Kaspersky vs Bitdefender
For years this was the closest fight in antivirus. Since the US ban on Kaspersky in September 2024, it is two different conversations depending on where you live.
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Kaspersky Premium
World-class engine, geopolitical asterisk.
Bitdefender Total Security
Lab-test royalty that stays out of your way.
Prices last checked on
| Feature | Kaspersky Premium | Bitdefender Total Security |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.0 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Price | From $10/mo | From $5/mo |
| Renews at | n/a | $109.99/yr |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Best for | Not available/updated in the US | Most people, most devices |
| Category | Complete suites | Complete suites |
| Provider | Kaspersky Lab | Bitdefender |
| Visit Kaspersky Premium | Visit Bitdefender Total Security |
What year two costs
On the vendors’ own pages, read September 8, 2026: Kaspersky Premium's page could not be verified on September 8, 2026, so no amount is quoted for it; Bitdefender Total Security renews at $109.99 a year after a $59.99 first year (up 83.3%). Across the 9 vendors that print a renewal price, the median increase is 58.9% and the average 64.3%; every vendor with its source is in the Renewal Price Index, and the entry prices of both sit side by side in the Price Index.
Our verdict
In the United States there is nothing to compare. Kaspersky is banned, updates for US users have stopped, and antivirus without updates is a liability, so Bitdefender wins by default. Outside the US, Kaspersky still posts world-class lab scores, and the choice becomes one of risk appetite.
Equally protective software, but one vendor operates under a geopolitical cloud that already cost its users in one large market. We recommend Bitdefender to most readers everywhere, because it removes a variable you cannot control. So which is better now?
The answer still depends on where you live, and the American half of it has not moved since September 2024: the ban stands, the definition updates have not restarted, and every month without them widens the gap. Outside the US, the fairest price comparison is not the one most reviews make.
Kaspersky Premium includes an unlimited VPN. Bitdefender only includes one in Premium Security, the tier above Total Security, so the like-for-like comparison is Kaspersky Premium against Bitdefender Premium Security, not against the plan in the table.
Match the tiers on features rather than names before you compare prices, and take Kaspersky's current figure from its own page, since none could be read there at the September 2026 check. If you would buy a VPN anyway, that changes the arithmetic.
If you would not, compare Kaspersky Premium against Bitdefender Total Security in the table above instead. None of this changes our advice, and it is worth saying plainly why. We are not calling the Kaspersky engine weaker.
We are saying that a vendor whose customers in one large market woke up without updates carries a risk no yearly saving can price in. If the reason you looked at Kaspersky was price and control rather than the brand, ESET is the closer match.
It is Slovak, light, and configurable; it prints no renewal price on its plan page, so read the second year in your own account.
“Technically still among the best engines in the world, and banned in the United States since September 2024, with updates for US users stopped. Outside the US it remains a capable, well-priced suite. Inside the US it is effectively dead software. We list it for the full picture, without an affiliate link.”Editorial team, on Kaspersky Premium
“The best mix of protection, speed, and price in this lineup. Full marks at AV-TEST again in 2026, with the AV-Comparatives result on the lab’s own page linked below, noticeably light on system resources, and the suite features feel useful rather than bolted on. Watch the renewal price, like everywhere in this market.”Editorial team, on Bitdefender Total Security
Frequently asked questions
Can I still buy Kaspersky in the United States?
No. The US government banned the sale and updating of Kaspersky products in September 2024, and US customers no longer receive virus definition updates. Antivirus without updates is a liability rather than protection, so for American readers there is nothing left to compare here. Bitdefender, or another vendor that still ships updates, is the only sensible answer.
Is Kaspersky better than Bitdefender outside the US?
On pure detection they are close. Kaspersky still sits alongside Bitdefender at the top of the independent lab tables: AV-TEST gives both full marks in the home-user round shown on their product pages here, and the AV-Comparatives ratings are on the lab's own page, linked from those same pages. The difference is risk, not quality. One vendor operates under a geopolitical cloud that already cost its users an entire market. We point most readers to Bitdefender everywhere, because it removes a variable you cannot control.
Is Kaspersky cheaper than Bitdefender?
It has been, where you can still buy it, but that has to be checked on the day. At the September 2026 reading no price could be read from Kaspersky's page, as the year-two block above notes, so take its current figure from kaspersky.com and set it against Bitdefender's first-year and renewal prices in the table above. Whatever the gap turns out to be, a saving on a yearly bill is a thin reason to accept the risk.
I have Kaspersky and I live in the US. What should I do now?
Treat it as expired software and replace it. Without definition updates the engine stops learning about new threats, so protection degrades quietly instead of failing visibly. Microsoft Defender is already on your PC and free, which makes it the zero-cost stopgap today. Bitdefender Total Security, at the first-year price in the table above, is the paid replacement we point people to.