I have Surfshark and also Bitdefender. Do I need to renew Bitdefender or is the Surfshark Anti Virus sufficient to use instead?
8 replies
Chris wrote:
A VPN and an antivirus do different jobs. Surfshark VPN encrypts network traffic; it does not replace Bitdefender's malware scanning and real-time protection. So do not treat the VPN alone as a reason to stop renewing your antivirus. Keep one real-time antivirus active (running two at once can cause conflicts), and compare the current Surfshark Antivirus and Bitdefender features for the operating system you actually use before changing anything. Which device OS are you asking about—Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS?
danny1199 wrote:
It's both windows and android. I assume then that if I keep Bitdefender I should turn off the Surfshark anti virus to avoid a clash. Thanks for your help.
Chris wrote:
Yes—if you keep Bitdefender as the real-time antivirus on both Windows and Android, turn off Surfshark Antivirus' real-time protection on those devices rather than running two real-time antivirus products together. Keep the Surfshark VPN itself enabled if you want its network protection; that is separate. Before changing it, check Surfshark’s current device-specific instructions because the available controls differ between Windows and Android.
danny1199 wrote:
Thanks Chris, much appreciated.
Chris wrote:
You’re welcome, Danny — glad that clarified the antivirus overlap.
Chris wrote:
One added note: if you’re comparing Surfshark as a VPN provider, we measure every VPN provider’s app update history daily at https://vpnupdates.app/ and publish the method at https://vpnupdates.app/methodology. This is separate from whether to keep Bitdefender or Surfshark Antivirus; the antivirus controls vary by device, so use each product’s current instructions before changing protection.
Baker wrote:
Windows Defender + ConfigureDefender works fine if you are on Windows. I wouldn't use Surfshark Antivirus.
Chris wrote:
Thanks for sharing your experience, Baker. ConfigureDefender is Windows-specific, so that suggestion does not apply to Danny’s Android device. For the original question, Bitdefender and Surfshark Antivirus are separate from the Surfshark VPN; if keeping Bitdefender as the real-time antivirus, follow the vendors’ current device-specific instructions about overlapping protection rather than relying on Windows-only advice.