macOS and OS X Although there are many security features built in, viruses and other malware can still invade. Infection is mainly caused by Trojans and backdoor programs.

So, it is a good idea to install antivirus applications on your Mac. But which one is the best? This guide will cover some options to help you find the best antivirus software for your Apple computer, whether it's an iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or other models.

11 efficient antivirus solutions for Apple Mac

• MacKeeper Antivirus Software
• Clario Antivirus Software
• Norton Antivirus Software
• Avast Antivirus Software
• McAfee Antivirus Software
• Bitdefender Antivirus Software
• Malwarebytes Antivirus Software
• Avira Antivirus Software
• Kaspersky Antivirus Software
• Intego Antivirus Software
• Total AV Antivirus Software

MacKeeper Antivirus Software

• Website: http://www.miracleart.cn/link/673b0a8f69f725746a7855824c7da178
• Platform: macOS

MacKeeper is a fully featured suite of Mac utility tools. In addition to the virus scanner, it contains many other features, such as:

• Memory Cleaner
• Smart Uninstaller
• StopAd ad blocker
• Safe Cleanup
• Private Connect VPN Client.

All of this is packed in a user-friendly interface, allowing you to easily maintain the best condition of your laptop or desktop.

MacKeeper antivirus software does not have ransomware protection or firewall capabilities, but it is effective against most malware and makes scanning for viruses for Mac a breeze. In fact, in independent tests of AV-TEST, the detection rate reached 100%.

MacKeeper allows you to run on-demand scans, where you can scan your entire Mac or a specific drive or folder. But crucially, it also includes real-time protection. This means that MacKeeper always monitors your Mac and will notify you if any suspicious activity is found.

You also get a separate adware cleaner and StopAd that blocks not only ads, but also internet trackers. Additionally, you can ask questions at any time through the built-in chat interface and get help from Mac security experts. Combined with built-in VPN and identity theft protection (let you know if your personal credentials have been compromised), MacKeeper makes it easy to keep your Mac safe.

You can download MacKeeper for free and try out each feature, and if you decide to subscribe you will find it at a reasonable price. The rolling monthly plan costs $10.95, but if you sign up for a 12-month plan for three Macs, you can get a ~75% cut.

Ultimately, it is its versatility, competitive price and strong protection that makes MacKeeper one of the best Mac security software.

Clario Antivirus Software

• Website: http://www.miracleart.cn/link/e92c58a6493efcb1f0e995c58a60b620
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS

If you only need simple protection without unnecessary complications, Clario is well worth a look. Like its sister app, MacKeeper, Clario has also been shown to have a 100% detection rate, but it is also a more direct application with a focus on privacy.

Clario includes:

• On-demand scan and real-time anti-malware protection
• VPN Client
• Identity theft protection, used for data breach monitoring
• Ad blocking.

It doesn't have advanced security features such as anti-ransomware, but Clario still offers a good level of protection. And, it's very easy to use compared to any other security application on the market. Clario’s interface is beautifully designed and clear, and the app simplifies security by recommending you how to protect your Mac with its various features.

Like MacKeeper, Clario also has a feature that allows you to get help from Mac security experts at any time. Simply click on the “Consultation Expert” button in the upper right corner of the app and Clario’s team members will help you.

Another advantage of Clario is that it is more than just a Mac app. You can also get programs for iOS, Android, and Windows, which makes it a great way to protect all devices. You can pay $8.99 for a rolling monthly subscription, or if you sign up for 12 months, you can pay less than half of the price. Either way, one license can protect you from security on three devices.

Norton Antivirus Software

• Website: www.norton.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

On our list of the best anti-malware for Macs, next is one of the most oldest names in the industry. Norton offers multiple versions that provide you with different levels of protection. These include Antivirus Plus, 360 Standard, 360 Deluxe and 360 Select. The vast number of different licenses are a bit overwhelming, so for simplicity, we're here to highlight the Standard version.

In addition to real-time and on-demand malware protection, Norton 360 Standard also includes:

• Smart firewall protects your Mac from any unwanted network intrusion
• VPN Client
• Norton browser extension, a website inspector
• Cloud Backup
• Password Manager.

All of this is great, but there is one major drawback. Standard license is limited to one device only. The normal annual price is $89.99 per year and there is no monthly subscription option. For a device, that's too much.

If you want to add more devices, you will need to pay for a Deluxe license (covering five devices) or a Premium license (covering ten devices). Of course, this will also increase the price, but you will get more features, including parental controls.

It is no surprise that Norton 360 Standard focuses on safety, given Norton’s qualifications. If you also need optimization and cleaning tools, you need to purchase separately or use an all-in-one solution.

Avast Antivirus Software

• Website: www.avast.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

Avast is known for providing free cybersecurity software. Whether you need to find and delete viruses, spyware, or other malware, this powerful detector can do the task. The free version offers on-demand real-time protection and browser extensions that can prevent unsafe websites and network trackers from affecting your Mac.

Avast is a great free option if you only need basic protection. But if you need more features, you have to pay for the Premium version. It will cost you $75.99 per year and you will get some extra features. These include ransomware protection to prevent unauthorized changes to your personal photos and files. In theory, this should prevent ransomware from encrypting your files and making them inaccessible.

You can also get an enhanced version of Avast's Wi-Fi Inspector feature. The free version allows you to view devices currently connected to your Wi-Fi network. In the premium version, you will get more information, including if there are any security vulnerabilities.

Other advanced features of Avast include:

• Anti-phishing
• Safe browsing feature helps you avoid fake shopping and banking.

These features are useful, but it is questionable whether they are worth nearly $76. Worse, your Avast license covers only one device. If you want to protect more devices, you will have to pay an additional $15 to get a license covering 10 devices, including Android, iOS, and Windows.

Avast is certainly not a bad security solution, it can easily remove viruses. However, you get more value than other applications like MacKeeper.

McAfee Antivirus Software

• Website: www.mcafee.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS

McAfee is another brand that has been active in the field of cybersecurity for a long time. But does it provide the best malware removal feature for Mac?

As with other tools like Norton, McAfee has a few different versions, including the McAfee series. For the purposes of this article, we are focusing on McAfee Premium, which is located under McAfee Advanced and McAfee Ultimate.

While McAfee offers discounts in its first year, the standard price for McAfee Premium is $149.99. This is a pretty high price tag, but what can it bring to you? As it turns out, quite a lot.

All three McAfee licenses give you access to the full suite of security features for the application. This provides you with:

• Anti-virus
• File Shredder
• Network Protection
• Firewall
• Expert Online Support
• Personal Protection Rating.

The best thing is that you can use these features across unlimited devices on one license. And the Protection Score (evaluating your online security) allows you to create profiles for up to six family members. Suddenly, this high price didn't seem that high.

You can also get password managers, VPN clients, and identity theft monitoring. If you upgrade to another version, you can unlock various financial services and protections. These include credit score reports, $25,000 in damages for ransomware losses and up to $1 million in damages caused by identity theft.

You can also choose the basic version, which covers only one device. $84.99 per year and offers McAfee Premium features. There are also family plans that can extend financial benefits to more people.

If you have a lot of devices to protect, then McAfee Premium is well worth considering.

Bitdefender Antivirus Software

• Website: www.bitdefender.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

Bitdefender is another macOS security suite that always earns high scores among independent testers including AV-TEST. Its performance in this area alone makes it one of the best virus protection software for Mac. But that's not the only reason it's often recommended by users.

In addition to real-time and on-demand protection, it also includes:

• Adware blocking and deletion
• VPN Client
• Network Protection
• Anti-ransomware feature called "security files".

Like other ransomware protection tools, "Security Files" allows you to select files and folders you want to protect. You will be notified if any program attempts to change these files and folders without your permission. This should prevent ransomware from locking your most important data.

However, VPN clients are much less practical. By default, you can only get 200MB of data through a VPN per day. If you want to perform more data-consuming operations than browsing several web pages, you will need to pay for a separate Bitdefender Premium VPN. The same is true if you want password management features as well.

Without these features, Bitdefender for Mac costs $39.99 per year for one device and $59.99 for three devices. If you choose a two-year or three-year plan, you can save more. If you spend more, you can upgrade to Bitdefender Premium Security, which provides you with unlimited VPN traffic, password managers, up to ten devices, and support for iOS, Windows and Android, and macOS.

Malwarebytes Antivirus Software

• Website: www.bitdefender.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

Malwarebytes is another big name in the free antivirus market, and it also has a range of premium licenses. This is also another application launched on Windows before the recent addition of Mac versions.

It is obvious that Windows occupies the dominance of the operating system market, which may be a priority for the company. While both the Mac and Windows versions of Malwarebytes offer powerful antivirus protection, the Mac version lacks some features. For example, you won't get phishing or ransomware protection, and these features are available in the Windows version. What you get is antivirus, monthly safety and health reports, and an intuitive user interface.

If you choose to upgrade from the free version to the subscription version, you will get:

• Regular scan and real-time protection
• Application Intercept
• Ad blocking.

The free version is limited to on-demand virus scans only. If that's exactly what you need, Malwarebytes will meet your needs as it often performs well in standalone testing.

However, real-time protection should really be considered a necessity, so if you want that feature and other advanced features, you will need to subscribe. But, is it worth it? You can protect one device for $3.75 per month or five devices for $6.67 per month, all billed annually. For $8.33 per month (also billed annually), you can add a VPN service. These are certainly good prices and are lower than many of Malwarebytes’ competitors, but the Mac version is too simple to provide good value. If you also have to protect your Windows, Android, or iOS device, it makes more sense.

Avira Antivirus Software

• Website: www.avira.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

Free antivirus applications have proven that no need to be too restricted, and Avira not only offers on-demand and real-time antivirus features, but also offers a range of other practical features. Without paying any fees, you can arrange to scan, delete unwanted files using the junk cleaner feature, and access Avira's password manager tool. You can even use Avira Phantom VPN, but you're limited to 500MB per day, which will run out in no time.

Avira also provides good virus protection and always gets high scores in AV-TEST. This is expected for a company that has been active in the security market since the 1980s.

With such an impressive free protection level, is there any good reason to upgrade? Maybe. Avira offers three products you can upgrade to: Avira Antivirus Pro, Avira Internet Security, and Avira Prime. It’s unclear what the first two products add to the free version, but Prime unlocks a range of extra features that make it stand out. These include:

• Unlimited VPN Client
• Advanced Mobile App
• Data Breach Scan
• Uninstalling program function
• Start the application delete program.

$9.99 per month is available for five devices, and the price isn't too high, and you can save money by paying for a one-year or two-year license. You can also choose to cover an impressive 25 devices, which further reduces the cost per device. These licenses run on macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, so you can quickly get a lot of value from your subscription.

Kaspersky Antivirus Software

• Website: www.kaspersky.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

Kaspersky recently carried out a comprehensive overhaul of its Mac security products. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, which has always performed well in independent testing, is no longer available. Today, you can choose from three protection plans: Kaspersky Standard, Kaspersky Plus and Kaspersky Premium. All three plans are multi-platform, covering macOS, Windows, Android, iOS – although how many platforms you can include depends on the license you choose.

All plans contain a lot of features. Standard plans include:

• Real-time protection
• Online payment protection
• Equipment space cleaning
• Anti-phishing
• Anti-ransomware
• Performance optimization.

Plus version contains everything from the Standard version, as well as unlimited VPN, hard drive health monitoring, password manager, and more. The Premium version adds identity protection, 24/7 remote IT support, data breach checks and more, and a free year-round Kaspersky Safe Kids.

Whatever plan you choose, you will get a reliable, well-designed security kit from experienced companies. While price isn’t the most important factor when it comes to cybersecurity, it’s worth pointing out that all the introductory prices at Kaspersky are very cheap, starting at just $16.99 a year. Of course, this price will rise after the first year. The Standard version of the three devices is $56.99 per year, and the prices for all plans start to rise from here. Kaspersky offers a free 30-day trial, but you have to provide your credit card information anyway, which is not ideal.

Unfortunately, there is a big question mark hanging above Kaspersky. While no one specifically accused the company of misconduct and found no problems with the app itself, some security experts warned organizations to be cautious. For example, the UK National Cybersecurity Centre sent a letter to government departments, suggesting the cancellation of the Russian security company's solution.

Intego Antivirus Software

• Website: www.intego.com
• Platform: macOS, Windows

Unlike most antivirus tools here, Intego was originally launched on Mac before adding the Windows version. This means, like MacKeeper, it has a long history of working with Apple's technology. Does that mean it's really good?

Intego's recent AV-TEST evaluation showed it earned the highest score when it comes to antivirus protection. That was June 2021, so it was a few years ago, but there is no reason to think the company is not continuing to perform well in this area.

Intego's solution comes in three versions—Mac Internet Security X9, Mac Premium Bundle X9, and Mac Premium Bundle VPN. The Premium suite includes all basic Internet Security features such as real-time protection, firewalls, and anti-phishing. Most importantly, it also adds:

• Mac Washing Machine, a duplicate file deletion program
• ContentBarrier Parental Control
• Personal backups are used to protect important files.

VPN version is the same as Premium Bundle, but it adds a VPN client.

Intego is not a single application, but is provided as a separate application. This is not a big inconvenience, but it is not as intuitive as a single unified interface with all the tools. The good news is that all of these apps are easy to use and beautifully designed – not uncommon for Mac first-run apps.

Intego's Internet Security for Mac costs from $49.99 a year, while the Premium Bundle costs from $84.99. The minimum price for a VPN is $134.99.

You can also choose to cover three or five Macs, as well as a biennium, saving costs per device. It is not clear whether this also covers Windows devices. The company also does not offer Android or iOS versions, while other security tools make it standard.

Intego is a great option if you want to protect your Mac primarily and don’t mind paying extra for quality. But there are other alternatives that can do something similar at a lower price.

TotalAV Antivirus Software

• Website: www.totalav.com
• Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows, Android

TotalAV is another trusted brand in the cybersecurity industry, often earning high scores in independent tests. But it's more than just an antivirus app – the most basic version of Antivirus Pro includes:

• Anti-phishing
• Browser extensions for Safari and Chrome
• Garbage Cleanup
• Disk Space Visualization
• Dull file finder.

Upgrading to TotalAV Internet Security adds a VPN client. Upgrading to Total Security from there will be an ad blocking and a password manager added.

TotalAV, like most security kits, has a simple and easy-to-use design. On the left you can find all the tools, listed by category, you just have to select the tools you want. In addition to on-demand and regular scans, you also get real-time protection.

While TotalAV claims to have ransomware protection, this seems to be part of the antivirus feature. In other words, it is not like Bitdefender's ransomware protection, which allows you to block changes to selected files and folders. If you need such features, you need to be aware of this.

Overall, TotalAV provides good protection and provides some useful tuning, privacy and cleaning tools. But it has a slight lack of pricing. The first year of Antivirus Pro costs $29, but it will soar to $119 in the following years. This covers three devices, including iOS and Android, but that's still high. To add a VPN, starting year two, the cost of five devices will be $145. After the first year, ad blocking and password management costs $179 per year, which applies to six devices.

In the first year, TotalAV was very cost-effective, but after that, other solutions offered similar features and better value.

How to choose the best security software for your Mac

Here, we've only covered some of the most popular antivirus tools for Mac, but there are many more. For all of these tools, you need to consider the following features:

• Real-time protection: This means your Mac is constantly under monitoring. So if any malware comes into your computer, you will know before you cause any damage.
• Regular Scan: Regular Scan allows you to select a predefined time for fast or deep virus scans.
• Ransomware Protection: This allows you to select the files and folders you want to protect, preventing any unauthorized changes to them.
• VPN: Privacy is an important part of security, and VPN clients are a great way to protect themselves. In addition to encrypting your network traffic, it also hides your IP address and location.
• Browser Extensions: These add-ons usually block annoying ads and trackers, while other add-ons also block malware intrusions.
• Easy to use: A clear and intuitive interface makes it easier to achieve results. Thankfully, most apps provide a good user experience, but some apps are certainly better than others.
• Price-performance ratio: Good safety is worth paying for, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't look for products that are worth the money. Think about what features you need and try to get as many features as possible without overspending.
• Compatibility: Make sure your Mac is supported. Have the app developers created a version for Apple M1 Mac? Are newer operating systems like Big Sur and Monterey supported?

Security is not just antivirus

While many people ask if Macs need antivirus software, the answer is a resounding yes. Thankfully, almost all security applications today provide reliable core antivirus protection, and real-time protection has become the standard to a large extent. For example, MacKeeper's Mac antivirus software provides real-time protection and is independently tested.

But security is more than just antivirus, but what distinguishes security solutions are often extra features—such as optimization and cleaning tools. These factors need to be considered when choosing a secure application.

Of course, you should also always follow basic security tips, such as avoiding suspicious links and email attachments. Combined with MacKeeper's antivirus software, you can avoid dealing with malware issues.

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