Advanced options in Bitdefender Free

Hello,
my question is generic and concerns the free version of Bitdefender.

In the paid versions these options can be activated/deactivated by the user, while in the free version users see a padlock icon instead of the buttons, so they cannot do anything on the individual features, the only editable button is the activation of "Bitdefender Shield".

So the question is: but in the free version these features are active by default and therefore the user cannot simply customize them?

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Alexandru_BD

Well, yes, the free version doesn't offer that much room for customization, but it does give the user a glimpse on what settings can be applied for the paid versions. That said, the free version isn't entirely bald, as you may expect, and it does the job quite nicely.
The paid versions will always have more features and settings, and I think that's only natural, because there has to be a differentiator between them, and with a paid software you do expect value for money after all, and more features to play with, depending on your security requirements.

Scott

@Alexandru_BD So as far as the free version, is it automatically, will still scan those areas: potentially unwanted apps, memory, command line, scripts, network shares, but just doesn't have the option to enable or disable those options like the paid version? Or, does the free version real time scanning not scan any of those areas at all, without upgrading to a paid version?

Nunzio77

@Alexandru_BD surely the Free version is not as bare as you might think, in fact, from my experience of use it is very rich in protection functions and therefore does its job of protection quite well.
From my experience it also intervenes with malware scripts, PUP / PUA, etc ... Therefore it would be interesting to understand if these functions indicated in the screen are active but only non-customizable while customizable only in the paid version. It would be nice to have a better graphic indication that gives a better idea of what is active and what is not active (activatable for a fee).

Scott

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351900#Comment_351900

I agree with this, how can the free version do such a nice job if those (most of those) settings weren't, aren't running in the background without those options being enabled, disabled in the free version?

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351901#Comment_351901

In this scenario, malware detection relies on signatures. If malware researchers have included, let's say, PUP/PUA (Potentially Unwanted Program/Application) detection in their signatures, then infected or suspicious samples will be detected. This is because when a signature update is downloaded, it retrieves the complete set of definitions from Bitdefender's server rather than just a specific subset of the database. This ensures that all known threats, including PUPs/PUAs, are covered through signature-based detection, regardless of the settings you choose in your Bitdefender product.

However, while signatures enable detection, the PUP/PUA settings in your Bitdefender product control how those detections are handled. For example:

Detection vs. Action – The signatures may detect PUPs/PUAs, but whether they are blocked, removed, or ignored depends on your settings.
User Control – Some users may want to allow certain PUPs/PUAs (e.g., ad-supported software), so these settings let them manage what gets flagged.
Notifications & Visibility – If the setting is disabled, Bitdefender might not inform the user about detected PUPs/PUAs, even if they are running in the background.

The same principle applies to other available options in Bitdefender. While the core malware detection remains unaffected due to signature updates, different settings influence how detections are managed, what actions are taken, and how much control the user has over security decisions.

Regards

Scott

@Flexx sorry but that seems a bit like a AI post. Is there a setting in the Free version for that (below)?

However, while signatures enable detection, the PUP/PUA settings in your Bitdefender product control how those detections are handled. For example….

So back to the question at hand, does the free version real time protection scan memory, scripts, command line, network shares like the paid version, but just doesn't have the toggle options?

Nunzio77

My main question however remains...and I have not yet had a clear answer.
Those advanced features that a paid user can deactivate/activate while a FREE user will always have them active (so he cannot deactivate them) all as in the attached image?

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351916#Comment_351916

Hey, I wrote it! You're challenging my capabilities. I am far from this world— I AM THE BEST IN THE UNIVERSE. Did you forget? 😂

Obviously, the antimalware is meant for that. Bitdefender Free Antivirus, unlike their paid products, provides real-time protection checks for everything running on a PC or laptop. You can simply try executing the EICAR ******, and Bitdefender will detect it, showing that it scans everything. Bitdefender Free Antivirus also detects and stops the execution of Command Prompt and PowerShell scripts, unlike its paid products. So yeah, it does work with the combination of signatures and behavior blocker (advanced threat defense in Bitdefender products).

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351917#Comment_351917

For users using Bitdefender Free Antivirus, if the features are enabled and greyed out, it means they are enabled by default and cannot be disabled, unlike in their paid products. But that is just my assumption.

Regards

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351918#Comment_351918

So I went ahead and got in touch with the Bitdefender support via chat. As soon as I asked my query, the AI helper immediately answered it, so there was no need to speak with a Bitdefender support employee.

Below is the chat s.c.r.i.p.t:

@Nunzio77, does this answer your query?

Regards

Scott

@Flexx

Hey, I wrote it! You're challenging my capabilities. I am far from this world—

I AM THE BEST IN THE UNIVERSE

. Did you forget? 😂

LOL, I must've forgotten, thank you for that reminder 😂😂

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351921#Comment_351921

Did you forget? 😂

This was the perfect backfire, lol 😅

Glad to see you're acknowledging true greatness! 😂

Regards

Nunzio77

Thanks everyone!

So I repeat my question and I hope to have a simple answer (YES or NO) all these advanced features where you only see the symbol of a padlock in the free version are all active by default as in the paid version?

To give greater clarity to a user on this I would opt for a clearer graphic design, that is, instead of putting the padlock symbol on the button, I would make it appear in active or inactive status in gray with a padlock next to it so that the user gives in that the feature is active or inactive but cannot change it unless he activates a paid plan.

Nunzio77

@Alexandru_BD and @camarie What do you think?

Scott

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351953#Comment_351953

I would really like to know the answer to this one, too. As support (Bitdefender Helper AI?) gave Flexx an incorrect response IMO, the options in the free version again as IMO, they are not greyed out, they are Padlocked. Totally different. Lets get a real Bitdefender engineer, developers answer here.

Nunzio77

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351955#Comment_351955

🤝Yes that's what I want a real answer from a Bitdefender engineer/technician who gives an official answer and they work on changing that misleading graphic. 😉

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351953#Comment_351953

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351955#Comment_351955

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351957#Comment_351957

I had another conversation with Bitdefender Support via chat. The AI support helper confirmed to me that the padlocked settings in Bitdefender Free Antivirus for Windows are enabled by default, as shown in the image of our conversation below.

Regards

Scott

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351961#Comment_351961

Sorry Flexx, I'll wait for and hope for a real Bitdefender engineer, developer or Alex in getting an answer from an insider who actually works or develops the free version. I know you're trying to be helpful, but please let it be someone else's turn.

Kindest of regards 😊

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351963#Comment_351963

I completely understand and respect your preference. I hope you receive the most accurate response from the appropriate person. Wishing you the best in getting the clarification you need.

Regards

Nunzio77

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351963#Comment_351963

+ 1 😉

Alexandru_BD

I see that Nunzio really got the conversation going on the Antivirus Free again. 😄

To clarify here, the advanced options under the Shield are locked in the free version and this means they cannot be customized, however, they are actually up and running.

It's like what you would find in a game where you need to unlock the next levels to play on the full map. 😁

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351992#Comment_351992

It's like what you would find in a game where you need to unlock the next levels to play on the full map. 😁

@Nunzio77, Achievement Unlocked: Problem Solved! 😂🎮

Regards

Nunzio77

@Alexandru_BD Thanks

This is the confirmation I wanted 😅

"To clarify, the advanced options of Shield are locked in the free version and this means that they cannot be customized, however they are actually active and functional."

Because unfortunately reading in other forums there are those who claim the opposite based also on their tests carried out, that is, they are not active.

So having clear and precise information would help many users and would ensure that many users do not scale other AV solutions even if free. But I always remain of the idea that a free version can be an entry ticket for any upgrades to the paid ones.

So I always remain of the idea that to avoid such confusion, the active or inactive options should be shown graphically and then insert the lock to unlock the customization or any activations in paid versions.
However at least one user, without going to read in the various forums, from the interface knows what it has and what it does not have and possibly be able to have it by paying. 😉

Scott

@Alexandru_BD and @Nunzio77's above post 👏👏

RandomFreeBDUser

My query for the same shield doubt was answered differently. It means other shields in real time protection is inactive and not up and greyed out as mentioned before. This means Free version is massively underpowered as compared to paid version.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351961#Comment_351961

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/353903#Comment_353903

@Alexandru_BD, two different replies from Bitdefender support don't make sense.

Here is my take: It might feel like the Bitdefender free version is too limited, but that's actually how it's designed. Free antimalware programs usually provide the basics—such as malware protection and blocking of malicious and phishing websites. That’s enough for general everyday use.

But features like advanced ransomware defense and extra security tools are usually only available in the paid version. This is done on purpose to give people a reason to upgrade if they need more advanced protection. Otherwise, if all the features were provided in the free version, there would be no need for paid products, and the company wouldn't be able to sustain itself. Many other antimalware vendors also offer only basic protection in their free products.

Note: Don’t mistake the absence of the advanced ransomware defense feature in the Bitdefender free version to mean it doesn’t protect against ransomware. Bitdefender does detect ransomware using malware signatures created by its malware researchers. What’s missing in the free version are the additional, dedicated layers of ransomware protection that come with the paid version.

So, the free version isn’t bad—it just covers the essentials. If you want stronger, more complete protection, the paid version is the better option.

If you compare the free products of other antimalware vendors like Kaspersky, AVG, Avast, and Avira, you'll see that they all offer similar basic functionality. Their free versions typically include essential features like malware scanning and web protection. At most, one or two of them might offer an extra feature, but nothing significantly beyond the basics. This is pretty standard across the industry for free antivirus products.

Regards

Nunzio77

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/353911#Comment_353911

Surely the padlock graphic in Bitdefender does not help to understand well and creates confusion, so in my opinion it should be revised.

Having said this I specify that Kaspersky Free and Avast Free/AVG Free in their free versions have advanced protection against ransoware.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/353912#Comment_353912

 At most, one or two of them might offer an extra feature, but nothing significantly beyond the basics.

I already mentioned this in the comment above, as quoted in the statement.

Advanced ransomware protection is provided by Kaspersky and AVG/Avast in their free products, but not by Avira in its free version. All three—Avast, AVG, and Avira—are owned by Gen Digital. If Gen Digital wanted, they could have implemented similar features across all their products. However, they chose to keep them distinct and did not make any changes, despite being the parent company.

That being said, it’s up to each company to decide how they want to implement features in their products. Everyone knows that each company has its own way of developing software. When it comes to free versions, in layman's terms, they generally only include basic malware protection and blocking of malicious and phishing websites. Again, it depends on the company how they choose to implement features in their products.

Additionally, @Nunzio77, a question for you, buddy: if the ransomware remediation feature will be included in Bitdefender Free Antivirus for Windows, how would you compare it to Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, which is a paid product? In that case, Bitdefender Free Antivirus for Windows would offer the same features as Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. So, there has to be some difference—and, as far as I know, ransomware remediation is the key feature that keeps Bitdefender Antivirus Plus superior to Bitdefender Free Antivirus for Windows. Otherwise, both seem to offer similar functionality.

@camarie, as a general rule of thumb, what’s your take on this? Do you think including ransomware remediation in the free version would make Bitdefender Antivirus Plus less relevant as a paid product? Or do you believe there are other key differences that still justify the upgrade?

Regards

camarie

I'm not involved in the decision process, obviously, being involved just in coding, not in management. But as a general approach of almost every free product, the free is intended to be a basic feature set, which differs from the paid versions by (a) not having the advanced/exotic/costly features, (b) appeals to general public and (c) implements a general set functionality without being too specialized. At least this is how I look at it (again, this are my personal views).

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/353926#Comment_353926

Thank you for your feedback.

Regards

RandomFreeBDUser

Thanks for your feedback. I have used Bitdefender Internet security for 5 years and I used my laptop recklessly and installed lot of softwares from non verified sources. Never once was my laptop infected and even when BD detects a malware, it never went beyond the File Shield or Web Shield. No ransomware remediation was triggered. Not even the legendary behaviour protection kicked in. So for normal users Free version is powerful enough is what I can say based on my experience thus far. To go a bit beyond, whenever I download new software, if Bitdefender does not detect it then I use 2nd opinion scanners like Malwarebytes to check the files before installing. But even Malwarebytes mostly say the files are good. So BD Free is rock solid protection.

Nunzio77

I am also of the opinion that Bitdefender Free is still a real rock for the protection of your PC and your data. Only a few small bugs that are common to the paid versions need to be solved. For the rest, the Free version is the top among free AV.