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360 Total Security is a leader in Cybersecurity software. With a billion active internet users, 360 has earned a strong reputation for excellence. Download Free.
Bitdefender Total Security offers complete protection for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices against malware, ransomware, spyware and other threats. It also includes VPN, device optimization, privacy and performance features.
Kaspersky Total Security is a multi-device protection software with parental controls, VPN and optimization tools. Learn how to download and install it for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
- A powerhouse security suite with premium features for all your devices
- TechRadar Verdict
- Bitdefender Total Security: Getting started
- Bitdefender Total Security: Antivirus
- Bitdefender Total Security: Limited VPN
- Bitdefender Total Security: Web protection
- Bitdefender Total Security: Safepay
- Bitdefender Total Security: Password Manager
- Bitdefender Total Security: Firewall
- Bitdefender Total Security: Webcam and microphone hijacking
Reviews
By Mike Williams
published 11 January 2023
(Image: © Bitdefender)
A strong all-round security suite, especially powerful on Windows, but with capable protection for Mac, Android and iOS, too. The extensive feature set and great value make it our pick of the Bitdefender range.
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Hand over your cash, create a Bitdefender account and you're directed to Bitdefender Central, the company's web dashboard. This is where you can view your subscriptions, download the apps you need, and monitor all your devices once they’re properly set up. It's all very straightforward, and we had Total Security up and running within minutes.
The app interface is straightforward, clearly presenting its various features using large icons, with text captions, and simple descriptions to help you understand what to expect from each function. Even security newcomers should quickly find whatever they need.
Bitdefender Total Security’s Windows app is absolutely stuffed with antivirus and other features, but as they’re identical to Bitdefender Security - and there’s much, much more to talk about - we’ll only summarize them here. Read our Bitdefender Internet Security review for a more detailed look.
Bitdefender’s antivirus protection begins with automatic scanning of downloads and apps for malware. If that’s not enough, you’re also able to configure and schedule scans, or check files, folders or drives on demand.
Scans can be slow, at least initially. But Bitdefender only checks new and changed files, which ensures they become much faster from the second run.
Bitdefender products are regularly assessed by all the big independent antivirus testing labs. Some recent results show Bitdefender’s rankings dropping just a little, but it’s a mixed picture, and the company still performs well above average overall.
Bitdefender ranks equal 6th out of 17 in AV-Comparatives’ Real-World Protection test, but the positions are based on tiny differences. It actually blocked 624 out of 626 test threats, a pretty decent result, but this time Avast and G Data happened to block 626, earning them first place.
Other results have better news, with AV-Test’s Windows Home User, SE Labs Home User Endpoint Security, and MRG Effitas last 360° Assessment report all detailing 100% protection in at least one of their antivirus tests.
All Bitdefender security tools from Antivirus Plus up include the company's VPN, and the website is keen to spell out the advantages: 'With Bitdefender VPN, you can stop worrying about privacy on the web. It protects your online presence by encrypting all Internet traffic.'
This is sort-of true, but there's a very big catch: you only get the limited version of the VPN, which doesn't allow you to choose a location (it automatically connects to the faster server only), and protects only 200MB of traffic a day.
We turned on the VPN and browsed eBay, Amazon and a few news sites to get a feel for how long this might last. The results will vary hugely depending on the sites you visit and how you use them, but our meter ran out after around 30 minutes. This could still be enough to cover the bare essentials, maybe checking your email or accessing work resources a few times a day over public Wi-Fi, but not much else.
Still, if you can live within the tight data limits, Bitdefender VPN isn't a bad service. It's easy to use, with a decent set of features on Windows (ad and tracker blocking, split tunneling, more).
Bitdefender's Web Protection blocks access to phishing and other malicious sites, reducing the chance that you'll be caught out by dangerous links in your inbox or social feeds.
It's a very effective system. We put together a list of 1,033 brand-new phishing links, and Web Protection blocked 88% of them. Avast also has quality anti-phishing, but it couldn't quite match Bitdefender, only blocking 83%.
Bitdefender Safepay is a secure browser which aims to protect your online banking, shopping and other activities from snoopers. We’re not just talking about external attacks: it also tries to prevent malicious apps running on your own system from monitoring your web usage.
Safepay doesn't support third-party extensions as they'd be a security risk, but it integrates with Bitdefender's password manager, handy for avoiding the need to remember your banking and e-store credentials. A built-in pop-up blocker keeps some browsing dangers at bay. There's also a simple virtual keyboard where you can enter text using your mouse rather than typing, helping to protect you from even hardware keyloggers.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, Internet Security and Total Security all include Wallets, the same password manager they’ve had for years. This has a fair number of features, including capture and autofill for logins, credit card details, identity information and more, but it can’t match the best of the competition. It’s only available as a browser extension, for instance, and you can’t use it to sync your passwords with Macs or mobile devices.
The new Bitdefender Password Manager is more powerful, with stand-alone Android and iOS apps along with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. But unfortunately, it’s not included in Bitdefender Total Security. After an initial three months free, it costs $1.67 a month in year one, $2.50 on renewal.
Bitdefender's intelligent firewall automatically protects you from port scans and incoming network attacks, and makes smart decisions about which apps are safe to allow online, and which really, really aren't.
To test its app assessments, we dug out three obscure Windows tools which most likely hadn't been used anywhere else in more than ten years, and allowed them to try to connect to the internet. Windows 10 alone allowed all three to get online; Bitdefender blocked two by default, not perfect but closer to what we hoped to see.
A Webcam Protection module gives you control over which applications can access your webcam. A host of useful options include options to block access to all but your chosen applications, block browsers only, or disable the webcam for everything. We tested this with a custom command line capture tool, and Total Security correctly notified us that it was trying to access the webcam, and blocked it when requested.
The Microphone Monitor takes a more basic approach, raising alerts for apps which access the microphone, but not allowing you to block them, or set up rules to block all future microphone access.
- Lead Security Reviewer
Mar 28, 2022 · A comprehensive security suite with antivirus, firewall, parental control, backup, and more. However, it's pricey and lacks some features of Kaspersky Security Cloud.
- Lead Analyst For Security
- Kaspersky
Kaspersky Total Security is a comprehensive security solution that offers antivirus, VPN, identity protection and more. It has evolved to new plans with enhanced features and cross-OS compatibility.
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Dec 20, 2023 · Bitdefender Total Security is a feature-rich suite that protects Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It offers antivirus, VPN, firewall, parental control, and more, but some features are limited or require extra subscriptions.
