While both Bitdefender and Norton are industry leaders, they approach cybersecurity with varying feature sets. Let’s delve into a direct comparison of their core offerings to help you choose which suite aligns best with your specific protection needs.
Operating Systems Supported
Both Bitdefender and Norton secure a wide array of operating systems. For Windows users, both services fully support modern versions, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. Mac users are also well-covered. Bitdefender supports macOS X Yosemite (10.10) or later, and Norton covers the current and previous two versions of macOS.
On the mobile front, both providers extend their protection to Android and iOS—iOS 13 or later for Bitdefender and the current and two previous versions for Norton—to secure smartphones and tablets from various threats. While some specific features or older OS versions might have limitations, the core antivirus and security functionalities are broadly available across these platforms.
Winner: Tie
Maximum Number of Devices
Both Bitdefender and Norton offer plans that scale up protection based on how many devices you own, which allows users to choose the plan that fits their digital life. Norton’s consumer plans start with protecting up to one device and go up to 10 devices with its highest-tier plan. This allows users to easily upgrade their security as their device collection grows.
All four of Bitdefender’s individual plans protect five devices. For users with a larger digital footprint, Bitdefender also offers four family plans. Each of the family plans supports five separate accounts and protects a total of 25 devices. These plans start at $139.99 and go up to $269.99. In comparison, Norton’s highest-tier plan only covers 10 devices for $189.99. Bitdefender’s generous device limits and range of family options are why I gave them the win in this category.
Winner: Bitdefender
Parental Control
While both Norton Parental Control and Bitdefender Parental Control aim to help parents guide their children’s online experiences, they offer distinct approaches and features. If I were a parent looking for robust content filtering and time management, I’d lean towards Norton. Its clear-cut tools for Time Supervision, Web Supervision and Video Supervision provide a straightforward way to set boundaries and monitor activity. I particularly like Norton’s School Time feature, which seems incredibly useful for ensuring kids stay focused on learning by blocking distractions during designated hours.
On the other hand, Bitdefender Parental Control seems to offer a more nuanced approach to encouraging healthy habits. If I were a parent who wanted to incentivize good behavior, I’d appreciate Bitdefender’s Internet Time Reward System. While both offer search and video monitoring, Bitdefender’s customizable filtering modes like Focus time, Family time, and Bedtime provide a more flexible way to manage a child’s online environment throughout the day. I also like that Bitdefender emphasizes web-based management through the Bitdefender Central app, which could make it more convenient to manage on the go.
Winner: Norton
Dark Web Monitoring
Both Norton and Bitdefender recognize the critical threat posed by information exposed on the dark web and offer dedicated monitoring features to help users safeguard their digital identities. Norton’s Dark Web Monitoring is included with Norton 360 Standard, Deluxe and Select Plus plans. It actively searches for a range of personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers and gamer tags. I like that Norton sends immediate alerts if user data is detected.
Bitdefender provides a similar service with its Digital Identity Protection feature. It is available as part of its Ultimate Security and Ultimate Security Plus plans. This service scans not only the dark web but also public sites and underground forums for unauthorized leaks of your personal data. Bitdefender focuses on providing real-time alerts for new breaches and misuse like account takeovers or social media impersonation.
Winner: Norton. While both software platforms have Dark Web features, Norton has them available on three out of four plans.
VPN
Bitefender and Norton have virtual private networks (VPN). While they are not the best VPNs, they still help keep online activity private.
Norton’s VPN maintains a strict no-logs policy and is packed with features like compromised network detection, kill switch, IP rotation, double VPN, DNS leak protection and split tunneling. It allows access to geo-restricted content across over 100 server locations worldwide including 25 cities in the United States. The VPN feature is available on the Standard, Deluxe and Select Plus plans.
Bitdefender is not as feature-rich but does include features like a kill switch, split tunneling, an integrated ad blocker and anti-tracker. Bitefender’s VPN has more than 4,000 servers across 50 countries.
Winner: Norton