Bitdefender vs ESET: The Ultimate Comparison

We all know how important it is to protect our computers and devices from online threats and viruses, and the number of antivirus options can be overwhelming. Knowing the pros and cons of different antivirus software brands can help you make the best choice to fit your needs. In this article, we’re comparing Bitdefender vs ESET to help you make the best choice for your antivirus needs.

Overall Comparison

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Both of these antivirus software providers offer high-quality protection for multiple devices and operating systems. They both have similar features and several different packages.  

Bitdefender has more features, better malware protection, a VPN, and more items that ESET doesn’t have. Bitdefender also has clearer pricing plans and an interface that is more user-friendly than ESET.

Key Features

Let's take a look at the features offered by both antivirus solutions

Key Features Compared

Both Bitdefender and ESET provide their customers with a wide range of protection options and different levels of paid packages with varying tools and features. 

Bitdefender offers more features and has stronger malware protection than ESET. The software also offers VPN protection, which ESET does not. 

Both are great software to use, but Bitdefender is the stronger option overall.

Bitdefender Features;

ESET Features;

Malware Protection Capabilities

Bitdefender and ESET both have excellent malware protection. To compare these two and see which antivirus will be the best choice, we looked at independent test results from AV-Test.

Bitdefender Results;

Bitdefender picked up 100% of the samples against 278 zero-day malware attacks. It also detected all 16990 samples of malware that were used over 4 weeks. 

ESET Results;

ESET also did really well in the malware detection test and detected all of the malware used in the tests.

To be sure about both of these products' malware detection capabilities, we went a little further and had to take a look at AV-Comparatives test results.

They do several tests to examine how well a security product detects and prevents malware infections, but the two major ones are Malware Protection Test and Real-World Protection Test.

Real-World Protection Test Results

Bitdefender;

Bitdefender blocked 735 malware attacks resulting in a 99.9% protection rate.

ESET;

ESET blocked 727 malware attacks resulting in a 98.8% protection rate.

Malware Protection Test

Bitdefender;

Bitdefender blocked 10013 malware files which resulted in a 100% protection rate.

ESET;

ESET blocked 10003 malware files of which 10 were false positives. This resulted in a 99.9% protection rate.

When looking at these results, it is clear that Bitdefender is the best at protecting your computer from malware.

System Performance

As with any other type of software, antivirus solutions occupy some of your system’s resources. 

To determine which antivirus solution is the best option when it comes to system performance impact, we looked at third-party test results by AV-Test. 

Bitdefender Results;

Bitdefender did well in the test and did not have a lot of impact on systems while downloading other applications or copying files. Bitdefender received a 6/6 in the system impact test.

ESET Results;

ESET had little impact on systems as well, but a little more than Bitdefender.

Pricing

Both software solutions offer a wide range of pricing plans to choose from. 

Bitdefender offers;

Antivirus Plus for $29.99/year, Internet Security for $39.98/year, and Total Security for $34.99/year, respectively. Bitdefender also has a Family Pack for $119.99/year and Antivirus for Mac for $59.99/year.

ESET offers;

NOD32 Antivirus starting at $39.99/year, Internet Security starting at $49.90/year, and Smart Security Premium starting at $59.99/year. 

Both are fairly and similarly priced, but Bitdefender has a wider range of packages and more features per package available. 

Ease of Use and User Friendliness

Both of these antivirus software interfaces are relatively easy to use. 

The Bitdefender home screen tells you which service you’re subscribed to in the title bar and has four options in the center of the page. Under the shield are four options for Dashboard, Protection, Privacy, and Utilities. Beneath those are sections for settings, notifications, support, and your account.

ESET also has a home screen with several options in the center of the page and a list of sections on the left. This interface looks less modern and straightforward than Bitdefender’s. 

Bitdefender is easier to use, more modern-looking, and more customizable than ESET. 

Customer Support

Customer support ratings for both providers are very high.

Bitdefender offers email and phone support, with 16 support lines open globally. It also has 24/7 live chat available, as well as an extensive online forum, a knowledge base, and an FAQ section. 

ESET also has a lot of support options. It has email and phone support, with several support lines open in Europe and the U.S. It also has live chat, but it is not available 24/7.

ESET doesn’t have a forum, but it does have a knowledge base; however, the knowledge base is not very user-friendly. 

With more options and open availability, Bitdefender provides slightly better customer support than ESET.

Conclusion

Bitdefender and ESET are both popular options for antivirus software and offer a wide range of features and packages. They are both effective and reliable.  

Upon close analysis, Bitdefender has a slight advantage with more features, better malware protection, a VPN, and more items. Bitdefender also has clearer pricing plans and an interface that is more user-friendly than ESET. 

You won’t go wrong with either option, but if there had to be a clear winner of this Bitdefender vs ESET comparison, it would have to be Bitdefender.

Which antivirus do you think is for you? Choose Now!