Even Macs Need Antivirus Protection Antivirus protection is a bit like insurance. You hope you won't need it, but if a problem comes up, you're really glad for its protection. Sure, a Windows or Android device has a better chance of getting attacked, simply because it's so much easier to slip something nasty into those less-secure operating systems. But macOS isn't invulnerable, and the fact that an attack is less likely doesn't make the loss of all your documents to ransomware any less devastating. Installing a Mac-centered antivirus utility heads off that possible loss, and protects against viruses, Trojans, and other types of malware. We've put a collection of Mac antivirus tools to the test to help you choose one that will suit your needs. 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, $50 per year lets you insall 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. You may have heard that macOS Mojave, the latest macOS, advances the platform's privacy and security. Safari on Mojave automatically blocks ads and social media trackers. The built-in password manager does more than ever. And when AppleScript apps try to access internal macOS features, Mojave makes them wait until you give permission. But nothing we've seen suggests that upgrading to Mojave will obviate the need for an antivirus utility. Free Mac Antivirus Protection There's another angle to the variation in Mac antivirus pricing. How about paying nothing at all? Avast Security (for Mac), AVG AntiVirus for Mac, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac, and Sophos Home Free (for Mac) are totally free for personal use, although Sophos technically limits you to three devices, macOS or Windows. AVG also offers free antivirus for Mac, but until its phishing protection improves we can't recommend it. The best commercial products offer more protection but if you can't afford the best, at least install a free antivirus. What's Not Here Every macOS antivirus that earned 3.5 stars or better appears in the chart above. Another half-dozen managed a decent three-star rating, but there isn't room for another six products. I chose to favor three products that originated on the Mac platform, ClamXAV, Intego Mac Internet Security, and ProtectWorks AntiVirus. Everything else being equal, there's surely some virtue in loyalty to macOS. Avast Security Pro (for Mac), ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), and Malwarebytes for Mac Premium also earned three stars. However, ESET and Malwarebytes don't have any lab results at present, and with Avast, you might as well use the free edition, because you don't get a lot more by paying. These three didn't quite make it into the chart. The names Avast, ESET, and Malwarebytes are well known in Windows circles. If you're using a Windows security product from one of these companies, it makes sense to do the same on your Macs. 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, as long as you discard the very best and very worst of them. But actual test results performed 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, all those in the chart above had 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 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. Several products achieved a perfect 18 points, all six points for all three criteria. In the macOS malware test by AV-Comparatives, most charted products scored 100 percent. 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. Scores in the Windows malware test ranged from zero to 100 percent, which is quite a span. 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. Hands-On Phishing Protection Testing When we test malware protection on Windows, we use live malware inside an isolated virtual machine. We've coded a number of 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 sewing machine. Almost all of the products in chart above include protection against malicious and fraudulent sites. With ClamXAV and Intego, this just isn't an included feature. Malwarebytes and ProtectWorks also lack an antiphishing component. 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 on the Mac, protected by the Mac antivirus that's under test. The other three use the protection built into Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. 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 success as the average of the difference between its detection rate and that of the other four test systems. Most of the products in this roundup beat the combined average of the three browsers. Bitdefender and Webroot in particular scored hugely higher against some browsers; perhaps the browsers were having a bad day. It's worth noting that, while phishing is platform-independent, phishing defense may not be. For example, Norton on Windows scored significantly better than Norton for the Mac. Tested at the same time, McAfee on Windows and on macOS both scored 100 percent. 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, Bitdefender and Trend Micro offer a ransomware component that blocks unauthorized modification of protected documents. As with Bitdefender's Windows edition, the Safe Files feature prevents all unauthorized access to your documents. On a Mac, it also protects 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 sytsems 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. 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. Bonus Features Many antivirus tools on Windows pack in a ton of bonus features, packing in everything from tune-up utilities to VPNs. That behavior seems less common on the macOS side. 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 (free or premium) and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac, a content filter can block access to websites matching unwanted categories. Kaspersky goes beyond that, with content filtering, internet time scheduling, private data protection, and even social media contact control. Protect Your Mac Most 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 couple of products stood out. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac not only achieved certification from both labs, it earned the maximum score in every test, and took the top antiphishing score. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac also earned high scores. It offers a full suite of Mac security tools, at the same price competitors charge for basic antivirus protection. These two are our Editors' Choice winners for Mac antivirus protection. Look over the 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. Editors' Note: We are aware of the allegations of Kaspersky Labs' inappropriate ties to the Russian government. Until we see some actual proof of these allegations, we will treat them as unproven, and continue to recommend Kaspersky's security products as long as their performance continues to merit our endorsement. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Review MSRP: $39.99 at Pros: Protects files and backups from ransomware. Top ratings from two independent testing labs. Excellent score in our antiphishing test. No-hassle Autopilot mode. TrafficLight browser extension marks dangerous links in search results. Cons: TrafficLight currently doesn't work under the specific Safari/Google combination.Bottom Line: Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac gets top marks from the independent labs and in our own hands-on testing. With its handy Autopilot mode, you can set it, forget it, and have confidence that your Apple computer is protected against malware. Read Review Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac Review MSRP: $39.99 at Pros: Excellent scores from two independent testing labs. Full parental control system. Network protection. Decent score in our antiphishing test. Privacy protection. Useful bonus tools.Cons: Parental content filter foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Content filter missed raunchy sites blocked by Windows edition.Bottom Line: Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac excels in independent lab tests, and it goes far beyond mere antivirus, offering protection against network attacks, parental control, privacy protection, and many other useful features.Read Review Pros: Certified by one independent testing lab. Fast scan. Firewall blocks exploit attacks. Cleans up unneeded files. Now includes password manager.Cons: Expensive. Poor score against phishing sites. Limited detection of Windows malware. Firewall's application control generates many pop-ups.Bottom Line: Symantec's Norton Security Deluxe delivers excellent Mac antivirus protection along with a two-way firewall, a password manager, and a cleanup tool to recover disk space.Read Review Pros: Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Network security scanner. Password manager. Website rating. Active Do Not Track. Free.Cons: Poor phishing protection in Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.Bottom Line: Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a look.Read Review Pros: Top scores from AV-Comparatives, good scores from AV-Test. Cleaned most Windows malware in hands-on tests. Free.Cons: Protection against malicious and fraudulent URLs requires separate download. Mediocre score in antiphishing test.Bottom Line: Avira Free Antivirus for Mac costs nothing, and it gets good scores from the independent labs, but it's not the best free Mac antivirus we've tested.Read Review Pros: Subscription covers unlimited macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Perfect score in antiphishing test. Includes simple personal firewall.Cons: No current test results from independent labs. Firewall no longer includes application control.Bottom Line: One subscription gives you unlimited licenses to protect all your Macs with McAfee AntiVirus Plus, and your Windows, Android, and iOS devices, too, and it aces our phishing protection test.Read Review Pros: Remote management. Webcam protection. Decent phishing protection. Ransomware protection. Simple parental control. Inexpensive.Cons: No independent lab test results. Parental content filter foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Lacks exploit protection, download reputation check, keylogger protection, and other advanced features found in the Windows edition.Bottom Line: Sophos Home Premium offers Mac antivirus protection at a low price, but it lacks many advanced features found in the Windows edition and doesn't have verification from independent testing labs.Read Review Pros: Certified by two antivirus testing labs. Speedy full scan. Social network privacy scan. Includes ransomware protection, webcam privacy, and parental control.Cons: Parental control foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Very poor phishing protection score. Webcam privacy needs work. Social network privacy not fully functional. Licensing model not practical for all-Mac households.Bottom Line: Two major independent testing labs certify Trend Micro's ability to fight malware on your Mac. It comes with a boatload of bonus features, but some of those need work.Read Review Pros: Very fast full scan. Certified by one antivirus lab. Excellent phishing protection. Excellent detection of Windows malware. Marks dangerous links in search results.Cons: Lowest passing score in independent lab test.Bottom Line: Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is by far the fastest Mac antivirus scanner we've seen, and it provides especially good phishing protection in our testing, too. Read Review Pros: Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Useful bonus features. Ransomware protection. Wi-Fi intruder detection.Cons: Doesn't add much to free edition's features. Expensive. Poor phishing protection for Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.Bottom Line: Avast Security Pro (for Mac) adds ransomware protection and Wi-Fi intruder detection to the features found in Avast's free antivirus, but these additions don't merit its high price.Read Review Pros: Lab-certified for Mac malware protection. Scans for malware on demand, on access, and on schedule. Straightforward user interface.Cons: No filtering of malicious or fraudulent websites. Bottom Line: ClamXAV wraps the venerable, open source ClamAntiVirus engine in a straightforward user interface. It's lab-certified to protect your Mac, but doesn't go beyond the basics.Read Review Pros: Elaborate scan scheduling options. Good detection of Windows malware. Simple device control. Includes online cybersecurity training.Cons: Poor results in our hands-on antiphishing test. Slow scans in testing. No longer certified by independent labs.Bottom Line: Though it doesn't have current certification from independent testing labs, ESET Cyber Security offers comprehensive protection for your macOS devices plus cybersecurity training.Read Review Pros: Certified by two labs for Mac malware protection. Includes full-featured firewall. Detects Mac, Windows, and Linux malware. Cons: Poor detection of Windows malware. No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites.Bottom Line: Intego Mac Internet Security X9 scores well in lab tests using Mac malware, and it offers firewall protection. But it fails against Windows malware and lacks protection against dangerous URLs. Read Review Pros: Extremely fast malware scan. Very good reputation among tech experts.Cons: No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites. No detection of Windows malware. Bottom Line: The premium edition of Malwarebytes for Mac scans for active malware and uses real-time detection to prevent infestation. It has a very good reputation, but hard data showing its effectiveness is scarce.Read Review Pros: Certified for Mac protection by an independent testing lab. Scans on demand, on access, and on schedule.Cons: No web-based protection against malicious or fraudulent sites. Mediocre detection of Windows malware.Bottom Line: An independent lab verifies that ProtectWorks AntiVirus can keep your Mac safe from malware, but it lacks some useful features found in competing products.Read Review Pros: Remote management. Detected many Windows malware samples in hands-on test. Decent phishing protection. Simple parental control. Free.Cons: No scores from independent labs. Limited content filter missed some racy sites. Very slow full scan. Phishing score lags Windows edition.Bottom Line: Sophos Home Free (for Mac) keeps configuration to a minimum, but doesn't have independent test scores to verify its accuracy. It can be a good choice for protecting your Macs at no cost.Read Review Pros: Certified by one antivirus testing lab. Good detection of Windows malware. Clear, simple user interface. Free.Cons: Very poor score in hands-on phishing protection test. Lacks scheduled scanning, website rating, and other features found in competing free apps.Bottom Line: The free AVG AntiVirus protects against Mac, Windows, and mobile malware, but that's about all, and its antiphishing component tanked in our hands-on testing. Read Review

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