Avast vs. Norton vs. Bitdefender

Xrunner98 · Mar 2, 2015

My Norton free trial is going to run out soon and I would like to know whether I should get Avast Permier, Norton, or Bitdefender Total Security.

Thanks.

Matt Dobe · Mar 2, 2015

As having worked in business IT for several years now, Norton is a large memory hog with too much bloatware. I'd stay away from it.

I personally run a free version of Avast antivirus, quite lightweight and does a good job. No real need to splash out on software unless you are great at visiting dodgy sites and downloading adware

If you do want to buy premier then I'd go with Avast personally. More personal preference as I've heard that more recent versions of Norton are much more performance friendly. Should be fine with your specs any way.

Xrunner98 · Mar 2, 2015

Matt Dobe :

Sorry I updated the thread, what about bitdefender?

Matt Dobe · Mar 2, 2015

Not used it personally but it looks pretty good. Won over Norton on this test:

http

/malwaretips.com/threads/battle-test-bitdefender-internet-security-2015-vs-norton-security-2015.37204/

Deleted member 1697763 · Mar 2, 2015

I quite like bitdefender as it is exceedingly good at protecting from Zero day threats and also from the 'run of the mill' viruses that plague the Internet. Here's the latest AV Test rankings which will help in terms of ranking the Anti Virus software: http

/www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

Xrunner98 · Mar 2, 2015

ok I think I'm going with bitdefender then, seems extremely safe. Would you recommend the Total Security 2015 package?

Deleted member 1697763 · Mar 2, 2015

Xrunner98 :

I would go for the Internet Security 2015 package because you don't need the cloud storage, antitheft and file encryption that can be achieved with free software if you need them (Dropbox, Prey and TrueCrypt respectively). Another thing to mention is that from experience Bitdefender is a lot less resource heavy compared to Avast, from my experience (I started off with Avast before going to Bitdefender and now Kaspersky (Where I now stay)).

Xrunner98 · Mar 2, 2015

Xrunner98 :

I would go for the Internet Security 2015 package because you don't need the cloud storage, antitheft and file encryption that can be achieved with free software if you need them (Dropbox, Prey and TrueCrypt respectively). Another thing to mention is that from experience Bitdefender is a lot less resource heavy compared to Avast, from my experience (I started off with Avast before going to Bitdefender and now Kaspersky (Where I now stay)).

ok thank you for the recommendation!

Deleted member 1697763 · Mar 2, 2015

No problem. Glad to see that I could help

boosted1g · Mar 2, 2015

Out of the three I would go with bitdefender.

I used to recommend Kaspersky but their 2014 software did not offer the same solid protection they used to.

If you are very computer security savvy then avast is a good lightweight program, but if this is for average users (like teenagers) who have no concept of security then a free AV software is just not going to cut it.

DelroyMonjo · Mar 2, 2015

Suit yourself. I have used Norton 360 for 3 years and found it to be quite user friendly. I run it in the background constantly and have NEVER had a problem with it. According to my Resource Monitor, it uses less than 50k RAM committed, more I would think when actually running a drive sweep, but that's hardly what I would call high overhead. I don't get false positives or annoying popups and it has trapped many intrusions over the years. I won't give any marketing spiel on it but I've found it worth the money-YES, I actually PAID for it!

TakeshiKudo · Mar 2, 2015

I also recommend BitDefender. Its light and its one of the best AV at the moment (protection wise). Also, it doesnt harass you constantly with pop-ups like other AV. Norton is just plain heavy. Avast is good.

MWW2015 · Jan 14, 2016

I had been receiving numerous emails from a company sending SPAM email. In the past I have used the Norton Antispam system that comes with Norton 360 to place it in the SPAM folder. On Monday February 16, 2015, I received another email from this same SPAM sender that ended up in the inbox, so I figured I would contact Norton for help at stopping this SPAM because your Antispam software doesn’t seem to be working.
At approximately 5:00 pm I got on the Norton website service through your software on my computer and began a chat with one of the technicians. I was assigned case number 20616027. I did not copy down the name of the tech that was helping me but it was a foreign spelled first and last name. I also informed the tech that ever since I upgraded from Norton Internet Security to Norton 360, my computer takes much longer to start up. The tech said he would help me fix both problems by remotely getting onto my computer. He first worked on the SPAM issue. He spent a long time doing this and it almost seemed he didn’t know what he was doing, or had to read up on it or something. After completing the issue he worked to speed up my computer. He said it was a Microsoft issue but he would fix it for me. He went in and deleted my Temp Files and then went into some Norton system folders and added “OLD” in front of them. I was thinking this was his way to fix some Norton Issues. He then had me reboot my computer. When it booted up it didn’t work any better. The tech told me it was the best he could do and to contact Microsoft, because it was a Microsoft issue. I disagreed because this problem only occurred when I upgraded to Norton 360.
When I went onto Norton 360 it was not working and came up with error messages that said I needed to erase Norton 360 and reinstall it. The Tech had managed to screw up Norton 360 with all the things that he did. I was very upset. So I got back onto the Norton Website to chat with another tech which I gave my case number 20616027. He told me he had to get on my computer remotely and remove Norton 360 and reinstall it. It took a long time but he finally fixed my computer. In fact after the reinstallation my computer was working as fast and therefore like I expected, the issue was with Norton and not Microsoft.
On Tuesday February 17, 2015 I received a call that came up “Unknown” on my cell phone. A guy asked for me by my first name. He said he was calling because he wanted to help fix the SPAM issue I was having. Right then I suspected something was not right because Norton Techs worked on it the day before and they are the ONLY ones that knew about the email SPAM problem. This person even referred to the email address the SPAM was sent from. In addition I gave Norton my cell phone number for the first time, so it is interesting this person called my cell.
I decided to play along. I said it would be great if they could help me. I asked what number he was calling me from. He said 844-999-9666. I asked what the name of his company was. He said “FIX BY TECH”. He even spelled out the name. I asked him what his name was and he said “Andrew Parker” which he also spelled out. He had an Indian accent so I figured that was not his real name. I then asked him how much this would cost. He said between $50 and $150 to fix. I said that would be good, what do I need to do? He asked if I could I go to my computer and turn it on so he could fix the problem? I said I could not do it right now, but I will do it and call him. He said if you call that number ask for Samantha who was the person in charge and she would get my computer fixed.
I have a neighbor that had AVG Security on their computer but somehow contacted the “cryptolocker" virus a few weeks ago. A week before I had my issue I told my neighbor they should have purchased Norton Internet Security or Norton 360 to protect their computer. They purchased the program and installed it on their computer to try and fix the virus issue. It may have been too late for them to do, but regardless they contacted Norton for help. A technician worked on their computer but could not solve the problem. Interesting enough they received a call the next day from someone that said they could fix the computer. The Caller ID number was 631-353-4127. They said that Norton could not fix their problem but they could for $100 and wanted to know if they should proceed. When my neighbor got suspicious of the call and started asking questions, the person hung up.
How are these people getting access to Norton Customers? I have lost all trust in Norton support. I believe there is criminal activity going on within this company. I contacted Norton and they are investigating but I wanted your readers to be aware of this issue. If you look online you will see other people around the country are being contacted by these scam artists after talking to Norton Support.

eyyChill · Jan 14, 2016

MWW2015 :

I had been receiving numerous emails from a company sending SPAM email. In the past I have used the Norton Antispam system that comes with Norton 360 to place it in the SPAM folder. On Monday February 16, 2015, I received another email from this same SPAM sender that ended up in the inbox, so I figured I would contact Norton for help at stopping this SPAM because your Antispam software doesn’t seem to be working.
At approximately 5:00 pm I got on the Norton website service through your software on my computer and began a chat with one of the technicians. I was assigned case number 20616027. I did not copy down the name of the tech that was helping me but it was a foreign spelled first and last name. I also informed the tech that ever since I upgraded from Norton Internet Security to Norton 360, my computer takes much longer to start up. The tech said he would help me fix both problems by remotely getting onto my computer. He first worked on the SPAM issue. He spent a long time doing this and it almost seemed he didn’t know what he was doing, or had to read up on it or something. After completing the issue he worked to speed up my computer. He said it was a Microsoft issue but he would fix it for me. He went in and deleted my Temp Files and then went into some Norton system folders and added “OLD” in front of them. I was thinking this was his way to fix some Norton Issues. He then had me reboot my computer. When it booted up it didn’t work any better. The tech told me it was the best he could do and to contact Microsoft, because it was a Microsoft issue. I disagreed because this problem only occurred when I upgraded to Norton 360.
When I went onto Norton 360 it was not working and came up with error messages that said I needed to erase Norton 360 and reinstall it. The Tech had managed to screw up Norton 360 with all the things that he did. I was very upset. So I got back onto the Norton Website to chat with another tech which I gave my case number 20616027. He told me he had to get on my computer remotely and remove Norton 360 and reinstall it. It took a long time but he finally fixed my computer. In fact after the reinstallation my computer was working as fast and therefore like I expected, the issue was with Norton and not Microsoft.
On Tuesday February 17, 2015 I received a call that came up “Unknown” on my cell phone. A guy asked for me by my first name. He said he was calling because he wanted to help fix the SPAM issue I was having. Right then I suspected something was not right because Norton Techs worked on it the day before and they are the ONLY ones that knew about the email SPAM problem. This person even referred to the email address the SPAM was sent from. In addition I gave Norton my cell phone number for the first time, so it is interesting this person called my cell.
I decided to play along. I said it would be great if they could help me. I asked what number he was calling me from. He said 844-999-9666. I asked what the name of his company was. He said “FIX BY TECH”. He even spelled out the name. I asked him what his name was and he said “Andrew Parker” which he also spelled out. He had an Indian accent so I figured that was not his real name. I then asked him how much this would cost. He said between $50 and $150 to fix. I said that would be good, what do I need to do? He asked if I could I go to my computer and turn it on so he could fix the problem? I said I could not do it right now, but I will do it and call him. He said if you call that number ask for Samantha who was the person in charge and she would get my computer fixed.
I have a neighbor that had AVG Security on their computer but somehow contacted the “cryptolocker" virus a few weeks ago. A week before I had my issue I told my neighbor they should have purchased Norton Internet Security or Norton 360 to protect their computer. They purchased the program and installed it on their computer to try and fix the virus issue. It may have been too late for them to do, but regardless they contacted Norton for help. A technician worked on their computer but could not solve the problem. Interesting enough they received a call the next day from someone that said they could fix the computer. The Caller ID number was 631-353-4127. They said that Norton could not fix their problem but they could for $100 and wanted to know if they should proceed. When my neighbor got suspicious of the call and started asking questions, the person hung up.
How are these people getting access to Norton Customers? I have lost all trust in Norton support. I believe there is criminal activity going on within this company. I contacted Norton and they are investigating but I wanted your readers to be aware of this issue. If you look online you will see other people around the country are being contacted by these scam artists after talking to Norton Support.

Well, first off I know how you feel. A lot of these companies do this (I know Skype/Norton) and it pisses me off, makes me lose faith in them. I came onto here because I just upgraded to Win10 and Avast! came free, deciding whether to buy it or not.

Anyways, that issue can probably be solved by a local IT person, as they specialize in some of that (depending on where you go). Yes, your AV provider should solve it, but it's evident that they only hire Indian people.

That's all I know. Personally, Norton has done a good amount for me, but I too, feel my PC runs faster w/o it. Probably going to get Avast!/MalwareBytes Pro (dat shit be good shit).

fuji12356 · Apr 12, 2016

Xrunner98 :

bitdefender does a very good joob for me it has no popups to annoy you its quiet lightweight and does its things i recommed
using malwarebytes along with it because with these two you will not have to worryy about anyything bad

fuji12356 · Apr 12, 2016

and bitdefender is basically your computer lifeguard it protects against virus worms trojans rootkits spams hackers keyloggers backdoors bloatware even rogue software i really
recommended it agants that anoyying avast and avg

Colif · Apr 12, 2016

i prefer bitdefender as unlike Avast, they never beg me to buy new parts for the already paid for security suite. That and bitdefender is so efficient at stopping virus I hardly need to run scans

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