BullGuard Internet Security 10 Review
Official TB Verdict: 8/10
BullGuard is by far not the most well known maker of Antivirus programmes and Internet Security companies, with AVG and Norton topping it in user awareness, but with the latest release of BullGuard said to be the best ever version to an already fantastic existing product, who wouldn’t want to give it a whirl?
So revving up the engines on a computer (Windows 7 Ultimate spec) I set to work, getting to know the new user UI, reading forums of support issues and also testing its capabilities within internet security by going to websites where there are known Trojans trying to infiltrate your system.
BullGuard Overview
BullGuard as a company was set up in 2001 by Morten Lund and Thesis Sondergaard as an internet security business which created antivirus solutions for both individual users and businesses alike.
Currently based in the UK, BullGuard sees over 16 million downloads of its software every year and has made a name for itself as a highly respected internet security company.
Products of choice from the BullGuard range include BullGuard Internet Security and BullGuard Mobile Security.
Review
BullGuard Internet Security 10 sees a newly updated front-end user interface this year with a querky white and red colour scheme. More importantly this year however Bullguard has thrown in a new feature known as a vulnerability scanner, which checks the applications installed on your system(such as MS Word, MSN Messenger etc.) for known security ‘loop-holes’. This new feature is a nice addition to the software, and although not entirely original and exclusive to Bullguard because Kaspersky has a similar function, it does tie in nicely as an update.
Download wise Bullguard 10 went from download page to the test PC within 3 minutes 7 seconds, which is far better than AVG Free which takes 4 minutes 20 seconds. Installation wise there were a few conflicts of interest when trying to install Bullguard 10, with the past Antivirus (AVG Free) keeping programme files despite being un-installed (although this is AVG’s problem, not Bullguard’s).
A great feature of Bullguard Internet Security 10 was that it had a fairly low impact on the test sytem used ( which is a custom built intel i5 processor with 8GB RAM). Bullguard 10 added only 133MB to the overall RAM footprint (of 8GB) and booted up in exactly two seconds, which used up 3% CPU usage.
Naturally the main thing you as the user will be looking for in software like this is effectiveness at what it does, and I am pleased to report that Bullguard 10 does exactly what it says on the tin, although there is room for improvement. Bullguard 10 picked up 88% of the malware samples on the test PC, whilst A List champion Norton 2011 recognised 92% (although those 4% were not critical viruses). One thing to note on this software is that the UI is not particularly polished, and seems some-what outdated within the Windows 7 interface.
Price wise you’ll be looking at a three-PC licence at £45 inc VAT, and there is also a FREE 6 month trial to be had from this.
Verdict
Bullguard 10 is a nice and light-weight internet security package at an affordable price. It isn’t a gold medal winner though, and standing next to A List champion Norton 2011 it seems a little weak. Delving deeper into the software you come to realize that the speed of the software itself is a blessing, and the 6 month free trial a real goal scorer. We are also confident that version 10 of this software can thoroughly protect your PC against 99% of known viruses, although we can’t be held accountable if it doesn’t.
As such, Bullguard 10 is recommended to you because of its speed, general effectiveness at combatting viruses and malware and price. Official TB verdict: 8/10.
Thank you for the hugely concise review on Bullguard 10. I used the prior version to this before using Avast! Free but am willing to try out the free trial version of this due to your review.8/10 and 6 months free = win imo.
Nice review. The company I work for uses Bullguard protection, opting for this over AVG.
Thanks for the advice. Have been looking for something to replace AVG, this seems as though it may be the answer.
I hate AVG :/
It’s helpful article, thanks.
I recently took over my daughters Acer laptop which had to be replaced for her to be able to complete a master degree course. The laptop had been back to Acer at least 3 times + had been looked at by various so called ‘experts’. Acer + ‘experts’ could not resolve the continual shutting down, nor the inability to run AVG [Professional] scan. As soon as scan was selected it would shut down. Me using the laptop as a secondary facility I tried a couple of other antivirus programmes + they did the same. Came across BullGuard whom I had never heard of + thought I’d give them a whirl. Bingo, scan worked first time, ran for a week or two + repeated scan exercise a few times..laptop now appears to be ‘cleansed’ + works as it should!? Was it a virus, who knows, all I can say is Hooray for BullGuard that I have now purchased + obviously strongly recommend!
Thanks for your input and story! I’m glad to hear the laptop is cleansed properly.
I have used BG 10 IS sense June. One factor that I really like about it, it that it will scan for out of date software that could, and most of the time does cause security problems, and helps you to update them. Thats a big help.In the US, BG does not test out so well. It has a lot of issues when faced with zero day malware, and things of this nature. That bothers me some.But one good point is that, its the only software that will plug into MS Essentials mail. Norton does not even do that.If anyone can direct me to some more positive testing and ratings the BG, I would be grateful.Thanks,Rob
Thank you for your input and experience on this product, as well as the US perspective!