Yes! Legitimate antivirus software is far superior to going online without protection. But while free antivirus software for Mac is enough, paid antivirus solutions often include additional features that can provide even more benefits, options, and security protections. AVG Internet Security is one such paid solution that comes with premium features such as tools to block ransomware protection, and network scans.
There's a constant debate about whether Macs need antivirus software. But the answer is yes if you're still wondering whether you install an antivirus program on your Mac. Although Macs are less likely to become infected than PCs, it's important to stay on the safe side.
Free Virus Software For Mac Os X
Avast Security is a great free option for any Mac user. It comes loaded with features that constantly work to block dangerous forms of ransomware, viruses, and malware that compromise your Mac's security.
Since Avast Security is completely free on its own, it withholds some extra features for the paid Premium plan, such as Wi-Fi intruder alerts and live ransomware shield support. Just be careful when you install the free plan. Avast will try to throw in some costly extra features during installation that you probably don't want.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner doesn't come with many bells and whistles, but it's still a viable option as a free antivirus program for Mac. This antivirus is especially great for scanning specific files or apps. It also allows you to omit files, making for a speedy scanning process. And if it finds a threat, Bitdefender will quarantine or remove it.
Bitdefender doesn't operate in the background, so you'll need to prompt the program to perform scans manually. Fortunately, virus signatures are automatically updated every hour to ensure you have the latest protection.
The only downside to Bitdefender is that it lacks the tools to protect your Mac online. For protection against dangerous websites or tricky phishing emails, you'll have to look into a more well-rounded antivirus software instead.
Even though Avira is free, it still has tons of valuable features. The real-time scanner can scan your entire computer or just specific files. If you want a more hands-off approach, you can even schedule the scanner to run at certain times.
By default, Sophos Home comes with a 30-day free trial for the premium version. You don't have to buy the premium version once the trial ends, but you'll lose some premium features you might've gotten used to. Either way, you can still get by with just the free plan.
Sophos Home also comes outfitted with parental controls that allow you to prevent your children from accessing certain websites. You can have up to three devices (both Mac or Windows) on the free plan, ensuring that everyone in your family has protection.
AVG's free protection is powerful enough to secure your Mac from malware and protect you when you're online. It can also prevent you from acquiring and passing on any PC or Android viruses. AVG automatically updates its virus database, so you'll always have the most effective security.
If you're looking for any parental controls or webcam blockers, the free version of AVG won't have it. It just offers scanning and detection features, which are good enough for basic security needs. Unfortunately, the full system scan does cause your computer to perform slowly, and you can expect it to take several minutes (or hours) to complete.
Comodo Antivirus offers an easy-to-use interface and free protection for your Mac. Checking a file or app for viruses is as simple as dragging and dropping it into Comodo. It comes with a quick scan that finishes in minutes and a total system scan that might take an hour or two to complete. The scheduler lets you pick and choose the times you want to perform scans, so your computer won't get bogged down at the wrong time.
Like some other antivirus software on this list, Comodo also stays up-to-date on the latest virus signatures to protect you from all types of malware. Just remember that Comodo doesn't automatically protect you online. You'll have to download the free Comodo Online Security browser extension if you want to block any dangerous websites.
Many Mac users think that their device is resistant to viruses. However, that's just not the case. Even if your Mac is less likely to contract a virus, especially if you download your Mac apps from safe websites and steer clear of bad security choices, it's still possible to pass malware to Windows and Android users.
So, using antivirus software on your Mac to prevent any security breaches is never a bad idea. And if you're looking to protect your PC as well, check out our list of the best antivirus software for Windows.
Macs get attacked by cybercriminals trying to encrypt or steal your personal data. Or they might try to use your system as part of a botnet to attack other computers globally. Our Mac OS antivirus software offers the best Mac virus removal and protects your system. Scan your system at the push of a button and repair folders with just one click. Our Apple virus scan software is free. Download it now for your Mac with macOS 10.13 (Sierra) and later versions! For additional features get our Free Security Suite, including free Antivirus for Mac, free Phantom VPN to secure and anonymize your online surfing, Avira Browser Safety (on Firefox) to block ads and browser trackers. For premium antivirus protection, discover the benefits of our Antivirus Pro for Mac now.
In addition, you can use the free Avira Browser Safety add-on to ensure that PUAs, such as annoying adware, do not get onto your Mac in the first place. Avira Browser Protection helps you detect PUAs like adware hidden in software downloads and offers you a safe download alternative. In addition, you can also block harmful ads and websites, unsafe and phishing websites, online tracking, and prevent browser hijacking.
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac not only helps you better protect your device from malware such as viruses, Trojans, spyware, and ransomware but also includes many other security, online privacy, and optimization features alongside virus protection. Thanks to the integrated VPN, you can enjoy bank-grade security to surf anonymously and encrypt your traffic even on unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots. The password manager helps you create strong passwords for your user accounts, while the junk cleaner rids your Mac of junk data and duplicate files. The Avira Browser Safety add-on helps you block harmful ads and websites, unsafe and phishing websites, online tracking, and prevent browser hijacking. All these features mean Avira solutions are the perfect complement to the security features built into macOS, providing additional layers of protection.
Right now, our answer to that question is Bitdefender for Mac (also available as part of the firm's all-singing all-dancing Bitdefender Total Security plan). It combines faultless virus protection (as verified by independent test labs) with a whole host of features and a Mac antivirus client that's ridiculously easy to set up and use.
You will need Mac-specific antivirus software designed to work with the unique demands of macOS to protect that new Mac. After all, Apple products aren't cheap, and you don't want to have something pricey be crippled by a cyberattack. Heck, even a one of the best free options is better than nothing.
Bitdefender is today's #1 best Mac antivirus (opens in new tab)It goes without saying that this premium provider has the goods when it comes to pure malware spotting, blocking and clearing. But the quality of its extra features that help make Bitdefender the best, including ransomware protection, anti-phishing, and super secure web browser protection.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is one of the most accurate virus protection suites for Apple devices out there, built on a sterling antivirus engine that is consistently rated among the top performers by independent testing labs - and it boasts fast scan times, too.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac also offers an adware blocker and is a good performer when it comes to scanning and picking up on Windows PC malware. That helps defend against the possibility of you transmitting a Windows virus to your friends or family who might have Windows 10 PCs.
You get quite the helping of features here, including impressive antivirus protection, anti-ransomware, a smart firewall, and some neat extras like a password manager, dark web monitoring (in certain regions), alongside a significant bonus in the form of Norton Secure VPN (with unlimited access) to help maintain better security and privacy when online.
Clario aims to be an all-encompassing security package, and it succeeds in that goal, providing antivirus and a lot more. Bitdefender, our top-rated provider, powers the main antivirus engine, so unsurprisingly, Clario does well here, and is rated pretty much identically to Bitdefender in more recent tests from the independent labs.
The asking price is more than some of the rival suites on this page. However, having high-quality antivirus and Mac VPN protection rolled together in a beginner-friendly package will appeal to some Mac users.
Avast Free Mac Security goes the extra mile to protect your Mac with an unusually lengthy feature list. The core antivirus engine offers real-time protection to catch threats when they appear, for instance. You can run on-demand full system scans if you suspect a problem, or launch a more targeted check on specific files, folders or drives. It's even possible to schedule scans to run automatically when you're not around.
Mac antivirus software isn't often checked by the independent testing labs, but Avast's most recent results were good, with AV Comparative's 2018 test finding the package detected 100 percent of sample threats. If you'd like even more, upgrading to Avast Security Pro gets you ransomware protection and instant alerts of Wi-Fi intruders or changes in your network security.
While many antivirus companies try to win you over by piling on the features, Avira Antivirus for Mac takes a simpler, more lightweight approach. There's no web filtering, no network scanning or other security extras: it's purely focused on keeping your system malware-free. 2ff7e9595c
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