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Cybersecurity · head to head

Bitdefender Total Security vs Ping Identity

Bitdefender Total Security logo

Bitdefender Total Security

Cybersecurity

The world's #1 rated antivirus

From
$19.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ping Identity logo

Ping Identity

Cybersecurity

Enterprise identity for workforce and customers, with a 5,000 user floor

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bitdefender Total Security vPN limited to 200MB per day, insufficient for streaming video or extended browsing sessions; Ping Identity workforce pricing carries a 5,000 user annual minimum, so an organisation with 800 staff pays for 5,000 and the effective per user cost is over six times the list rate.
  • They diverge on capability: Bitdefender Total Security covers Advanced threat defense, Ping Identity covers Single sign-on.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bitdefender Total Security and Ping Identity actually diverge.

Attributes where Bitdefender Total Security and Ping Identity differ
AttributeBitdefender Total SecurityPing Identity
Starting price$19.99/year$3/month
Pricing modelUnknownPer user per month
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, Windows
Founded2001Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Bitdefender Total Security

  • Advanced threat defense
  • Multi-layer ransomware protection
  • Real-time data protection
  • Network threat prevention
  • VPN
  • Parental advisor
  • Anti-tracker
  • Microphone monitor

Only in Ping Identity

  • Single sign-on
  • Adaptive MFA
  • Identity orchestration
  • API access management
  • Directory services
  • Flexible deployment
  • ForgeRock capabilities

What people use each for

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

Bitdefender Total Security

  • Antivirusnot Ping Identity
  • Internet Securitynot Ping Identity
  • Endpoint Protectionnot Ping Identity

Ping Identity

  • A bank that must keep identity data on premises in one country while running SaaS identity elsewherenot Bitdefender Total Security
  • An airline or telco with tens of millions of customer identities needing a directory that holds that scalenot Bitdefender Total Security
  • An enterprise assembling authentication journeys that call several external verification and risk vendorsnot Bitdefender Total Security
  • An existing ForgeRock customer deciding what its upgrade path looks like under Ping ownershipnot Bitdefender Total Security

Where each one falls short

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

Bitdefender Total Security

  • VPN limited to 200MB per day, insufficient for streaming video or extended browsing sessions
  • Limited features on Apple devices with iOS version lacking scheduled scans, firewall, file shredder, and other tools
  • Failed to detect 10% of virus samples during in-house testing, falling short of perfect detection rates
  • Auto-renewal billing issues with complaints about unauthorized recurring charges and difficulties with refunds
  • Device optimization tools less extensive than competitors, lacking game booster, driver updater, startup manager, and battery usage manager

Ping Identity

  • Workforce pricing carries a 5,000 user annual minimum, so an organisation with 800 staff pays for 5,000 and the effective per user cost is over six times the list rate.
  • Adaptive multi-factor authentication is in the Plus tier only, doubling the per user price for a capability many buyers assume is standard in a modern identity platform.
  • ForgeRock no longer exists as an independent product, so customers who chose it specifically to avoid Ping now face a roadmap set by the vendor they did not pick.
  • Thoma Bravo ownership across both merged companies means the commercial priority is margin, and buyers report firmer renewal negotiations than they saw before 2022.
  • The portfolio has overlapping components from three product lineages, so scoping a deployment requires vendor architects and the licensing conversation is more complicated than the price list implies.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bitdefender Total Security

$19.99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Bitdefender Total Security review.

Ping Identity

$3/month
  • PingOne for Workforce Essential$3/month
    • Minimum 5,000 users billed annually
    • Single sign-on and directory services
    • OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML and SCIM
  • PingOne for Workforce Plus$6/month
    • Minimum 5,000 users billed annually
    • Everything in Essential
    • Adaptive multi-factor authentication
  • PingOne for Customers Essential$35000/year
    • Flat annual fee
    • No-code identity orchestration
    • Unified customer profiles
  • PingOne for Customers Plus$50000/year
    • Flat annual fee
    • Everything in Essential
    • Adaptive MFA and device management

Which should you pick?

Choose Bitdefender Total Security if

  • You need advanced threat defense.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-layer ransomware protection.
Bitdefender Total Security review

Choose Ping Identity if

  • You need single sign-on.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want adaptive mfa.
Ping Identity review

Questions people ask

Is Bitdefender Total Security or Ping Identity better?
Neither clearly leads. Bitdefender Total Security starts at $19.99/year and Ping Identity at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bitdefender Total Security or Ping Identity?
Bitdefender Total Security starts at $19.99/year and Ping Identity at $3/month.
Does Bitdefender Total Security or Ping Identity run on more platforms?
Bitdefender Total Security runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Ping Identity runs on Web, Linux, Windows.
What is Bitdefender Total Security best used for?
Bitdefender Total Security is most often used for antivirus, internet security, endpoint protection. Of those, antivirus and internet security are not what Ping Identity is typically brought in for.
What can Bitdefender Total Security do that Ping Identity cannot?
Bitdefender Total Security covers Advanced threat defense, Multi-layer ransomware protection, Real-time data protection, Network threat prevention. Ping Identity covers Single sign-on, Adaptive MFA, Identity orchestration, API access management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bitdefender Total Security: What are Bitdefender's main features?

Total Security includes real-time antivirus, anti-phishing, anti-ransomware, firewall, secure VPN (limited), password manager, file shredder, and anti-tracker. Additional features include parental controls, advanced threat defense, privacy firewall, and webcam/microphone protection.

Ping Identity: Can I still buy ForgeRock?

Not as a separate product. Ping acquired ForgeRock in 2023 and the capabilities are sold within the Ping portfolio. Existing customers should ask about the specific migration path for their components.

Bitdefender Total Security: What did Bitdefender score on AV-TEST?

Bitdefender scored 6/6 across protection, performance, and usability in the January-February 2026 AV-TEST evaluation, and AV-Comparatives named it Product of the Year with a 99.98% detection rate.

Ping Identity: What is the real minimum spend?

PingOne for Workforce Essential is 3 USD per user per month with a 5,000 user annual minimum, so roughly 180,000 USD a year before anything else.

Ping Identity: Is MFA included?

Basic authentication policies are in Essential. Adaptive MFA and passwordless require the Plus tier at 6 USD per user per month.

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