# Alternatives to Bitdefender Top lab scores, light footprint. Bitdefender ranks #1 of 9 in Antivirus software, with an Alt Score of 91. It is freemium from $24.99/year and available on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bitdefender/ Category: Antivirus software ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Individuals and families wanting antivirus and privacy protection across their devices, plus small businesses and enterprises needing endpoint security and threat management for their networks. - **What you get**: Real-time antivirus and malware protection, ransomware and phishing defense, plus firewall, VPN, and parental control add-ons for consumers. Business customers get endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR) through the GravityZone platform, with centralized threat monitoring and attack surface reduction. Detection relies on signature-based scanning plus behavioral and cloud-based threat intelligence. - **How it works**: You install the Bitdefender client (consumer app or GravityZone agent) on each device, which then runs continuous background scanning and real-time monitoring against Bitdefender's cloud threat database. Detected threats are automatically blocked or quarantined, with alerts and management surfaced through a local app or, for business tiers, a central management console. ## Profile - **License**: ? - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-10) - **Starts at**: $24.99/year (verified 2026-07-10) - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Avast](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/avast.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | 2 | [ESET](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/eset.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android | | 3 | [Malwarebytes](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/malwarebytes.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | 4 | [Microsoft Defender](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/microsoft-defender.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 5 | [Norton](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/norton.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | 6 | [AVG](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/avg.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | 7 | [Avira](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/avira.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | 8 | [ClamAV](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/clamav.md) | 46 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Antivirus software checklist | Bitdefender | Avast | ESET | Malwarebytes | Microsoft Defender | Norton | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium | Free | Subscription | | Starts at | $24.99/year | $49.99/year | ? | $59.99/year | ? | $94.99 first year (Norton 360 Standard) | | License | ? | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | | Independent lab scores (AV-TEST) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Real-time protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Ransomware protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Performance impact | Yes | ? | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | | Free tier | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | | No data selling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Web protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Cross-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Firewall included | Partial | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | | Ad-free experience | Partial | Partial | ? | Partial | ? | ? | ## Sources Sources for Bitdefender. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Get an antivirus that is totally free, no hidden costs, no trials required.” - **Starts at**: $24.99/year — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “USD 24.99” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Covers Windows, Android, macOS, iOS devices” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Overall Score. July 2011 - February 2025. Source AV TEST.org” - **Independent lab scores (AV-TEST)**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Best antivirus protection in the industry, as proven by the last 10 years of independent test scores” - **Real-time protection**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Complete Real-Time Data Protection” - **Ransomware protection**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Multi-Layer Ransomware Protection” - **Performance impact**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Low footprint on battery and CPU that does not impact your device performances” - **Free tier**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Bitdefender Antivirus Free offers top-notch protection for your Windows PC without any hidden costs or time limits.” - **No data selling**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “We do not sell your data.” - **Web protection**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Web Protection safeguards all your internet traffic, blocking phishing sites and dangerous activities” - **Cross-platform**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Covers Windows, Android, macOS, iOS devices” - **Firewall included**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: Firewall in higher tiers (Total Security), not the free/entry tier. - Quote: “Privacy Firewall” - **Ad-free experience**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “No annoying pop-ups” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/