Despite what you may have been told, Macs need antivirus protection, too. Here are the best ones we’ve personally tested.
A long time ago one of Apple’s big selling points was that they couldn’t catch computer viruses. A more accurate statement, though, was that since they were such a small market share of the personal computer industry, no one bothered to write malware for them.
Today, that’s changed. Go to any coffee shop and you’ll see two dozen people working on their Macbooks and a hundred more scrolling through social media on their iPhones. While they haven’t quite caught up to Windows machines, Macs are undeniably more popular than they were 20 years ago. And you know what that means — Macs definitely need antivirus software today.
Lucky for you, we’re constantly testing out different antivirus software offerings to better understand their strengths and weaknesses. Using that data, we’ve compiled this list of the best antivirus software to protect your Apple products.
Based on our preferences listed out above and our hands-on testing of dozens of different antivirus programs, we selected seven of the best-performing options for Mac computers and iPhones. We took into consideration all of the technical aspects, but also considered their customer service, how these companies handled our data, their bonus features, and their overall value. We’ll get into the highlights for each one below, but first let’s take a look at how they compare side by side.
Vigilance goes a long way in avoiding malware. You think you’re just reading an online news article, or downloading an app, or loading a file, but malware could already be infecting your computer in the background. With TotalAV’s real-time protection, you’re always protected.
TotalAV runs in the background and immediately scans any file or program involved when you perform any action. For example, if you open a file, TotalAV scans it in real-time to make sure it’s clean. You don’t have to start a scan manually or wait for a scheduled scan; TotalAV protects you 24/7.
When it comes to costs, TotalAV is relatively affordable. It costs $29 dollars for the first year, and $59 annually after that. While that might seem like a kind of bait-and-switch, this variable price model is pretty common in this industry. Just something to keep in mind to prevent sticker shock 12 months down the line.
TotalAV comes with a lot of useful extras. In fact, it might be more fitting to call it a “security solution” rather than just “antivirus software.” For example, it scans not just your local files but files stored in the cloud as well. It also includes a secure password vault where you can keep your passwords safely. And to protect you from various online threats, there’s a WebShield feature that identifies unsafe websites before you visit them.
One of TotalAV’s best extra features is a VPN or virtual private network. The VPN encrypts your online data to keep your browsing sessions private and to hide your IP address. With this, you’re not only safe from viruses, but from hackers and government spying as well.
Wait, why are we including a VPN on this list of antivirus software providers? Two reasons — first, your digital security needs to be comprehensive. You wouldn’t install a smart lock on your front door but leave your back door wide open at night, would you? Second, Surfshark doesn’t just offer a high-quality VPN. With Surfshark One and Surfshark One+, you’re going to get complete protection from malware as well as some identity theft protection and even additional webcam security.
Everybody hates zoom meetings, but what’s worse is that if you’re not cautious, hackers can take control of your webcam and spy on you without you knowing it. We used to keep a piece of tape over ours just to be safe, but we were able to ditch it after installing Surfshark One.
FYI: Surfshark’s prices depend on the service tier you select and the duration of the subscription you choose. If you go with their mid-tier option for one year, it will only cost you $4.09 per month. More on that in our guide to Surfshark’s costs.
Like we said above, Surfshark’s protection covers a lot of bases, and that includes your identity on top of your physical devices. By constantly scanning known black-market sites for your personally identifiable information, Surfshark can let you know if you’ve been a victim of a data breach. While they won’t be able to prevent your credit card information or social security numbers from being leaked, they will let you know if it happens so you can take evasive action and prevent it from becoming a major problem. We had an identity theft scare a few years back, and trust us, we would have really appreciated some advanced notice.
In case you haven’t read any of our antivirus reviews yet, we do a virus detection test where we hide five viruses on our computer and see how many an antivirus program can catch. We do this test every time we test antivirus software, and so far, only two managed to catch them all. Bitdefender was one of those antiviruses. Because of that, its spot on our list of the overall best antivirus software is well-earned.
Bitdefender can protect more than just your Mac computers. With a single subscription, we were able to install and use Bitdefender on up to 15 devices. Better still, it worked outside the Apple ecosystem. We also installed it on our Windows laptops and Android smartphones.
Bitdefender is easy to use across all platforms. Thanks to its impressive malware detection capacity and real-time protection, all you need to do is install the software on your devices and it will work in the background to protect you from all kinds of malware threats.
When it comes to Bitdefender’s costs, expect to pay between $39.99 and $69.99 per year, depending on your package and the features you select. That equals out to a little more than $3 per month for the former and about $6 per month for the latter. Definitely worth it, in our opinion.
Trend Micro follows the trend of antivirus software offering multiple scanning options. When we tested Trend Micro, we made use of on-demand scanning, meaning, we scanned our Macs whenever we felt like it. That said, with on-access scanning, Trend Micro gave us extra protection by running in the background continuously to scan for malware. For more details on ways that antivirus protection inoculates your systems against threats, check out our detailed antivirus guide.
Trend Micro offers a slew of features, and most of those features are accessed through the app. That is why we appreciate Trend Micro’s intuitive app interface. Trend Micro’s apps offer access to different settings and features. We used it to start or schedule on-demand scans, protect our folders that contain sensitive information, and monitor how Trend Micro had protected our devices.
Trend Micro will cost you between $39.95 and $149.95 per year, depending on the package you’re looking for. But right now they’re offering pretty deep discounts on all of their services. More on that in our guide to Trend Micro’s pricing, but here’s a quick rundown:
We had a great experience testing Avast, but its high macOS app rating of 4.7 out of 5 proved that we weren’t the only ones who thought the software delivered. One user, who said they had subscribed to Avast for years, said it had saved them from installing software containing malware onto their phone. Seeing that macOS laptops and computers make up nearly eight percent2 of the global market share in laptops and desktop computers, it’s crucial to make sure that these devices are protected from viruses.
We loved our experience with Avast, but some users may not have the same thoughts. That’s why it’s great that Avast offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with the software, all you need to do is contact Avast’s customer support within 30 days of your purchase and ask for a refund. Avast will cancel your plan and return your money with no questions asked.
This could also be the perfect way to do a full test-run of the service, if you’re between a couple of options. If you decide to move beyond the 30-day trial into a full subscription, we outlined every option on our Avast pricing page. Here’s the long and short, though: Avast will cost you between $34.99 and $44.99 per year, depending on the package you select.
Watch-out: To use the Avast Antivirus macOS app, you’ll need macOS 10.10 or higher along with at least 500 MB of hard disk space.
When we conducted our tests, we used VIPRE Advanced Security, which costs $36.99 for one year, or about $3 per month. Mac-users will need to go for the Advanced Security offering, as VIPRE Antivirus Plus is only compatible with PCs. Nevertheless, we had plenty of options when it came to the term length and the number of devices that we could connect. We could connect anywhere from one to ten devices and sign up for contracts as short as one year or as long as four years. If you’re still curious about cost, we have a full page on VIPRE’s pricing. Something you should know right off the bat, though, is that they offer a more basic version of the service we tested — Antivirus Plus — for $20.99 per year and a more advanced version — the Ultimate Security Bundle — for $59.99 per year.
Money-saver: VIPRE offers a free trial, so we could try the service without even having to give any of our credit card information.
VIPRE’s interface was very intuitive: the program showed a status bar that let us know when the computer was last scanned, whether the firewall protection was active, and that the threat definitions were up to date. We allowed certain websites and apps past the firewall, and were also happy that our VIPRE shielded our email inbox from phishing attacks. The presets were exactly how we would have customized the tool, so we didn’t have to do much to get up and running, and appreciated that the service did not serve us any pesky pop-ups.
Beyond offering a 30-day money-back guarantee, AVG actually offers a free version of their service that doesn’t expire. We gained:
While AVG’s free software does not cover detection of fake websites and phishing, it’s a great bare-bones antivirus if that’s something you are comfortable with. We also compiled the best free antivirus software in case price (or lack thereof) is a major factor in your decision.
For more security, you’ll want to go with the premium version of their service. We have more on this in our guide to AVG’s prices, but right now that package is on sale for $46.68 per year.
We were impressed with AVG’s behavior-based detection, where the software identified suspicious behavior that can lead to cyber-attacks. A lot of antivirus software just matches up malware to an existing database, so AVG goes above and beyond to spot new threats in real-time. Their malware detection of the most recent macOS malware was accurate 100-percent of the time, a perfect score that doesn’t come by easily. Even though Macs’ built-in security measures are strong, it’s still important that antivirus software sniffs out undiscovered threats. For more ways to bolster your security, check out our best VPNs for Mac.
Now that we’ve gone through the bird’s eye view of antivirus software for Macs, we’ll walk you through the process of reaching our conclusions. Macs have a reputation for having strong protection against viruses and malware, but it’s still critical to invest in antivirus software because the reality is that thousands of new threats are created each day. Antivirus software complements Mac’s built-in features, and fills in the gaps of identifying newly created threats that target Macs specifically.
We test each software for at least six months. Since you’ll need these software subscriptions on an ongoing basis, we want to make sure that once you subscribe, you’ll be set for a long time. We looked at how each brand performed in terms of its virus detection, scans, behavior-based detection, price, and privacy policy. Last but not least, we checked what customer service resources were available in the event that problems spring up down the road.
We started with the basics of what these services were invented to do, which is, of course, to detect viruses on our devices. We performed a test where we downloaded five different files, each with a different virus. Then, we scanned the files with the antivirus software and saw which successfully detected the viruses the most. Most of the time, the programs detected at least three out of the five files, meaning that more often than not, something slipped through the cracks. It’s important that we know which services didn’t score well in our test, because in reality, it only takes one virus to lead to a lot of headaches. We don’t recommend trying these tests yourselves. While we’re experts on properly testing virus detection without negatively affecting our devices, it’s a delicate process, and the last thing we would want is for you to unleash malware on your devices.
The next thing we looked for is the different types of scanning each service offered. Services that scanned on-access searched for threats whenever the software was running, even if only in the background. Otherwise, those with on-demand scanning scanned only when we requested or scheduled a scan. We personally prefer on-access scanning because it stops viruses and malware immediately, and we don’t need to set any reminders on our end. However, sometimes we want to check that everything is running as it should with on-demand scanning. Best-case scenario, a software would offer both on-demand and on-access scanning.
Some antivirus software programs detect threats through a process called signature-based detection. The files are marked as threats if they share similar characteristics or code bases. That’s a great solution for identifying known threats, but it leaves us pretty helpless when it comes to malware that might not be included in the database.
Rather, as thousands of pieces of malware are introduced every single day, it’s important that the antivirus is able to catch new problems as they arise with behavior-based detection. Behavior-based detection, in contrast to signature-based detection, monitors suspicious behaviors of files. For example, if we download a .mp3 music file, and the file tries to go somewhere other than our music player, behavior-based detection would notice the irregularity. That type of malware would go undetected by signature-based detection, so we prefer when both types of detection are offered in tandem.
We don’t want antivirus software to upend how you use your computer, so we evaluated the user experience to ensure that each service offers a smooth process. We paid special attention to the installation process, and how obvious the software was when it was at work on our devices. We prefer for the software to appear as invisible as possible, meaning that we aren’t constantly getting prompted with pop-ups, or having to install updates on the service.
Once our readers select an antivirus software, we want to make sure they’re in good hands. It’s inevitable for problems to come up, so we checked what types of resources each company offers to resolve issues. Most have FAQ databases and email support lines, and 24/7 live chats are also very helpful to getting answers quickly. For us, the holy grail of customer support is a phone line with an actual human on the other end. While we’re more likely to make use of the digital options first, a phone line tells us that the company genuinely prioritizes helping its customers.
Investing in cybersecurity is a long-term endeavor, so we want to make sure that our recommendations don’t break the bank. To protect a Mac, it will cost anywhere from nothing (we’ll talk more about free versions shortly), to around $8 per month. The cheapest service (outside of free trials) we recommend for Macs is VIPRE, which will cost at a maximum, $3.33 per month to connect 10 devices, while Bitdefender is at a higher price point ($7.50 per month to connect up to 15 devices). Prices tend to increase as additional devices are added to a plan. We know that everyone has a different budget, so we prefer when a brand offers a myriad of options for their customers to find what fits their needs best.
We also checked if they have a free trial or even a free antivirus version. Free trials are a great way to take the softwares for a test run, in our opinion, because we get the full range of capabilities. The downside is that most only last 30 days, and protecting our devices from viruses is something we need to happen on an ongoing basis. When it comes to the free versions of the services, we find that there’s often too many limitations, like caps on data usage, to work long-term and still be effective. They also lack extra features like password managers, identity theft protection, or VPNs, that are frequently bundled in some paid versions of softwares. While free versions might not be the ideal solution, they can still be beneficial when testing out the various services for yourself.
Last, but certainly not least, we looked at how each company handled our data. When we downloaded any type of software onto our devices, we gave antivirus software access to a lot of our information. While some of the information was necessary for the tool to function, a lot of it wasn’t. When we agreed to those terms and conditions, we were essentially giving companies the right to our information. The unfortunate part is that most of the time, we aren’t allowed to use the service without agreeing to their terms.
While we might not have much of a choice in accepting the terms, we find it important to read through the privacy policies to get a thorough understanding of what each company asked of us. Some examples of acceptable data collected are payment information, contact details, and usage statistics. However, when we found out that companies often track our browser activity or geolocation data, we thought that crossed a line. We also checked if companies were selling our information to third parties, a common practice. We always appreciated when companies resisted the urge to sell our data, but it is, unfortunately, an industry norm.
We also do some digging into each company’s history. We investigate if there were any data or security breaches, and in general, if the company has committed any unsavory practices. That includes providing customer data to the government, or even collaborating with foreign powers. Though it is never acceptable for a cybersecurity company to fail to protect their own customers’ data, we also check how the company has handled any mishaps, and how they’ve adjusted their practices to make sure that they don’t happen again in the future.
We compiled all of our most common questions about buying an antivirus software for Mac-users.
Yes, Macs have built-in antivirus software. However, we recommend still investing in an antivirus software to double down on protection, as the software that comes with your device is often not advanced enough to inoculate against all threats. Antivirus software often updates their firmware more frequently than Mac, so external software is more up-to-date than built-in services. Plus, Mac-targeted attacks are becoming more common, and having multiple layers of protection makes it more difficult for newly-created viruses to penetrate our Macs.
Yes, you need antivirus protection for your Mac. Though Macs tend to have better antivirus protection than Windows, no system is 100 percent immune from targeted attacks. As cyberattacks are increasingly prevalent, it’s important for users to protect their devices in a variety of ways. Relying solely on built-in software, you are depending entirely on what Apple has caught, and there’s no guarantee that they can design protection against everything. In the past, certain types of malware, like OSX/CrescentCore, was able to fool Mac security. Having additional antivirus measures gives users another line of defense against the vast number of threats out there.
Yes, there are a few free antivirus softwares for Macs. TotalAV, Trend Micro, Avast, Bitdefender, VIPRE and AVG all offer free versions of their services.
According to our evaluation, TotalAV and Bitdefender are the best antivirus software for Macs. However, we also found Trend Micro, Avast, VIPRE, and AVG to be suitable options.
Trend Micro. (2019). Trend Micro Discloses Insider Threat.
trendmicro.com/en_us/research/19/k/trend-micro-discloses-insider-threat-impacting-some-of-its-consumer-customers.html
Gartner. (2018). Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Declined 2 Percent in 4Q17 and 2.8 Percent for the Year.
gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-01-11-gartner-says-worldwide-pc-shipments-declined-2-percent-in-4q17-and-28-percent-for-the-year
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