Independent reviews. Real tests. Smarter security decisions.
Price captures verified 2026-08-09; overall scores unpublished
Seat math first, not cheapest sticker: SecurityChecklist compares antivirus cost by free baseline time, device seats, and intro-versus-renewal cliffs before any logo sort. Verified 2026-08-09 US captures: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus from $24.99/yr for 1 device first-year (Total Security Individual from $59.99/yr; Family 25 devices $79.99/yr) and Malwarebytes Windows Individual Standard from $59.99/yr (Plus $79.99; Ultimate $139.99 promo). Microsoft Defender remains the free Windows baseline. Surfshark antivirus sits inside VPN-led One bundles (Starter from $2.49/mo US/USD; US/USD plans API 2026-08-09). We do not invent coupons, countdown scarcity, detection rates, or a scored cheapest-winner ranking. Who should not buy: anyone with free baselines still broken, anyone shopping coupons from a rendering, anyone waiting on a published detection score, or anyone treating US/USD VPN pricing as a US antivirus quote. Ledger-verified starting prices show below when captured; otherwise cards stay confirm-live or pending. Overall scores stay unpublished (N/Pub). Never invent dollar amounts.
Overall pick status
Seat math first, not cheapest sticker
Price alone is not a protection score. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus's first-year capture is lower than Malwarebytes Standard in this snapshot ($24.99/yr vs $59.99/yr), but the products target different jobs (broad suite vs cleanup/premium). Value depends on whether Defender already covers you, how many devices need seats, and whether intro prices rise at renewal. Re-check checkout the day you buy.
Ledger-verified starting prices show below when captured; otherwise cards stay confirm-live or pending. Overall scores stay unpublished (N/Pub). Never invent dollar amounts.
Pack affiliate product
Multi-device suite shoppers after Defender
From $24.99/yr Antivirus Plus (1 device, first year)
Verified 2026-08-09, bitdefender.json#bitdefender-starting-price; Total Security Individual from $59.99/yr; renewals may differ
Pack affiliate product
Cleanup and Premium shoppers
From $59.99/yr Standard (3 devices)
Verified 2026-08-09, malwarebytes.json#malwarebytes-starting-price (malwarebytes.com/windows); Plus $79.99 / Ultimate $139.99 promo
Decision support
Scenario fit only, no fabricated overall scores while evidence is pending.
Count devices you will actually protect, then compare intro versus renewal. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus from $24.99/yr and Total Security from $59.99/yr (2026-08-09) are first-year US captures; renewals may differ. Norton 360 Standard showed $39.99 first year with renewal near $94.99/yr the same day (comparison-only). We refuse fake countdown scarcity.
Antivirus Plus 1 device vs 3 devices ($29.99/yr first-year in the same Bitdefender capture) and Family 25 devices at $79.99/yr change the per-device math. A cheap 1-device sticker is not a household answer.
Malwarebytes Standard from $59.99/yr is not worse because it costs more than Antivirus Plus in this snapshot. Cleanup and second-opinion workflows are a different purchase from a broad multi-device suite.
Microsoft Defender is included with supported Windows. Paying while real-time protection is off is wasted spend. macOS and Android also have free hygiene baselines before suite seats.
Surfshark Antivirus sits inside One bundles (Starter from $2.49/mo / One from $2.79/mo on 24-month US/USD plans API captures, 2026-08-09). Antivirus is not a standalone Surfshark SKU. Do not treat AUD geo HTML as the US/USD ledger figure, and do not invent FX conversions.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus from $24.99/yr first-year and Total Security Individual from $59.99/yr (2026-08-09) are pack suite anchors after free Defender hygiene. Malwarebytes Windows Individual Standard from $59.99/yr fits cleanup-first leftovers. Sticker math is not a detection score (N/Pub).
Finish OS updates and a second-opinion free cleanup path before annual suite sticker comparisons. Fear UI is not a lab result.
Skip if free Defender/platform controls are unfinished, if you plan to stack multiple always-on engines, if you need unpublished lab charts, or if the leftover job is VPN-only (see Surfshark US/USD captures elsewhere).
Count devices used weekly before buying a 1-device intro. Bitdefender Family $79.99/yr for 25 devices (2026-08-09) only wins when you will administer those seats; unused badges are not value.
Surfshark One US/USD plans API captures are VPN-led bundles, not a standalone antivirus sticker contest against Bitdefender. Do not sort those dollars as an AV winner.
If you administer one personal Windows laptop, keep Defender healthy and skip Family seat math. Paid AV is optional after free hygiene; Bitdefender Antivirus Plus can fit a named leftover on a small footprint, but a multi-device Family sticker is the wrong shopping trip.
Model renewal, not only the first-year capture, before sorting Bitdefender versus Malwarebytes dollars. Promo intros are diligence anchors, not lasting value scores (N/Pub).
Re-check checkout with the seat count you will actually renew. A lower 1-device intro can lose to honest multi-device math after tax. Sticker sorting without seats is not a cost win.
HR reimbursement lists are not lab rankings. Finish free hygiene, then buy Bitdefender or Malwarebytes only for a leftover job you will administer. Do not invent a scored win from a stipend policy.
Seat math first, not cheapest sticker. After healthy Defender: Bitdefender or Malwarebytes only for a named leftover job. Overall score remains unpublished (N/Pub). Re-check ledger USD same-day. Commissions never set price ranking. Ledger-verified starting prices show below when captured; otherwise cards stay confirm-live or pending. Never invent dollar amounts.
Lowest verified paid capture (this snapshot)
Context only, not a scored winner
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus from $24.99/yr first-year vs Malwarebytes Standard from $59.99/yr. Price snapshot only; job fit and Defender adequacy matter more.
Free baseline
Microsoft Defender
Included with supported Windows; see Defender review. Zero subscription if healthy.
Family / multi-device seats
Verify Family SKUs live
Bitdefender Total Security Family $79.99/yr for 25 devices (2026-08-09). Count household devices before personal 1-device SKUs.
Best value pending evidence
No scored winner yet, see verification register
Value needs protection job + seat count + intro vs renewal, not sticker alone.
Starting price (2026-08-09 capture)
Bitdefender: From $24.99/yr Antivirus Plus (1 device, first year)
Malwarebytes: From $59.99/yr Standard
Higher / family SKUs (same capture)
Bitdefender: Total Security from $59.99/yr; Family $79.99/yr (25 devices)
Malwarebytes: Plus $79.99/yr; Ultimate $139.99/yr promo
Free option
Bitdefender: No free real-time suite (trial / money-back terms advertised)
Malwarebytes: Free tier exists (verify current limits)
True first cost
Bitdefender: Defender / built-in + backups time
Malwarebytes: Defender / built-in + backups time
Money-back (vendor-advertised)
Bitdefender: 30-day money-back advertised (bitdefender.com, 2026-08-09)
Malwarebytes: 60-day money-back advertised on Premium plans (2026-08-09)
Affiliate CTA
Bitdefender: Via /go/bitdefender
Malwarebytes: Via /go/malwarebytes
Bars stay empty and winners stay pending until scores are verified.
Bitdefender
N/Pub
Price transparency
Winner pending
Ledger captures published; renewals and device SKUs still need same-day re-check.
Malwarebytes
N/Pub
Bitdefender
N/Pub
Value vs free DIY
Winner pending
Depends on whether Defender/built-in protection already covers the risk.
Malwarebytes
N/Pub
Bitdefender
N/Pub
Malware protection
Winner pending
Requires verified lab or test evidence; no invented detection rates.
Malwarebytes
N/Pub
Bitdefender
N/Pub
Performance
Winner pending
No fabricated FPS or CPU impact numbers.
Malwarebytes
N/Pub
Ledger-verified starting prices show below when captured; otherwise cards stay confirm-live or pending. Overall scores stay unpublished (N/Pub). Never invent dollar amounts.
From $24.99/yr first year
From $59.99/yr Standard
Where to go next
Price alone is not a protection score. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus's first-year capture is lower than Malwarebytes Standard in this snapshot ($24.99/yr vs $59.99/yr), but the products target different jobs (broad suite vs cleanup/premium). Value depends on whether Defender already covers you, how many devices need seats, and whether intro prices rise at renewal. Re-check checkout the day you buy.
Price captures verified 2026-08-09; overall scores unpublished. Re-verify volatile prices and plan names before purchase. Overall scores stay unpublished (N/Pub). This page stays intentionally noindex until research and QA publish gates clear.
Internal links
Hub, tools, and related pages from the inventory. No invented URLs.
Want launch updates?
The email newsletter is not running yet. Use Contact if you want a human reply when it opens. No fake signup form.
