Avast Security Pro offers certified Mac malware protection, a network security scanner, and a password manager, but those features also come with the free Avast Security. Avast Free Mac Security. Macs were more immune to malware threats in the past, but their increasing popularity and greater market share have made them a hot new target for hackers. Avast Security for Mac is free and protects against malware, malicious websites, and vulnerable Wi-Fi connections. For the highest level of protection, get protection against: For the highest level of protection, get protection against.
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Avast Free Antivirus for Mac is the free version of the popular AV program. The popularity stems from the reliable and trustworthy brand that Avast have created. Although virus and malware issues are not as prevalent on the Mac platform, there are still a few serious ones out there you will need protection from. Avast Security Pro for Mac review: Everything a modern antivirus app needs and a little bit more An all-around champion has strong malware-fighting abilities packaged with worthwhile extras.
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Avast Security for Mac Premium is a step up from its Essential version, though both offer excellent internet security for your Mac desktops and laptops. The Premium solution, however, comes with a few extra tools like a VPN, system scanner and password manager. And while Avast Security Essential recognizes and blocks ransomware attacks, Avast Premium includes a special file guard that shields sensitive folders and data in case a ransomware threat does sneak in.
This Mac security program did an excellent job of protecting our computer from over 160 malware threats. When we instructed our computer to start unzipping our sample folder to let the infected files loose, Avast Security stopped and quarantined the entire zip folder before it had a chance to open. This is impressive since most of the Mac security programs we tested let each file open before inspecting and stopping any threats. Avast recognizes threats even when they are designed to look like legitimate files and programs.
Most of the Windows malware was also blocked by Avast Security for Mac. This means you don’t have to worry about passing along a threat to family or friends who use Windows computers. And the Mail Shield looks for threats in email messages, both incoming and outgoing, to ensure nothing dangerous is attached. It also scans mobile devices connected to your computer through a USB port for any threats. And it removes viruses from your tablet or phone when it finds them. This is a little different from true mobile protection that is typically a program downloaded to your device. But it is a good way to clear viruses off your cellphone.
When Avast finds a threat, it moves it to the Virus Chest, its fancy name for the quarantine folder. From here you can choose to restore the file or permanently delete it. If you leave the files alone long enough, Avast will eventually delete them for you. The files and tools in Avast aren’t difficult to find because Avast lays them out in a way that’s easy to see and navigate. The only reason we docked points for ease of use is because there are several functions that must be turned on or set up manually. These aren’t hard to do, just a little inconvenient, especially if you’re not real tech savvy. Avast mac security free.
Avast has safe browsing that helps recognize and stop threats coming in through the internet. When we first opened Avast, we were relieved to see that the Safari browser extension for this feature was already enabled. We did need to manually turn on the Chrome extension after installing it within the browser. As we tried to reach certain websites, Avast displayed a large warning message in the browser if it knew there were virus downloads or malicious links on the page. And when we used search engines, including Google, each search result had an icon noting any safety concerns.
This software comes with a personal firewall that works alongside the one built into your operating system. It monitors the home internet connection to see if anyone is piggybacking on your connection, which affects connection speed. We found that having a second layer of protection is helpful since no firewall is 100 percent effective all the time. And Avast is a pretty sharp tool that catches a lot of dangers that other programs don’t recognize.
The real complaint with Avast Security for Mac Premium is it lacks several protection tools that its Windows internet security products have. This includes parental controls and safe banking tools designed to protect personal information while you bank, shop and access accounts online. We were surprised that most Mac internet security solutions don’t include these features. However, there are a couple that do, so if you need these tools, check out Norton Security Standard or Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac.
Avast For Mac Review
Avast Security for Mac Premium is a decent antivirus program that detects both Mac and Windows internet threats. It scans mobile devices when connected to your computer through a USB port, and it warns you before you access malicious websites. The software doesn’t include parental controls or safe banking tools, but overall it is a great choice for protecting your Mac computer.
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Best Mac Antivirus
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac's top-shelf malware detection and barely there system impact make it the best antivirus solution.
Best Free Mac Antivirus
Avast Free Mac Security
Avast Free Mac Security's malware-squashing proficiency, negligible performance impact and included password manager make it the best free option.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers top-shelf malware detection and protects files from ransomware.
After evaluating eight free and paid antivirus products, we've chosen Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac ($40 per year) as the best antivirus for Mac. It had a nearly invisible impact on system performance, and it caught all malware.
Avast Free Mac Security is our favorite free option, as it provided nearly perfect malware protection and an easy-to-use interface with an imperceptible performance hit.
You do need an antivirus program on your Mac. Recent years have seen more Mac malware and adware than ever before, from Trojans to targeted attacks, supply-chain attacks like the XcodeGhost attack and even encrypting ransomware.
Avast Security For Mac
MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps
Latest Security Alerts and Threats
— Google pushed out an emergency patch for its Chrome browser for Windows, macOS and Linux after a vulnerability was found that could let a malicious website take over a computer. ADVICE: Copy and paste 'chrome://settings/help' into your Chrome address bar to make sure your browser is updated to version 76.0.3809.132.
— Apple patched a security hole that let you -- or a malicious website -- jailbreak an iPhone and install any kind of app, including potential malware. (This is not among the flaws that let several websites infect any iPhone.) ADVICE: Make sure your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is updated to iOS 12.4.1.
— Spammers have been sending emails to inject scam or malicious messages in regular people's Google Calendar pages. ADVICE: Follow our instructions to stop phony Google Calendar notifications from happening to you.
How We Tested
To find the best antivirus for Mac desktops and laptops, we evaluate ease of use, interface and performance impact, we installed each AV program on the same Late 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina Display running macOS 10.12 Sierra. It was powered by a 2.6-GHz Intel Core i7 processor and had 8GB of RAM and 70GB of data stored on a 512GB SSD.
We conducted our own tests in July and August 2017 based on how much each antivirus product affected our laptop's performance. To do this, we used our custom OpenOffice benchmark, which matches 20,000 names and addresses in a spreadsheet. We measured how long it took to run a quick scan and a full scan while the laptop crunched numbers in the background. Reviews of avast antivirus for mac.
We assessed how easy each program was to use and the number of useful extra features it offered (including free add-on software). To gauge how effective each package was at stopping malware, we used the results of evaluations conducted in May 2017 by AV-TEST, a well-regarded independent product-testing lab in Germany, and results from other tests conducted in July 2017 by AV-Comparatives, a similarly well-respected firm in Austria.
Best Mac AntivirusKaspersky Internet Security for MacReasons to Buy
Minimal system impact
Reasons to Avoid
Kaspersky Internet Security is the best antivirus for Macs because it offers both the lowest system impact and some of the best malware-detection rates recorded. It even provides extra security features, including parental controls and options to lock down your webcam and stop websites from tracking your browsing activity. If you're willing to pay to protect your Mac from malware, Kaspersky Internet Security is the best option available.
Best Free Mac AntivirusAvast Free Mac SecurityReasons to Buy
Excellent malware protection
Password manager included
Reasons to Avoid
Avast Free Mac Security caught 99.9 percent of all malware, packs in a password manager, barely leaves a smudge on system impact and doesn't charge a dime. If only it caught 100 percent of malware, as Kaspersky did.
Bitdefender Antivirus for MacReasons to Buy
Ransomware protection
Parental controls
Reasons to Avoid
$38.99
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is one of only a few solutions we tested that offers perfect malware detection. Further, its modern, streamlined interface places on-demand scans front and center. Bitdefender has dropped from first place, though, because its system-impact scores don't match the flawless marks posted by Kaspersky.
Norton 360 DeluxeReasons to BuyReasons to Avoid
Noticeable system impact
Norton 360 Deluxe may offer excellent protection, but it charges more (after the first year) than its competitors do, without offering as many perks. Norton AntiVirus Plus offers similar protection for a single Mac, but with fewer perks. Still, both have always-on-call customer support.
AVG Antivirus for MacReasons to Buy
Free
Reasons to Avoid
Comparatively high background impact
AVG Antivirus for Mac
If you're looking for the best antivirus for Mac without having to pay, AVG AntiVirus for Mac is not too shabby, with its 99.9 percent detection rate and easy-to-use design. Unfortunately, other free competitors provide extras (Sophos with parental controls, Avast's password manager) that AVG does not.
Best for FamiliesSophos HomeReasons to Buy
Remote manageability
Low system impact
Reasons to Avoid
With Sophos Home for Mac's simple interface and low system-performance impact, you'll barely realize the program is shielding you until you need it. Anyone with young children at home will find Sophos' parental controls useful, as they allow for remote scans and checks, and let you block sites by category. Sophos even keeps a log of when users try to reach banned pages. This program's major drawback, though, is its lackluster malware-detection rate.
Avira Free Antivirus for MacReasons to Buy
Solid malware protection
Reasons to Avoid
Once our favorite, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac is no longer the best antivirus for Mac. That's because it is a hair shy of perfection in its malware detection, and fell behind in system-performance testing, earning some of the higher performance impacts recorded.
McAfee Antivirus PlusAvast Free Security For Mac ReviewReasons to Buy
Familiar user interface
Reasons to Avoid
Unproven detection rates
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McAfee® AntiVirus Plus
While McAfee's unlimited licenses mean you can support a whole family of Macs (and PCs and Android devices, too), this program's lack of special features (for a paid version) make it hard to recommend. Further, we don't have malware-detection testing scores for McAfee, so its protection powers are unproven.
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