Which Antivirus is Good for Mac in 2019
Mar 14, 2017 We recommend using antivirus for your Mac in conjunction with an automated backup system to keep your data as safe and secure as possible. Data Backup can now perform automated backups and send text and email notifications upon the completion or failure of the backups. Even though Apple Macintosh's are known for being entirely safe from Malware and virus's and on the whole they are far better protected than other operating systems. Except for: Trojans which come in the form of attachments in emails. They can cause problems for your Mac. Definition Here: All Apple laptops and desktops need an antivirus program.
Admirers of Mac would tell that macOS devices do not need antivirus, and it is right to some extent. In terms of safety, the operating system developed by Apple surpasses Windows. You might wonder why. MacOS architecture consists of separate, isolated elements. If the virus gets to one of them, it can’t move further and reach the system core.
One more important fact: the number of Windows devices are bigger than those using macOS. Therefore, it is more favorable for hackers to create viruses for the OS, which may bring the maximum benefit.
On the other hand, Mac becomes more popular, and it involves developers of malicious apps. Statistics confirm this fact: in 2017, the number of viruses which are focused on macOS grew by 270%. If your work implies full-time Internet usage, reception, and file transfer – it is worth thinking of safety. And to be ensured, you do everything to avoid material and moral loss from malicious apps.
Overall, the installation of antivirus on Mac can be justified in terms of an additional barrier of security. It is a good tool for prevention distribution of Windows-focused malware, for example, when checking external drives. Mac-computer with the installed antivirus is some antivirus lock. It checks and, if necessary, removes malicious applications from the external device you connect to Mac.
When it became obvious that macOS is also subjected to virus threats, the antivirus brands began to offer the products for this platform. Of course, the need for antivirus installation on macOS can be challenged. Experienced users can give many arguments to defend this position.
On the other hand, those who started using this platform recently and those users of macOS who cannot rely on someone’s experience in terms of safety, are interested in what antivirus for this operating system is better to use. And in our review, we will try to show differences between several antiviruses existing in the market for macOS.
Top-5 Antiviruses for Mac
- Intego
- TotalAV
- Norton
- Avast
- Bitdefender
Intego Antivirus
Intego is an antivirus designed for Mac that allows you to scan your drive and identify infected files that can harm your system, or get to other computers and infect them. Because of the Mac App Store restrictions, the application cannot perform real-time scans and can only access folders it has granted access to. For maximum protection, it is recommended for you to provide access to your entire drive.
Intego supports running manual scans of your Mac and automatic daily scans. You can perform a full scan of all folders and files, or a quick scan of the necessary directories where infected files may be located, such as Documents or Downloads.
Intego provides decent protection for your device, daily automatic checks, scanning external disks, and quarantine for dangerous files. This antivirus also updates the virus database before scanning that can be time-consuming and impact your system performance.
Intego Advantages for Mac
- High-level protection
- A decent set of features
- Designed for Mac specifically
Intego Disadvantages for Mac
- Can be pricey in comparison to other providers
- Limited free version functionality
TotalAV Antivirus
TotalAV is a full-featured antivirus, which provides the possibility to scan specific files, folders, hard drives. Besides, it offers a set of additional options for removing and quarantining any software, which antivirus considered as a potential threat. Antivirus also provides real-time protection that blocks and quarantines any suspicious files. Although the scanning process is slow enough, antivirus works unobtrusively in the background and uses very few system resources.
The developers of TotalAV managed to include the extensive functionality into a rather compact and simplistic interface. The full scan of the system is started directly from the main menu. You can also quickly establish exceptions using other menus. The malware signature database is continuously updated so that antivirus can “catch” the latest threats.
While the price with discount seems to be appealing ($19.95), the renewal will cost you much ($99.95). It is a rather sharp difference. Besides, even though the free version provides good functionality, it lacks many useful features. So, you will have to purchase the subscription.
One more thing is that this provider is new on the market. And, although it made some impressive steps, it doesn’t have proper third-party lab tests. So, we can judge about its reliability and security only from our experience.
TotalAV Advantages for Mac
- Lightweight
- Good real-time protection
- Simplistic interface
- The basic but decent free version
- Malware signature database that is updated continuously
TotalAV Disadvantages for Mac
- Slow scanning process
- Expensive subscription renewal
- No third-party lab tests
Norton Antivirus
Norton antivirus perfectly combines ease of use with the ability to access advanced tools quickly. As a result, macOS users can perform basic system scans efficiently, like any scheduled scans or scans of specific areas. The program offers standard protection against spyware and advertising software and can block malicious sites and prevent tracking the user’s activities on the Internet. Norton antivirus allows you to delete malicious files in a single click. Last but not least, you get decent protection for a somewhat reasonable price.
At the same time, Norton implies a relatively long installation process and the intensive use of system resources during the upgrade. This software has a somewhat cumbersome interface, though it is easy to manage. On the right, there is a navigation bar that displays system status, scheduled tasks, quarantine view option, and other functions. The virus signature database is updated continuously, although the process may take a little while. The application consumes a lot of resources, but this disadvantage more than pays off the appealing price tag and advanced functions.
Norton Advantages for Mac
- Appealing price
- Advanced antimalware tools in free version
- Constantly updated signature base
- High-level protection
Norton Disadvantages for Mac
- Long installation process
- System resources consuming
- Cumbersome interface
Avast Antivirus
It is a well-deserved leader among similar antivirus providers for Mac. The product was initially developed for Windows, but today there are versions for all popular platforms in the world. Avast antivirus for Mac presents a two-level verification system. The first one searches for viruses in the system and, if any, removes them entirely. The main task of the second level of verification is to ensure the security of the user when using networks.
Avast antivirus is one of the most popular antivirus products. It is an effective free antivirus for home use. It is offering a set of tools for scanning the system and individual files and external drives for malware, checking emails, attachments and a variety of Internet activity (Internet pages, downloads, cache Java scripts, etc.), as well as protecting against phishing attacks.
The application has an easy-to-use interface with a navigation bar on the left that contains five main options. Also, it has a real-time graph that displays the status of the computer. During free version installation, users are offered to install two additional programs — Avast Internet Security and Avast SecureLine VPN. It is not necessary to install them, so be careful if you do not want to pay extra money.
The product is compatible with macOS version 10.5 and later. The program also includes a special component WebRep, which checks the security of Internet resources. The plugin runs in conjunction with browsers, integrating in auto order. Avast scans all files with which the user works, and if they are at risk, the antivirus will protect your Mac.
Avast Advantages for Mac
- Classic and simplistic interface
- Easy installation process
- Top security level
- Rich free version
- Reasonable price tag
Avast Disadvantages for Mac
- Impacts system performance
- Offers some additional features during installation
- Pop-ups and advertising in free version
Bitdefender Antivirus
Bitdefender antivirus, developed based on the antivirus engine with the same name, offers several features that allow deep scanning of the system or its specific areas. With proper resolution, the program can check even critical areas, such as the Mac loader or the system library, to avoid a long scanning process if the time is limited. Moreover, this antivirus solution automatically updates the database before the scan starts and allows you to exclude certain areas of the system from the scan process. Project management for mac.
https://disneyrenew848.weebly.com/blog/fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-homes-for-sale. Otherwise, Bitdefender antivirus functionality is quite limited. Antivirus automatically cleans or quarantines suspicious files, and can quickly scan various archives and files for malware, including PDF, PKG, ZIP, and RAR formats. All options are displayed in the interface, including three scan modes and the update button, which can be used instead of automatic updates.
Bitdefender Advantages for Mac
- Appealing price
- Impressive lab tests results
- Great real-time protection
- Perfect usability
Bitdefender Disadvantages for Mac
- Lacks essential features like a firewall or parental control
- Sometimes mistreat licensed programs and files with malware
Our Verdict
Does Mac Need Antivirus Software
In general, the considered functions of the antiviruses listed in comparison have to ensure the safe functioning of macOS as the direct potential victim of the attacks of malicious applications. At the same time, the number of Mac-focused malicious apps remains significantly smaller in comparison with the number of their Windows-focused “fellows.”
Do We Need Antivirus For Mac
However, we still recommend you to use an additional level of protection for your Mac. Our winner today is Avast, which offers a great functionality of free version, minimalistic design, and high-level protection. You’ll get a reliable antivirus for a reasonable price tag, which, despite its possible disadvantages, will make you security stronger and solid.
Published June 17th, 2012 at 8:38 PM EST , modified July 15th, 2015 at 7:30 PM EST
There is no simple yes or no answer to this question. The answer will depend on many factors, the biggest of which is your own opinion on security. However, I do have some recommendations. Before we get to those, we need to examine some basic facts about anti-virus (AV) software.
Perhaps the biggest fact that often gets swept under the rug is that no AV software (including XProtect, the anti-malware feature of Mac OS X) catches 100% of all malware. It is known that AV software in the Windows world typically recognizes at best 90% of all malware. Although some Mac anti-virus software does better than that, none is perfect, and some is actually pretty awful. Some are known to detect almost no Mac malware.
Another important thing to understand is that no current AV software is capable of intercepting brand-new malware. When new malware appears, that malware must become widespread enough to be noticed by the companies publishing AV software. Then they must find a copy of the malware, examine it and add it to the list of malware definitions used by their software. And, of course, none of that does you any good until you actually download the update, which doesn’t happen immediately. This means that, even if a particular AV program worked with 100% efficiency, it still would be completely useless for a period of time after the introduction of new malware. For example, in the case of the MacDefender outbreak, frequent name changes and minor tweaks to the “packaging” kept the MacDefender trojan variants one step ahead of all anti-virus software, for a day at a time here and there.
Avg For Mac
Trojans also make extensive use of what is called “social engineering”. Much like phishing scams and other online fraud, they are often carefully designed to use fear, greed, lust and other emotions to fool you into doing what they want. The MacDefender trojans are a perfect example: a malicious JavaScript injected into a legitimate site redirects you to a page that tries to fool you into thinking viruses have been detected on your machine, and from there fools you into downloading and installing “anti-virus software”. In reality, that software is a trojan that will do its best to make you think you’ve got real viruses (even faking some symptoms), all while pestering you to buy the software to remove them. If you “buy” the software, you have given the criminals your credit card number.
Because of all this, the “set it and forget it” style of using AV software can often make one more susceptible to infection by the right malware. If you become complacent, assuming that your AV software will protect you against all threats, it is unlikely that you will be as cautious as you should be, and something will eventually slip past your AV software. This is not just a theoretical concern, it has been documented to actually happen. I have personally seen reports from people with AV software who nonetheless got infected with something.
In addition, the vast majority of AV software will cause some kind of negative effect, ranging from mild to extreme. These effects can include, but are not limited to:
- Crashes
- Slowing the computer
- Damage to the system, apps or even user data
- Reduction in security of your computer (yes, you read that right)
However, there are some cases where AV software can be a good idea, or even a requirement. For example:
- If you need to use older software containing known vulnerabilities, such as older versions of Java or Flash, or old versions of Mac OS X (such as Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard).
- If you are using a Mac in an environment where AV software is required inflexibly
- If you frequently trade files with Windows users and don’t want to be accused of passing on a Windows virus
- If there is a major change in the malware affecting Mac users (in which case I will note it here)
If you decide to install anti-virus software, do some research before installing it. There is a lot of very bad anti-virus software out there. Many AV packages are renowned for their ability to bring a healthy Mac to its knees. Others are practically scams, detecting very little Mac malware (or even none). Beware of anti-virus “review” sites, which may be fake or paid “advertorials.”
It should be fairly obvious, but I stand behind my own product, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac, as an example of good anti-virus software. It’s lightweight, easy to use and has no impact on the system’s performance. Further, if the program doesn’t fix your problem, Malwarebytes support is dedicated to helping you do that.
Just keep in mind that no anti-virus software can ever take the place of cautious online behavior, which will be discussed in detail in the next section.
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