The Best Mac Antivirus Protection Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Apple deserves praise for the security baked into macOS. It’s better than Windows, or Android, no question. But that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from antivirus protection. Malware coders must work harder to break through the layers of protection on a Mac, but they can and do succeed. Some attacks don’t even try to defeat operating system security, instead choosing to bamboozle the user into giving up secrets—most antivirus products include protection against these fraudsters. Which antivirus should you choose for your Mac? We’ve reviewed dozens to help you make an informed choice.
As with Windows antivirus tools, the most common price is just under $40 per year for a single license. ProtectWorks is unusual in that a single $29.95 payment lets you protect all the Macs in your household, with no subscription needed. McAfee goes beyond that, with a $59.99 per year subscription that protects all your Macs, PCs, Android, and iOS devices. With Sophos Home Premium, $60 per year lets you install and remotely manage protection on 10 Macs or PCs. At the high end, you pay $99.99 per year for a three-license subscription to Intego Mac Internet Security X9 or Airo Antivirus for Mac.
When macOS Mojave came out, it advanced security in various ways, including tracker blocking in Safari, a password manager, and a tighter rein on AppleScript. MacOS Catalina piled on more security features, with enhanced control over data-access permissions, weak password warnings, a strengthened anti-malware gatekeeper, and more. Big Sur goes further, sealing the operating system in a protected volume that’s unreachable by malware. And Monterey adds subtle security enhancements like hiding your IP address in Safari and Mail and easier access to passwords. Still, nothing we’ve seen suggests that upgrading to Monterey will obviate the need for an antivirus utility.
We’ve tested them, and what follows are our top recommendations, along with buying advice to find the right antivirus protection for your needs.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Best for Set-and-Forget Protection
Why We Picked It
Independent antivirus labs put macOS antivirus products to the test, reporting scores that let us know which ones are the most effective. Both AV-Test and AV-Comparatives give Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac a perfect score, and it earned very good scores in my hands-on tests. In the default Autopilot mode, it does its work while keeping user interaction to a minimum.
This product doesn’t boast the immense feature collection found in its Windows equivalent, but it still goes well beyond the average macOS antivirus. Its tracker-blocking system actively prevents advertisers and others from tracking web surfing activity in your browsers, and, like its Windows counterpart, it actively protects against ransomware. A VPN (virtual private network) gets installed with the antivirus and lets you protect 200MB per day of web traffic (for a separate fee, you can remove that bandwidth cap and unlock other features). In addition to the Web Protection that steers you away from malicious and dangerous web pages, Bitdefender’s Traffic Light browser extension marks up search results with green and red icons to flag safe and dangerous pages.
Who It’s For
Suppose that antivirus protection isn’t a hobby for you; it’s a chore. You want the best, but you don’t want to hear about every little event. Bitdefender’s Autopilot achieves that set-and-forget goal, letting you spend your online time doing things you actually enjoy while lab-certified protection goes on in the background.
PROS
- Perfect scores from two independent testing labs
- Protects files and backups from ransomware
- Includes VPN
- No-hassle Autopilot mode
- Blocks trackers in browsers
CONS
- Full access to VPN features requires separate subscription
Norton 360 Deluxe for Mac
Best for a Wealth of Bonus Features
Why We Picked It
Norton 360 Deluxe is a powerful cross-platform security suite, and Norton 360 Deluxe for Mac goes well beyond antivirus basics. The independent labs verify its effectiveness—AV-Test, the one lab whose latest report includes Norton, gave it a perfect score. It also earned a very good score in my own hands-on testing against phishing frauds.
Like Bitdefender, Norton gives Mac users a VPN along with antivirus protection. But unlike Bitdefender, Norton doesn’t require an extra fee. Out of the box, the VPN has no limits on bandwidth or features. With Norton you also get a cross-platform password manager, a two-way firewall, and a cleanup tool that, among other things, helps you identify duplicates and near-duplicates in your videos and images.
Who It’s For
Some folks just want the cheapest item available, while others are happy to pay a little more and get a lot more. Is that you? A Norton 360 Deluxe subscription costs more than many, but it gets you five cross-platform security licenses, five no-limits VPN licenses, and 50GB of storage for online (Windows) backups. It’s a bonus feature bonanza bargain.
PROS
- Includes no-limits VPN
- Perfect score from one independent testing lab
- Excellent detection of phishing frauds
- Cleans up useless and duplicate files
- Impressive detection of Windows malware
CONS
- Firewall features diminished since last review
- Similar photos feature can make strange matches
Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus for Mac
Best for Brand Aficionados
Why We Picked It
Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus for Mac protects your Mac’s files and backups from ransomware, just like Bitdefender. It earns an excellent score in our phishing protection test, even better than Bitdefender’s latest. It detects and deletes Windows malware, it offers Autopilot mode, and its browser extension marks up dangerous links in search results, just like Bitdefender. Coincidence? Nope. When Total Defense needed to extend protection into the macOS realm, the company simply licensed excellent Mac protection from Bitdefender.
Bitdefender gets perfect scores from two antivirus testing labs, but the labs make it very clear that their results apply only to the tested product. We can guess that Total Defense would also excel in these tests, but we don’t have hard results. Total Defense also doesn’t bring along Bitdefender’s VPN component which, admittedly, is quite limited unless you pay extra for its premium edition.
Who It’s For
Bitdefender is proudly based in Romania, even featuring dragon-wolf images from the ancient Dacian peoples of the region. Total Defense has headquarters in Minnesota, promises US-based tech support, and was spun off from another US company, Computer Associates (now CA Technologies). The main reason to buy Total Defense rather than going straight to Bitdefender is if you’ve got a strong “Buy American” goal.
PROS
- Protects files and backups from ransomware
- Excellent score in our phishing protection test
- Detects and deletes Windows malware
- Browser extension marks up dangerous links
CONS
- No direct certification from antivirus labs
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac
Best for Unusual Bonus Features
Why We Picked It
Figuring out how well an antivirus works isn’t a task for the average user; you need to call in the experts. And the experts at AV-Test and AV-Comparatives both give Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac a perfect score. In my hands-on testing it finished a full scan more quickly than the average, and it earned another perfect score in my hands-on phishing protection test.
This product is loaded with features beyond just antivirus. Its social network scan ensures you’ve configured your accounts properly for privacy. It fends off ransomware attack by banning all unauthorized changes to protected files. A warning system helps prevent misuse of your Mac’s camera and microphone. The latest edition adds new privacy and utility tools, though some require a separate payment for full functionality.
There is one catch. As with Trend Micro’s Windows antivirus, you don’t get any volume discount for multiple installations. Want to protect five Macs? Just multiply the $39.95 subscription price by five, or purchase Trend Micro’s top-tier security suite.
Who It’s For
Not everyone exists surrounded by a gaggle of computing devices. A Trend Micro subscription offers award-winning protection for your (single) Mac, along with an impressive and growing array of bonus features. If you’ve got many Macs to monitor, you should look elsewhere.
PROS
- Perfect scores from two antivirus testing labs
- 100% phishing protection score
- Ransomware protection
- New and numerous bonus features
CONS
- Licensing model not practical for all-Mac households
- Webcam privacy lacks detail
- Parental control limited to content filtering
- Some bonus features require separate payment
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus for Mac
Best for Speedy Scanning
Why We Picked It
Just like its Windows equivalent, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus for Mac is a tiny package that scans for malware at blazing speed. More than most, it strongly resembles its Windows version, the main difference being the absence of a button for firewall protection.
The independent labs haven’t reported on Webroot’s macOS protection lately, but it does well in my hands-on tests. It beat out competing products in the phishing protection test, achieving a 100% score. When challenged with a collection of Windows malware, Webroot detected and eliminated 97% of them. And like Total Defense, Webroot offers tech support that’s entirely US-based.
One benefit that may not be immediately obvious is Webroot’s option for remote monitoring and control. If you’ve installed it for a tech-challenged friend or relative, you can log in remotely, check security status, and even run a scan, all without driving across town. Other features include a system analyzer to check your Mac’s overall status, a secure deletion tool to permanently wipe sensitive files, and a system optimizer to clear junk files and otherwise speed up performance.
Who It’s For
Do you prefer small, tight, speedy solutions over ponderous, slow-loading downloads? Download Webroot and it will immediately get busy protecting your Mac. The fact that it packs impressive bonus features into its tiny package just makes things better.
PROS
- Fast full scan
- Excellent phishing protection
- Excellent detection of Windows malware
- Marks dangerous links in search results
CONS
- No current results from independent testing labs
- Some small glitches in testing
- Web threat protection only for Chrome
Avast One for Mac
Best for VPN Users
Why We Picked It
It’s always nice to know that the experts think you’ve made a good choice, and the lab-testing experts think Avast One is just about perfect. At least, it takes the highest possible scores in the latest reports from two labs. It does well in my own tests too, with a phishing protection score within a hair of perfect and 85% detection of Windows-focused malware.
But this product goes well beyond simple antivirus protection. For starters, it includes a full-powered VPN, with no limits on bandwidth or features. It also offers unusual protection against browser fingerprinting, a technique for tracking your online activities even when you’ve engaged traditional Do Not Track technology. Its new people-centric user interface is a welcome change from big, dark rectangles. Data breach monitoring, a performance enhancement tool, and a cleanup system for your photos are among the other elements of this feature-rich offering.
Who It’s For
You’re not a fan of shopping—you’d rather make one purchase and have everything you need. Avast One combines award-winning antivirus with no-limits VPN protection for your online traffic. To that dynamic duo it adds an impressive collection of bonus features, all wrapped in a user interface that should brighten your day. Security shopping? Done!
PROS
- Excellent scores from antivirus labs
- Near-perfect score in our phishing protection test
- Blocks browser fingerprinters
- No-limits VPN
CONS
- Not as feature-rich as its Windows equivalent
- Lacks Wi-Fi Inspector
Clario
Best for Non-Techie Users
Why We Picked It
If you’re a security tech expert, phrases like browser hardening and sandbox virtualization make you happy. The rest of the population may prefer Clario’s unusually human-centric interface, with live chat help built right in and always available. Rather than confronting you with a dizzying set of configuration options, it quizzes you about your feelings and preferences, configuring itself accordingly. And if you want to raise your Mac tech cred, you can take a collection of in-app classes.
Along with all this handholding, it does scan for malware—quickly, too! If it finds a threat, the default option is to work through the problem with a live chat agent. Alas, the independent labs I follow don’t include Clario in their testing. Its Chrome-only online protection earned a decent score in my hands-on phishing protection test, though nowhere near the top. And here’s a nice surprise—Clario includes a basic VPN, invoked automatically when you choose actions such as online banking.
Who It’s For
You know that you’re supposed to protect your Macs with an antivirus utility, but you’ve been put off by the highly technical nature of the ones you’ve tried. Enter Clario. It’s all about you and your needs, not about antivirus details. In the rare event it does encounter a malware attack, you’re not alone; you can work through the event with always-on tech support.
PROS
- Unusual human-centric interface
- Available for macOS, Android, and iOS
- Speedy scan for malware
- Detects malicious and fraudulent pages
- Includes basic VPN
- 24/7/365 live chat support
CONS
- Mobile editions lack most features
- Online protection is Chrome-only
- No certification from independent labs
- So-so phishing test score
F-Secure Safe for Mac
Best for Few-Frills Protection
Why We Picked It
As with macOS offerings from Norton and McAfee, F-Secure Safe for Mac is the Mac-specific incarnation of a larger cross-platform suite. And as with the others, you don’t get as much protection on macOS as you do on Windows. To be fair, you don’t need as much protection—Macs aren’t invulnerable, but they’re intrinsically more secure than PCs. F-Secure’s protection is lab-tested and approved. The experts at AV-Test gave it a perfect score in their latest report.
F-Secure’s latest release features a huge change visually. Instead of blocky rectangles, it features a stylized landscape with trees, clouds, and a couple of people. It’s not just a pretty face, either, as AV-Test rated it a Top Product. And its parental control system, while still rather basic, has improved.
Who It’s For
Some folks love an antivirus that packs in so many security features it might be called a suite, while others prefer a tool that just focuses on the antivirus task at hand. If you belong to the latter group, the no-frills protection you get from F-Secure is just the thing.
PROS
- Excellent lab test score
- Very good phishing protection score
- Simple cross-platform parental control
- Good detection of Windows malware
CONS
- Parental filter easily foiled
- Few features beyond the basics
Intego Mac Internet Security
Best for Mac Households
Why We Picked It
Most antivirus products for macOS come from companies that established their bona fides in the Windows realm. Intego, by contrast, has been supplying macOS-specific security since 1997. Its latest release, Intego Mac Internet Security, has frequently been certified by AV-Comparatives for protection against macOS malware, though it just missed the cutoff in the most recent report. In the past, it has also received certification from AV-Test. Intego detects malware that targets Windows and Linux, so your Mac doesn’t become a malware-carrying Typhoid Mary.
In addition to the VirusBarrier antivirus component, Intego features a firewall called NetBarrier. You tell the firewall what sort of network you’re using (Home, Work, or Public Hotspot) and it controls network communication appropriately.
Who It’s For
Does using an antivirus product developed as an afterthought by a Windows-focused company make you feel like a second-class citizen? Would you prefer to support a security company that’s always been proudly Mac-oriented? Then Intego is just what you’re looking for.
PROS
- Lab-certified for Mac malware protection
- Includes full-featured firewall
- Detects Windows and Linux malware
CONS
- Mediocre detection of Windows malware
- No detection of malicious or fraudulent websites
McAfee AntiVirus Plus for Mac
Best for Multi-Device Households
Why We Picked It
McAfee AntiVirus Plus for Mac is the Mac-oriented manifestation of the cross-platform McAfee AntiVirus Plus. With your McAfee subscription, you can install antivirus protection for every Mac in your household, as well as every Windows, Android, iOS, or ChromeOS device. For a modern household, brimming with devices, McAfee can be an amazing bargain, and it comes with a guarantee. If malware gets past McAfee’s protective shield, the company’s experts will fix the problem remotely or, in the rare event they can’t, give your money back.
McAfee’s antivirus efficacy is backed by a guarantee, but not at present by lab results. The labs haven’t included McAfee in testing for some years, though it regularly received certification when they did rate it. In my own platform-independent phishing protection test, McAfee managed 97% detection both on macOS and Windows, and its WebAdvisor component also helps you avoid malware-hosting pages and other online dangers.
Who It’s For
If you’re the security guru for a house full of Mac users, you’ll save by setting them all up with McAfee’s antivirus protection. As a bonus, you can also protect your crew’s devices that run other operating systems, Windows, Android, iOS, or even ChromeOS.
PROS
- Cross-platform antivirus for all devices in your household
- Now covers Chromebooks and ARM-based laptops
- Money-back virus protection pledge
- Very good phishing protection score
CONS
- WebAdvisor not fully functional
- No current lab test results
- Lacks features found in Windows edition
- Some confusing messaging in Protection Center online
Buying Guide: The Best Mac Antivirus Software for 2023
Why Isn’t Kaspersky Listed?
Kaspersky Standard for Mac is a full macOS security suite, going for a price that just gets you plain antivirus protection from many competitors. Among its many features are a hardened browser for financial transactions and active Do Not Track for online ads. Despite these virtues, we’ve had to remove it from our list of best Mac antivirus tools.
For years, Kaspersky has faced accusations and censure based on its Russian origins, though none of the accusations have come backed by hard evidence of malicious behavior. We at PCMag focused on the capabilities of the products, not on the brouhaha around the company. However, the current war in Ukraine has raised the stakes. Governments and third parties are cutting ties with Kaspersky. The FCC labeled Kaspersky a national security risk.
After consideration, we can no longer recommend that you purchase Kaspersky security products. We’ve left the reviews in place, with a warning, since they provide useful information. You’ll find Kaspersky’s features mentioned in several places below, for comparison purposes. But at least for now, we’re removing Kaspersky products from our “best of” lists.
It’s Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online
Malware Protection Lab Certifications
When you go to select a new washer, refrigerator, or other appliance, chances are good you research it first. User reviews can be helpful, if you discard the very best and very worst of them. But actual test results published by an independent lab give you more reliable information. Two large labs include macOS antivirus products in their testing, but the slate of products for testing is variable. When we first rounded up Mac antivirus products, we only selected those with at least one certification, but at present, many of them don’t appear in either lab’s test results.
The researchers at AV-Test Institute(Opens in a new window) evaluate Mac antivirus products on three criteria: protection, performance, and usability. A product can earn up to six points for each. Protection against malware protection is essential, of course, as is a low impact on performance. A high usability score reflects a small number of false positives, legitimate programs and websites identified as dangerous. In the latest report, six products achieved a perfect 18 points, all six points for all three criteria.
In the macOS malware test by AV-Comparatives(Opens in a new window), most charted products scored 100%. This lab, too, included a test using malware aimed at Windows. Yes, these samples can’t affect a computer running macOS, but they could conceivably escape to Windows machines on the network. All but one of the tested products scored 100% against Windows malware; the holdout still managed 94%. This lab recently added a test using PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications). Most products came in at or near 100% against these less-virulent annoyances. You’ll note that although MacKeeper scored 100% against malware, it did not receive certification. That’s because it does not enable real-time protection out of the box, a feature required for certification.
Results in macOS-specific tests have a much smaller point spread than in tests of Windows antivirus utilities. It’s good that many products in the chart received at least one certification for Mac protection, and even better that some received two certifications. Avira is the only product that currently boasts top scores from both labs.
Hands-On Phishing Protection Testing
When we test malware protection on Windows, we use live malware inside an isolated virtual machine. We’ve coded several analysis tools over the years to help with this testing. Little of that testing regimen carries over to the Mac.
Phishing, however, isn’t platform-specific, and neither is our antiphishing test. Phishing websites imitate secure sites, everything from banks and finance sites to gaming and dating sites. If you enter your credentials at the fake login page, you’ve given the phisher access to your account. And it doesn’t matter if you are browsing on a PC, a Mac, or an internet-aware rowing machine.
The wily malefactors who create phishing sites are in the business of deception, and they constantly change and update their techniques, hoping to evade detection. If one fraudulent site gets blacklisted or shut down by the authorities, they simply pop up with a new one. That being the case, we try to use the very newest phishing URLs for testing, scraping them from phishing-focused websites.
We launch each URL simultaneously in four browsers. One is Safari or Chrome on the Mac, protected by the Mac antivirus that’s under test. The other three use the protection built into Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Discarding any that don’t fit the phishing profile, and any that don’t load correctly in all four browsers, we report the product’s detection rate as well as the difference between its detection rate and that of the other three test systems.
Most of the products in this roundup beat the combined average of the three browsers. Trend Micro and Webroot own this test, with 100% detection.
Ransomware Protection
The scourge of ransomware is on the rise. While ransomware attacks are more common on Windows devices, Macs have suffered as well. Of course, any antivirus utility should handle ransomware just as it handles spyware, Trojans, viruses, and other malware types. But since the consequences of missing a ransomware attack are so great, some security products add components with the sole purpose of preventing ransomware attacks.
We’ve observed a wide variety of ransomware protection techniques on Windows. These include blocking unauthorized access to user documents, detecting ransomware based on its activity, and recovering encrypted files from backup. Of the products listed here, Avast, Bitdefender and Trend Micro offer a ransomware component that blocks unauthorized modification of protected documents.
Bitdefender’s Safe Files feature prevents all unauthorized access to your documents, including your Time Machine backups. Trend Micro offers multiple layers of Windows ransomware protection. Folder Shield, which, like Safe Files, prevents unauthorized document access, is the only layer that made its way to the macOS edition.
Sophos Home Premium includes the same CryptoGuard behavior-based ransomware protection found in its Windows equivalent. Our Windows test systems are virtual machines, so we feel free to release real-world ransomware for testing. We just roll back the virtual machine to a clean snapshot after testing. We don’t have the option to do that on the physical Mac testbed, so we just have to figure that since it worked on Windows, it probably works on macOS.
Spyware Protection
Any kind of malware problem is unpleasant, but spyware may be the most unnerving. Imagine some creeper secretly peeking at you through your Mac’s webcam! Other types of spying include logging keystrokes to capture your passwords, sending Trojans to steal your personal data, and watching your online activities to build a profile. As with ransomware protection, we’ve observed more features specifically devoted to spyware protection on Windows-based security products than on the Mac, but a few products in this collection do pay special attention to spyware.
Under Windows, Kaspersky’s Safe Money feature opens sensitive sites in a secure browser that’s hardened against outside interference. The Safe Money feature on the Mac doesn’t do that, but it does check URLs to make sure you’re on a legitimate secure site. Kaspersky offers an onscreen keyboard, so you can enter passwords with no chance of capture by a keylogger. Its webcam protection isn’t as configurable as it is on Windows, but you can use it to disable your Mac’s webcam whenever you’re not using it. It even includes the ability to block advertisers and others from tracking your online activities. If spyware is your bugaboo, you’ll like Kaspersky.
Recommended by Our Editors
Sophos Home Premium offers protection for the webcam and microphone that’s more substantial than Kaspersky’s. You get a notification any time an untrusted program attempts to access either; you can allow access or stop the program. There’s also an option to whitelist a program, so you don’t get a popup every time you use your off-brand video chat tool.
Mac Antivirus Bonus Features
Many antivirus tools on Windows boast a ton of bonus features, packing in everything from tune-up utilities to VPNs. That behavior seems less common on the macOS side, though Norton now includes a VPN with no bandwidth limits. Even so, some vendors don’t have a standalone Mac antivirus, opting instead to offer a full security suite as the baseline level of protection, and a few others include suite-like bonus features in the basic antivirus.
A typical personal firewall component blocks attacks coming in from the internet and also manages network permissions for programs installed on your Mac. Intego, McAfee, and Norton each include a firewall component, while Kaspersky’s Network Protection comes close.
Parental control is another common suite component. With Sophos and Trend Micro, a content filter can block access to websites matching unwanted categories. Kaspersky Standard doesn’t include the limited parental control system that was found in Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, but you can separately purchase the powerful Kaspersky Safe Kids for just $14.99 per year.
What Is the Best Free Antivirus for Mac?
There’s another angle to the variation in Mac antivirus pricing. How about paying nothing at all? Avast One Essential for Mac, AVG AntiVirus for Mac, and Avira Free Antivirus for Mac are totally free for personal use. The best commercial products offer more protection, but if you can’t afford the best, at least install a free antivirus.
What Is the Best Antivirus for Mac?
Many of the products covered in this roundup earned certification from at least one independent testing lab; some managed two certifications. There really are no bad choices here, as far as basic antivirus protection goes. Even so, a few products stand out.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac not only achieved lab certification, but it also earned the maximum score in every test. Norton 360 Deluxe for Mac is a full security suite, also has certification from one lab, and its features include a no-limits VPN. These two are our Editors’ Choice winners for Mac antivirus protection.
However, these aren’t the only choices. Look over our reviews, pick the product that suits you best, and get your Mac protected. Once you’ve done that, you should also consider installing a Mac VPN. While an antivirus protects you, your devices, and your data locally, a VPN extends that protection to your online activities, protecting both your security and your privacy.
Hits: 0
