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Cyberthreats are many, and are evolving with the advancement of technology. Even popular mac devices are susceptible to these threats with the latest versions of mac computers that are available in the market.
Forbes Advisor India evaluated the top free antivirus for mac to help you understand their security features, before you opt to pay for their premium plan.
Featured Partners
1
Avast
Price per year
INR 1,199 per year
Money back guarantee
30 days
Additional Features
Firewall, email security, ransomware & malware protection, real-time protection. Also includes 24/7 IT support
On Avast’s secure website
2
Surfshark Antivirus
No. of devices with antivirus protection
5 devices
Money back guarantee
30 days
Free VPN Included
Yes
On Surfshark’s secure website
3
Norton
Price Per Year
INR 1,199 per year
Firewall
Yes
Featured
Protection for PC gaming, Device & Online Security
On Norton’s secure website
Free; starts at 176.16 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus scanner, password manager, files shredder, prevent macOS and apps from data sharing, space optimizer, software updater, duplicate files and folders finder, startup optimizer, and more
60 days
Free; starts at 176.16 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus scanner, password manager, files shredder, prevent macOS and apps from data sharing, space optimizer, software updater, duplicate files and folders finder, startup optimizer, and more
60 days
Avira’s free antivirus for Mac software comes with feature-rich plans. Its installation is followed by scanning your system for security, privacy and performance issues – or, you can schedule it for later. The security features checks your devices and networks for viruses and threats, privacy features cleans your browsing traces and improves system’s privacy, and performance frees your device’s space.
There are ample features included under the free plan such as virus scanner, password manager, files shredder, space optimizer, driver updater, duplicate files and folders finder, partial startup optimizer, as well as preventing macOS and apps from data sharing.
The free plan, however, comes with limited features. For instance, web and ransomware protection, firewall are not included under the free plan. Their free browser extension is available for Mozilla Firefox that blocks ads and malicious websites. Similarly, game boosters to improve your gaming experience on MacOS come under their premium plan. Avira’s paid plan starts at INR 2,114 for the first year (renewed at INR 3,524 per year), and protects up to five devices. Their premium plan comes with a 60-day moneyback guarantee.
Free; starts from INR 89 per month (billed annually) per device
Malware detector, blocks web attacks and unsafe downloads, basic firewall protection, software updater, “do not disturb” feature, and more
30 days
Free; starts from INR 89 per month (billed annually) per device
Malware detector, blocks web attacks and unsafe downloads, basic firewall protection, software updater, “do not disturb” feature, and more
30 days
Avast free antivirus is straightforward, and comes with easy to navigate software for MacOS. It runs scans to detect malware and other issues, blocks web attacks and unsafe downloads, comes with basic firewall protection, software updater, and comes with “do not disturb” feature from sending notifications, to name a few. For advanced antivirus features – private documents protector, safe online shopping, banking transactions, advanced firewall, and prevention from hackers and webcam spying are available under their premium plan.
Avast free antivirus costs INR 89 per month (billed annually) that provides protection for up to one device. This plan comes with a 30 days moneyback guarantee.
Related: Avast Antivirus Review 2024
Free; starts from INR 78 per month (billed annually) per device
Virus and malware scanner, do not disturb mode, software updater, basic firewall, internet network scanner, and more
30 days
Free; starts from INR 78 per month (billed annually) per device
Virus and malware scanner, do not disturb mode, software updater, basic firewall, internet network scanner, and more
30 days
AVG antivirus software for MacOS comes with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to shield you from viruses, spyware, and other threats. However, their free plan comes with limited features. It runs scans on your computer to detect existing viruses, malware, and other advanced issues—you’ll have to sign up with their premium plan to remove these vulnerabilities from your operating system. Nonetheless, it provides core defense for blocking malware in real-time, and comes with basic firewall protection. It also allows you to scan and monitor your internet network–but you’ll have to download their VPN to resolve issues, which comes with limited features.
AVG’s premium plan starts at INR 78 per month (billed annually), and protects one device per plan. There’s also free trial Their premium features include protection for private documents, safe online shopping, unwanted remote desktop access blocker, advanced firewall, fake websites identifier, unsafe downloads and email as well as web attacks blocker, hackers and ransomware attacks, webcam protection, and more. This plan comes with a 30 days moneyback guarantee.
Related: AVG Antivirus Review 2024
Free; starts from INR 150 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus scanner, malware and other threats detector for device and network, software updater, and more
30 days
Free; starts from INR 150 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus scanner, malware and other threats detector for device and network, software updater, and more
30 days
Bitdefender free scanner for MacOS comes with features to detect existing malware as well as viruses and other threats crawling on your device and network. It also searches for malware in your device archives, and other file types such as pdf, pkg, zip, rar, and more. This free plan gives you a peace of mind to stay updated about future malware and virus attacks on your system. Though it requires you to sign up to use their free plan, it allows you to set up the software in two more mac devices.
However, to remove these threats requires you to sign up with their premium plan starting at INR 249.95 per month for annual subscription. This plan comes with features like ransomware protection, safe online banking
Bitdefender VPN, device optimizer, prevention from unauthorized webcam and microphone access, and more. This plan comes with a 30 days moneyback guarantee.
Related: Bitdefender Antivirus Review in 2024
Starts from INR 124.92 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus, malware scanner and remover, defender against ransomware and spyware attacks, and more
30 days
Starts from INR 124.92 per month (billed annually) for five devices
Virus, malware scanner and remover, defender against ransomware and spyware attacks, and more
30 days
McAfee offers a seven days free trial period for you to evaluate their full antivirus features, including firewall, email security, ransomware protection, password manager, parental controls, and more. Though you give your payment details to the provider, it gives you an option to deactivate the account without getting charged. Soon after the free trial expires, McAfee will deactivate the software. It’s up to you to decide to continue using the antivirus software. This plan costs INR 124.92 per month for annual subscription per account, and gives protection for up to five devices.
Related: McAfee Antivirus Review 2024
Plans and features of aforementioned VPN providers are accurate as of Nov. 1, 2023.
For a beginner, a free antivirus gives you an idea about how an antivirus can help you secure your cyberspace, and vulnerabilities it protects you from. Using a free antivirus for mac comes with pros and cons. While a free antivirus may scan your device and detect existing vulnerabilities, it may not be able to quarantine those threats — which is a premium feature. Also, there’s a risk of downloading a fake software that only sells your personal information to data brokers, hackers. It would be wise to tread with caution when using a free antivirus for mac.
That being said, a free antivirus for mac (like the ones mentioned above) will give you an idea about how it can help protect your device from such vulnerabilities. Instead, opt for their free trial options (up to seven days) and moneyback guarantee (up to 30 to 60 days) that allow you to test their features or get a refund.
Free antivirus for macOS comes with basic features, and varies among providers. You need to sign up with their premium plan to get full advanced features of antivirus. We evaluated major features provided by antivirus companies for free, and listed them as follows:
Virus scanner: Scans your device operating system, files, folders, as well as your internet network to check if there exists any virus and malware threats. However, the free plan doesn’t let you remove these vulnerabilities unless you opt to subscribe to their premium plan.
Files shredder: Permanently deletes files and folders on your device. Depending on your antivirus provider, like Avira, this feature is provided for free of cost.
Prevent macOS and apps from data sharing: This feature will block apps running on your device to collect data (location, device information, etc.).
Devices space optimizer: You can choose to free up space on your Mac by deleting unwanted junk files, including duplicate files and folders, for better speed and performance of your device.
Software updater: This feature automatically updates your antivirus software with capabilities to detect the latest threats and vulnerabilities.
Startup optimizer: It speeds up the boot time when you restart, or switch on your computer.
Web attacks and unsafe downloads: It alerts you about any suspicious web activity while browsing the internet.
Do not disturb: This feature stops any incoming notifications from apps running on your device from distracting your work.
Free trial and moneyback guarantee: Almost every free antivirus provider for macOS (like the ones mentioned in the list) offer free trial (up to 7 days) and moneyback (30 to 60 days) that allow you to test their features or get a refund.
Pricing and device support: While choosing the best antivirus for your device, check the cost of premium plans of every provider as per features you require to secure your cyberspace. The cost of premium plans of free antivirus software provider for mac in the list ranges from INR 78 to INR 176.16 per month, depending on support for one to five devices.
Customer support: Important. Look for an antivirus software provider that offers maximum support via chat, email, online ticket, as well as phone call support to help resolve your queries.
Cyberthreats are many and are evolving. While a free antivirus scans your mac, and sends you alerts about potential threats, they may not be able to quarantine those threats from spreading into your device’s operating system. Plus, there are many features that are capped under the free plan, making it less effective to provide security and peace of mind.
Instead, you can opt for their free trial option (usually, up to seven days) where you are not charged for the plan, though you enter the payment details. You may cancel the plan before the trial ends, or choose to pay for it once you’re satisfied with the service. There’s also a moneyback guarantee (generally, up to 30 to 60 days) where you’re charged for the subscription, or get a refund within the deadline.
A free antivirus for mac scans your device to identify basic threats, or alerts about viruses, malware, and other threats. However, most free antivirus doesn’t allow you to remove these threats and vulnerabilities from your device. In addition, many features are capped under their free plan, which otherwise is helpful to secure your cyberspace.
Here we’ve evaluated features of top antivirus providers in the market to alert you about what’s missing under the free plan, as follows:
Ransomware and spyware attacks: Ransomware is a malware that hacks into your device’s files and asks for ransom to free those files. Spyware, on the other hand, collects your personal information and sells it to data brokers and hackers.
Safe online banking: While you’re shopping online or simply logging into your bank’s official website, the details you enter might be tracked by spyware installed on your computer. Storing your personal banking information isn’t a healthy practice. An antivirus protects your personal banking credentials from getting into the hands of hackers.
Virtual Private Network (VPN): Most antivirus comes with a VPN solution that masks your real IP address and encrypts your data traffic. However, many of them lack major VPN features. Read more about the best VPN providers in India.
Fake website identifier: Such website tries to lure you into giving out either your personal data or banking details by pretending to be a web agent. Top antivirus (like mentioned in the list) comes with features that identify fake websites giving you an additional layer of security.
Unsafe downloads and email attachments: Antivirus solutions scans files before you download (such as apps), or attachments you download from emails, and identifies if they carry threats or vulnerabilities.
Webcam protection: Antivirus also protects you from hackers tracking your webcam activities on your computer.
These are just a few examples of premium features you get under the paid plan of antivirus providers. When you download a free antivirus software (like the ones mentioned above) on your mac, you can navigate and evaluate their features within the software to see if it is enough to protect your cyberspace.
Featured Partners
1
Avast
Price per year
INR 1,199 per year
Money back guarantee
30 days
Additional Features
Firewall, email security, ransomware & malware protection, real-time protection. Also includes 24/7 IT support
On Avast’s secure website
2
Surfshark Antivirus
No. of devices with antivirus protection
5 devices
Money back guarantee
30 days
Free VPN Included
Yes
On Surfshark’s secure website
3
Norton
Price Per Year
INR 1,199 per year
Firewall
Yes
Featured
Protection for PC gaming, Device & Online Security
On Norton’s secure website
You’ll find many free antivirus programs available for mac, but many of them come with a risk. Though they ensure to protect your computer, most of them will be collecting your personal information from your device, and there’s a risk that these software may sell these information to data brokers. Also, such software are vulnerable to hacking attempts due to lost security measures they provide. Here’s the top antivirus software you can use for optimum security to your mac device.
A free antivirus lets you understand how an antivirus can protect your mac system, however, it is not enough. Though it scans vulnerabilities in real-time, it may not be able to quarantine those threats — which is a premium feature. In addition, major features are restricted under the free plan. Instead, opt for free trial options and moneyback guarantee options that allow you to test their features or get a refund.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
There are many free antivirus for mac available in the market. The best ones we’ve chosen are Avira, Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, and McAfee.
Yes, there are many free antivirus available for mac, but most of them come with pros and cons. We’ve listed the secure ones (like mentioned in the list) to test their features before you opt to pay for their premium plan.
A lot of free antivirus for mac providers carries a risk of your personal information being collected from your device, and being sold to data brokers. It would be wise to tread with caution before downloading free antivirus software.
The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This comes from two main sources.
First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.
Second, we also include links to our advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the listings or commentary our editorial team provides in our articles or other impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor.
While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.
