Bitdefender vs. AVG Technologies: Which Is Right for You in 2024?

Find the best antivirus for you and your devices.
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Bitdefender vs. AVG Technologies: Which Is Right for You?

Sam Boyd
Sam Boyd
Chief Editor

Bitdefender vs. AVG Technologies: Which Is Right for You?

Bitdefender is one of the best antiviruses in 2024. It uses a lightweight scanning engine to protect your devices from all types of malware and offers a wide range of features for an affordable price.

AVG is also an excellent antivirus. It comes with a good range of features, and it can protect you from all types of malware. However, it isn’t quite as intuitive as Bitdefender and is slightly more expensive.

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Bitdefender is better formalware protection, web security, features, ease of use, and customer support. If you’re after a lightweight antivirus with more features than most competitors on the market, go with Bitdefender.

AVG also has excellent malware protection, and it includes a useful rescue disk to recover infected computers. If you want great malware protection and a portable rescue tool, go with AVG.

Malware Protection

Bitdefender

Bitdefender’s scanner keeps your device protected through machine learning and a huge malware database. Since Bitdefender uses a cloud-based scanning engine, it only uses a small amount of CPU while scanning your computer.

Bitdefender found and removed every malware sample. I downloaded an archive containing thousands of malware samples, including trojans, spyware, ransomware, rootkits, and more. I ran Bitdefender’s full system scan, and it found and removed every piece of test malware in less than an hour.

I also like Bitdefender’s real-time protection, which stopped me from downloading harmful files from the web and my email inbox.

AVG

AVG includes a comprehensive anti-malware scanner too. It uses machine learning and a huge online database to protect your computer from both known malware threats and zero-day attacks.

Similar to Bitdefender, AVG removed all malware samples during testing. I downloaded the same malware archive with thousands of malware samples and hid them on my Windows 11 PC, and even though I was impressed with the scanning results, I was a bit disappointed that AVG had a slightly higher CPU impact than Bitdefender did.

AVG’s real-time protection works just as well as Bitdefender’s. I wasn’t able to download any malicious files from the internet or my email inbox while AVG’s real-time protection was running.

Web Security

Bitdefender

Bitdefender compares websites you visit against a database of dangerous websites. If the website you try to visit is dangerous, Bitdefender blocks access to it.

In my tests, Bitdefender blocked every dangerous site I tried to visit (even sites Chrome and Firefox’s default protections missed). Bitdefender also provides clear reasons for blocking the site and states the risks you take by visiting it, which is helpful if you’re an advanced user and think Bitdefender blocked a website by mistake.

It’s easy to whitelist a website Bitdefender has blocked by mistake, and you can also adjust how strict Bitdefender’s web protection is. Many competitors make whitelisting false positives quite difficult, but you can whitelist websites with one click from Bitdefender’s user interface.

AVG

AVG’s web protection also stops you from visiting dangerous websites. Like with Bitdefender, AVG blocked more websites than the default protections on Chrome and Firefox. It also gave me clear reasons as to why it blocked a particular site.

However, it’s much harder to whitelist a safe website with AVG than it is with Bitdefender. There’s also no way to adjust how strict AVG’s web protection is (like you can with Bitdefender).

Overall, AVG’s web protection works well. It can stop you from accessing dangerous websites, but it’s not quite as intuitive as Bitdefender’s web protection.

Features

Bitdefender

Bitdefender offers a variety of plans, which cover up to 10 devices and include:

  • Secure browser.
  • Web protection.
  • Wi-Fi network protection.
  • Virtual private network (VPN).
  • Password manager.
  • Firewall.
  • Parental controls.
  • File shredder.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • And more…

I like Bitdefender’s secure web browser, which stops hackers from stealing your data on secure websites. I tested it while I was visiting my online bank account. With the secure web browser switched on, I couldn’t take screenshots of my screen. Bitdefender also made me enter my data using a virtual keyboard, making it impossible for keyloggers to record and steal it.

Bitdefender’s VPN is also great — secure, fast, and good for streaming and torrenting — but it’s limited to 200 MB/day on all plans except Premium Security.

Bitdefender’s parental controls are also some of the best on the market. They allow you to set device limits, usage schedules, and more. I really like how they allow you to track your child’s location with pinpoint accuracy.

AVG

AVG also offers a variety of plans that can cover up to 10 devices. AVG’s features include:

  • Web protection.
  • Firewall.
  • Rescue disk.
  • VPN (with unlimited data).
  • Password protection.
  • Dark web monitoring.
  • Anti-tracking.
  • System tune-up tool.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • And more…

I really like the rescue disk feature. Many antiviruses only include a rescue disk as a separate download, but AVG includes it as part of its main antivirus program. I was able to install AVG on a USB and run a malware scan on my friend’s computer without having to boot it into Windows.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of AVG’s VPN. I noticed slight slowdowns while connected to it, and AVG logged certain data, such as when I connected to the VPN and how much I downloaded while I was connected to it. That said, it does provide unlimited data. Bitdefender has a 200 MB daily limit on all but the most expensive plan.

Ease of Use

Bitdefender 

Bitdefender is straightforward to install and use. Once I’d downloaded Bitdefender, it only took 5 minutes for me to fully set it up. From there, Bitdefender took me to a super intuitive and spacious user interface with most of its features presented as large buttons. I really like how you can add your own buttons to the main menu to make the Bitdefender features you frequently use more accessible.

You’re also given extra customization options in each of the 3 sidebar tabs, which is pretty neat. For instance, you can enable or disable web protection by opening the Protection tab and changing the settings.

AVG 

AVG is also straightforward to install and use, but it isn’t nearly as intuitive as Bitdefender. Unfortunately, to access every AVG feature, you need to download 5+ separate apps. Each of these apps runs in the background, collectively using CPU. Bitdefender is packaged in one intuitive app that doesn’t have a high CPU drain.

However, as said, AVG itself is quite easy to use. It’s simple to navigate, with the main features available from the front of the user interface (UI). The majority of additional features are accessible through a drop-down menu in the top right corner of the screen. You can even open the separately installed AVG apps from this dropdown menu, so it’s strange that the developers didn’t just include everything in one app.

Customer Support

Bitdefender

Bitdefender offers a wide range of customer support options:

  • Phone support.
  • Live chat support.
  • Community support.
  • Email support.
  • Extensive knowledge base.

Chatting with the live chat support agents was a pleasure. I was promptly connected to knowledgeable representatives who answered my queries quickly every time.

I’m also a big fan of Bitdefender’s phone support. Most antiviruses I’ve tested put me on hold before connecting me with an agent, but I always connected with a Bitdefender agent instantly. I found the agents to be knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly.

Finally, Bitdefender’s knowledge base includes tutorials on every aspect of Bitdefender. I like how most of the tutorial pages have video tutorials too, which answered most of my questions.

AVG 

AVG also offers a good range of customer support options:

  • Live chat support.
  • Phone support.
  • Email support.
  • Knowledge base.
  • Community support.

AVG’s live chat support is pretty good. I connected with an agent quickly, and they were able to answer all of my questions. However, I was surprised that they needed my subscription details before they answered the most basic of queries.

In my experience, I found AVG’s phone support to be pretty good. However, unlike Bitdefender, there was a wait time before reaching an agent. Once connected, the agent provided friendly assistance and addressed all of my questions effectively.

Finally, AVG also provides a knowledge base — but while it includes some pretty helpful guides, I wish it had more video tutorials like Bitdefender does. AVG mostly just uses screenshots.

Starting Price
Money Back Guarantee
Free Trial
$29.99
30 Days
$39.99
30 Days
Security
Features
Ease of Use
Support
Pricing
10
10
9
10
9
9
7
8
8
7
Latest Positive Review*User reviews are not verified
User
May 17, 2023
Good software
The Bitdefender Total Security was very good, but the only problem with...
JFG
Jan. 21, 2022
Wow, just wow
I saw so many of bad reviews here. And my impression when using...
Lee
Mar. 22, 2022
wow so much hate!
really don't understand the hate AVG are getting! had ZERO issues for the...
Mike
Dec. 13, 2018
Works with most apps without any problems
Didn't slow my computer down. Works with most apps without any problems
Latest Negative Review*User reviews are not verified
Cheryll Renee Hammond
Nov. 6, 2023
Absolutely the worst customer service
I have been go round and round for over a month trying to have Bitdefender...
Oct. 31, 2023
Been using it for some years
I feel like it blocks maybe a few more things than it should. But thats...
Jul. 12, 2023
Unethical Business Practice
I was on a free trial for the multi-device protection, but received no...
DORCAS I SOETAN
Apr. 21, 2023
Total scam
I subscribed for a year in May 2022 and canceled it within three months...
Our Verdict
Sam Boyd
Sam Boyd
Chief Editor
Bitdefender is super lightweight, consistently scored 100% malware detection rates in my tests, and comes with tons of excellent extra features to keep you protected in 2024. Bitdefender’s plans start from $29.99 / year and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. AVG is slightly more expensive than Bitdefender, but it also has some excellent features and really good malware protection. That said, it’s not as intuitive as Bitdefender. AVG’s plans start from $39.99 / year, and you can try it on a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Time To Decide Which One Is Best For You

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find the best antivirus for me?

The first thing to do is to understand what you need — all antiviruses come with different internet security tools to help you stay protected, so identifying what level of protection you want will help you figure out which product is right for you.

Some antiviruses have a virtual private network (VPN), some have safe browsing extensions, and some have a password manager. Some only work on certain operating systems, while others cover all operating systems across multiple devices.

It’s important to compare the best antiviruses on the market to find the perfect one with the functionality you need.

What makes an antivirus secure?

A high-quality antivirus suite will detect, flag, and remove viruses and various types of malware. It will also offer real-time protection against all threats, regardless of whether you are browsing the internet, downloading software, shopping online, or opening email. For additional security, many antivirus suites offer a VPN, secure storage, and a password manager — these things all add several layers of protection against various cyber threats.

For more information on how antiviruses work, read this.

What do I need to look for when searching for an antivirus?

An antivirus needs to protect against all types of malware — trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, viruses, ransomware, and anything else that might cause damage to your devices. This is done in a variety of ways, but the most essential feature of an antivirus is real-time protection — this makes sure that an active threat is effectively stopped before anything serious can happen.

Other things to look for include — excellent detection rates, fast system performance, included extra features (like a VPN, password manager, etc.), easy-to-use interface, good customer support, and overall value.

Go here for a list of the best antivirus software of 2024.

How do I know if one antivirus is better than another?

When researching antiviruses, it’s a good idea to visit a few well-known antivirus software websites such as Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender to directly compare each antivirus’s features.

You can also look at the expert opinions of our reviewers at SafetyDetectives.com to find the most up-to-date information about the best cybersecurity products on the market today.

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