Pricing and Pricing Tiers
When purchasing antivirus protection, the primary decision is typically how many licenses to buy. However, with identity theft protection added to the mix, pricing systems become more complex. Bitdefender offers Individual and Family plans, with the former protecting up to five devices and one identity, and the latter covering 25 devices and five identities. The basic Bitdefender Ultimate costs $159.99 per year, while the Family plan is $199.99. For full-scale identity protection, the Plus level is required, costing $189.99 or $269.99 per year for Individual and Family plans, respectively. The top-tier Plus Extended plan costs $249.99 for Individual or $349.99 for Family.
Norton also offers three tiers: Select, Advantage, and Ultimate+. Each successive tier provides more security suite and VPN licenses, storage for online backups, and a wider range of identity protection features. Norton’s pricing ranges from $189.99 per year for an individual at the lowest tier to $819.99 per year for Family & Kids at the Ultimate+ tier. Overall, Bitdefender offers better pricing.
Core Antivirus Protection
Both Bitdefender Antivirus Plus and Norton AntiVirus Plus provide strong antivirus protection with advanced features. While Bitdefender excels in pricing and ransomware protection, Norton performs better in hands-on test scores and firewall defenses. Ultimately, the contest between the two is a tie.
VPN Protection
All Bitdefender plans include a VPN, although lower-tier plans require extra payment to remove bandwidth and server choice limits. Norton’s basic antivirus omits VPN protection, but all security suites include a no-limits VPN. Bitdefender’s VPN offers more server location choices, a better geographic spread, and features like double-hop VPN connections and VPN-level ad blocking. Bitdefender edges out Norton in VPN protection.
Essential Security Suite Features
Both suites include firewall protection and parental controls, although Bitdefender’s parental features are limited to Family plans. Norton offers more comprehensive backup features, with up to 500GB of hosted storage at the Ultimate+ tier. Bitdefender retains spam filtering, while Norton has dropped this feature. Norton rates slightly better overall in feature comparison.
Monitoring for Signs of Identity Theft
Both services monitor data breaches and dark web activity, notify users of suspicious activity, and track credit scores. Norton Ultimate+ subscribers receive daily reports from one credit bureau, while Bitdefender watches for SSN abuse and unauthorized address changes at the top-tier plans. Norton tracks more indicators of identity abuse than Bitdefender.
Social Media Privacy
Both services monitor social media accounts for potentially revealing posts, with Bitdefender tracking Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and YouTube, while Norton adds LinkedIn, Snapchat, and TikTok to these platforms. Bitdefender’s Impersonation Check feature scans for fake social media accounts, giving it an edge.
Prevent Identity Theft
Both services offer guidance on credit freezes, but Norton’s Identity Lock feature from TransUnion provides more comprehensive protection against new account openings and payday loans.
Recovery From Identity Theft
Both services provide recovery agents to help with identity theft remediation and allow users to record wallet contents. Both promise to assist until all problems are resolved.
Payment for Expenses Caused by Identity Theft
Both services offer guarantees for identity theft-related expenses. Bitdefender offers up to $2 million at the Plus Extended level, while Norton’s Ultimate+ subscribers have access to $3 million in funds for recovery. Norton’s coverage is more comprehensive and flexible.
Overall, the choice between Bitdefender and Norton 360 depends on individual needs and priorities. While Bitdefender excels in pricing and VPN protection, Norton offers more comprehensive identity theft protection and backup features.
