BitDefender vs. Trend Micro

Choosing the right antivirus software for your PC can be easy (even though it might seem a bit daunting at first.)

When choosing software, you may've gotten some recommendations or read a couple of reviews. After that it often comes down to just a couple of choices.

That's where this section of our site can come in especially handy.

By using it, you can easily compare antivirus software feature-by-feature and see which one is best for your needs. You'll be able to quickly pit today's best antivirus software head-to-head against one another.

This page compares:
BitDefender Antivirus vs. Trend Micro Antivirus.

---

$24.95* Vs. $39.95*

Which Has the Best Real-time Protection?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
Excellent real-time protection that scans web pages, email, and files with increased accuracy. Testing labs showed BitDefender to have a 96% success rate. Bearing in mind no antivirus software can be 100% accurate, BitDefender ranks right at the top. Overall, BitDefender has managed to create a realistic and potent real-time antivirus suite.	Trend Micro's real-time protection is less than stellar this year. Independent testing showed Trend Micro to fall far behind its competitors with spotty results. Depending on the test, Trend Micro antivirus didn't block or capture enough virus and malware attacks to be considered effective. Overall real-time protection is poor to average at best.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender BitDefender easily beats Trend Micro in this department due to its excellent test scores.

Which is Most Effective Against Spyware?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
The built-in antispyware feature is well suited to defeat incoming spyware attacks as well as identifying existing spyware. Antispyware definitions are updated at hourly periods for maximum PC protection. BitDefender scored high during independent testing giving it high marks for total antispyware security.	Trend Micro's antispyware feature is inconsistent and untrustworthy. Independent testing showed Trend Micro couldn't stop the majority of incoming spyware attacks. Even some well known spyware wasn't removed. Overall, Trend Micro's antispyware feature still needs lots of work.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender Trend Micro's antispyware feature is simply too inconsistent for our liking.

Which Has the Lowest Resource Usage?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
BitDefender did great when compared to Trend Micro's resource usage. During a manual scan, BitDefender used half of the memory Trend Micro used. The percent of CPU used during a scan was equal to that of Trend Micro. During real-time protection, however, BitDefender used 1/3 less overall memory than Trend Micro did. Real-time protection resource usage is where BitDefender really shines.	During active antivirus scanning, Trend Micro nearly brings your PC to a halt. Manual scanning used twice the amount of memory that BitDefender did. The CPU percentage used during a scan was equal to BitDefender's usage. However, during real-time protection, Trend Micro was one of the highest resource-hogs coming in at a third more memory usage than BitDefender.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender Trend Micro came in nearly last in overall resource usage performance.

Which Has the Best User Interface?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
BitDefender's user interface is simple, clean, and easy to navigate. Each antivirus feature is clearly labeled in each tabbed section. However, they could have made one general page that lists all active features allowing the user to get a snapshot of everything they need to know. Overall, the BitDefender user interface is still intuitive and easy to navigate.	The user interface for Trend Micro is clean, slick, and generally easy to use. All features are clearly labeled and easy to navigate. However, once you start digging into the interface, there are several sections that may confuse most users. For the most part, the UI is intuitive and simple enough for average users, but it could use some work in simplifying the important features in to one handy page.
RESULT: Tie Both Trend Micro and BitDefender present appealing and easy to use user interfaces.

Which Has the Best Customer Support?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
BitDefender still needs to work on their customer support. Free email, chat, and phone support are offered, however, their phone support is very difficult to access. There are at least 12 different sections you'll need to go through before you can even find the support phone number. Then you'll need to create an account if you wish to continue. Phone support needs to be free and easily accessible, in our opinion.	Trend Micro offers free phone support, chat, and email for customers. FAQ pages and a searchable knowledge base are also available. Phone support is relatively easy to find on there site, and they don't make you jump through too many hoops to get there. Email responses may take up to 48 hours to respond. Overall, Trend Micro antivirus has the right idea when it comes to customer support.
RESULT: Winner Trend Micro When compared to BitDefender, Trend Micro offers free and easy phone support.

Which is Easiest to Install?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
The BitDefender installation is smooth and effortless for the most part. A typical installation wizard will walk you through the necessary steps needed to complete the process. The resource usage is minimal during the installation, and no other problems have been reported.	The Trend Micro installation is mostly easy and painless, however it's not quite "out of the box" ready. After the install, spyware definitions can take up to 30 min to download, and then you'll be required to reboot. Not a big issue, but something to consider if you're looking for a fast and easy installation.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender A fast and simple installation with no real issues.

Which Has the Best Email Virus Protection?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
The email antivirus protection feature in BitDefender is not enabled by default for some unknown reason. It's concerning due to the fact that so many known viruses and spyware are transmitted via email. The user will need to go into the Advanced View section to enable email protection. Once enabled, BitDefender's email antivirus protection does a solid job when it comes to email security.	The email antivirus protection for Trend Micro is not very impressive. Independent testing showed it missed several known virus and spyware attacks that easily penetrated their defenses. The automatic updates are downloaded approximately every 3 hours which isn't fast enough in our opinion. With the speed of today's threats, you really need an antivirus solution that can keep itself updated much faster.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender Once BitDefender's email protection is enabled, it offers a much more robust level of protection.

What's the Best Antivirus Software?

BitDefender	Trend Micro
Even though BitDefender isn't our "best antivirus software" this year, they certainly hold their own when compared to other antivirus solutions like Trend Micro. BitDefender is an excellent product right out of the box with excellent test scores, low resource usage, and a clean user interface. Even though their customer support leaves much to be desired, BitDefender is still one of our top picks this year for superb antivirus protection.	Unfortunately, Trend Micro antivirus isn't up to our standards this year. Their real-time protection was full of holes, their resource usage rates made for a sluggish PC, and their antispyware was poor to average depending on the tests. With such inconsistent results and a sluggish performance, Trend Micro falls far down the list for us this year. While they do offer free phone support and a pleasing user interface, it isn't enough for us to recommend this year.
RESULT: Winner BitDefender Overall, BitDefender easily wins this comparison with acceptable resource usage and solid antivirus protection. Trend Micro simply doesn't add up on all levels like it should.

BitDefender vs Trend Micro: Conclusion

BitDefender	Trend Micro
#1 $24.95*	#2 $39.95*
* No coupon currently available.	* 35.95 with our exclusive coupon.
CONCLUSION: Winner BitDefender