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Best for involved protection
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Consistently near-perfect test scores across all third-party testers
Comprehensive scam protection, including AI-powered Scam Copilot and phishing defense
Includes extra features like safe banking, VPN, and more
Best for a hands-off experience
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Tried and true real-time antivirus protection
Free plan comes with antivirus protection, software updates, and web protection
Bitdefender and Avira both have a free service that you can upgrade for more features at a monthly or annual price. Bitdefender Antivirus Free is primarily available for Windows users, while Avira Antivirus covers both Windows and Mac users for free. Overall, Bitdefender is the better antivirus.
We’ll dive into Bitdefender vs. Avira and discuss their competitive pricing plans, malware protection abilities, bonus features like a virtual private network (VPN), and more, so you can focus on protecting your devices with the right antivirus for you.
At first glance, Avira stands out because of its free downloadable software for both Windows and Mac users. Avira Free also comes with a password manager and a VPN, which allows for an encrypted web surfing experience. Bitdefender Free is available only for Windows users. Unlike Avira Free, it doesn’t come with a free VPN, ransomware protection, or a junk cleaner.
Upgrading to Bitdefender’s Ultimate Security unlocks a lot more security features. It protects hard drives and SSDs from ransomware attacks and also has features like credit card fraud alerts. Bitdefender not only protects your computer with antivirus across multiple platforms but also protects physical and digital belongings that may be important to you.
Bitdefender acts as a shield that pushes attackers away, while Avira acts as a sword that finds viruses and clears them out.
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Bitdefender |
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Avira |
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| Star rating | ||
| Price | Free or $24.99–$64.99/first yr | Free or $26.99–$59.99/first yr |
| Max number of protected devices | 10 | 25 |
| Malware scans | Manual and scheduled | Manual and scheduled |
| Real-time protection | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get Avira |
We use our proprietary grading rubric in all of our testing, which considers ease-of-use, third-party testing scores, internal testing scores, price, compatibility, and features offered, among other metrics.
This means that our testing process is designed to ensure that the product isn't too confusing, protects as it claims, and offers you a lot for a reasonable price. We download and run each program on our own computers on home networks, just like you would. Our ratings reflect the real-world performance of the antivirus product. This ensures that we can recreate a similar experience for you and give our best advice on whether or not it's worthwhile.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full antivirus testing methodology here.
Bitdefender’s Ultimate Security plan costs Free, protects up to 10 devices, and its features both protect you and predict when threats are on their way. Ultimate Security has three categories of features: protection and performance, privacy, and identity protection.
Protection features include multi-layered ransomware blockers, anti-phishing, advanced threat defense, and many more.
If you opt to pay for a plan, Avira’s mighty sword comes with plenty of features, and the free version sets up a great antivirus foundation. Avira Prime comes with features like VIP customer support, a password manager, data breach scans, and an unlimited VPN. Plus, it runs scans to block malware and phishing threats.
Avira Prime’s price ranges from $59.99/first yr depending on how many devices you wish to protect.
You can start by protecting up to five devices, but it also has a 25-device subscription if you need more devices protected. If you are a Mac user, Avira runs natively on Apple’s M series silicon chips, as well as Windows 11 and current versions of Android and iOS.
While both of their free plans are reliable, Bitdefender has better prices for paid services than Avira.
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Bitdefender Best Pricing
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Avira |
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| Price range | $24.99–$64.99/first yr | $26.99–$59.99/first yr |
| Best value plan | Bitdefender Ultimate Security for Free | Avira Prime for $59.99/first yr |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 60 days |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get Avira |
The biggest difference between Bitdefender and Avira is in the cost of their premium security suites. Avira Prime can cost anywhere between , and it comes with comprehensive antivirus software, a PC cleaner (junk cleaner for macOS), an unlimited VPN, and a password manager.
Bitdefender Ultimate Security at Free also comes with the antivirus, plus security features that protect you from malware, tracking, identity fraud, and other cyberthreats.
From a financial standpoint, Bitdefender gives much more for a comparable price. Bitdefender Ultimate Security protects up to 10 devices, while Avira Prime starts by protecting five. If you were to choose to cover up to 25 devices with Avira Prime, you would cover more devices but with fewer features than Bitdefender, at more than twice the base cost of Avira Prime.
When it comes to their free versions, Avira has the advantage over Bitdefender by offering more features to test out before deciding to upgrade. With fewer features, the only true way to try out Bitdefender is to take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee. This contrasts with Avira’s 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bitdefender has a better list of features with its paid plans.
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Bitdefender Best Features
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Avira |
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| Manual and scheduled scans | ||
| Phishing protection | ||
| Ransomware protection | ||
| Firewall | Yes (Windows only) | Yes (Windows only) |
| Parental controls | ||
| Password manager | ||
| VPN | ||
| Ad blocker | Yes (with VPN) | |
| Device optimization tools | ||
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get Avira |
If you choose to test out the free versions of Bitdefender and Avira, you’ll find scanning for phishing attempts, ransomware, and malware. However, Bitdefender free is only compatible with Windows PCs. For macOS, we found Bitdefender’s Virus Scanner in the Apple App Store. This app can scan for malware and quarantine dangerous files, just like the Windows counterpart.
Now if detecting viruses is all you need, then both programs will do just fine. But if you want more protection while surfing the internet, then Avira has got you covered with a VPN and a password manager, so you can feel more secure with your day-to-day online activities.
Another Avira feature that can help your device is the Junk Cleaner. It scans all storage devices to make sure there are no files that could clutter or be hiding to potentially harm your system. Downloading files off the internet can be dicey; one download could be carrying a virus that sneaks onto your SSD.
With Avira Prime, you also get dark web monitoring. This feature looks to see if your information has been compromised and is available for sale on the dark web, which is notorious for underground black markets. You also get alerts any time your identity has been compromised in security breaches.
However, Bitdefender Ultimate Security comes with unique features like comprehensive identity theft protection, including identity theft insurance. Bitdefender watches for your Social Security, credit and debit cards, address, and even medical records to see if they’re being used by someone you didn’t authorize. It also includes parental controls, so you can filter potentially dangerous or inappropriate internet content and manage your kids’ screen time.
When dealing with services that protect people’s personal information, it’s best to consult an objective third party so that our faith in these products is not swayed by biases or sponsored opinions.
That’s why we use a trusted certified third-party tester like AV-TEST. Its antivirus testing is rigorous and ensures each product has gone through quality control so the marketing of the product is correct in its claims.
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Bitdefender Best Results
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Avira |
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| Windows score | 17.5/18.0 | 18.0/18.0 |
| macOS score | 18.0/18.0 | 17.5/18.0 |
| Android score | 18.0/18.0 | 17.0/18.0 |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get Avira |
Both Bitdefender and Avira were tested on Windows, macOS, and Android. In our tests, Bitdefender received 100% in protection for both Windows 10 and macOS Ventura, while Avira scored 100% on Windows but came up with 99.2% on macOS. That may seem like an inconsequential difference, but it does clarify that Avira is best for Windows users.
When looking at performance, Avira outshines Bitdefender. Avira’s tests show that it slows down below the industry average, whereas Bitdefender will hover within three percentage points of the industry average. Avira also beats out Bitdefender in usability, as it came up with fewer false positives on malware in scans.
Bitdefender’s biggest strength is protection, but it suffers from computer slowdowns and recognizing threats as malware correctly. Avira has the lead in being easy on your computer’s speeds and recognizing malware but suffers in protection if you’re a Mac user.
With too many similarities, we're calling this category a tie.
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Bitdefender |
Avira |
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| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge | Yes — Chrome, Firefox |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Live chat, phone, email, forums, online guides | Live chat, phone, email, forums, online guides |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get Avira |
When it comes to ease of use, both Avira and Bitdefender are equally user-friendly. From personal testing, both programs were relatively easy, and both have a sidebar that makes it easier to search for the right tool. You can schedule scans, track the protection status on your device, and find optimization tools to help your device’s performance.
While both antiviruses are great in user experience, Avira has an advantage over Bitdefender by being the more equipped free version. Downloading Avira is quick, and it can start scanning and cleaning drives before you even think about plans.
As far as customer support, only Bitdefender offers 24/7 support. And with Avira, a paid subscription is needed to get phone support. You can reach Avira and Bitdefender by text, email, and/or calling them. In our experience, both customer support teams were polite and eager to help with the problems that were presented to them.
It’s also normal for tech companies to offer knowledge bases to aid in self-diagnosing and troubleshooting problems. Avira’s knowledge base offers guides, which are categorized based on which system you’re having trouble with, with step-by-step instructions. Bitdefender offers the same plus video tutorials for troubleshooting.
Based on its AV-TEST results, Bitdefender has been found to slow down your machine within the industry standard.
Avira Free boasts features like a password manager, VPN, and junk cleaner, while Bitdefender Free only includes features for scanning and quarantining threats. Bitdefender Free is primarily for Windows, while Avira Free is for Windows and macOS.
Avira is owned by Gen Digital, a cybersecurity giant and owner of Antivirus brands Norton and Norton LifeLock.
Avira is a great tool for offensive protection against viruses, malware, and ransomware. However, the antivirus lacks preventative features like investment alerts and fraud detection, which would make it more valuable for your dollar.
If you’re in the market for an antivirus, you can’t go wrong with either Bitdefender or Avira. Both antiviruses are robust and user-friendly tools that can detect and destroy malware threats, but the differences in free vs. paid can be substantial. For paid, Bitdefender Ultimate Security wins out for its massive list of safety features, having higher AV-TEST scores, and its modest price.
Bitdefender and Avira are just two of many stand-out antivirus providers:
Consistently near-perfect test scores across all third-party testers
Comprehensive scam protection, including AI-powered Scam Copilot and phishing defense
Includes extra features like safe banking, VPN, and more
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