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Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs Bitdefender VPN

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

Open-source authentication and two-factor portal for reverse proxies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bitdefender VPN logo

Bitdefender VPN

Cybersecurity

Consumer VPN sold by Bitdefender that runs on network infrastructure licensed from a third party rather than its own.

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Authelia has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Authelia depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider; Bitdefender VPN the network is not Bitdefender's: the servers and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, formerly Pango and AnchorFree, so the company physically handling your traffic and subject to legal process is a United States based third party, not the Romanian vendor whose brand is on the client.
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Bitdefender VPN covers Suite integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and Bitdefender VPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and Bitdefender VPN differ
AttributeAutheliaBitdefender VPN
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Authelia

  • Reverse proxy integration
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Access control rules
  • Lightweight backends

Only in Bitdefender VPN

  • Suite integration
  • Catapult Hydra transport
  • WireGuard support
  • Kill switch
  • Auto-connect rules
  • Split tunnelling
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Free tier included

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Authelia

  • Putting a login and 2FA in front of self-hosted services that have nonenot Bitdefender VPN
  • Adding SSO across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platformnot Bitdefender VPN
  • Home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxynot Bitdefender VPN

Bitdefender VPN

  • An existing Bitdefender customer who wants basic tunnel protection on public Wi-Fi without evaluating and buying a second productnot Authelia
  • Households wanting one security subscription covering malware protection and casual VPN use across a few devicesnot Authelia
  • Hiding browsing activity from an internet service provider or a shared network operator rather than defeating a determined adversarynot Authelia
  • Occasional access to region-locked content where a dedicated streaming-focused VPN would be more product than the need justifiesnot Authelia

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Authelia

  • Depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider
  • Configuration is YAML-first with no administrative interface, so changes mean editing files
  • Not a full IAM: user management, provisioning and federation are limited compared with Keycloak
  • Scales poorly as an organisation-wide identity solution, which is not its target

Bitdefender VPN

  • The network is not Bitdefender's: the servers and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, formerly Pango and AnchorFree, so the company physically handling your traffic and subject to legal process is a United States based third party, not the Romanian vendor whose brand is on the client.
  • Catapult Hydra is proprietary and closed source, so unlike OpenVPN or WireGuard there is no public implementation for researchers to audit, and a buyer choosing on cryptographic grounds has nothing to inspect.
  • There is no published independent no-logs audit of this service comparable to the Deloitte, PwC and KPMG engagements the standalone VPN vendors commission, so the no-logging position rests on the privacy policies of two separate companies rather than on any external assurance.
  • The free tier bundled with the antivirus suites is capped at a small daily allowance and selects the server for you, so it is a demonstration rather than a usable VPN, and customers who assumed their suite included a VPN find they need a further paid upgrade.
  • Feature depth is well below the dedicated market: no port forwarding, no dedicated IP, no multi-hop, no city-level server selection and no Linux or router client, so routers, NAS devices, consoles and anything needing an inbound connection cannot be covered at all.

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

Free
  • AutheliaFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Bitdefender VPN

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bitdefender VPN review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Authelia if

  • You need reverse proxy integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want two-factor authentication.
Authelia review

Choose Bitdefender VPN if

  • You need suite integration.
  • You also want catapult hydra transport.
Bitdefender VPN review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or Bitdefender VPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and Bitdefender VPN at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or Bitdefender VPN?
Authelia has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Authelia and On request for Bitdefender VPN.
Does Authelia or Bitdefender VPN run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Bitdefender VPN runs on Web.
Can I use Authelia for free?
Yes. Authelia has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bitdefender VPN starts at On request.
What is Authelia best used for?
Authelia is most often used for putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none, adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform, home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxy. Of those, putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none and adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform are not what Bitdefender VPN is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that Bitdefender VPN cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. Bitdefender VPN covers Suite integration, Catapult Hydra transport, WireGuard support, Kill switch.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Bitdefender VPN: Who actually operates the servers?

The underlying VPN network and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, previously known as Pango and AnchorFree, the operator of Hotspot Shield. Bitdefender identifies the arrangement in its VPN terms. Your traffic therefore passes through a United States based provider's infrastructure.

Authelia: Does Authelia need a reverse proxy?

Yes. It integrates through forward authentication with Nginx, Traefik, Caddy or HAProxy rather than sitting in front of traffic itself.

Bitdefender VPN: Is the free version enough?

Only as a taster. It is capped at a small daily traffic allowance and chooses the server itself, which rules out streaming and any sustained use. It exists to demonstrate the feature inside the antivirus suite.

Authelia: Authelia or Keycloak?

Authelia is far lighter and aimed at protecting self-hosted services behind a proxy. Keycloak is a full identity and access management platform, and much more to run.

Bitdefender VPN: Has the no-logs claim been independently audited?

There is no published independent no-logs audit of this service equivalent to those commissioned by the dedicated VPN providers. If an audited no-logging claim is what you are buying, this is not the product for it.

Bitdefender VPN: Does it work with streaming services?

Sometimes, but it is not built around that use case, there is no per-service server labelling, and there is no commitment to restoring access when a platform blocks a range. A streaming-focused provider is a better fit if that is the reason you want a VPN.

Bitdefender VPN: Can I run it on Linux or a router?

No. There is no Linux client and no router firmware or manual configuration option, so coverage is limited to the Windows, macOS, iOS and Android clients.

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