
You don’t get those features for free, nor the suite-specific tuneup and anti-theft components. The Utilities page in the commercial antivirus includes a simple File Shredder and a profile system that automatically adjusts the antivirus configuration based on activity profiles.
#BEST FREE ANTIVIRUS 2017 WINDOWS 7 FREE#
The Anti-tracker component is likewise available in the commercial antivirus but not the free one. Users of the free edition do miss out on Bitdefender’s Safepay, a hardened browser designed to protect online financial transactions. That makes sense for the suite-specific webcam protection and parental control.

But free users also don’t get the benefit of the Vulnerability scan or the important Ransomware Remediation feature, both featured in the commercial edition.Įverything on the Privacy page is locked. It’s completely reasonable that you don’t get the Firewall and Antispam features, since even the commercial antivirus doesn’t have those. The other components display the purple lock icon that means they’re not available for free. The Protection page looks just like what you see in Bitdefender Internet Security, but only Antivirus, Advanced Threat Defense, and Online Threat Prevention are enabled. The ability to choose from a selection of other features for the remaining Quick Actions isn’t useful in the free edition, as none of the other possible choices are enabled. Only two of these, Quick Scan and System Scan, are enabled. Security recommendations occupy the top of the rest of the window, with a half-dozen Quick Action icons below. Like other members of the Bitdefender product line, the free edition defaults to displaying a security dashboard, with a left-rail menu that offers detailed access to features. There’s also an option to have it run in the background while you get started using the product. For testing purposes, I skipped the assessment. After installation it offers a Device Assessment which includes a quick scan for malware as well as a scan for items left over from old infestations. You need to sign up for a Bitdefender account to activate the product (or sign in if you already have one).

Getting Bitdefender Free running on your system is quick and easy. It’s worth a look, if you need high-powered antivirus protection at the lowest possible price. Where the previous free edition bore little resemblance to Bitdefender’s other security products, the current one is very clearly a part of the product line, and it includes several features that were previously reserved for paying customers. Now Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows is back, and better than ever. Bitdefender added a free offering only after its commercial antivirus was well established and wound up terminating that product at the end of 2021. Some antivirus companies have built their names and fame on free antivirus tools-Avast, AVG, and Avira, for example.
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