Bitdefender and Malwarebytes are two very different antivirus options with their own features and benefits. Bitdefender is a full-featured internet security suite with perfect malware detection rates, while Malwarebytes is a simplistic, minimalistic antivirus that is best suited to beginners and non-techy users.
Short on Time? Bitdefender vs. Malwarebytes — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
Bitdefender is better for overall security, features, and price. If you want one of the best internet security suites in 2024, go with Bitdefender.
Malwarebytes is better for beginners. If you want a simple, streamlined, easy-to-use antivirus, go with Malwarebytes.
Malware Protection
Bitdefender
Bitdefender’s cloud-based anti-malware engine is one of the best out there. It uses a combination of machine learning and a huge malware directory to detect all kinds of malware. And because most scanning happens in the cloud, it’s very lightweight, meaning there’s no impact on your device’s performance during the scans.
In my tests, Bitdefender’s full scan caught every single malware sample. I downloaded hundreds of samples onto my computer for the tests, including viruses, trojans, ransomware, and cryptojackers. What’s more, the full disk scan only took 1 hour, and it didn’t slow my computer down at all.
Bitdefender’s real-time protection is also excellent. It caught 100% of the malware in my tests, blocking every dangerous file before it had the chance to download. Bitdefender also allows for a lot of customization with its real-time protection, which will be appreciated by advanced users.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes has a good anti-malware engine that can detect and block the vast majority of malware on both Windows and Mac devices. It uses a malware database combined with heuristic analysis to detect threats, and it offers a range of scan options as well as real-time protection.
Malwarebytes found 95% of the malware samples I hid on my device, and its real-time protection blocked 98% of the malware files I tried to download. This isn’t as good as top competitors like Norton and Bitdefender, but it’s a good industry average.
But Malwarebytes’s scanner took over 3 hours to scan my entire disk, which is longer than many other antiviruses. And it doesn’t have a default full disk scan option, so you have to choose this manually in a custom scan.
Web Security
Bitdefender
Bitdefender provides exceptional protection against phishing scams and a wide range of other web-based threats. It cross-checks every website you visit against a huge database of known dangerous sites and automatically blocks access to any matches — and in my tests, it successfully blocked 100% of the dangerous sites I tried to access
It also provides a handy pop-up when a site is blocked, listing the site and the reason, and allows you to easily whitelist a site if you’re 100% sure of a false positive.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes offers good web protection via its browser extension, Browser Guard. The extension works with Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, and it protects against phishing, trackers, pop-up ads, and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs). This extension is also available completely free.
Browser Guard blocked 90% of the known phishing sites I tried to access, which is pretty good. However, the ad blocker wasn’t as effective, only blocking around 35% of ads on the various sites I visited.
Features
Bitdefender
Bitdefender’s various plans cover between 1 and 10 devices and include the following features:
- Advanced malware detection and real-time protection.
- Web protection.
- Firewall.
- Secure browser.
- VPN (limited to 200 MB/day on most plans).
- Parental controls.
- Wi-Fi network protection.
- System optimization tools.
- File shredder.
- Password manager.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
- And much more…
Bitdefender has an excellent variety of additional tools and features, which all work very well. The parental controls are some of the best around, with a wide range of useful features — most of which are highly customizable. The file shredder and secure browser are also really nice additions.
Bitdefender’s VPN is on par with many standalone VPNs, and the top-tier Premium Security plan comes with unlimited data, making it an extremely good-value option for anyone looking for both a quality antivirus and a VPN.
The password manager is okay but a little too basic in my opinion, especially as it’s only included free on the top-tier plan.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes covers up to 5 devices across Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and it includes:
- Malware scanning.
- Real-time protection.
- Web and anti-phishing protection.
- VPN (premium plan only).
- 60-day money-back guarantee.
Malwarebytes’s features are all pretty good, and the malware scanner and web protections are both available on its free plan. However, it has far fewer features than most top competitors — missing things such as a firewall, parental controls, and system optimization tools — and the real-time protection is good but not perfect. So its paid plans aren’t as good a value as many other antiviruses.
Malwarebytes’s VPN has good privacy protections and decent speeds, but it doesn’t work with streaming sites, so if this is a priority for you, it’s not really worth the extra cost.
Malwarebytes offers a dedicated Identity Theft Protection service with extensive credit and identity monitoring. However, it’s important to note this feature is separate from the Malwarebytes Plus and Standard plans and comes at a higher cost.
Ease of Use
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is well-designed, easy to use, and intuitive. All features are easy to find and access on its desktop app, with large buttons and a simple and intuitive categorization. There are also a lot of customization options for the various features, as well as the dashboard itself, and everything is easy to find and use.
The mobile apps are also good. Both the Android and iOS apps are feature-rich and have an attractive and intuitive interface. I particularly appreciate the scam alert feature included in both versions of the app — it can scan your text messages and calendars for any suspicious links or invites and stop you from tapping on them, which is great.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a really intuitive and easy-to-use antivirus. It’s clean, simple, uncluttered, and very easy to navigate. As there are so few features, it takes no time at all to set up. You simply download the software and you’re away.
Malwarebytes’s mobile apps are also pretty good, although as is often the case, the Android app has a lot more functionality than the iOS app. However, they both have clean, easy-to-use interfaces and are decent options for beginners or less tech-savvy users in particular.
Customer Support
Bitdefender
Bitdefender’s customer support is very good. It provides email support, live chat, phone support, a knowledge database, and community support.
Both live chat and phone support are great — they’re available 24/7 in English and during local working hours in various other languages. A comprehensive list of local as well as broader “worldwide” and “European” phone lines is also available.
My experience with Bitdefender’s support was always very good. I was connected quickly and received friendly and helpful responses every time.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes offers a decent knowledge base, chat bot, live chat, and email support, but it lacks phone support. Honestly, this makes the customer support adequate overall.
The chat bot is basically a search function for the knowledge base, providing you with links to relevant articles. These articles are very informative and cover a wide range of issues in detail. While live chat is available, my experience with it was frustrating — I had to wait in a queue and repeat information I’d already given, which made the process slower than expected.
If you need further assistance, email is the next step, but replies typically take around 24 hours. This is unfortunate given the lack of quicker and more reliable support options.
