BullGuard Antivirus Review 2021 – How good is BullGuard?

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We cannot be satisfied with security these days as there are always hackers and thieves out there who will do anything to steal money, personal information, photos, identities, etc. Most of today’s cyber threats concern fraud at some level. If you don’t already have reliable internet security software, now is the time to do it. Although choosing an antivirus can be very difficult because the market is very competitive and there are various products based on the latest information technology, BullGuard Antivirus has proven to be one of the best antiviruses with cool features against malware attacks.

Every internet user should have antivirus software on their device and make sure it is up-to-date or choose a different one as there should always be an internet security suite running on your computer and mobile devices.

Everything you need to know about BullGuard Antivirus

BullGuard Antivirus is a very powerful antivirus that is suitable for both casual users and experts. While it has some shortcomings, it also outperforms many competitors. What’s more, it’s quick and light so you won’t have any performance issues, and BullGuard Antivirus is also considered the best antivirus for gamers because it improves game performance (it has a game accelerator feature).

Based on research and reports, BullGuard Antivirus has high malware detection rates and identity theft protection capabilities. The scan was done on the parental controls, firewall, and VPN and all of them were top-notch.

BullGuard Antivirus has almost as many security features as the best internet security packages from popular brands such as Norton, Kaspersky, Avast, Avira, etc. It has a powerful malware engine and firewall, as well as many additional functions for securing data.

 

These are BullGuard’s main security features:

  • Malware detection
  • Firewall/network scanner
  • Game Booster/ PC tune-up
  • Parental controls
  • VPN
  • Secure browser
  • ID protection

BullGuard antivirus is best for the following:

  • Inexperienced users who don’t want to get “nerdy” because this antivirus is very easy to download, install, and use.
  • Every Gamer
  • People who need protection for multiple devices regularly.
  • 24/7 support and it’s available in multiple languages which is great news for those who don’t speak English.

In this article about BullGuard antivirus, we will be discussing all the available package-plan and also answer some important questions users want to know as well as the pros and cons of BullGuard antivirus.

Is BullGuard antivirus good for security as it is for performance?

BullGuard is a powerful antivirus with one of the best game modes out there. The Game Booster feature increased the frame rate every time you play a game once it’s installed. It is 100% recommended for every gamer and their family.

While the malware scanner, firewall, and identity theft protection are really impressive features, BullGuard clearly protects your computer from hackers, although the user interface is a bit complex compared to some others. Competitors like Bitdefender, Avira, and TotalAV Antivirus, etc.

It has great parental controls that have features like content filtering, app scheduling, and location tracking. Overall, BullGuard Antivirus is great antivirus software for gamers, but may not be for everyone. Fortunately, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free and see if it is right for you.

Is BullGuard Antivirus Really the Best Antivirus for Gamers?

BullGuard Antivirus is the most recommended game mode of all the other antivirus software on the market among the users who place great value on the game mode. You want to improve game performance while your antivirus is on. BullGuard Antivirus is your first choice.

Unlike traditional antivirus game modes, BullGuard Antivirus can not only suspend scans and notifications during the game. The unique Game Booster mode assigns background processes and memory functions outside of the processors that your games are running on. In this way, your processors can use all their computing power for the high-performance game.

Does BullGuard Antivirus have a free version?

No, that’s not the case. However, BullGuard Antivirus offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all antivirus packages, so you can try any internet security package without risk.

While there are a handful of free antivirus programs out there, it is always best to secure your devices with an inexpensive premium antivirus program like BullGuard Antivirus.

BullGuard Mobile Security is one of the best free Android virus protection programs out there. It offers powerful free protection and users who upgrade will also have access to Mobile Security Premium parental controls.

BullGuard Antivirus Lab Test Results

AV-Comparatives put BullGuard Antivirus through a series of tough tests and all three packages shown amazing results in traditional virus detection in their BullGuard reviews, and it appears to be one of the best virus detection software out there. At the same time, they achieved above-average results during the real-time analysis.

While the malware protection is at a decent level and when it comes to URL blocking, BullGuard Antivirus only protected the device from 100% of the threats.

The parental controls are out of date and not available with the basic package (more on this in the BullGuard Internet Security test).

BullGuard Antivirus uses a lot of system resources, which puts an unnecessary load on your computer and results in uneven system performance. This is one of the major drawbacks of this product. Most BullGuard antivirus reviews claim that older computers with the antivirus enabled are almost crippled, and they are right.

What are the impressive features of BullGuard antivirus and why is the antivirus so highly regarded as one of the best in the antivirus industry will be listed here?

Below is a list of BullGuard antivirus features

BullGuard is easy to use and setup

This antivirus software can be considered one of the most user-friendly antivirus solutions out there. The dashboard is very informative and allows you to check the current status on site. When you want to run scans, they’re just a few clicks away (you’ve got fast, comprehensive, and vulnerability scans).

Most BullGuard antivirus scans will surely confirm that the installation process is incredibly quick and easy. After downloading one of the packages, all you have to do is wait a few minutes for the antivirus to install and it won’t take up much hard drive space.

While BullGuard Antivirus doesn’t have the most attractive user interface, it packs a lot of functionality into a small space and hides some important settings behind several drop-down menus.

Game booster with PC tune-up feature

Most antivirus programs now include game modes that pause scans and notifications while programs are running in full-screen mode. However, BullGuard’s Game Booster is different in that it actually optimizes your computer as you play, so your games have more processing power. To do this, memory and background processes are moved from the processor cores in which the games are run.

Game Booster works on dual-core computers with hyperthreading and for example on processors with at least 4 logical processors and an Intel i5 processor that uses hyperthreading and divides each physical core into 2 logical processors.

When you need to determine the number of processors in your CPU, just open your Task Manager and click the Performance tab. Cores and logical processors are listed on the right below the maximum processor speed.

As soon as the Game Booster is activated, the frame rate of the user’s game mode increases noticeably.

The Game Booster is a great attraction for gamers who have to play it safe when playing online and do not want to forego performance.

BullGuard antivirus offers a lot of other features under the PC tune-up feature, examples are;

  • Optimizer: Marks and deletes unnecessary background processes and PUPs.
  • Cleanup Help: Indexes junk files and provides graphical information about what is on your computer.
  • Boot Manager: It scans boot files so you can optimize your boot sequence.
  • Duplicate files: Quickly find duplicates on all drives so you can delete or organize them.

A good experience with BullGuard’s system cleaning tools is that Cleanup Helper which remove old files on my computer as well as a ton of cached files from Google Chrome as it deleted up to 1 GB of bloatware and non-essential data.

Malware Scanner feature from BullGuard

The BullGuard Antivirus Malware Scanner is one of the most powerful features in the antivirus company. Based on a report of the various tests, this antivirus detected 100% of the spyware, ransomware, malware, and rootkits installed on a PC, while the real-time scanning engine detected all the malware downloaded.

There are several scanning options including:

  • Fast scan: Scans the parts of the system where viruses are normally found.
  • Full scan: Scans the entire hard drive.
  • Custom Scan: Scans a single folder, file, or specific location.

BullGuard antivirus quick scan takes almost 45 minutes, meaning it is slower than another antivirus such as Avira and Bitdefender antivirus, but it detected all of the malware test files hidden in my registry. The full scan took about 2 hours and detected all of the compressed malware and ransomware test files on the drive.

Safe browser feature

The Safe Browser feature provides an additional layer of security for BullGuard Antivirus users who want to be as secure as possible when entering sensitive information online. It checks DNS encryption and certificate validity and the site’s reputation against the BullGuard database to make sure you are not navigating to a dangerous site.

BullGuard Antivirus performed well in various tests, blocking known phishing sites and sites that host malicious scripts and files. Because of its strict security protocols, we advise users not to use them daily. However, they are a good tool when buying or entering private information online.

Some other internet security suites, such as McAfee Total Protection and Kaspersky Total Security, have similar browsers, and BullGuard is equally good at protecting sensitive data.

Parental controls feature

BullGuard Antivirus parental controls are surprisingly robust and offer 4 categories of parental controls:

  • Apps: Prevents certain apps from being used by locking them behind a password.
  • Privacy: Prevents certain keywords and data from being sent or even entered into your browser.
  • Filters: Filters online content by blocking certain types of websites.
  • Access: Restricts the use of the device to certain times of the day and week.
  • Filters can block a wide variety of websites: Options range from pornography to pirated content.

Firewall with network scanner feature

BullGuard antivirus has a strong firewall. In the main BullGuard dashboard, there is a simple drop-down menu with 4 security options:

  • Manage rules: Users can instruct BullGuard antivirus programs that can access the Internet.
  • Logs: Records all traffic that enters and leaves your network.
  • Network activity: Releases local and remote IP addresses on your network.
  • Settings: Provides options to block specific hosts, choose which notifications to receive, etc.

Advanced users will appreciate the log and network activity features, which keep a searchable list of all activity on your network, while less sophisticated users can simply turn the firewall on and keep it running. Users looking for an extra level of network protection will appreciate the network scanner. This is a separate function of the firewall, but it has very similar functions.

The network scanner feature shows the BullGuard Antivirus user all devices that were connected to their Wi-Fi network and also scan them for security issues. Typically, notifications are sent every time a new device connects to its network. This is a useful feature especially if you live in a city or a crowded apartment building that may be trying to abuse your Wi-Fi. The network scanner is a really useful tool, so it’s a little disappointing that it doesn’t. only included in the premium protection plan.

ID Protection

Another great feature that is only included in Premium Protection is BullGuard’s identification protection. It is operated by the international credit conglomerate Experian, whose powerful identity theft tool scans the dark internet, credit bureaus, forums, social media, and vulnerability databases for all of your private information leaked.

BullGuard users who upgrade to the Premium Protection Plan can get the Identity Protection feature at a much cheaper price than Experian’s standalone IdentityWorks service. If your financial information is a high priority, we recommend that you upgrade to Premium Protection for this feature only.

Customer service and support for BullGuard Antivirus

It may sound strange, but BullGuard doesn’t have technical support over the phone, and while we live in a time when live chat is the most popular form of communication, it’s a little strange.

However, the live chat is superb and available 24/7 for customers who speak English, Spanish, and Chinese. If you are from France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, or the Netherlands, live support is only available between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Mail is an option too, and they’ll usually give you a response within a day.

BullGuard antivirus Plans and Pricing

BullGuard Antivirus offers 3 different plans for different budgets and devices. All of them come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, making it easy for you to try BullGuard Antivirus and decide if it is right for you.

BullGuard Antivirus package plan

This is the cheapest package from the antivirus company and it has only three features:

  • Antivirus: Real-time malware and system scans.
  • Vulnerabilities: Windows and program scan to see if you need updates.
  • PC Tune-Up & Game Booster: CPU performance optimizer for resource-intensive games and various functions for device optimization.

This package wasn’t very impressive given that it offers so few features for the money, but it might be attractive to gamers on a budget.

BullGuard Internet Security

This package offers real value for money. Internet Security consists of three devices, including both computers and cell phones with game reminder functionality. It’s considerably cheaper than reputable antivirus suites like Norton 360 Deluxe and has exactly the features we need. to stay protected while ensuring high-performance gameplay.

BullGuard Premium Protection

This is an expanded package plan from the antivirus company. The BullGuard Premium protection provides similar features as the BullGuard Internet Security plus on network scanners and identity protection. Meanwhile, BullGuard Premium protection usually covers up to 10 devices. Identity protection might be worth the cost for some users, but I prefer to use Norton 360 with LifeLock Select. For people who need that extra protection, BullGuard Antivirus is pretty good, and BullGuard Premium Protection offers a free 30-day trial so you can try it out risk-free.

BullGuard antivirus Mobile Application

The BullGuard mobile application is really great app that is included internet security and premium protection package plans. This Android mobile security has a lot of useful features such as:

  • Antivirus scanner: It offers real-time and system scans to protect against mobile malware.
  • Theft Protection: You can lock, clear, locate, or even trigger an alarm if your phone is stolen or missing.
  • Parental Control: Location tracking, content blocking, call monitoring, and even photo monitoring all help keep children safe.
  • Cloud Backup: Backs up messages, calendar, and contacts on an encrypted server.

The virus scanner performed very well and recorded almost 100% of the malware in the test. The theft protection is very robust and the Mobile Security Manager is a useful online dashboard that allows users to safely track their children’s location from the phone.

The photo manager allowed me to access photos of my son’s texts and saved images, but not access to apps like Instagram and Snapchat, which is where most of the adult content is shared these days. It feels good to know that my family has an extra line of security in case our phones are lost or stolen, as well as strong malware protection so that Android-specific malware cannot harm our devices.

BullGuard antivirus Pros

  • The BullGuard antivirus is incredibly easy to use.
  • Detection rates are very high; phishing protection is well above average.
  • Affordable price-tags on all packages, especially with discounts.
  • Generally good scores from 3rd-party labs.
  • The full-featured Android version is superb.
  • The Mac version is a nice addition
  • Vulnerability scan, the game booster option.

BullGuard antivirus Cons

  • The list of available features could’ve been wider.
  • The BullGuard antivirus is slow.
  • Hands-on malware protection is very weak.
  • Parental control isn’t nearly as advanced as in most of the rivals.
  • The Mac version failed in the 3rd-party tests.

BullGuard antivirus FAQs


Is BullGuard’s VPN worth the money?

BullGuard’s VPN is a good tool for privately browsing and unblocking geo-restricted streaming content, but it’s not as fast as other antivirus programs with a VPN.

Many streaming sites can detect VPNs, especially Netflix, which is known for its powerful VPN filters. BullGuard’s VPN routes the user past the Netflix filter. And allows them to access content that has been blocked from my US Netflix account. BullGuard’s VPN isn’t very fast, it cut my connection speed in half on my local servers.

Is BullGuard Antivirus suitable for macOS and iOS?

Not really, and that’s because BullGuard Antivirus has a weak macOS antivirus scanner and no iOS security software.

Thank you for reading!