7/10
Open rating explainerInformationWIREDExtremely low price for the first year of service. Easy-to-use apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. Competitive network speeds and server availability in over 100 countries.TIREDNo TV client or Linux support. Lacks the most advanced privacy features. Pricing is less attractive after the first year.The internet is thick with VPN services. So thick, in fact, that it can feel a bit suspicious—and send you running back toward more familiar companies. Bitdefender takes advantage of that with a solid, easy-to-use VPN that offers a great deal on the first year of service. Bitdefender VPN isn’t geared toward the most privacy conscious users, but it does the job if you want a VPN to get around geo-location barriers or browse securely on open Wi-FI networks.
Free Available, Though You’ll Really Want to Pay
Bitdefender technically offers a free VPN option, but it’s limited. The software heavily pushes you toward a subscription (you’d likely not even realize a free option exists unless you back out of several prompts). Free users can only access automatically selected servers and are capped at 200 MB of data per day.
That means you'll mostly need to purchase a subscription to Bitdefender Premium VPN, which is positioned as the entry-level tier in a range of security services. You can upgrade to Premium Security, which adds an antivirus and password manager, or to Ultimate Security, which adds digital ID protection and dark-web monitoring (among other features). Bitdefender VPN is included in all tiers and works the same across all tiers.
Bitfender VPN via Matthew SmithIn other words, there’s really just two tiers of VPN service: Bitdefender VPN Free and Bitdefender VPN Premium. Bitdefender’s additional offerings add other services but don’t add anything to the VPN service itself.
If you stick with the VPN alone, you’ll pay $35 for the first year and $70 after the first year (as of June 2026). That comes out to $2.92 per month for the first year and $5.83 per month after the first year. This is generally competitive. NordVPN, ProtonVPN, and Surfshark are currently more expensive for the first year, though ProtonVPN and Surfshark become less expensive after the first year. Bitdefender provides a 30-day refund policy, though you’ll have to reach out to the company over email to use it.
One wrinkle to Bitdefender’s pricing is the lack of monthly or multiyear options. It’s yearly or bust. This is unusual; most competitors let users pay more for a monthly subscription. The first-year price is so low that I can mostly forgive this, but if you just want a month of service, Bitdefender isn’t for you.
The Premium VPN allows connections from up to 10 devices, and the VPN network has locations in over 100 countries. These figures aren’t mind-blowing (ProtonVPN, for example, allows as many connections and has servers in almost 150 countries), but Bitdefender VPN offers a level of service that’s competitive with other leaders in the VPN market.
A Focus on Ease of Use
Bitfender VPN via Matthew SmithBitdefender VPN’s app experience is probably its greatest asset. The software client, which is available on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android, offers a clean interface that is similar across platforms. The core feature—connected to a VPN—is handled with a power button, with additional options generally tucked into settings menus. A kill switch is also front and center.
I like that Bitdefender provides some useful information, too. This includes total connection time, total volume of data, IP address, and tally of ads and trackers blocked. Besides offering some assurance the VPN is working, it can be handy if you’re on a data-limited connection and want to keep an eye on your total usage.
When it comes to features, Bitdefender VPN mostly sticks to the essentials. It offers a couple VPN protocol options (OpenVPN and WireGuard). It provides anti-tracking and ad-blocking features. It offers several levels of auto-connection, including auto-connect on use of user-defined applications. You also have split-tunneling, which lets you give certain websites permission to bypass the VPN. The VPN network supports single or double-hop connections.
There are a few things missing, however.
Bitdefender VPN doesn’t support Linux and doesn’t have apps for devices such as smart TVs. You also won’t find a static IP option or port-forwarding options, which will be an issue if you need to use a VPN while also maintaining a specific, static network address.
Even so, Bitdefender VPN’s software and feature set is solid. It’s easy to use, offers the most desired features, and provides a long list of locations. It’s a good choice for an everyday user who wants to use a VPN without becoming an expert on the subject.
Not the Fastest, but Fast Enough
I expect a paid VPN service to deliver speeds high enough that a user on a typical home internet connection won’t notice a performance penalty when the VPN is enabled. Bitdefender meets that standard.
I tested Bitdefender VPN in several situations, at home and away, and found that using the VPN reduced average download speeds by only 14 percent, and average upload speeds by just 13 percent. These results were obtained using the WireGuard protocol.
At home, where I have a Wi-Fi network connected to a fiber internet service, I saw download speeds up to 480 Mbps while using Bitdefender VPN. My peak download speed without a VPN in use averages around 550 Mbps. I also saw high speeds in real-world situations; Steam delivered network speeds up 490 Mbps. At that speed, a 50-GB game will download in just under 15 minutes.
Bitfender VPN via Matthew SmithBitdefender VPN was reliable in my time using it, as well. I didn’t experience any connection drop-outs or periods of unusually slow performance.
These are solid results, though not the best. For example, I saw slightly better speeds (up to 540 Mbps, the same as when not connected to the VPN) while using IVPN with the WireGuard protocol enabled, for example.
Still, Bitdefender is plenty fast, very reliable, and I can’t say I found the gap in performance noticeable outside of in particular testing. I expect that most people will find the data rates provided by Bitdefender VPN to be more than adequate.
Privacy Promises and Compromises
Unlike Mullvad, a privacy-pilled alternative that positions itself as a tool against mass surveillance, Bitdefender VPN focuses more on avoiding geo-restrictions, ads, cookies, tracking, and Wi-Fi sniffing. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but if you want a service that puts the P in VPN, you should look elsewhere.
Bitdefender’s VPN is provided through a partnership with IPVanish. IPVanish provides the infrastructure, while Bitdefender provides the client software, branding, customer service, and so on. It's worth mentioning, as IPVanish took a reputation hit back in 2018 when it handed user logs to the US Department of Homeland Security. This occurred in 2016 and happened despite having a no-logs policy.
However, IPVanish ownership has exchanged hands several times since then, and it’s now owned by media company Ziff Davis. IPVanish has undergone a number of successful independent, no-log audits, the most recent of which occurred in 2025. IPVanish also publishes a transparency report showing the volume of requests it has received from law enforcement and the data it has provided in response.
That’s good news, but wrinkles remain. IPVanish is a US company, and US law is pretty strict when it comes to law enforcement demands for data. IPVanish can’t provide what it doesn’t log, but privacy nerds often prefer VPN companies in less draconian jurisdictions.
It’s also unclear how Bitdefender’s service interact with IPVanish’s no-logs policy. Bitdefender obviously retains at least some information about the user, because a Bitdefender account is required to use the VPN, and users have to pay with a credit card. Bitdefender has some customer service information about its no-log policy, but the specific wording means this could be referring to the IPVanish audit.
Whether any of this matters depends on what privacy means to you. If you want an extra layer of network security to ward against trackers and prevent issues on compromised Wi-Fi connections, then Bitdefender VPN will do the job. However, Bitdefender VPN isn’t going to meet your needs if you’re worried about nation-state tracking or want to move across the web in near secrecy.
Conclusion
Bitdefender’s VPN is an easy-to-use service that works best for people with basic expectations for what a VPN should offer. It provides typical features and delivers solid network performance at a competitive price. It’s not the ultimate VPN for privacy and it’s lacking a few features some people will want, like Linux support and a static IP option.
Pricing might push you toward Bitdefender VPN—at least for the first year. The introductory offer of $35 for a year of service is an outstanding value. Just remember to check pricing again before it’s time to renew, as Bitdefender’s pricing after the first year is less enticing.
$35 at Bitdefender
