Does paid-for security have the edge over free?

Bitdefender provides multiple layers of security to protect the unwary.

© BITDEFENDER

DOES ANYONE NEED paid-for security software these days? Indeed, does anyone need any third-party security, given Windows now ships with a full-fledged antimalware tool in the form of Windows Security? That’s the conundrum we’ve put to this issue’s head-to-head, focusing on two products—one free (Avira Free Security) and one paid-for (Bitdefender Total Security)—to see whether you should still be paying for security in 2021. We’ve also taken the liberty of measuring both against Windows Security (Win 10’s built-in protection) to see whether you actually need to install either.

Let’s start with the most important factor: their ability to detect, block, and remove malware. The good news is that in the most recent tests (October 2020), all three scored highly across the board for protection, performance, and usability. Ironically, it was Windows Security that scored a perfect 6.0 for all three. Bitdefender also scored 6.0 for its protection, but Avira did dip slightly to 5.5.

What does this mean in real terms? All three products detected 100 percent of widespread and prevalent malware, but Avira’s rates dipped to 98.9 percent when it came to blocking zero-day malware attacks. Both Bitdefender and Windows Security maintained a perfect 100 percent rating. Bitdefender’s usability rating suffered compared to its rivals because its behavioral tools are a little overzealous, throwing up six false-positives in the most recent test. Finally, while all three scored perfectly in the performance stakes, a look behind the headline figures again reveals Bitdefender has a slightly heavier toll on performance—a 14 percent impact on loading websites, and 10 percent on app launch. Here Avira shines, with a lighter touch even than Windows Security.