Bitdefender vs AVG

Despite what many people think, macOS is in fact susceptible to malware. If you spend a lot of time on the internet, it's just a matter of time before you get your Mac infected. macOS comes with a built-in antivirus mechanism called XProtect because of that, but unfortunately, it's not enough. You need a strong third-party antimalware utility to stay safe against the latest viruses and zero-day exploits. Bitdefender and AVG are two popular solutions that claim to protect macOS—this Bitdefender vs AVG comparison guide will help you decide what's best.

Before we begin:

 

Most antivirus providers focus their efforts on Windows, with macOS as an afterthought. That's why you need a solution created from the ground up just for the Mac. MacKeeper is an Apple-notarized all-in-one utility that can keep macOS secure against all sorts of viruses. According to AV-TEST, our Antivirus detects 100% of the most widespread malware.

 

To use MacKeeper’s Antivirus to protect your Mac:

1. Download and install MacKeeper.
2. Open the application and select the Antivirus option on its sidebar.
3. Choose Scan Now.
4. Wait until MacKeeper finishes scanning your Mac for viruses.
5. Work through the suggestions to deal with any malicious threats it finds.

* MacKeeper has many additional features to keep your Mac safe, such as a content blocker that protects you against privacy-invasive trackers, a VPN to mask your online activity, and an Adware Cleaner to delete potentially unwanted applications. A technical support team is also available 24/7 to answer any security concerns.

Bitdefender review

Bitdefender is a cross-platform security solution that has protected devices for over 20 years. On the Mac, Bitdefender ticks pretty much all the right boxes. It comes with real-time anti-malware shields, web security, ransomware protection, and an Autopilot mode to automate mundane tasks. Independent tests also rank it well in terms of detection, protection, and performance.

Bitdefender does have issues, such as the inability to schedule scans, an overwhelming number of pricing plans, and a convoluted customer support process. It also doesn't have a free version for the Mac (unless you count Bitdefender Virus Scanner, which is just a barebones scanning tool). However, you get a 30-day free trial to test things out thoroughly.

Bitdefender pros and cons

Bitdefender has many advantages: comprehensive security against all forms of malware (including ransomware), full-blown web protection features, and rock-solid performance. However, several issues—such as the lack of a free version and confusing customer support—somewhat detract from the experience.

1. Bitdefender features

Bitdefender has a broad range of features to keep you safe against malware on your Mac. These include:

• Bitdefender Shield: Just a fancy term for real-time protection—scans new files in the background for malicious intent.
• Autopilot: Quietly scans your Mac and makes other security-related decisions based on your usage patterns.
• Safe Files: Protects files that you select against ransomware.
• Time Machine Protection: Places an extra security layer on your Time Machine backups to secure them from ransomware attacks.
• Adware Blocker: Prevents potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or browser hijackers from displaying pop-ups and advertisements.
• Cross-Platform Malware Detection: Detects malware that could impact other platforms, such as Windows.
• Traffic Light: Uses artificial intelligence to warn you of malicious links before you click on them—supports Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
• Anti-Phishing: Warns you of fraudulent websites that phish for passwords and financial data.
• VPN: Masks your IP address to prevent website trackers from monitoring you and encrypts your browsing activity to mitigate hacking attempts.

Check our full Bitdefender Antivirus review for an in-depth look at the features above.

2. Effectiveness of Bitdefender against malware

It doesn't matter how many features an antivirus utility has if it's ineffective against zero-day exploits and other dangerous malware types. Independent tests show that Bitdefender doesn't fail in that department.

• AV-TEST (June/2024)—Bitdefender scored 6/6 against 59 samples of viruses, worms, and Trojans that targeted Macs.
• AV-Comparatives (May 2024)—Bitdefender detected 100% of 643 Mac malware samples and 99% of 750 potentially unwanted app samples.

3. Web security of Bitdefender

Prevention is always better than cure, which is why Bitdefender gives you the tools to help you avoid infecting your Mac in the first place. Its Traffic Light extension, which works on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, flags any malicious links before you click on them. Another extension—Anti-tracker—blocks web trackers from monitoring you online.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac also comes with VPN support. This allows you to mask your web activity and encrypt your internet traffic (helpful when connected to unsecured public Wi-Fi). The VPN has a limit of 200MB per day, but you can pay for more bandwidth.

4. Bitdefender pricing plans

Bitdefender offers a 30-day trial for the Mac, where you can try out all features (including the VPN) for free. Once the trial is up, you can pick from one of the following plans:

• 1-year plan: $23.99 for one device or $34.99 for three devices
• 2-year plan: $69.99 for one device or $89.99 for three devices
• 3-year plan: $89.99 for one device or $199.99 for three devices

If you want to install Bitdefender on other platforms (or more than three macOS devices), opt for the Ultimate, Premium, and Total packages. One-year pricing plans are as follows:

• Bitdefender Total: $59.99 for five devices or $84.99 for 25
• Bitdefender Premium: $79.99 for five devices or $109.99 for 25
• Bitdefender Ultimate: $99.99 for five devices

5. Bitdefender compatibility with devices

Bitdefender is compatible with any Mac—Apple Silicon and Intel—that runs macOS 10.10 Yosemite or later, although its VPN requires at least macOS 10.12 Sierra. As a cross-platform security solution, it has dedicated Windows, Android, and iOS versions. If you purchase the Ultimate, Premium, and Security plans, you should be able to install Bitdefender on other devices regardless of the platform.

Bitdefender also detects threats that could be targeted at other platforms. For example, if you download a file that's not a threat to a Mac but could infect a Windows computer, Bitdefender will flag it immediately.

6. Bitdefender interface

Bitdefender has a compact and logically structured user interface that lets you quickly get a hang of its anti-malware and web-protection features. It's split into four main areas and three sub-areas:

• Dashboard: Displays recommendations by Autopilot, the most commonly-used scanning options, and a shortcut to your list of protected files.
• Protection: Features tabs labeled Antivirus, Web Protection, and Anti-Ransomware. Under Antivirus, you can find your scanning options (Quick Scan, System Scan, and Custom Scan), including your quarantine and exceptions lists; under Web Protection, you can install the Traffic Light extension on your browser; under Anti-Ransomware, you can enable Safe Files and mark files that you want to specifically protect, manage application access to these protected files, and activate Time Machine Protection.
• Privacy: Allows you to access Bitdefender VPN (you can also launch it separately from the Launchpad) and install the Anti-tracker extension on your browser.
• Notifications: Allows you to view any notifications that you miss.
• My Account: View your account and subscription details.
• Settings: Determine how Bitdefender works, such as specifying what actions it should take whenever it detects a malicious item—e.g., delete or quarantine.
• Support: Access the Bitdefender user guide and the support center.

Bitdefender also lives on the Mac's menu bar. Selecting the status icon allows you to check if it's scanning any files in the background. You can also open the Bitdefender user interface from this menu or pause the Bitdefender Shield.

7. Impact Bitdefender on Mac performance

Bitdefender has little impact on Mac performance according to AV-TEST's latest benchmarks, with a perfect score of 6/6. We tested Bitdefender ourselves on an Apple Silicon Mac and did not notice a performance hit with the Bitdefender Shield running in the background. Even during a full System Scan with CPU usage spiking to 90%, we barely felt any slowdowns while working on normal stuff like web browsing and word processing.

That said, Bitdefender's System Scan was notoriously slow and took a long time—1 hour, 41 minutes, and 19 seconds to scan 1,134,600 items. AVG scanned a similar number of files in under a third of the time!

8. Bitdefender customer support

Bitdefender offers customer support via chat, phone, and email, but the process is complicated. For starters, you can't contact customer support using the Bitdefender app. Instead, you must sign into Bitdefender Central via a web browser. The option to talk to a support agent is only given after asking a long series of questions and attempting to make you read their support articles. Phone support was also down due to a technical issue at the time of writing.

A note from our team: 

 

MacKeeper offers real-time human assistance through its app interface. Read our Bitdefender vs MacKeeper review for an in-depth look at how both solutions compare.

AVG review

AVG is another multi-platform antivirus solution that's been in business for almost three decades. It offers both a free and a paid antivirus for the Mac. Both versions protect you from malware and malicious websites, but the paid version provides better protection against ransomware and online shopping. It also has more flexible scanning options than Bitdefender but with identical levels of detection and protection.

However, AVG misses additional features like tracking prevention, Time Machine protection, and built-in VPN support. Technical support is also available only for the paid version.

AVG pros and cons

AVG offers a free version that provides excellent antivirus security, better scanning options, and a lengthy 60-day trial period for the paid version. However, it fails to score points because of its unintuitive user interface, limited customer support, and missing web protection features.

1. Features of AVG

AVG has the following features to protect your Mac against malicious threats you run into offline and online. These include:

• File Shield: Automatically scans any file that gets added to your Mac for viruses.
• Web Shield: Blocks unsafe downloads.
• Email Shield: Blocks malicious email attachments.
• Scan Central: Provides multiple modes for scanning your Mac, such as a Smart Scan to check vulnerable areas for malware, a Deep Scan for a more in-depth analysis of storage drives and system memory, and a Targeted Scan for specific files and folders. An External Storage Scan option is also available for scanning external drives, along with an option to schedule your scans.
• Ransomware Shield: Adds a layer of security against sensitive files that could be susceptible to ransomware.
• Network Inspector: Scans any Wi-Fi network you connect to for intruders and security issues.
• Phishing Net: Uses a continuously updating cloud database to warn you about the latest websites that phish for personal information.
• Fake Website Shield: Prevents you from visiting known malicious websites.

You can learn more about the feature above by reading our full AVG for Mac review.

2. AVG malware protection

Like Bitdefender, AVG has near-perfect scores on independent tests run by reputable organizations:

• AV-TEST June/2024—AVG scored 6/6 against 59 viruses, worms, and trojan samples.
• AV-Comparatives May/2024—AVG detected 100% of 643 Mac malware samples and 98% of 750 potentially unwanted app samples.

3. Web security of AVG

AVG protects you when you shop or bank online against phishing and fake websites with its Phishing Net and Fake Website Shield. Instead of using a browser extension, AVG funnels your connection through a secure DNS server. This means you're protected on any browser, but the downside is a slightly slower internet connection.

AVG also keeps you safe from malicious downloads and email attachments by blocking them from saving to internal storage with its Web Shield and Email Shield. Then there's the Network Inspector tool, which lets you check Wi-Fi connections for hackers and security vulnerabilities (you won't find something similar in Bitdefender).

Unlike Bitdefender, AVG does not have VPN support, even if you opt for the paid version. AVG has a VPN solution called AVG Secure VPN, but you can only get it by purchasing the AVG Ultimate package or paying for it separately. It also doesn't have anti-tracking capabilities to prevent websites from monitoring you.

4. Pricing of AVG

AVG costs $46.98 for the first year if you only want to protect one macOS device. If you own multiple Macs or other devices, you must opt for AVG Ultimate, which costs $59.88 for up to 10 devices for the first year. You also gain access to a 60-day trial to fully test out all features.

Although AVG's plans are more straightforward, a single-device one-year subscription for the Mac costs twice as much ($46.98) than Bitdefender ($23.99). Prices do kind of balance out if you opt for one of the packages—AVG Ultimate ($59.88 for ten devices) and Bitdefender Total ($59.99 for five devices).

5. AVG compatibility with devices

AVG is compatible with Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs running macOS 10.11 El Capitan or later. If you opt for AVG Ultimate, you can install a tailored version of the security solution on Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

Like Bitdefender, AVG can detect non-Mac threats. AV-Comparatives puts its Windows detection rate at 100% against 500 malware samples.

6. Interface of AVG

AVG's user interface on the Mac is divided into four main sections: Computer, Web & email, Hacker attacks, and Payments. Options to run a Smart Scan and access other scan options are listed separately.

• Computer: Allows you to enable or disable the File Shield and check for quarantined threats.
• Web & email: Gives you the option to enable or disable the Web Shield and Email Shield.
• Hacker attacks: Lets you run the Network Inspector and configure the Ransomware Shield (by specifying what files you'd like to protect).
• Payments: Allows you to enable or disable the Phishing Net and Fake Website Shield.
• Scan Central: Select the Run Smart Scan button at the bottom of the screen to check for viruses on Mac, or select Run Other Scans to run a Deep Scan, Targeted Scan, or External Storage Scan. You can also set up scheduled scans from this area.
• Notifications: Select the Notifications option on the top right to check missed security alerts.

Although AVG's user interface on the Mac looks nice and clean, we did not like how the options were grouped—e.g., having options under Web & email and Payments separately when they should ideally belong to the same section. Most granular options are also listed under a separate Preferences area, which you can only access after selecting any of the main tiles or through the menu at the top right.

A hint from us: The free version of AVG on the Mac looks similar to the paid version, except that the Hacker attacks and Payments tiles are grayed out.

7. Impact of AVG on MacBook performance

AVG's performance is on par with Bitdefender's, scoring 6/6 on AV-TEST's benchmarks. We barely felt performance issues during our own tests, with our Mac perfectly capable of normal usage even during a resource-intensive Deep Scan.

What surprised us was how quickly AVG completed the scan—just 30 minutes and 58 seconds for 1,040,349. This was probably because AVG was instructed to scan only parts of files—you can change this via the Preferences. Despite that, it managed to identify a couple of malicious email attachments and a PDF that Bitdefender missed—good job, AVG!

8. AVG customer support

AVG customer support for the Mac is available through chat via browser, but only on the paid version. Like Bitdefender, the entire process is somewhat confusing. You need to wade through support articles before having the option to talk to a support agent. To initiate a support session, you must also fill in a lengthy form with your AVG order ID, email, and phone number.

An extra tip from our experts: 

 

If speedy customer support matters, don't forget to check out MacKeeper’s Premium Services. You can connect with a support agent right from the MacKeeper app in just a few clicks.

Final comparison

The main difference between Bitdefender and AVG is the amount of features that the former has over the latter. Both utilities provide excellent protection and performance on the Mac. Still, Bitdefender has a more well-rounded set of solutions targeting all critical areas, such as Time Machine protection, better web security, and VPN support. It's also drastically cheaper on a one-device/one-year license.

That's not to say that AVG doesn't have its strong points. It's faster at performing deep scans, allows you to schedule scans, and its network intrusion detection capabilities can be useful if you travel a lot. You get a generous 60-day trial period, and the cost shouldn't matter if you go with a multi-license plan. You can also choose not to pay, downgrade to the free version, and still have decent protection.

Ultimately, it depends on what you want. If you want a cheaper and more comprehensive solution with VPN support, go with Bitdefender. If you prefer something more straightforward that you'd like to install on multiple devices with the option to stay protected if you decide not to pay, go with AVG.

If our AVG vs. Bitdefender comparison didn't convince you enough to choose either product, give MacKeeper a shot. Not only does its Antivirus protect your Mac against malicious threats both online and offline, but it also helps you optimize the device with a wide array of maintenance options. Best of all, you get access to unparalleled customer support.