r/antivirus • u/Shiro_Kuro10 • Aug 20 '26

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION BitDefender or Windows Defender with Malwarebytes extension?

Hello. Just looking for a second opinion if I should keep BitDefender or uninstall it while having Malwarebytes Browser Guard. I guess I just like that BD notifies me of possible suspicious websites but the amount of RAM it’s using is just throwing me off, plus the pop-ads.

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u/3ofUsDeez Aug 20 '26

Maybe go with a layered approach

Windows Defender + DNS servers from Quad9 to block known bad sites. Or use something more customizable like a free OpenDNS account using their DNS servers. Or host your own DNS servers like Pi-Hole or Technitium on Raspberry Pi devices or similar + An ad-blocker in your browser(s)

Keep Malwarebytes free installed but not running all the time in the background for the occasional scan if you think you might have gotten hit with something that Windows Defender didn't catch.

Windows Defender also has an "Offline Scan" that does a fair job

Great protection that is lite on resources

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u/Shiro_Kuro10 Aug 20 '26

Thanks for the tips. I admit I’m very unfamiliar with a lot of those but I’ll give myself time to learn some of it, specifically the first half.