A significant part of the virus software has already learned to bypass the blocking tools built into the standard protection tools. Despite their constant updates, users are still at risk. The best way to protect yourself is to use the best third-party antivirus software. We will consider all worthy protection options in the review.
Does Mac really need an activator?
Adherents of apple technology unanimously say that Apple computers are inherently safe, so they do not need protection. In fact, this is an overconfident and even erroneous opinion.
In 2018, the company registered 14 new viruses that found unique means of bypassing blocking and infecting users. Compared to Windows counterparts, this is not much, but there are still risks. The Mac is safer because it is based on a Unix system that works in a sandboxed manner. Even in the event of a break in one door, the rest of the protection measures function normally. Most viruses cannot take control of other areas of the PC. The truth is, these tactics negatively impact usability.
Another reason the Mac is more resilient is that it has less financial benefits. Still, Apple’s devices are several times less than devices with Windows. The combination of the difficulty of finding targets and the difficulty of hacking makes the majority of cybercriminals focus on Windows.
There is still no need to talk about the complete security of the Mac. As the popularity of devices grows, cybercriminals are becoming more interested in hunting down users of apple technology. In this regard, the risks of hacking are also growing, which means that the issue of cybersecurity is now as acute as possible. A good antivirus will become the main defense against viruses that have bypassed standard locks.
How to choose a Mac antivirus?
All antiviruses include 2 types of work:
- On-demand system scanning and real-time protection. The first option is to detect viruses during a scheduled system scan or after unusual system behavior appears. Here it is important to pay attention not only to the quality of the search, but also to the speed. Some programs do this for 6 hours or more, blocking normal work with the computer all this time.
- Real-time protection against spyware and malware. Such a system is not tied to time and operates in the background. The check takes place at the time of each download of programs or receipt of a letter by mail. Suspicious files and links are quarantined. It is up to the user to decide what to do with such data. To correctly draw a conclusion, the antivirus must provide the most detailed information about the problem; not everyone can do this.
All antivirus software includes additional security packages, such as ransomware protection. Recently, Ransomware infections have become more frequent – a type of infection when a virus encrypts all user data on a PC and requires payment for decryption.
It is also worth paying for:
- Availability of additional functionality, if needed. For example, some antiviruses have built-in secure VPNs, password managers, cloud storage, or parental controls. If the listed add-ons are not needed, it is better to purchase the basic version of the program, the protection algorithms between different software packages do not differ.
- Internet protection. It is usually implemented in the antivirus itself and using a child extension.
- Subscription price. Antiviruses are usually sold on a temporary basis, there is no way to buy it once and use it all the time. You need to research the cost carefully and check to see if your antivirus software will automatically pay for your subscription at an increased price.
Top Antivirus for Mac
As a result of our own tests, the best performance was achieved with the following antiviruses.
1.Intego Mac Internet Security X9
The best choice in our opinion. This is the fastest application we’ve reviewed. It not only quickly detects, but also instantly cleans up problematic code fragments. True, the software product costs more than most of its analogues. A reliable antivirus and a great firewall are well worth it. If your budget just doesn’t allow you to purchase this bundle, you can opt for more affordable software like Bitdefender Antivirus.
According to the latest AV-Test report, Intego received the highest ratings for security and usability. The weaknesses of the software indicate a decrease in performance, suggesting a possible drawdown in operating speed. However, our own experiments did not show a significant deterioration in performance. The only exception is a full system scan, which applies to all antiviruses. On the other hand, due to the high speed of work, you don’t have to wait long.
An annual subscription to Intego Mac Internet Security X9 will cost about 2800 rubles.
2. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Despite a couple of annoying features of the app, it has a lot of interesting features. It is difficult to argue with the high security of the antivirus, useful features, and all this is bundled with a reasonable price. The annual subscription will cost about 1200 rubles. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac received only the second position due to the presence of advertising content. This is absolutely unacceptable for a paid product, especially for an antivirus.
In the AV-Test, an authoritative resource gave the product the highest ratings for security, performance, and usability. He copes well with all tasks, although he works a little slower than the leader. If the presence of adware is not too embarrassing, this is the best choice.
3. Norton 360 Standard for Mac
One of the most recent antiviruses from Symantec, which includes a whole range of protection and privacy enhancements. As a bonus, the user gets a VPN, firewall, system cleaners, and more. All this is included in the kit, which costs 1800 rubles for the first year. However, the antivirus can only be installed on one device. If you wish, you can increase the quantities to 3 or 5, but this will affect the price.
Norton 360 Standard for Mac can scan your system pretty quickly for the first time. However, further tests do not get faster and take the same amount of time. This indicates that the antivirus does not save trusted (previously scanned) files to the database to speed up scanning. But the program was able to find and remove all downloaded viruses. From the annoying moments: the Mac version lacks webcam protection and parental controls, which are present in the Windows version.
4. Sophos Home Premium for Mac
Not the fastest system scan dropped the antivirus to the fourth position, but it can still be recommended. Moreover, there is a free version, from which you can then upgrade to a paid subscription. Sophos Home Premium for Mac for one year will cost about 3000 rubles. In terms of price and quality, this is a good product that can simultaneously protect up to 10 computers.
The positive side of the antivirus is its reliable protection against malware in real time. Also, the user gets cloud management of antivirus software for three PCs. All the basic functions are in the free version, but without access to additional tools, such as protection against ransomware. This makes the product unique, all other antiviruses for macOS require mandatory payment.
5. ESET Cyber Security for Mac
The software offers a good level of virus detection and removal, but the price comes at the cost of scanning speed. Only a little disappointing: the rather slow procedure for searching for malware and the lack of additional functions. On the other hand, the elegance and ease of operation will appeal to many users. The developers initially offer a trial mode for a month, and in the future they require payment of about 1400 rubles.
Link to the official website.
6. Airo Antivirus for Mac
This is a product from a relatively new company that only focuses on protecting Macs from viruses. This direction helps to make Airo Antivirus one of the most attractive software. The developers say that it is based on artificial intelligence with machine learning technology. The approach helps to quickly identify and eliminate new threats.
It has a nice design and good detection quality, but full scans are rather slow. And the appearance of some strange results was a little embarrassing. But 100% of the downloaded Airo viruses were found and eliminated. Another disadvantage is the lack of auxiliary functions, such as protection against ransomware and firewall. Such pleasure costs 3000 rubles.
7. Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac
The well-known antivirus in the computer security environment is impressive in its cleaning quality, all suspicious programs from Trend Micro have been removed. There are also additional functions, such as protection against encryption viruses. A minor concern was that not all files were marked as verified. Maybe this is a simple mistake.
The application remained at the end of the list also because it is not being actively updated. Even on the main page, the data is presented for 2014-2017. All the shortcomings can be covered by the price of 650 rubles per year of use.
8. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac
A significant bonus from Kaspersky Internet Security is the presence of a whole set of additional tools: VPN protection, cameras, parental control, etc. There are also unforgivable drawbacks, as during a system scan and in active protection mode, the application misses some viruses. True, the latest results from the AV-Test report indicate improved safety and ease of use. A loyal pricing position (1200 rubles per year) can compensate for the rest of the problems.
The final word rests with the reader. For our part, we did our best to provide the user with a basic understanding of the product and its combination of price and quality.