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F-Secure vs. Bitdefender Comparison Review

F-Secure and Bitdefender are household names in the cybersecurity industry. The two offer a wide range of security products, including antivirus software and VPN. In this comparison review, we are interested in their VPN services; F-Secure’s VPN, dubbed FREEDOME, and Bitdefender’s Bitdefender VPN. The two providers share quite a lot, but some differences should inform your purchase decision.

The difference between F-Secure FREEDOME and Bitdefender VPN is the supported devices, protocols, server network, and pricing. F-Secure FREEDOME works with PCs, mobile devices, and an F-Secure router, supports up to 7 devices, works with two protocols, and has a small server network. On the other hand, Bitdefender only works with PCs and mobile devices, supports up to 10 devices, works with just a single protocol, and has a wider server network.

Read along for more about how the two VPNs stack against each other.

Comparison Table

Bitdefender VPNf-secure logo
🖥️ PlatformsPCs, and MobilePCs, Mobile, F-Secure SENSE router
💻 Devices10Up to 7
📜 Encryption256-bit AES encryptionAES-128 encryption/256-bit AES encryption
🌐 ProtocolsCatapult HydraOpenVPN, IKEv1/IKEv2
🪪 JurisdictionRomaniaFinland
🤷 Logging PolicyNo LoggingKeeps Logs
🖥 Server Network4,000+ servers in more than 49 countries28 servers in 22 countries
🧪 Leak TestsPositiveNegative
📺 Streaming
🏴‍☠️ Torrenting✔️
🎮 Gaming
👨‍🔧 Support24/7 live chat, FAQ24/7 live chat, telephone, FAQ
🆓 Free Version✔️
Free Trial✔️✔️
🛡️ Guarantee30-day money-back guarantee30-day money-back guarantee

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Pros and Cons F-Secure vs. Bitdefender

F-Secure Pros
  • Offers military-grade security courtesy of AES 256-bit encryption
  • Supports 2 VPN protocols, while Bitdefender supports just 1
  • Works with PCs, mobile devices, and F-Secure SENSE routers
  • Based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction
Bitdefender Pros
  • Allows for up to 10 simultaneous connections
  • It boasts state-of-the-art security courtesy of AES 256-bit encryption
  • There is a Bitdefender VPN lifetime free version
  • It boasts a wider server network compared to F-Secure’s FREEDOME
  • Based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction
F-Secure Cons
  • High subscription rates compared to the competition
  • Not reliable for streaming and torrenting
  • Keeps logs of crucial personally identifiable information
Bitdefender Cons
  • Works with PCs and mobile devices only
  • It has a questionable log policy, just like F-Secure FREEDOME

Face-to-Face Comparison Review

Onto the main segment of this comparison review, how do they stack up against each other? To help you make the perfect purchase, we will base our discussion on the essential factors considered when choosing the best VPN.
Find out which is a better brand in terms of trustworthiness, security and privacy features, reliability, speeds, content access, support, and pricing.

1. Brand Trust

How trustworthy is the VPN you want to subscribe to? This is a pertinent question that should be addressed conclusively before buying a VPN. This is because there are hundreds of VPN brands today, some genuine while others are operated by bogus providers that don’t guarantee online security and privacy.

To make matters worse, many are just about stealing your data for all the wrong reasons. Considering the above, we decided to do the heavy lifting by doing background checks on the reputation of the two VPNs in this review. We checked VPN forums and Reddit threads to see what experts and users think of the duo. Here is how they compare.


On the other hand, Bitdefender is a Romanian cybersecurity company founded in 2001. It is known for its range of cybersecurity products, including endpoint protection systems, cloud and managed security, antivirus software, IoT security, and VPN.

For this review, we will solely focus on the VPN marketed as Bitdefender VPN. We also did background checks to find out what consumers and exports say about Bitdefender VPN.

Unfortunately, just like FREEDOME, Bitdefender VPN is a basic VPN that can’t match the likes of ExpressVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN, and the rest. At the time of writing, Bitdefender has a Trustscore of 3.8/5 after over 6700 reviews on Trustpilot, which is at least better than F-Secure.

2. Supported Devices

The second consideration is the supported devices. When looking for a VPN, ensure it works with all the devices you want to protect. Some VPNs work with specific devices, while others are versatile enough to work with all devices. Obviously, you want an all-rounder. Besides compatibility, checking the number of devices you can connect simultaneously is essential.

For the record, some VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect at a go, while others allow for unlimited connections. Here, the goal is to get a VPN that allows unlimited connections, or at least the maximum.


As for Bitdefender, there is also room for improvement as far as compatibility is concerned. The VPN works with macOS and Windows PCs only. There is no support for Linux and Ubuntu. The VPN lacks any browser extensions.

Bitdefender VPN also works with iOS and Android devices. Unfortunately, there is no support for routers, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other devices.

When it comes to simultaneous connections, Bitdefender allows users to connect a maximum of 10 devices.

3. Usability

The third point is usability. A good VPN should be user-friendly with an easy configuration and setup process. However, the usability of VPNs varies, with some offering excellent usability, while others are hard nuts to crack when it comes to registration, configuration, and navigation. In this segment, find out which of the two VPN brands has a stress-free registration process, easy configuration, and straightforward navigation.

F-Secure has a rather tedious registration process. The first step is to click the Buy Now button, which redirects to the plans page.

Select a preferred plan and payment method on the plans page and enter your details, including your email address, first and last name, ZIP/Postal Code, and country. Then, check out and complete the order.

You will then have to create an account and activate it before downloading and installing the software. The app’s user interface is pretty straightforward, and so is the navigation.

Bitdefender has the best usability compared to FREEDOME. The first step to getting started is clicking the Buy Now or Start Now button, which redirects to the plans page.

Here, select a preferred plan, enter your payment details, and checkout to complete the order. Now that you have a subscription, the next step is downloading the client software, installing it, and logging in.

Then, you are ready to go. Bitdefender VPN’s interface is clean, with less clutter and straightforward navigation and menu bars.

4. Security (Encryption,Protocols)

Encryption

Security is the most critical aspect of this comparison review. You definitely want a VPN that guarantees airtight security. Encryption technology is one of the key aspects determining a VPN’s security.

For starters, encryption is all about how a VPN encrypts your traffic into an unreadable format such that no other eyes can see your data without the decryption key.

There are various encryption technologies with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit as the industry standard. This is the most secure encryption technology today and is adopted by governments and financial institutions as it is impossible to penetrate. So, what encryption technology do the two VPNs deploy?


Bitdefender VPN is not different from FREEDOME in terms of encryption. It also deploys state-of-the-art 256-bit military-grade encryption to secure your data.

Data secured by Bitdefender VPN is impenetrable even when a brute-force attack is executed. Security is a notch higher courtesy of the RSA algorithm and SHA-256 hash functions.

Protocols

REEDOME is supports just two protocols; OpenVPN and IKEv1/IKEv2. OpenVPN, considered the most secure protocol, is supported on Windows, macOS, and Android.

On the other hand, IKEv1 is the default protocol for iOS, but you can switch to IKEv2.

Bitdefender is even worse in terms of protocols as it supports just one; Catapult Hydra. This is a tunneling method developed by AnchorFree, the venture behind Hotspot Shield.

It is a proprietary protocol engineered to offer fast speeds, just like NordVPN’s NordLynx or ExpressVPN’s Lightway, but it can’t match the performance of the NordVPN and ExpressVPN proprietary protocols.

Catapult Hydra deploys a proven Transport Layer Security (TLS) to establish secure client-to-server connections.

5. Privacy & Confidentiality (Jurisdiction,Log Policy)

Jurisdiction

One of the key determinants of the level of privacy a VPN offers is the jurisdiction where the provider is based. Some countries are privacy-friendly and respect the privacy and confidentiality of the companies based in their jurisdictions as well as their citizens.

A VPN in such a jurisdiction should be your priority. Similarly, some countries are known for spying on companies’ and citizens’ online activity and data. Worse, some are members of global surveillance organizations such as the 5-Eyes, 9-Eyes, and 14-Eyes alliances. Such providers should be shunned. So, where is F-Secure and Bitdefender’s location?


Bitdefender is a Romanian company, and now that Romania is not part of any surveillance alliances, users can be sure of their online privacy and confidentiality.

That said, the company is not under any obligation to submit any users’ data to the authorities.

Log Policy

FREEDOME VPN is not a no-log VPN, as it logs your VPN sessions, bandwidth, device ID, public IP address, and hostname. This should send chills down your spine now that the information logged can be used to track you.

The VPN also logs your browsing activity and checks all the URLs you visit though the URL logs are deleted after 3 days. To prevent your browser activity from being logged, it’s recommended that you switch off the Tracker Map feature

Bitdefender VPN claims to have a 100% no logs policy, but from all indications, the company saves logs of some critical details that can identify users.

6. Server Network and Distribution


Bitdefender excels when it comes to server network and distribution. It operates over 4,000 servers spread across 53 countries in Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. There are physical servers alongside virtual servers, which the VPN shares with Hotspot Shield, another top-rated VPN.

But unfortunately, there’s no way to know which are virtual servers and which ones are physical. But all the same, the servers have state-of-the-art hardware that offers decent speeds and reliability.

7. Streaming, Torrenting, and Gaming


Bitdefender VPN, too is not a good VPN for streaming. In our tests, it failed to unblock any of the Netflix libraries. And it’s not just Netflix.

The service doesn’t work with other streaming sites with geo-blocked content, such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and DAZN. The only sites we managed to unblock are BBC iPlayer and YouTube. If you are into torrenting, this VPN is not the best.

While the company doesn’t prohibit P2P activity, there are no specialized servers for torrenting, and besides, the speed loss was very high. To make matters worse, it is not secure enough to hide torrenting activity, so you risk bandwidth throttling.

As for gaming, it may protect you from DDoS attacks and other threats and allow you to access geo-restricted gaming content and discounts, but the speed is very slow. In our tests, there were lags when playing Call of Duty because of slow speeds and high latency, up to 39ms.

8. Customer Support


Bitdefender is also reliable when it comes to support courtesy of its multichannel customer support infrastructure.

Here again, the best option is the 24/7 live chat support that offers instant feedback on most basic issues. However, you might wait a few minutes for the agents to liaise with the technical team on some technical aspects.

Besides live chat, Bitdefender VPN has a telephone line and email support, but they are not always reliable. Other support options include support articles, user guides, tutorials, and an FAQ section.

9. Plans, Pricing & Payment Methods

Bitdefender VPNf-secure logo
3-years
2-year plan$7.5 / mo
1-year plan$3.33 / mo$4.16 / mo
6 months
monthly plan$6.99 / mo
Lifetime

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Speed comparison: is Bitdefender faster than F-Secure VPN?

📥 Download
🇺🇸 USA(CA)85% (84.8 Mbit/s)79% (78.94 Mbps)
🇨🇦 Canada70% (71 Mbit/s)80% (80.18 Mbps)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom77% (77.4 Mbit/s)70% (70.56 Mbps)
🇩🇪 Germany68% (68.1 Mbit/s)59% (58.81 Mbps)
🇫🇷 France64% (64.22 Mbit/s)63% (62.59 Mbps)
📤 Upload
🇺🇸 USA(CA)79% (78.71 Mbps)68% (67.71 Mbps)
🇨🇦 Canada64% (64.16 Mbps)58% (58.18 Mbps)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom69% (69 Mbps)56% (55.56 Mbps)
🇩🇪 Germany62% (61.81 Mbps)57% (56.81 Mbps)
🇫🇷 France58% (57.59 Mbps)49% (48.59 Mbps)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does F-Secure include VPN?

Yes. The F-Secure TOTAL plan comes with F‑Secure SAFE internet security, F‑Secure ID PROTECTION, and F-Secure FREEDOME VPN.

2. Is F-Secure Freedome VPN free?

No. FREEDOME VPN is not free. However, you can take advantage of the 7-day free trial to try the VPN before committing. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. How do I know if Bitdefender VPN is working?

Open the client software and tap the power button to know if Bitdefender VPN is on. The VPN status will be displayed.

4. What is the difference between Bitdefender Web protection and VPN?

Bitdefender Web Protection prevents your device from accessing malicious sites, while Bitdefender VPN encrypts your outgoing and incoming traffic.

5. Why is Bitdefender VPN so slow?

Just like all VPNs out there, you will experience a drop in speed as your data is routed via the VPN’s servers.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, folks, an F-Secure vs. Bitdefender VPN comparison review. To be honest, none of the two VPNs are up to the mark as they have slow speeds, are not reliable for streaming, torrenting, and gaming and have questionable log policies despite being in privacy-friendly jurisdictions.

However, if you have to go for either, we recommend Bitdefender as it has a wider server network and is a little bit faster. Besides, it costs much less and has a free version.