(Last updated on January 12th, 2021)

Bitdefender or Trend Micro, which antivirus software is a better pick in 2021?

Our experts have put together this comprehensive Bitdefender versus Trend Micro comparison to help you make a wise decision.

For the past few years, hackers are continuously trying to develop malware that can hide inside a program undiscovered by a user or flimsy protection.

This kind of malware appears to be legitimate but contains malicious code and because of its apparent legitimacy conveniently stays undetected for a long time. For this reason, it is able to permanently open up a backdoor into a system or network for hackers to access.

Did you know researchers have recently found websites that contained fake malicious plugins? These plugins appear to be legit, for instance, “wp framework”, and therefore remain undiscovered, granting unlimited remote access to hackers.

That’s why it is essential to get a premium antivirus product that can guarantee a safe browsing experience against such ingenious malicious coding.

Although, don’t think for even a moment that a pre-installed free software can protect you against these threats. Free software doesn’t have an advanced firewall that can protect you against emerging malicious threats and therefore, can’t provide a complete sense of security for you.

A premium antivirus software comes packed with the most advanced features that provide real-time protection against emerging malware and ensure complete security for yourself and your loved ones.

Editor’s Note: We have spent over 150 hours examining all the top antivirus software out there, so you can get the best antivirus product for yourself and those you love.

At the moment, we think that Norton is the best antivirus software available in the market. It offers exceptional anti-malware security with minimal impact on system performance, as evidenced by the recent independent lab tests conducted by the AV-Test Institute.

Currently, Norton is offering an exclusive 70% discount to our readers for a limited time, so grab your copy of Norton before the sale ends.

Best Antivirus Software for 2021


  • Unbeatable anti-malware protection
  • Minimal system impact
  • Exceptional value for money
  • Recommended by PC Mag, CNET & TechRadar
  • 100% virus protection promise
  • 60-day risk-free money-back guarantee

Although it can be tricky to choose the right malware for your protection needs, that’s what we are here for. In today’s guide, we’ve drafted a detailed comparison between Bitdefender and Trend Micro, to see which one is a better cybersecurity product.

Breakdown of the Comparison

Here’s what we’ll cover in this Bitdefender vs. Trend Micro comparison:

  • Features
  • Anti-Malware Protection
  • Impact on System Speed
  • User Interface
  • Pricing
  • Popularity
  • Customer Ratings

We’ll analyze each product on the above criteria and also consider the unbiased test results from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives to gauge which product offers complete and consistent protection.

In a hurry? Take a sneak peek at the comparison below to find out the winners in each category.

Comparison at a Glance

Features… Bitdefender offers much more feature-rich products compared to Trend Micro.

Anti-Malware Protection…  Bitdefender consistently showed exceptional anti-malware protection in all three independent evaluations. Whereas, Trend Micro varied in its performance in those assessments.

Impact on System Speed… Bitdefender left Trend Micro behind in the Performance Tests from both AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.

User Interface… Bitdefender has a much more functional and customizable interface, whereas the Trend Micro interface lacks both these properties.

Pricing… Bitdefender offers much more value in exchange for what it costs for its products compared to Trend Micro.

Popularity… According to the independent survey reports, Bitdefender is much more popular compared to Trend Micro.

Customer Ratings… Bitdefender was a little ahead in its rating from the second organization. That’s why Bitdefender wins this category, as well.

The Winner

2021’s Top Antivirus Picks


#1 (Best Overall)

  • Extensive feature-set
  • Award-winning malware protection
  • Minimal system impact
  • competitive pricing structure
  • Intuitive user interface
  • 100% virus protection promise
  • 60-day money-back guarantee

#2 (Very Good)

Bitdefender Logo 1
  • Robust Feature-set
  • Excellent Anti-malware security
  • Zero System Slowdowns
  • Exceptional Value for Money
  • Intuitive User Interface

#3 (Very Good)

  • Impressive Feature-set
  • Good malware protection
  • Value for Money

Let’s get into details.

1. Features

We are going to analyze the features offered by each product to see which one provides more value through its products. We’ll start with Bitdefender.

Bitdefender’s Features

Bitdefender Free Edition is the first product from Bitdefender that is only compatible with Windows devices. This software offers basic protection against known malware threats but doesn’t have the advanced features of paid tiers.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the entry-level paid product from the company, another Windows-only suite. This product offers a host of cool features:

  • Firewall – blocks all kinds of cyber and malware attacks.
  • Secure Internet Browser – secures against phishing and fraudulent sites.
  • Limited-use VPN – temporarily makes you anonymous and untraceable while browsing.
  • Password Manager – secures all your login details in a digital vault.
  • Ransomware Filter – encrypts your private and financial information to prevent misuse.

Next comes the Bitdefender Internet Security suite. This package includes everything from the Antivirus Plus suite and adds on some extra features:

  • Parental Controls – make sure your kids have a safe browsing experience.
  • Vulnerability Checker – monitors your network for security issues and fixes them.
  • File Encryption – encrypts your files and documents and restricts access to them.
  • Webcam Protection – blocks access to webcam settings to prevent spyware attacks.

Bitdefender Total Security comes next in the tiers of protection – a full-blown offering that boasts some of the most advanced features offered by the company, such as:

  • Wi-Fi Security Advisor – protects against malicious threats spread across public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Anti-Theft Function – allows locating missing devices saving you a little fortune and a fit of annoyance.
  • Rescue Mode – in case a bad virus manages to work its way into your system’s core code, the Rescue Mode reboots the system without deleting your important data.
  • Optimizer – organizes temporary files and deletes junk files to improve system speed.
  • Bitdefender Photon – analyzes your system for hardware and software issues at a deeper level to free up resources and optimize the system’s processing power.

If you want all your family’s devices protected, you can go for Bitdefender Family Pack. This package uses the same features as the Total Security suite but protects up to 15 devices, providing the ultimate protection for your entire family.

If you specifically use Mac devices, Bitdefender offers Antivirus for Mac to provide complete protection against Mac-related threats.

Bitdefender offers premium customer support to all its customers via different channels, including email, online chat, and phone calls.

Bitdefender Security Suites and Features

Trend Micro’s Features

Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security is the entry-level product by the company that can protect 1 PC and provides many interesting features such as:

  • Complete Anti-Malware Protection – against all sorts of malware and digital threats, including ransomware.
  • Web Shield – secures your information against any phishing threats while browsing or shopping online.
  • Pay Guard Module – protects your financial details from landing in the hands of hackers while you’re making online transactions.
  • Anti-Spam Feature – filters out spam or junk email from your inbox to guard against phishing emails.

Trend Micro Internet Security makes up the next tier of protection. Along with everything from the previous product, this suite offers:

  • Parental Controls – helps monitor your children’s online activities and ensures a safe browsing experience for them.
  • 1 license of this suite protects up to 3 PCs.

Trend Micro Maximum Security is the next package and the full-blown offering from the company. This suite includes everything from the previous products plus:

  • Advanced Password Management – ensures the security of all your passwords and usernames while you’re online.
  • System Optimizer Tool – automatically organizes or removes temporary and junk files from your system, helping to improve the overall performance of your device.
  • Multi-Platform Protection – This suite also protects up to 10 devices, including Macs, Android, and iOS devices.

Trend Micro also offers a separate entry-level product for Mac devices called Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac. This product provides complete protection against all kinds of malware and cyber threats for 1 Mac device.

Trend Micro Security Suites and Features

Winner: Bitdefender. The comparison between the two products clearly shows that Bitdefender offers a much more comprehensive feature-set compared to Trend Micro.

2. Anti-Malware Protection

Our next criterion is the anti-malware performance of antivirus software. So we’ll examine the protection capability of both brands using the findings from two independent and unbiased testing organizations: AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.

The AV-TEST Institute conducts three tests in Protection, Performance, and Usability categories; each of these categories has scores from 1-6, 6 being the best.

For the Protection test, Bitdefender scored a perfect 6 out of 6.

Bitdefender-AV-Test-March-April-2019

Trend Micro also matched Bitdefender with a perfect score of 6 out of 6.

TrendMicro-protection-test-results-AV-Test-evaluations-March-April-2019

AV-Comparatives, another testing organization, scores the contestants through awards. For their Real-World Protection Test, Bitdefender received the highest-ranking ADVANCED+ award. Whereas, Trend Micro went home with the ADVANCED award coming in second place this time, mainly due to a higher frequency of false alarms.

Real-World-Protection-Test-Results-AV-Comparatives-Evaluations-February-May-2019

Another protection test carried out by the same organization is the Malware Protection Test. In this assessment, the company gauges a software’s strength against malware types transferred over network routes or through removable media.

Malware-Protection-Test-Results-AV-Comparatives-Evaluations-March-2019

Once again, Bitdefender was able to secure the ADVANCED+ award showing a consistency of performance through and through. However, Trend Micro went even lower this time, receiving the STANDARD award from AV-Comparatives.

Winner: Bitdefender. This comparison shows that Bitdefender was consistent in showing top-most malware protection in all three scenarios. Whereas, Trend Micro wasn’t able to show a consistent performance at all.

3. Impact on System Speed

Malware protection and system performance are two peas in a pod. An antivirus product isn’t worth your money as long as it is an excellent contender in both these criteria.

That’s why next, we’re going to look at the independent test evaluations from our trusted organizations for system performance.

In the Performance Test by the AV-TEST Institute, Bitdefender gave top-of-the-line performance securing the perfect score: 6 out of 6.

Bitdefender-AV-Performance-Test-March-April-2019

Trend Micro was slightly behind with a 5.5 out of 6 score.

TrendMicro-performance-test-results-AV-Test-evaluations-March-April-2019

Next, we’ll look at the Performance Test results from AV-Comparatives. Bitdefender, as expected, got another ADVANCED+ award, while Trend Micro scored the ADVANCED award again.

AV-Comparatives-Performance-Test-April-201

Winner: Bitdefender. Bitdefender wins this category as well as it showed better system performance in both independent evaluations.

4. User Interface

The more user-friendly a software is, the better it can serve your needs. So next, we’ll focus our attention on how user-friendly each software’s interface is.

The Bitdefender interface comes with a neat look and sleek design using black, light grey, and white for its color scheme. These colors also divide the interface into two different sections.

A black rail on the left-hand side displays the system’s current security status. Several different buttons are also stacked here to give access to various features and settings.

On the right-hand side, a grey screen consists of big white blocks. Each of these blocks takes you to a different function. However, you can modify and select what features or tasks you want to show on the Home screen.

You can also group different tasks inside these blocks to schedule a chain of activities. This functionality makes Bitdefender extremely user-friendly and suitable for all kinds of users.

Bitdefender Antivirus Interface

Now let’s see how Trend Micro’s interface compares.

In contrast to Bitdefender, Trend Micro has a somewhat simplistic interface. Prominent icons at the top of the screen give access to different features and settings.

The middle of the screen contains a large round button to start an immediate scan. Towards the bottom, you find security or system updates.

The simple design of this interface is well suited to novice users. Seasoned users, however, may find it a bit too straight-forward. Also, you can’t customize the look of this interface.

Trend Micro Antivirus Interface

Winner: Bitdefender. Bitdefender offers customization for more experienced users, which is something the Trend Micro interface lacks. That’s why we think Bitdefender has a better interface design.

5. Pricing

Now let’s take a look at how these two companies compare according to your wallet. Pricing is a huge determinant in making a purchase decision and, therefore, an important aspect to consider.

Bitdefender Products Regular Price Discounted Price
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus $59.99/yearCheck here
Bitdefender Internet Security $79.99/year Check here
Bitdefender Total Security $89.99/year Check here
Bitdefender Family Pack$119.99/yearCheck here
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac$59.99/year Check here
Bitdefender Small Office SecurityVariesCheck here
Bitdefender GravityZone Business AVVariesCheck here
Trend Micro Products Regular Price Discounted Price
Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security $39.95/yearCheck here
Trend Micro Internet Security $79.95/year Check here
Trend Micro Maximum Security $89.95/year Check here

Trend Micro provides good value with its most premium product compared to earlier tiers. However, its prices are still much higher compared to Bitdefender, which offers excellent value for your money with each additional tier.

Winner: Bitdefender. This category goes to Bitdefender as well for its much more reasonable pricing and great value for money.

6. Popularity

Now we’re going to see which company is more popular and has a higher market share. We are going to look at survey reports from OPSWAT and Statista to assess the popularity of our brands.

As per the recent Windows Anti-Malware Market Share Report from OPSWAT, Bitdefender governs a market share of 11.2%. However, Trend Micro doesn’t feature among the top 10 products from the survey.

Now we’ll have a look at the August 2019 survey report from Statista. Here as well, Bitdefender commands a good market share at 10.17%. Once again, Trend Micro doesn’t show up in the list of top products.

OPSWAT Antivirus Market Share

Winner: Bitdefender. We can see from the survey reports that Bitdefender is way more popular than Trend Micro.

7. Customer Ratings

Finally, we are going to see what actual customers think of these brands. So let’s turn to some reviewing websites to learn about that.

First, we’ll consider the feedback from Consumeraffairs.org, a reviewing company that collects customer responses and ranks products on a 5-star scale based on the average feedback. Both Bitdefender and Trend Micro received a modest 3-star rating from this organization.

Now let’s look at the ratings from our second source called G2, a similar service as Consumeraffairs.org. They also have a 5-star or 1 to 5 rating scale, 5 being the best. As per G2, Bitdefender scored an almost perfect 4.8 score (4+ stars), while Trend Micro was a little bit behind with a 4.3 rating.

Winner: Bitdefender. Both companies got the same feedback from the first source, but Bitdefender was a little ahead in its rating from the second source. That’s why Bitdefender wins this category by a small margin.

Bottom Line

Bitdefender totally floored Trend Micro in this review, leaving it behind in all categories. Bitdefender was a winner in all the 7 criteria with its top-of-the-line features, exceptional malware protection, excellent system performance, and more. This is a tremendous performance against the competition.

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