After removing Bitdefender Free, Bitdefender releases Antivirus Free for Windows

Security company Bitdefender announced last year that it would be withdrawing Bitdefender Free by the end of 2021. Now, three months later, the company has released a new free product, called Bitdefender Antivirus Free.

In a surprising move, Bitdefender launched a new free antivirus product for Windows after canceling the previous one just three months earlier.

The company announced the release of Bitdefender Antivirus Free on the company blog. The blog post reveals that the program has been created from scratch. Bitdefender Antivirus Free “offers enhanced features, functionality, and improved user experience compared to the previous free version,” according to Bitdefender.

The free section of the Bitdefender website does not yet include the new product. You need to visit this link to open the page with the download link. The download is small, but the installer requires an Internet connection and will download over 500 Megabytes when run, as long as you allow it.

The version requires a Bitdefender account. A registration and login form is displayed on first run. Users who do not want to create an account just for that can uninstall the antivirus product immediately after installation, as there is no option to use it without an account.

According to Bitdefender, the new antivirus adds Outlook and Thunderbird email protection, custom scan scheduling options, and exploit detection to the protection features.

The free version protects against all advanced threats according to Bitdefender. Several features, such as ransomware repair, vulnerability scanning, or a firewall, are not included in the free version.

The free version includes antivirus protection, including on-demand scanning of the devices it’s installed on, web protection, and advanced threat defense, which attempts to block zero-day attacks.

The interface is easy to use, but many of the options are locked for free users. The dashboard shows two actions, Quick Scan and System Scan, which are available in the free version, and three, Vulnerability Scan, VPN, and Safepay, which are not.

There are several update buttons on the interface, and selecting any of the locked options will also display the update options. Users can also receive notifications about special offers and recommendations by default, which can be disabled in the options.

closing words

Bitdefender got quite a bit of backlash when it announced the end of the free antivirus solution. If he had waited with the announcement until the new free product was ready, many users might not have taken it so badly.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free offers basic protection against certain types of threats. The good news is that it uses the same antivirus engine as the paid products and Bitdefender has scored highly in all recent tests.

The program may be an option for users who don’t mind missing features and regular reminders about paid upgrade options. Free trial options are available for users who want to try the additional features without having to part with their money right away.

Now you: What is your opinion about the release?

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