Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 PCMag review

[Petrovic]

A Sweet Suite
Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 has everything you'd want in a suite, and more. Its antivirus gets stellar scores in our tests and lab tests, and its antispam beat out all competitors for accuracy. The firewall doesn't attempt fancy exploit blocking, but it's tough and hassle-free. Add features like ransomware protection, password management, and secure browsing, and you've got a suite with power to spare.

Along with Kaspersky Internet Security (2016), Bitdefender is a security suite Editors' Choice. Other products have earned the Editors' Choice rating for different variations on the security suite concept. In particular, McAfee LiveSafe 2015 and Symantec Norton Security are our Editors' Choice products for cross-platform multi-device security.

Sub-Ratings:
Note: These sub-ratings contribute to a product's overall star rating, as do other factors, including ease of use in real-world testing, bonus features, and overall integration of features.
Firewall:

Antivirus:

Performance:

Antispam:

Privacy:

Parental Control:

Full Article

 

[hjlbx]

Few people realize that Bitdefender simply uses Windows Firewall and adds some policies to it. Windows Firewall does work rather well with outbound notifications...

 

[Deleted member 178]

Noooooooo !!!!! Not PCmag !!

I never trust their reviews.

 

[kev216]

Noooooooo !!!!! Not PCmag !!

I never trust their reviews.

You indeed have to take them with a grain of salt, but on the other hand, i didn't expected worse results from Bitdefender.

 

[superboy123]

Yesterday, i install BIS 2016 in my laptop..and this antivirus can't be open..and their icon in my taskbar is black and tell me to sign in but how to sign in if i can't open their interface.other than that, my laptop become slow...and i uninstall it and my laptop become normal like before i install BIS 16..

 

[Ray Redbad]

Few people realize that Bitdefender simply uses Windows Firewall and adds some policies to it.

Very few people is just you it seems. I know you were avoiding those nasty technical details (like the product name) when you typed just "Bitdefender," but BD Internet Security has always had its own firewall and it dutifully turns off Windows Firewall during install. Regards.

 

[ifacedown]

Noooooooo !!!!! Not PCmag !!

I never trust their reviews.

Reviews by PCmag or by Neil Rubenking?

 

[Deleted member 178]

any, BD is far from being topnotch , any review that award it is either bought or ignorant.

 

[ifacedown]

any, BD is far from being topnotch , any review that award it is either bought or ignorant.

Actually, many users including I (before I tried it several times) were complaining about internet connectivity. Their customer support would just suggest a ludicrous workaround -- disable some of its protection!

I personally think that is absurd! They must do some bug-fixing instead rather than disabling some of its security features as a "solution".

 

[Raul90]

BD "excellent" hmmmm....gotta have a bottle of Jim Bean to be able to say that...If I'll use BD then I need to pair it with EXE Radar or AppGuard (or maybe NVT Smart Object Blocker!).
Recently contacted their support and I was told that they do not give an offline standalone installer for the 2016 eventhough I requested one. Said I'd have to use the 2015 standalone installer instead. I explained the offline installer is for those who have issues with their internet connection (as me at the moment)as such the big size of the install may be jeopardized and may end up doing it over and over again. Activating, updating isn't an issue just the online installation. They said,

..unfortunately I must inform you that Bitdefender 2016 currently does NOT have an oī-line installer that could be used on a machine not connected to the Internet. Bitdefender 2016 is built with worldwide scalable security in mind and preventing zero-day threats from spreading across the Internet. As such, Bitdefender Total Security 2016 can only be installed, updated and activated on a machine connected to the Internet. If connecting to the Internet is not possible, the only solution we can currently oīer is installing the 2015 version...

 

[SloppyMcFloppy]

Actually, many users including I (before I tried it several times) were complaining about internet connectivity. Their customer support would just suggest a ludicrous workaround -- disable some of its protection!

I personally think that is absurd! They must do some bug-fixing instead rather than disabling some of its security features as a "solution".

I used Bitdefender 2016 Total Security for a month now, and i had no issue at all upon installed and after installed and used it. Plus, i don't felt any slow down while surfing the web.

 

[ifacedown]

I used Bitdefender 2016 Total Security for a month now, and i had no issue at all upon installed and after installed and used it. Plus, i don't felt any slow down while surfing the web.

well, you are most blessed, because so many users had/have internet issues with BD, any version.

 

[SloppyMcFloppy]

well, you are most blessed, because so many users had/have internet issues with BD, any version.

Thanks for the compliment, and i did installed Bitdefender Total Security 2016 on my mom laptop which has 4th gen i3 CPU, 6GB RAM, and 450GB HDD last night, and let me tell you her laptop have no problem upon installed and after installed. Also, her web surfing speed doesn't slow down at all. She say she probably will buy this over Norton Internet Security 2015.

 

[thewul]

Noooooooo !!!!! Not PCmag !!

I never trust their reviews.

PC Advisor also got them a very good review
"..This is one of the very best AV suites available, in terms of outright protection against malware."

BitDefender's is one of the best antivirus software programs you can buy offering excellent protection and few false positives

Also PCMag 'Listens to the labs' - see : The Best Antivirus Utilities for 2016
(a bit in the middle)

On what basis is it that you don't trust their reviews?

As a matter of fact, there aren't so many in depth side-by-side reviews, being based on labtests.

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[vrb93]

My experience with Bitdefender hasn't been positive, both with their free and paid products. It's just my case, obviously, but the majority of people I've heard had encountered various issues with BD products.
It's quite funny seeing how a software house can work so well on their engine, selling it to almost half of the vendors in the AV market, having so relevant trouble and inconsistencies on the usability and compatibility side

 

[thewul]

What has been your experience then? Except for Avast that you seem to be using, which I guess is your personal nbr 1 choice
what would then be your nbr 2, in case you were to switch to something else? Norton, Emsisoft, Kaspersky?

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[vrb93]

What has been your experience then? Except for Avast that you seem to be using, which I guess is your personal nbr 1 choice
what would then be your nbr 2, in case you were to switch to something else? Norton, Emsisoft, Kaspersky?

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I tried a lot of different configs on my system
Bd free and BDIS2015 were heavy for me, among paid I like Norton and Eset, but also Kaspersky and Dr.Web (this last being too resource-hungry).
Among free I like Avast, Panda and 360TSE over AVG (that gave me problems), Avira (don't like it), Fortinet (too dependent on signatures).
I have to try Sophos Free and Emsisoft ASAP!
My second choice? Panda among freewares, Kaspersky if paid

 

[thewul]

When looking at the Bitdefender vs Kaspkersky thread
VERSUS - Kaspersky Internet Security 2015 Vs Bitdefender Internet Security 2015
I think it is about 50/50 ..

Guess it is a matter of taste. I am not sure about the Bitdefender support though: contrary to Kaspersky they don't
seem to have a forum, which -for me personal- is something that carries quite some weight.
As a matter of fact, checking for a forum is one of the first thing I do when considering buying software.
That said, except for the forum, Kaspersky's personal support is really crap.
In fact I experienced over and over - there is no support at all.
So, it is bad luck, if you have an issue that can not be solved on the forum.

edit: later.. although Kaspersky does have a forum, usually the responses are to submit a ticket to the support dept. (i.e. no solution), or submit all kinds of reports, after which users nonetheless still hv to contact support directly. Then again support does not reply...
so the use of the forum is relative.

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