The latest Bitdefender Free Edition for 2021 is a free anti-virus program developed by the Bucharest-based company, SOFTWIN, and can protect PCs, Macs, and UNIX machines.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition features a lightning-fast free antivirus that provides you with all of the essential protection features for your computer while ensuring that your computer doesn't lag or freeze throughout the scanning process.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free features

Users will also enjoy a fast download at maximum speed, and it's highly recommended for any gamers that need some protection for their computer. This free antivirus also features Real-Time Threat Detection, which helps you monitor any suspicious activities your active apps might be doing in the background.

Next, the Virus Scanning and Malware Removal feature protects your computer by removing any viruses, malware, Trojans, and worms that could potentially harm your data and or the operating system of your computer.

On top of that, the Anti-Phishing feature also helps you to block any harmful sites that could steal your credentials, such as your credit card information. Even if you do land on a harmful website, the Anti-Fraud feature will ensure that your credentials are protected from unauthorized individuals.

What it offers

The free version of the Bitdefender Antivirus currently offers complete windows protection against viruses and malware that automatically prevents them from infecting the data in your computer.

Apart from that, the free version also comes with improved real-time data protection that helps you to automatically detect and prevent any harmful downloads right from your internet browser. This means that your computer will be well-protected at all times throughout the entire time you browse through the internet.

Next, the advanced threat defense that utilizes behavior-based technology ensures that any incoming ransomware will instantly be blocked when detected. One of the most interesting things that it offers is web attack prevention, as it allows you to avoid landing on a harmful website by utilizing web filtering technology.

On top of that, the anti-phishing and anti-fraud technology also helps you protect yourself from falling into any online fraud when you are shopping online so you can shop with confidence all the time.

Installation and setup

To install Bitdefender on your computer just download the setup .exe file from their website and run the file to launch the install wizard. Follow all of the simple setup instructions provided and click Next followed by the Finish button to complete the software installation on your computer.

Typical installation is recommended for most users, while Custom installation is recommended only for advanced users who know which specific components they want to install. Complete installation entails full product installation with all BitDefender modules. You can also opt to have BitDefender run automatically upon system startup.

What it does not offer

One of the features not included in the free version is network threat prevention, a new type of cyber threat intelligence technology that can identify and analyze suspicious network activities. It can also block any incoming complex virus exploits, malware, brute force attacks, or known URLs linked within a botnet.

The free version does not include the multi-layer ransomware protection that is used to keep your files secure all the time by encrypting them in your computer.

Next, unlike the Antivirus plus version (also offered by Bitdefender), the free version does not have a rescue environment, which is critical when your computer contains any malware that is far more complex than what the free version will cover.

For example, rootkits, a type of malware, need to be removed right before the Windows operating system starts. A rescue environment can help the user reboot the computer into a safe environment to clean any malware and restore your computer's default settings.

Lab results

The results provided by AV-Test proved that Bitdefender deserved to have a stable reputation as an antivirus provider. In the last few months, Bitdefender has shown its ability to maintain a nice score of 6.0 constantly.

This antivirus also successfully scored the highest score for detecting sophisticated malware and 0-day malware invasions. Just in case that's not good enough to impress you, then the average AV-Test protection that they received starting from January 2011 up to February 2021 is a whopping 5.94 out of 6.0.

It isn't easy to find an antivirus that can perform better than this. If you're not familiar with AV-Test, it is an independent organization that evaluates and provides the rates for every antivirus and any security suite software that would usually be used for Microsoft Windows and Android.

Pros

Can be Considered One of the Best Protection From Malware

Bitdefender Free is an exceptional base software product that protects your computer from any malware threats that could disrupt your operating system's data or use ransomware software to encrypt your files to ask you for money to unlock them.

If you have often encountered malware problems in the past, then you should probably give Bitdefender a shot as it's free to download and use on your system.

Bitdefender doesn't cause your computer to lag

Unlike other types of antivirus available out there, Bitdefender allows you to download files from the internet at high-speed download rates, which means that it will not significantly impact your laptop's overall speed and performance. All of these powerful protection features are compacted into one lightweight software solution.

Protect your privacy at all times

The free version of Bitdefender also includes a password manager, free VPN, microphone protection, webcam protection, and anti-tracker tools. All of these tools are working to keep your privacy safe and secure around the clock 24/7.

Received multiple positive reviews

A good product has always been known to speak for itself, and the same goes for Bitdefender. They have many positive reviews both past and present, and most of their customers are more than satisfied with the level of protection that Bitdefender antivirus provides for their computers.

Why not try Bitdefender and see its performance for yourself as there is a totally free version provided, ready to be downloaded at any time.

User interface

For the second year, the new software’s user interface gets redesigned sporting a darker theme that looks more Norton-ish while preserving the same modular management console used last year. No more Intermediate and Advanced options which have been quite chaotic and are replaced with a simpler look. A simple ring at the top of the interface show green for a fully protected PC, yellow for needing addition, and red for immediate concern.

Apart from the status colors, the interface has links to configuration, events, and autopilot. The events record recent security actions, configuration for setting changes, and autopilot for automatic background operations like downloading virus signature updates.

The program's update variables, such as Last Update, Automatic Update, Virus Definitions, and Scan Plug-ins, can be found on the left column, while the right column contains each variable's values.