Comparison

Bitdefender Central vs Malwarebytes

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bitdefender Central

Manage and control the cybersecurity of all your Bitdefender-protected devices, both locally and across your network. This app allows remote scanning, threat detection notifications, and comprehensive management of your smart home hub for enhanced online safety.

Highlights
  • Install protection on all devices
  • Remote device scanning and optimization
  • Real-time threat notifications
  • Smart home network security management
  • Parental controls and screen time management
  • Locate and lock lost/stolen devices
Features
Read full description

Bitdefender Central places your local and network cybersecurity at your fingertips. Use it to control security for all your Bitdefender-protected devices, and to set up and manage Bitdefender BOX, the revolutionary smart home hub that secures your entire Wi-Fi network. LOCAL PROTECTION With Bitdefender Central you can: - Install Bitdefender protection on all your devices - Manage security and protect your kids online - Scan, clean and optimize any device remotely - Get instant notification whenever Bitdefender detects a threat - Quickly access your activity dashboard - Receive security updates for your devices 24/7 NETWORK PROTECTION Bitdefender Central works with BOX to secure and manage your smart home: - Get ironclad protection for all your internet-connected devices, at home and on the go - Manage all devices in your home network from a single mobile app - Protect your kids online and manage screen time with parental controls - Set up your Bitdefender BOX - Discover your devices and group them under your Bitdefender BOX network - Check protection status and connectivity status for all your connected devices - Filter your devices by status or by user - Create profiles for your family members and allocate devices to them - Get real-time notifications for threats blocked by BOX: anomaly detection, unencrypted - - Banking information sent, botnet attacks - Change your Wi-Fi name and password - Pause the internet connection on your devices PARENTAL FEATURES - Filter out inappropriate content and manage your child's internet time - Choose from 3 preset and customizable filtering modes to effectively manage your child’s online activities - Unified reporting and management across all devices PRIVACY - Locate your lost or stolen devices - Send text or sound alerts to your devices - Lock your lost or stolen devices to prevent unauthorized access Privacy Policy: https://www.bitdefender.com/site/view/legal-privacy-policy-for-home-users-solutions.html

About

Malwarebytes

This app offers comprehensive mobile security and privacy protection for Apple devices. It includes features like ad blocking, scam text filtering, and identity protection. A free trial is available, with ongoing free protection and optional premium subscription features.

Highlights
  • Ad Blocking for Safari
  • Text Message Filtering
  • Digital Footprint Scanner
  • Identity Protection
  • Secure VPN
  • Web Protection
  • Call Protection
Features
Read full description

Malwarebytes delivers mobile security and digital protection beyond your device. We help protect you against online scams, harmful websites, annoying ads, sketchy calls, identity risks, and more. From banking to personal accounts, your phone carries some of your most important information. Malwarebytes keeps you safe with simple, smart security. Malwarebytes is designed for everybody: professionals, families, and first-time smartphone users. No complicated setup. No IT expertise needed. Just easy protection that safeguards your digital life. Start your 7-day free trial to unlock all features. SCAM & CALL PROTECTION Scammers use fake calls, texts, malicious links, and websites to imitate banks, delivery services, retailers, and other trusted brands. Alongside robocall filtering, Malwarebytes helps protect against: - Suspicious text scams and phishing attempts - Malicious links and unsafe websites - Brand impersonation and social engineering attacks - Annoying spam calls SAFER BROWSING & AD BLOCKER Web Protection: Blocks phishing sites and risky links before you enter payment or personal data. Ad blocking: Reduce intrusive ads and trackers while browsing. FAST VPN FOR PRIVATE BROWSING Incognito alone does not hide all of your online activity. Malwarebytes VPN helps protect your privacy on public Wi-Fi or while traveling. Encrypt your internet connection for added privacy Shield your IP address from trackers and advertisers Browse more safely on public Wi-Fi IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION Your email addresses, passwords, and personal information may be exposed in data breaches without you knowing. Digital Footprint Scanner: Run an email scan and check where your personal information may have been leaked. Data breach insights: See where your information may have been exposed and review steps to help secure affected accounts. 24/7 monitoring: Get real-time support and up to $2 million in identity theft insurance WHY CHOOSE MALWAREBYTES? - Mobile security against scams, spam calls, sketchy websites, and more privacy risks. - Built by Malwarebytes, with 17+ years as a trusted name in antivirus and cybersecurity. - Secure VPN and digital footprint tools for added privacy - Simple protection without complicated setup - No third-party ads in the Malwarebytes app - 4 million daily threats blocked Malwarebytes for iOS FAQs: - Can Malwarebytes help protect my iPhone from scam texts and phishing links? Malwarebytes helps detect suspicious text scams, phishing attempts, malicious links, and brand impersonation. - Can Malwarebytes protect me on public Wi-Fi? Malwarebytes VPN encrypts your internet connection, protects your privacy on public Wi-Fi, and alerts you to turn on VPN whenever you join an unsecure network. - Can Malwarebytes check whether my information was exposed in a data breach? The Digital Footprint Scanner checks your email against known data breaches and shows you how to secure your accounts. - Does Malwarebytes scan iPhones for viruses? Because of iOS platform restrictions, Malwarebytes does not perform traditional malware-file scans on iPhone. Instead, it focuses on proactive protection against phishing sites, scam texts, spam calls, malicious links, and unsafe websites. TRIAL & DEVICE INFORMATION 7-day free trial: Unlock device protection features during the trial (Identity Theft Protection not included). Premium features require a subscription after the trial unless canceled. Manage your subscription in Apple ID settings. Family Sharing: Premium subscription features are not eligible for Family Sharing. Compatible with iOS 18 or later with an active internet connection. iPad users can benefit from Web Protection (Premium) and Ad Blocking (Included) for safer Safari browsing. Identity Protection features vary by region. Terms: https://www.malwarebytes.com/tos EULA: https://www.malwarebytes.com/eula

Screenshots

Bitdefender Central4 screens
Malwarebytes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bitdefender Central at none against Malwarebytes's 6. Bitdefender Central also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (59% vs 48%). Malwarebytes's advantage is ratings volume (110K vs 11K) and chart position (#39 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Malwarebytes sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Bitdefender Central asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bitdefender Central holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Malwarebytes has 110K ratings behind it against 11K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Bitdefender Central's written reviews are positive against 48% of Malwarebytes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Bitdefender Central versus Malwarebytes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBitdefender CentralMalwarebytes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (11K ratings) — better4.5 (110K ratings)
Positive reviews58.8% of reviews — better47.7% of reviews
Number of ratings11K110K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#39 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size191 MB128 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBitdefender SRLMalwarebytes

Customer experience

Bitdefender Central

All ratings10,915 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews539 reviews
Positive58.8%
Neutral9.6%
Negative31.5%

Malwarebytes

All ratings110,031 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews2,826 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral9.2%
Negative43.1%

User reviews

Bitdefender Central

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective protection
  • 🔒 Reliable security
  • 👍 User-friendly
  • 🚀 Thorough scanning
  • 🚀 Easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔍 Confusing interface
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🤖 Buggy software

Malwarebytes

From 110K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Keeps devices updated and protected
  • 🔒 Provides security and peace of mind
  • 👍 Easy to use and set up
  • 🚀 Excellent protection and performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Activation and subscription issues
  • 🐛 Inconsistent or non-functional features
  • 🐛 Fails to block spam calls and texts
  • 🔋 Drains battery life
  • 💰 Expensive subscription

Bugs and requests

Bitdefender Central

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent app crashes on iOS 11+
  • Web protection randomly disabling itself
  • Inability to delete email addresses from account
  • Inconsistent behavior across different devices
  • Lack of support for older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improve mobile app responsiveness
  • Add more customization options
  • Enhance parental control features
  • Provide better visibility into device protection status
  • Improve compatibility with other VPN services

Malwarebytes

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Activation and subscription problems
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Inability to scan or detect malware on devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add bulk reporting of scam numbers
  • Improve text message filtering
  • Implement automatic updates
  • Provide more comprehensive dashboard and scanning capabilities

In-app purchases

None

Bitdefender Central

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Malwarebytes

Subscriptions6
  • Standard7 Days trial$2.491 Month
  • Standard7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Plus7 Days trial$44.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • Standard (3 devices)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Plus (3 devices)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Advanced1 Year trial$139.991 Year

Questions

Is Bitdefender Central free?
Bitdefender Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Malwarebytes free?
Malwarebytes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bitdefender Central or Malwarebytes?
Bitdefender Central is rated higher. Bitdefender Central averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Malwarebytes averages 4.5 from 110K ratings.
Do Bitdefender Central or Malwarebytes have ads?
Neither Bitdefender Central nor Malwarebytes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bitdefender Central or Malwarebytes?
Bitdefender Central ships an update every 3 weeks, and Malwarebytes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bitdefender Central was updated on September 30, 2026 and Malwarebytes on October 1, 2026.

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