Updated: November, 3, 2022
Pros
Cons
If you’re looking for a good VPN with many features, Bitdefender may just be what you need. The excellent protection, easy usage, and low prices will satisfy even the most privacy and security-conscious users.
Keep reading our comprehensive Bitdefender review to find out everything you need to know about this provider.
Many Bitdefender reviews online praise the performance of this VPN, so we decided to put it to the test ourselves. It’s worth noting that speed partly depends on your location and connection. Sometimes, even the same provider won’t perform the same in different places.
We were impressed by Bitdefender’s performance on our tests. We first connected to a local UK server with a non-VPN speed of around 200Mbps, and we got a download speed in the range of 170Mbps–190Mbps.
We were also happy with Bitdefender’s performance when we connected to a US server, which gave us rates of 80Mbps–120Mbps. This is not the best speed—rivals such as CyberGhost offer faster connections, but it’s still acceptable for most purposes.
To speed things up, you can use the OneClick Optimizer, which is only available in Bitdefender Total Security. With this option, you can boost the performance of your devices.
If you get the Bitdefender download that comes for free with the antivirus suite, you have a limit of 200MB of traffic a day. But if you upgrade to the Premium version, you get unlimited data and the ability to switch servers.
Next, we explore the different privacy and security features offers by Bitdefender.
Bitdefender uses unbreakable encryption—the 256-bit AES. This is the gold standard among VPNs and is used by banks and the military.
The HotSpot Shield Catapult Hydra protocol makes Bitdefender one of the best and fastest providers on the market.
How?
It uses perfect forward secrecy. That is a key-agreement protocol, which continually changes your encryption key. That means that even if your current session is compromised, the rest of your data will be secure.
Bitdefender has a very basic privacy policy. You’ll find that it collects randomly generated or hashed user and device IDs or IP addresses and randomly generated tokens to provide the VPN service.
Still, this isn’t much information when it comes to logs. But since Bitdefender uses Hotspot Shield’s servers, we checked out its privacy policy for more details. It doesn’t keep logs of your web traffic or browsing history but does retain records of device identifiers, types of browsers, device settings, network info, etc.
Bitdefender is based in Romania and has to comply with the country’s data retention laws, which are less restrictive than in countries that are part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.
Bitdefender has a kill switch option. This feature blocks your internet if the VPN connection drops. It’s available on all devices.
We conducted several leak protection tests and found that Bitdefender is susceptible to leaks. We connected to a UK server, and unfortunately, our data was exposed, so it’s safe to say that Bitdefender doesn’t provide the best web protection.
We added a Bitdefender Safepay section to our review to give you an overview of this unique feature. Safeway is a browser developed by Bitdefender that creates a sealed environment that keeps your banking, shopping, and other online transactions safe from hackers and spies.
The browser comes with a built-in VPN and is part of the comprehensive Bitdefender package.
Unfortunately, Bitdefender doesn’t have a split tunnelling option.
Bitdefender has more than 1,300 servers in over 25 countries around the world. To be more precise, it doesn’t have its own server network but instead uses Hotspot Shield’s one.
In any case, Bitdefender’s server park seems sufficiently broad in terms of geographic diversity but doesn’t come close to that of heavyweights such as NordVPN, which has 5,300+ servers in close to 60 countries worldwide.
Although Bitdefender has many benefits, it can’t unblock all major entertainment platforms around the world. You’ll be able to stream Netflix US from anywhere in the world, but you may have problems unblocking Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, or BBC iPlayer. If streaming access is among your priorities, check out competitors such as Surfshark.
As for torrenting, you won’t have any problems using Bitdefender for that purpose. You can even set the VPN to auto-connect when you launch a P2P sharing app. The speeds offered by this service are sufficient to have a smooth torrenting experience.
Bitdefender VPN performs well when it comes to gaming, but it’s not always consistent. When we were connected to a UK server, the ping was 10ms, which is decent. But when we tried connecting to other servers, the ping went up to around 30ms, which may contribute to perceptible lag when gaming online.
You can use Bitdefender on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. It’s easy to use, protects your connection, and keeps your surfing anonymous.
On Windows, Bitdefender can be activated by just clicking the big blue “Connect” button on the app. It’s included as an extra feature to the Bitdefender Antivirus Plus plan. Once you install Bitdefender and launch the app, it will automatically connect you to the nearest server location.
You can upgrade to the Premium version for unlimited traffic and the ability to choose whichever server in the world you like. The Windows app has a kill switch and automatically connects when you launch a P2P app. All you need to do is check a box to enable this option.
As with the other versions, the Mac VPN client comes as an extra feature along with your Bitdefender virus scanner. When you install the app and enter your Bit defender login, you have to give your permission for the software to be fully functional.
You can set the VPN to be activated as soon as your device starts running, and you’ll receive notifications when it’s active and when it’s not. It also has a kill switch, in case your internet connection drops unexpectedly.
It’s worth noting that Bitdefender VPN comes as a feature included in the Mobile Security app.
There are Bitdefender mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. Both the Bitdefender iPhone and the Bitdefender Android app serve the purpose of keeping your data private, securing your connection, and hiding your IP address. With the Android app, you can also access restricted content, even if you’re in a country that enforces internet censorship.
Next, in our Bitdefender VPN review, we’ll explore all the Bitdefender price plans and the features they come with.
As we mentioned earlier, the VPN app comes with the Bitdefender antivirus suite, but it has a 200MB daily data limit, and you can’t choose a server yourself; instead, the software connects you to the closest one.
But if you upgrade to the Premium package, you’ll have some additional benefits—unlimited encrypted traffic on up to ten devices and the ability to pick a server you want to connect to. Here’s the pricing:
Monthly plan | £4.99/month |
Annual plan | £29.99/year; £2.49/month |
The Premium plan also comes with a seven-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, you get special offers on the official Bitdefender website, like discounts and coupons.
Overall, Bitdefender is cheaper than most popular providers, including budget-friendly ones, such as TunnelBear, especially if you get the monthly subscription.
If you want to reach Bitdefender customer reps, you can do it in one of three ways:
Additionally, there’s an Expert Community page on the website, including a Bitdefender forum, on which users from around the world ask questions, have discussions, and share issues experienced with this VPN. The support centre also offers a great FAQ section with some commonly encountered problems.
There’s no separate Trustpilot page for the Bitdefender VPN product. But the overall Bitdefender suite has a 4.1/5 rating on the website, with 75% of the people rating it Excellent and only 14% rating it as Bad. Some of the positive comments cite the excellent VPN offering.
Bitdefender is not the only VPN on the market, although it offers impressive performance. Let’s check out some Bitdefender alternatives and see how they differ.
While both VPNs provide anonymity, secure your web traffic, and are easy to use, they also have a few differences.
NordVPN is faster than Bitdefender (although Bitdefender isn’t slow) and provides slightly better conditions for downloading, streaming, or gaming. It also has more servers—5,200 in 62 countries, compared to Bitdefender’s 1,300.
NordVPN doesn’t only unblock Netflix US but can also Youtube Premium, BBC iPlayer, HBO, Sky, Hulu, and Disney+, unlike Bitdefender.
While both VPNs offer privacy, use the same encryption, and are suitable for torrenting, they are different in some aspects. ExpressVPN allows five simultaneous connections, whereas Bitdefender allows ten.
ExpressVPN is faster than Bitdefender, and with it, you can unblock all major streaming sites. It also offers more comprehensive anonymity, as it’s based in a jurisdiction with no data retention laws (British Virgin Islands).
In our detailed Bit defender review, we went over all the excellent terms and features that Bitdefender offers, all of which come at an affordable price.
Although this provider hasn’t got many advanced functionalities, it’s straightforward to use, and you can connect up to ten devices simultaneously. The speeds this VPN offers will not disappoint you, and you can rely on it for your ultimate protection.
We hope our Bitdefender review gave you all the necessary information to decide whether this VPN is a good fit for you.
There’s no Bitdefender free version as noted in our review, but the basic VPN service comes with the full Bitdefender suite. You can also take advantage of the seven-day Bit defender trial and the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bitdefender is simple, fast, and affordable. It protects your web traffic efficiently, providing you with online safety and anonymity.
Your license begins when you buy Bitdefender. This VPN offers a subscription that automatically renews, which saves you time, but it can also lead to unwanted charges if you forget to cancel.
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