Internet threats come in many guises these days and things are only going to get worse, not better. While viruses are still a real problem, there are other types of attacks an antivirus can help protect your Mac against.
It can warn you about dodgy attachments and websites, plus some options will protect other devices you use.
Mac virus: should you protect your computer?
Macs are commonly considered more secure than PCs, and with good reason. The operating system of Apple products, based on Unix, has many firewalls that allow you to restrict access to certain security areas of the computer.
Moreover, compared to PCs, Macs represent only a tiny part of the personal computer market. Pragmatic malware creators are therefore less inclined to tackle it.
However, Apple computers are not impervious to all malicious software (viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, etc.). These are intended to divert your private information or take possession of your computer for criminal and financial purposes.
It is therefore advisable to protect your computer, whatever its brand. To help you find the antivirus you need, refer to our guide below.
1Intego Mac Internet Security X9
- Most
- Two-way firewall
- Good performance
- The lessers
- Mac specific (no protection for Windows/Android)
- Indicated price:
The best Mac antivirus we've tested is Intego's, Mac Internet Security X9.
It's easy to install, easy to use, and it scans your Mac in 30 minutes (so it's faster than other antiviruses in our selection).
More importantly, during our test, this Intego antivirus was able to identify and block the viruses used. We liked the fact that both scheduled and real-time protection were enabled by default.
In terms of features, Mac Internet Security X9 notably allows you to disable Windows virus detection, which avoids many false alerts.
VirusBarrier and NetBarrier tools grab threats, eliminate them, and spot potential malware intrusion and exit attempts.
Mac Premium Bundle X9 adds three features: Personal Backup to automatically back up your data, Washing Machine to clean up, organize your data and boost your Mac, and finally ContentBarrier for parental control of your children's online activities.
Before subscribing to a subscription, do not hesitate to take advantage of its free trial version.
Read our full review of Intego Mac Internet Security X9.
2McAfee Total Protection
- Most
- Affordable
- Simple automated operation
- The lessers
- Lack of detail in activity reports
- Occasional performance impacts
- Indicated price:
Total Protection is an antivirus that monitors your Mac while you work, looking for unauthorized activity such as search engine hijackings, attempts to install unwanted programs, and malware and malware attacks. virus.
It is very simple to use; once you've gone through the guided steps to give him permission to work behind the scenes, you can let him do his thing.
Total Protection also offers WebAdvisor as an option, it steers you away from known problematic sites and warns you when you surf on dubious sites. It also offers a software firewall for two-way monitoring of network traffic.
We noted some occasional performance hits while running it in the background, but its efforts were largely unobtrusive. The option to protect other devices is also useful, covering smartphones and Windows PCs as needed.
It's worth noting that the Windows version in particular offers more features, such as a native VPN, that you don't get in the Mac app.
3Norton 360 Deluxe
- Most
- Easy and efficient
- Compatible with multiple devices
- Minimal impact on performance
- The lessers
- No backup on macOS
- Did not spot threats in zip files
- Indicated price:
Norton 360 Deluxe performs a series of monitoring and backup operations to protect your Mac against threats such as browser hijackers, search engine redirect scripts, intrusion attempts and viruses.
It also offers additional features, including a VPN to secure personal data online, and a manager for passwords, banking data and other similar data.
There are three different versions, two of which can also be used to secure your iPhone as well as Android and Windows PCs, if desired.
In testing, it found it to have little to no detectable performance impact, and it spotted all the issues in our macOS setup.
Note that the cloud backup feature doesn't work on macOS, but it's more of an extra than an essential part of the package.
4Avast PremiumSecurity
- Most
- No impact on performance
- Detected all problematic files
- The lessers
- Slow manual scan
- No single device license option
- Indicated price:
Avast Premium Security for Mac is generally satisfactory. However, it has a few flaws, like the incessant ads for Cleanup Premium and File Shield monitoring slows file copy time.
Otherwise, it's a well-equipped antivirus, protecting against all sorts of nuisances, including watching for browser script hijackings, potential ransomware, and other remote attack activity. Of course, it also searches for potentially unwanted programs and real malware threats, whether they're on your Mac, on your removable media, or in email attachments.
Custom scheduled scans can be configured, but automatic background monitoring, combined with occasional specific manual scans, should suffice.
Monitoring Wi-Fi networks for vulnerabilities is another feature offered by this software, and the Real Site option monitors fake sites posing as legitimate shopping sites or banking sites, a serious risk that goes beyond just monitoring junk files on your own Mac.
It's very effective in all of these areas, although we found that customizing its behavior can be a bit of a hassle.
5Bitdefender Total Security
- Most
- No slowing down
- Effective real-time protection
- The lessers
- No password manager
- Very limited VPN
- No identity protection
- Indicated price:
Bitdefender Total Security is a very effective tool to keep your Mac safe, and it also protects Windows PCs, iOS and Android devices. Its VPN is very basic and only gives you 200MB of data per day, but its other tools are efficient and easy to use.
However, when you compare the Mac version with the Windows version, you will be disappointed. You won't enjoy a password manager, no social media protection, no webcam or microphone protection, no Wi-Fi security advisor, etc.
Bitdefender also lags behind its rivals with the lack of identity protection. If your goal is simply to protect your Mac against malware, Bitdefender does a great job. But you can find better value elsewhere.
6Eset Cyber Security Pro
- Most
- Effective protection
- Full Parameter Control
- The lessers
- Minor performance impact
- No VPN
- No iOS version
- Indicated price:
Eset Cyber Security ProEset Cyber Security ProEset Cyber Security ProEset Cyber Security ProEset Cyber Security Pro Eset Cyber Security Pro protects Mac, Windows PC, Linux and even Android smartphones, but not iPhones, against unauthorized software, network intrusions, scripts search engine hijacking and more.
It stands out from its competitors for its full range of parameters that allow many aspects to be fine-tuned, and for its relatively affordable price.
In addition to real-time and on-demand monitoring, it also includes a firewall, dedicated tools for spotting web threats, including spyware, and protection against phishing attempts. You also get parental controls with three categories of users and detailed control over the types of sites each user is allowed to visit.
7Avira Premium
- Most
- User-friendly
- Full VPN
- Doesn't slow down your Mac
- The lessers
- No detailed analysis options
- Indicated price:
Avira Prime is a complete antivirus. A single large window presents the various functions, from scans to application management and cleaning, although some of its functions use a separate menu. In our tests, it detected all of our compromised files and installers.
It does not scan your zip archives or disk images, but it jumps as soon as items are extracted.
More importantly, even though Avira Prime actively checks for issues, it has such a small impact on our Mac's overall performance that we wouldn't notice it. You can get the basic security features with Avira Free Security, but Avira Prime's annual subscription offers some useful additional capabilities, if you can afford the high cost.
8Kaspersky Total Security for Mac
- Most
- Top notch antivirus
- Reasonable price
- Many effective tools
- The lessers
- No dedicated Mac version
- Difficult installation process
- Some missing tools
- Indicated price:
The 2022 version of Kaspersky Total Security offers a large number of features, including anti-virus and anti-phishing protection, ad blocking and private browsing, protection against webcam snooping, VPN, parental controls with time management. screen, website filtering and a password manager.
The main disappointment of Kaspersky Total Security 2022 is the installation process on Mac, which is slower than on Windows.
You need to download and install the Internet Security product, then download and install the password manager and the Safe Kids tools as separate applications. Kaspersky does not specify this clearly.
Once installed, the antivirus is solid and efficient. It provides access to four key features: Scan, Update, Privacy, and Safe Kids. To track down malware, you can run a Full Scan, Quick Scan, or Scheduled Scan. The Safe Money feature protects your information when shopping or banking online, while the Kaspersky password manager allows you to set strong codes.
9MacKeeper 5
- Most
- Easy control
- Effective tools
- The lessers
- Small performance impacts
- Indicated price:
MacKeeper 5 is the updated version of security software that has been on the market for many years. The reputation of previous versions is now just an old story; it's now a powerful and comprehensive tool to keep your Mac secure and optimized while you work, play and surf the Net.
The range of tools it offers in addition to unwanted software monitoring is very extensive. There's a memory optimizer, an update tracker to spot outdated apps, a smart uninstaller to clean up after other software, and a VPN feature for safe browsing.
There's even credential protection that scans password databases for possible identity theft attempts. Although we did note occasional hits to the performance of its real-time virus scanning, it wasn't that frequent.
We really liked MacKeeper's simple interface.
10F-Secure Total
- Most
- Effectively detects unwanted software
- The lessers
- Basic controls
- Password manager not integrated into Safari
- Limited VPN
- Indicated price:
F-Secure Total is an easy-to-use software suitable for macOS, iOS, Windows and Android and protects your data against a wide range of threats.
These range from the fairly common simple browser hijackings and attempted search engine hijackings to rarer but also riskier malware and ransomware attacks.
It performs these tasks well, although the real-time scanning behavior had some impact on the overall performance of our test Mac.
The price is steep, however, its password management feature doesn't directly support Safari, and we noticed some interface quirks while using it. If you're looking for a solid, capable utility, this tool does the job, but it's not as compelling as some of its competitors.
macOS: how to choose the best antivirus?
Antiviruses work in two different ways, through on-demand or always-on protection. The first finds viruses by examining file after file during scheduled scans, or when you decide to run a scan because you think your Mac is infected. Some antiviruses will take time because they hog the CPU.
The second (permanent) protects the computer outside the analysis periods. So if malware is downloaded, it will be detected and quarantined as soon as possible. Usually a notification is displayed when malware is detected, an explanation may also be provided.
Apart from direct virus detection, many antiviruses include additional tools, such as a VPN, encryption system, password manager, parental controls, etc.
Price is another factor to consider, all antiviruses are sold as annual subscriptions. Often discounts are offered for the first year. You can also opt for a multi-year plan at once.
