Bitdefender for macOS Review 2024

In this post, we’re taking a look at Bitdefender for macOS that comes with:

• An antivirus
• A VPN (capped at 200MB per day)
• A tracker blocker
• A malware blocker
• Ransomware protection

If you’d like all the details, I recommend reading the review from beginning to end. If you’re pressed for time, I’ve included a summary of my thoughts below.

Bitdefender for macOS summary

Bitdefender for macOS is an affordable and user-friendly antivirus solution that sticks to the basics. It brilliantly fulfills its primary mission without taking the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ approach favored by many of its competitors. Bitdefender’s app is blessedly free of fluff.

But it still includes some useful “security extras,” such as a tracker blocker, a malware blocker, and ransomware protection, which all work well. However, I was disappointed that the tracker blocker doesn’t block ads. It’s a minor gripe, as plenty of excellent (and free) ad blockers are out there.

A VPN app comes bundled with the antivirus, but you’ll need to pay extra to get more than the free 200 MB per day.

The app is intuitive and easy to navigate. Bitdefender’s antivirus engine performed very well in our tests. Its pricing is also more than fair for what you get, and part of what you get is excellent support. Bitdefender’s support was fantastic, and I quickly got answers to my questions.

If you’re looking for a proper antivirus solution for macOS, Bitdefender is one of the best choices.

Pros & cons

System requirements for Bitdefender

At the time of writing, Bitdefender defines its minimum system requirements for macOS as follows:

• Operating System: macOS X Yosemite (10.10) or later
• Hardware: Hard Disk Space: 1 GB free space
• Browsers Supported:
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox

I did my testing using macOS Sonoma.

Bitdefender signup process

Signing up for Bitdefender is extremely easy. Select your subscription, enter your details, and click a confirmation button. Bitdefender will email you to confirm your subscription, provide you with download links, and prompt you to create a password for your account (your email will be your username).

When you sign up for Bitdefender, auto-renewal is automatically enabled. You can turn it off when you sign into your account. You get a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t feel Bitdefender is for you, you can get a full refund.

You can also download the 30-day trial version from its website.

How to install Bitdefender for macOS

The installation process is pretty straightforward. It’s your typical click-through installation.

1. Download the Bitdefender installer for Mac from the official website.
2. Locate the downloaded .dmg file in your Downloads folder and double-click it.
3. In the window that opens, drag the Bitdefender icon to the Applications folder.
4. Open your Applications folder and double-click the Bitdefender icon.
5. If prompted with a security warning, click “Open” to allow the installation.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
7. When prompted, enter your Mac’s administrator password to allow Bitdefender to install its components.
8. Once installation is complete, Bitdefender will launch automatically with basic antivirus protection enabled.

To enable additional features:

1. Open the Bitdefender dashboard
2. Click on the “Protection” tab
3. Manually enable extra tools such as Safe Files (ransomware protection), Web Protection, and Adware Blocker.

Remember: While basic antivirus protection is on by default, you’ll need to activate these extra features manually for comprehensive security.

The Bitdefender Antivirus engine

Unsurprisingly, Bitdefender’s core offering is its antivirus engine. It scored very well in our own testing (as we’ll see later) and scored highly on AVTests and AVComparatives.

Let’s start with an overview of its app.

The app’s main page is the Dashboard, which is split into three parts and provides quick links to both quick and full scans. The three main sections of the app are listed towards the bottom of the page:

• Antivirus for Mac (self-explanatory)
• Safe Files (ransomware protection)
• Web Protection (ad and tracker blocker)

You can click on one of the above from the Dashboard or go to the Protection page, where you’ll find the same options.

Antivirus

From this page, you can choose between Quick scans, System scans (full scans), and Custom scans. Clicking CustomScan brings up a file picker so you can select the files or folders to be scanned.

Clicking Quarantine displays the quarantined files list.

Clicking Exceptions displays the exceptions list (the list of files that Bitdefender will not scan). You can click the + sign to add exceptions.

Web Protection

The Web Protection page instructs you on how to set up Bitdefender’s ad and tracker blocker in Safari. Once enabled, the page displays confirmation that it’s installed and working.

With TrafficLight enabled, malicious content is blocked in real-time as you browse the web. You can click on the checkmark icon to view what the extension blocked.

Anti-Ransomware

The Anti-Ransomware page comprises two main sections:

• Safe Files: Prevents any modification to the selected files
• Time Machine Protection: Prevents any modification to your Time Machine backups

The Safe Files feature has two components:

Protected Files

Any files and folders added to the Protected Files list are rendered inaccessible for modification or deletion by untrusted applications.

Application Access

Any applications that attempt to alter protected files will be displayed in the Application Access list. You can then decide whether to block or allow access to the listed app.

You can add or delete applications manually by clicking the + or – icons on the bottom left.

Bitdefender’s privacy policy

The Privacy menu includes access to the bundled Bitdefender VPN app (a paid add-on) and the Anti-tracker.

VPN

Clicking Open launches the VPN app.

You get 200MB per day for free. Getting more than that requires a paid upgrade.

Anti-Tracker

Like its TrafficLight extension, the Anti-tracker page displays instructions on enabling the feature in Safari. Once enabled, it simply displays confirmation.

Again, like TrafficLight, Anti-tracker will block threats as you browse. You can click on the target icon to display what Anti-tracker has blocked.

I was disappointed that Bitdefender’s anti-tracker doesn’t block ads; it just tracks scripts. Most “anti-trackers” also block ads because display ads tend to contain trackers. There are other (excellent and free) ways to block ads, so this isn’t a deal-breaker but an opportunity for improvement.

Notifications

The Notifications menu displays the app’s notifications organized by severity level:

• All
• Critical
• Warning
• Information

Settings

The Settings menu is where you can fine-tune the antivirus’ behavior.

The Protection settings manage things like real-time protection and scanning behavior.

The Advanced settings control the app’s behavior for infected items and suspected items.

For maximum privacy, I recommend disabling the app’s marketing and analytics, which are enabled by default. This can be done through the Other Settings page.

Finally, My Account displays your account information, and the Help menu provides support resources.

Let’s now move on to the antivirus tests.

How Bitdefender tackles malware

As mentioned above, Bitdefender scored very well on both AVTests and AVComparatives.

When we tested Bitdefender, I started with malware samples from the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR). Bitdefender detected EICAR samples in all scanning modes (Quick, Full, and Custom).

I then moved on to the malware samples, and it detected all of them in all scan modes.

Bitdefender’s performance impact

Turning to Bitdefender’s impact on system resources, here’s what it looks like for quick and full scans:

Quick scan

Full scan 

Despite running a full scan, I could still use my computer without issue with Bitdefender. I was impressed by how responsive my computer remained despite running a full scan.

Pricing for Bitdefender for macOS

Bitdefender offers three subscription terms of between one and three years, and each subscription is offered for either one device or three devices.

One device

Three devices

I’d say the asking price for a single-device subscription is excellent, given what you get for the price. And when you bump it up to three-device support, the prices remain reasonable. That’s nice to see in these ‘inflation times.’

Great stuff on the pricing front.

Support options

You have no less than four options for support with Bitdefender:

• Online knowledgebase
• Chat
• Phone
• Email

It’s got the bases covered, to be sure. I opted to get support over chat.

Initially, Bitdefender’s support bot will answer your questions. I quickly realized that asking for more details was futile.

As soon as I asked for a human support rep, I was quickly transferred. The support I received was prompt, polite, and knowledgeable.

The rep’s reply essentially stuck to Bitdefender’s privacy policy for antivirus products, which states:

“Depending on the specific Bitdefender Solution used, Bitdefender will process technical data, such as direct technical data from your device (e.g. IP and/or MAC Address) and/or pseudonymized technical data for identifying a device, a user, a file or folder, an app, or a network resource (e.g. URL). We would also process various unique identifiers of alleged malicious users. If you use a Bitdefender Home Solution that protects your email, some technical data from the email files (mostly from email headers) will be sent to us, including data such as sender, recipient, subject, or attachment.”

This is in line with most antivirus vendors. Some data collection will be required for your antivirus to provide real-time protection.

Do I recommend Bitdefender for macOS?

I do.

Bitdefender’s antivirus engine performed exceptionally well in our testing, and that’s reflected in third-party testing. The extras it bundles in its antivirus app are genuinely helpful (tracker blocker, malware blocker, ransomware protection). I do wish its tracker blocker blocked ads. But, alas, it does not. And it’s a minor peeve anyway, as plenty of free ad-blocking options exist.

Bitdefender’s app is slick and functional, and the company’s asking price is more than fair. Plus, its 30-day money-back guarantee and free 30-day trial version (no credit card required) make trying Bitdefender risk-free.

Bitdefender for macOS is recommended.

Antivirus testing methodology

We’ve structured our antivirus testing methodology to provide reliable data on the software’s effectiveness at malware protection and performance.

Our testing process includes:

• Using malware test samples from EICAR
• Testing live malware samples, including Adware and Trojans
• Comparing our own tests with independent antivirus lab test results

In addition, we measure several PC performance metrics and analyze pricing, ease of use, compatibility, and additional features.

If you want to know more about how we analyze antivirus software, we have a dedicated post on our antivirus research and testing methodology.