super useful if you don’t want your productivity to suffer.
Privacy
Malwarebytes
Staying secure is one thing, but keeping your browsing and your computer use private is also an important factor that these tools can help with.
Malwarebytes has a Premium Plus version that includes VPN, which is the only feature you will find in Malwarebytes regarding privacy.
VPN stands for a virtual private network, and since it comes integrated with Malwarebytes, you won’t have to rely on a third-party tool for this. While you will be able to keep your browsing sessions private, a quality VPN can also protect your network from hackers if they ever get to it.
Of course, Malwarebytes also provides privacy by featuring various protections that will keep you safe from hackers that might want to take advantage of your personal or business information via viruses, malware, and ransomware.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is well equipped with additional features that focus on keeping users’ privacy intact when it comes down to privacy.
Therefore, along with all the useful protective features, you will also get an anti-tracker that won’t track your browsing sessions when you browse the web.
On top of that, Bitdefender comes with a file shredder, safe online banking so you won’t have to be scared when online shopping, a super-secure password manager, and even social network protection.
Bitdefender even features a free VPN with 200 MB that you can use when you need the most privacy.
There’s even an additional privacy firewall to keep your internet browsing sessions incredibly secure.
Internet Security
Malwarebytes
Unfortunately, other than the features mentioned above, Malwarebytes doesn’t come with any additional features that will improve internet security.
In comparison with Bitdefender, Malwarebytes lacks in this field. However, the VPN that comes provided is a decent way to keep your browsing private. At the same time, Malwarebytes also has basic security features that will keep your computer safe from threats you come across online.
Additional features such as antispam, safer shopping, additional firewall, or hardware (webcam) protection could be useful if Malwarebytes ever decided to expand their software and make it an all-in-one antivirus tool.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is equipped with all the right features that will keep you safe and protected when you’re browsing the web.
This doesn’t necessarily mean against viruses, but against various phishing scams, hacking attempts, lurkers who might want to abuse your network, or against spam.
Bitdefender includes an anti-spam feature, so you never have to waste your time on it again, a microphone monitor that will let you know if anyone’s trying to listen to you through your device, and parental control for the most control over the computer in case your family uses the same computer.
Privacy firewall is another great feature that’s well combined with WiFi security advisor. With the help of these two features, you’ll know whenever someone’s trying to hack your device or network after they’ve obtained your IP address on the internet.
Also, besides the microphone monitor, Bitdefender provides webcam protection so you never become the victim.
Additional Features
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes only introduced a virtual private network from additional features, which is only available in the Premium Plus version.
Other than that, Malwarebytes is a stripped-down, light, and the least resourceful version of an antivirus tool you can find on the market.
Of course, a couple more features could have been added to improve security, privacy, or even useability. However, Malwarebytes still strictly focuses on providing the most robust malware support that will use the fewest computer resources.
But you can find additional versions of Malwarebytes such as Browser Guard or AdwCleaner that aren’t integrated into the original version. Still, you can additionally use them, along with the Malwarebytes.
As a result, Bitdefender has plenty of additional features to benefit from instead.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is full of useful features, and from additional features, it includes support of up to 10 devices, anti-theft functionality, and performance optimization.
Performance optimization utility helps you adjust the Bitdefender to your computer hardware and software, so it uses the least resources possible while performing its job.
However, additional Bitdefender features depend on the version of Bitdefender you get. More costly versions include support for many more devices, unlimited VPN usage, and more.
Also, you shouldn’t forget all other features mentioned earlier that ensure privacy and internet security, such as password manager, file shredder, social network protection, and others.
Needless to say that Bitdefender provides a lot more features than Malwarebytes. Yet, it still doesn’t require many resources since the tool has been built on the Photon technology that even relies on the cloud to reduce the resources required to run Bitdefender efficiently on any device.
You should also keep in mind that Bitdefender has additional services that are not included in the tool but provide digital identity protection, home network support, and computer tune-up.
You can get these things in addition to Bitdefender, and they are a great way to expand and get some features you could be missing.
User Interface
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes recently got an interface update where they minimize the number of visible features to ensure easier use. This has also helped bridge down the gap with users who have never used such tools before.
This tool is now a single dashboard where you can see the main functionalities on the left side and the definition and options of these features on the right canvas screen.
Since Malwarebytes doesn’t have too many features, you can learn how the whole tool works in less than 10 minutes. So not only does Malwarebytes look great, but it is also very efficient and easy to use.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender also had received a facelift recently, and even though Bitdefender has many features, they were able to create a neatly organized interface that’s easy to use. Yet, all features are only a couple of clicks away.
Also, the main interface is very clearly designed so you can know exactly the state of your computer the moment you open Bitdefender.
Compared to Malwarebytes, Bitdefender did a really good job designing a simple interface and packing double the number of features.
It’s great to see that both tools are improving the interfaces visually and constructing the interface from scratch during their facelifts to combine usability and great looks.
Compatibility
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is well built, so it’s compatible with almost all the most commonly used devices you can think of.
It supports Windows, macOS, and iOS and Android devices. It even supports Chromebook OS, which goes well since Chromebook OS is made simple and efficient, just like Malwarebytes.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is very compatible with most common operating systems and devices, so you’ll be able to install it and run it on Windows and macOS computers.
On top of that, Bitdefender is also available on iOS and Android devices so that you can keep all your devices protected at all times.
Ease of Use
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is extremely easy to use because it mainly focuses on malware protection, and it doesn’t overpack the tool with many other features.
On top of that, Malwarebytes recently updated their user interface making things even simpler. Anyone without any previous experience with antivirus tools can download, install, and understand everything there is to know about Malwarebytes in one afternoon.
Scanning the device right after installing Malwarebytes is almost automatic and users don’t even have to mess with many settings.
Also, considering that Malwarebytes uses very few resources to run in the background, it is truly a great anti-malware tool that won’t disturb users or decrease someone’s productivity at any time.
But do keep in mind that while Malwarebytes is super easy to use, there aren’t as many features as in Bitdefender.
Bitdefender
The greatest thing about Bitdefender is that they could provide super easy use even though the tool packs a lot of features in a neat interface.
Therefore, you’ll need a bit of time to learn about all of the features, but you won’t ever get confused or overwhelmed when using Bitdefender, even for the first time.
From downloading, installing, and setting up Bitdefender on your computer or smartphone device, to running a scan and adjusting it to your hardware and system, you won’t ever have any issues that can’t be resolved.
The interface is very minimalistic, yet all features available within Bitdefender are a couple of clicks away, ensuring convenience and superb ease of use.
Malwarebytes vs Bitdefender – Pricing
Malwarebytes Pricing
There are two different pricing types for Malwarebytes for personal and business use.
You can download Malwarebytes for free for personal use (14-day trial), which is decent enough, but it’s fairly limited. However, if you decide to upgrade, you will be able to choose between two versions:
- Premium – $1.33/month for one device or $2.67/month for up to 5 devices
- Premium + Privacy – $4.17/month for up to 5 devices
When it comes down to business use, you can also get a free trial standalone version, or you can upgrade to a paid version where you get to choose between:
- 1-9 devices – $49.99, $69.99, or $84.99 per device, per year (depending on if you’re a team, need endpoint protection, or endpoint detection and response)
- 10-99 devices – $49.99, $69.99 or $84.99 per device, per year
- 100+ devices – $69.99 or $84.99 per device, per year
Unfortunately, there aren’t any discounts for larger companies and enterprises. But the free version trial for personal use might be enough for the most average computer users.
For the latest pricing, visit the official Malwarebytes pricing page.
Bitdefender Pricing
Bitdefender has four different versions:
- Premium Security
- Total Security
- Digital Identity Protection
- Premium VPN
Therefore, the main choice is often between Premium and Total Security as these versions include the most features.
So these are the following pricing models:
- Premium Security – $79.31 for the first year for up to 10 devices
- Total Security – $40.79 for the first year for up to 5 devices
- Internet Security – $30.59 for the first year for up to 3 devices
However, for the latest pricing, visit the official Bitdefender pricing page.
Similarities
- Both tools provide robust malware protection
- Both tools provide excellent performance, combined with ease of use
- Both tools provide at least one privacy feature
- Both tools have a facelifted interface
- Both tools are fairly compatible with the most standard systems and devices
- Both tools are extremely easy to use
Differences
- Malwarebytes mostly focuses on malware while Bitdefender focuses on all types of protection
- Bitdefender provides more privacy features, as well as additional features
- Bitdefender is a lot more robust when it comes down to internet security
- Bitdefender has a lot more features than Malwarebytes
- Bitdefender is a lot more affordable
Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes – Pros and Cons
Malwarebytes Pros
- Great at finding any threats and intrusions
- Very efficient without bogging down the computer resources
- Very easy to use
- Great threat prevention
- Included VPN
- Good at keeping computers from hacking attempts
Malwarebytes Cons
- Could be expanded and include many more features
- It’s a little bit on the pricier side for what it has to offer
Bitdefender Pros
- Advanced technology that doesn’t bog down the computer resources
- Easily stops 0-day threats
- Very quick and efficient scans
- Plenty of features that provide all types of support for devices and the internet
- Facelifted interface that’s very easy to use
- Has a lot more advanced and additional features
- Offers many different pricing plans to fit everyone’s needs
Bitdefender Cons
- Support could be better
- Cloud dashboard can be a bit more challenging to navigate
Malwarebytes vs Bitdefender – Which is Better?
Bitdefender is the winner because it is a much more elaborate antivirus tool. Instead of only focusing on malware and viruses, Bitdefender also increases the privacy and security for users across all devices.
Price-wise, Bitdefender is also slightly cheaper, yet it provides a lot more value in the long run.
On top of that, Bitdefender relies on the latest technology that adapts to the hardware and system. It even utilizes the cloud, which helps reduce the stress on the computer while keeping it safe at all times from all possible threats you can come across.
