- Dec 06, 2020 Bitdefender is the best Mac antivirus because it does a great job stopping malware before it has a chance even to start downloading. Plus, most threats are instantly scrubbed without ever hitting the quarantine folder. This is because Bitdefender taps into several malware databases to keep tabs on what's out there and block it quickly.
- Protect your Mac from malware. MacOS has many features that help protect your Mac and your personal information from malicious software, or malware. One common way malware is distributed is by embedding it in a harmless-looking app. You can reduce this risk by using software only from reliable sources.
That said, there is a growing number of non-virus, malware that can invade your Mac from the wrong click of a web site button, download aggregation sites, and other sources that can impact the normal operation of your Mac too. I avoid these sources of malware, but still personally use the free Malwarebytes tool to check for them. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is one of the most accurate virus protection suites for Apple devices out there, built on a sterling antivirus engine which is consistently rated among the top. Jan 15, 2021 Avast Security for Mac is one of the most popular security suites available, and it's easy to see why. It's effective and free for noncommercial use, providing on-demand tools for quickly.
It's fair to say there's less risk of malware attacks on a Mac than a PC, but does that mean you can skip antivirus altogether? How to install macos mojave on macbook pro.
For years, we've been told that Macs can't get viruses. But no computer is immune from cyber attacks, so each year we test Mac antivirus software to their limits with hundreds of virus attacks including worms and ransomware to see how they fare. Read on to see your protection options.
Browse all our antivirus software reviews, or skip straight to the best antivirus packages from our tough tests.
Built-in Mac security
There aren't many viruses for Mac computers, which makes them hard to come by. Our lab tests Windows antivirus software with several thousand Windows-specific viruses each year, but tests only a few dozen on Mac computers. That isn't to say that it's impossible to catch a Mac virus, but the number of different strains is much smaller.
MacOS is secure by design. It requires a number of steps to allow a virus to run on your machine and needs you, the user, to intervene for any program – be it a virus or otherwise – to gain access to critical system files. In short, it's actually quite tricky to get infected by Malware on an Mac.
Why you should still consider anitivirus for Mac
Even if you don't let a piece of malware run, we have found that macOS' built-in security scanning doesn't reliably detect dormant viruses just sitting on the hard drive. If you never had any intention of running the viruses yourself, you could inadvertently share them with somebody you know who might not be so fortunate.
And there's more to antivirus than simply protection from viruses. Almost all the security suites we test come with additional protection against phishing attacks, where websites pretend to be legit in order to steal your data. We have found that the very best Mac security suites will also bolster your phishing protection quite significantly, and perform better than the protection built into the Mac versions of Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera web browsers. For this reason, if you're nervous about threats on the web, it would make sense to at least consider a Mac security suite.
Antivirus options for Apple Macs
While there's no cheap way to get yourself a Mac, those who don't fancy a yearly subscription to a security suite can rest easy in the knowledge that this year we tested three free options, one of which was good enough to be a Best Buy.
If you're a Which? member, you can see the very best antivirus options on our best antivirus for Mac advice guide. And for everybody else, we've highlighted five options from the biggest brands.
Paid antivirus for Mac
Norton Security Deluxe
One of the biggest names in antivirus has a relatively inexpensive Mac option. What's more, if you have Windows computers in your household you can mix and match the different device types under the same subscription. Subscribing gets you various other benefits, although some, such as the 50GB of cloud storage, is only available for Windows computers. See whether it's worth paying for in our Norton Security Deluxe for Mac review.
Kaspersky Internet Security
Kaspersky's security suite includes basic protection as well as tools specifically designed to protect your files from ransomware and a bolstered web browser for banking. Like Norton, you can mix and match a Kaspersky multi-device Internet Security subscription between Windows and Macs. See if it's worth the cost in our full Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac review.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
It comes with phishing protection and a VPN for keeping your web browsing safe from prying eyes, but can this AV production take on its big-brand rivals? It's performed well in our tests in previous years, so read our full Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review to find out.
Free antivirus for Mac
One of the biggest names in antivirus has a relatively inexpensive Mac option. What's more, if you have Windows computers in your household you can mix and match the different device types under the same subscription. Subscribing gets you various other benefits, although some, such as the 50GB of cloud storage, is only available for Windows computers. See whether it's worth paying for in our Norton Security Deluxe for Mac review.
Kaspersky Internet Security
Kaspersky's security suite includes basic protection as well as tools specifically designed to protect your files from ransomware and a bolstered web browser for banking. Like Norton, you can mix and match a Kaspersky multi-device Internet Security subscription between Windows and Macs. See if it's worth the cost in our full Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac review.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
It comes with phishing protection and a VPN for keeping your web browsing safe from prying eyes, but can this AV production take on its big-brand rivals? It's performed well in our tests in previous years, so read our full Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review to find out.
Free antivirus for Mac
AVG Antivirus for Mac (free)
If you don't want extra features and also don't fancy shelling out for yet another digital subscription, AVG Free might be the option for you. There are no frills, but it should deliver when it comes to basic protection, adding that last layer of defence for when all else fails. See how it fared in our antivirus lab test by reading the full AVG Antivirus for Mac review.
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac (free)
Avast and AVG are owned by the same company, so they should perform similarly in our tests. Included in the installation is Avast's free password manager, which might come in handy if you've yet to set one up for yourself. Read our full Avast Free Antivirus for Mac review to see whether it's a good free choice.
How we test antivirus
Our antivirus test lab is riddled with threats. It has set up dozens of computers in 40 countries around the world to act as ‘honeypots' for millions of viruses. These honeypots capture viruses that are fresh into the wild and may have only existed for days. This makes the task for the security software very challenging, because many of them rely upon huge databases of so-called virus ‘definitions' to tell whether or not a file is harmful.
Grabbing new threats means they will also have to rely on their own intuition – rather than simply checking a database – using more advanced techniques to decide if there's a threat. We also use a mix of scenarios on both Windows and macOS, including viruses stored on USB sticks, and even malicious real-world phishing webpages designed to steal your data. Only the most secure software can fend off all these types of attacks effectively.
Malware can be more of a concern if you're using an old phone. Read our guide on mobile phone security for more.
As Apple products are getting famous around the world, these are also very hot talk among the cyber offenders. Although Apple Macbook Air do not need any free or paid antivirus software but still for the ultimate security you need to keep you Apple Macbook safe from any possible threat or malicious activities by installing one of these best security softwares specially design as an antivirus for Macbook Air.
Sophos SafeGuard for Macbook Air Retina
Sophos Antivirus for Macbook Air gives the complete security plan for Macbook. Its salient features include the full protection from the Trojans, viruses and any bugs for your Macbook Air Retina. Sophos Antivirus offers a complete and secure web browsing and lay off malicious codes and blocks the malwares which are web based just before it try to infect your Macbook Air. It always laid some hindrances in way of all the known and unknown threats.
Sophos Safeguard removes the files immediately which are trying to infect your Macbook Air. It will alert you in case it finds anything suspicious. It immediately removes dubious files even it is possible to separate such doubtful files so that you can check them later.
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Sophos Firewall is specially designed to be used by all the users no matter dealing with small, large or medium sized business or organization or even for domestic use. It provides the same quality for every user. It is easy to install, convenient to use and completely free.
Virus Protection For Apple Mac
Avast Antivirus for MacBook Air Retina
Avast is the most protective, specific and Award-winning antivirus for Macbook Air and the best about it is, it's light to use and very fast to operate with. It contains anti-spyware and certified antivirus for Macbook Air. This technology is based on unique scanning criteria.
Avast antivirus for Macbook Air can securely scan your file system, email tools and web browsing routines. It has impeccable track records on windows and it's absolutely free to use.
ClamXav – Free Antivirus for MacBook Air Retina
ClamXav is highly recommended free Antivirus for Macbook Air Retina as well as other Mac OS X operating systems. It is upon you to command it to scan your Macbook Air entirely or just to scan the specific files. It can also scan your hard drive and whatever you want it to scan to escape from the possible threats and risks.
Macbook Air Virus Scan Free
By selecting the sentry activation option, you would be able to monitor all of your files and hard drives as they appear. ClamXav is easy and simple to operate and it list down the infected files. It usually updates itself on daily basis and provide free virus definitions.
You can easily access the areas where scan is necessary and where you usually scan the most. Fastest ssd for macbook pro. Image editing software online. It can send the infected files to the trash in only one click. ClamXav is a free antivirus for Macbook Air and compatible with Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 and upcoming versions.