BitDefender vs. AVG: Antivirus Software

In a way, the business of virus protection software is a lot like the Olympics. There are many high-quality and praise-worthy competitors, but only one can win the gold. In the case of BitDefender vs. AVG, it should be noted at the start that BitDefender is our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award winner and our number-one pick for virus-protection software. On the other hand, just like the Olympics, the competition is fierce and is often almost too close to call. Even though AVG is ranked sixth on our antivirus software review, it’s still great, full-featured software with a slew of options at a reasonable price.

The most important question about antivirus software is whether it gets the job done. When you’re talking about BitDefender vs. AVG, both applications effectively handle run-of-the-mill viruses, stealthy Trojans, invasive rootkits, blundering worms and annoying spyware. Both are Virus Bulletin Windows XP and 7 certified, both received a superior A+ grade on the Anti-Virus Comparative test and both are West Coast Labs Anti-Spyware, Anti-Trojan and Anti-Malware certified. The only difference in certifications is that BitDefender is ICSA certified while AVG is not.

When comparing BitDefender vs. AVG in the customer service department, both have an excellent tradition of providing stellar service. A small black mark on AVG is that the company has no official user forums or live chat support. However, they both provide email and phone support, so the loss of live chat, while a nice personal touch, shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

As far as updates and scanning capabilities go, BitDefender vs. AVG is pretty much a tied race. Both have excellent updating capabilities and both boast the full set of scanning features that make hunting malware a breeze. In fact, many of the scanning features in both applications can be set to work automatically. As our reviews maintain, both BitDefender and AVG can work according to the capabilities of the person using them. While powerful and potentially deeply customizable, both are also incredibly accessible. If you just want your virus protection to work without you having to worry about it, you can set it up both products to work automatically. However, you can also dig deeper and really get into the nuts and bolts of both antivirus software applications if you really want to.

This brings us to ease of use. When looking at BitDefender vs. AVG in this kind of side-by-side comparison, it’s easy to see that BitDefender is quite a bit quicker to download and install, although neither product requires a restart after installation. Even though it’s not as fast as BitDefender, AVG still gets the virus-control race started fairly quickly. In fact, the one thing about AVG that may come off as slightly confusing is that the software is almost excessively protective, and some reported threats turn out to be nothing at all.

For more detailed information on BitDefender vs. AVG, please see our in-depth coverage at TopTenREVIEWS.com. After all, that’s why we’re here.

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