May 26, 2020 PC Matic antivirus provides reliable protection against virus software for operating systems such as Windows (starting with version 7), Mac OS and Android. In our PC Matic review, we will describe in detail how it works for different OS.
Avira Free Mac Security
Editor Rating: Good (3.5)
Theillusion that Macs are invulnerable to malicious software is just that, anillusion. Yes, Windows and Android are more popular as targets, but Macs suffermalware attacks too, even ransomware attacks. You need antivirus protection on your macOS devices, though you don’tnecessarily have to pay for it. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac doesn't cost apenny, and it earns decent scores in tests by the independent labs.
Whenyou launch Avira's installer, it downloads the latest code and malwaresignatures. The main window features a simple menu down the left, most of whichechoes the similar menu in Avira Antivirus Pro. The rest of the window features plenty ofwhitespace around three components: a round icon that reflects your securitystatus, a button to run a full or quick scan, and a target that you can dragfiles or folders onto for a quick scan. It’s a simple, reassuring layout.
Scanning and Scheduling
On theMacBook Air I use for testing, the quick scan took just a bit under two minutes,and the full scan took 28 minutes. That's good, considering that the averageamong current products for a full scan is 39 minutes.
SEE ALSO: The Best Free Antivirus Protection for 2020
Scheduledscanning is enabled by default, once per week. You can schedule more quick orfull scans, on a daily or weekly basis.
ClickingModules in the left-side menu displays the status of four security modules:Real-Time Protection, Protection Cloud, Firewall, and USB Scanner (the last isreserved for the Pro edition of this product). Seeing the label Firewall, youmight get the impression that Avira includes a firewall component, like Intego Mac Internet Security X9, McAfee, and Norton. However, this componentsimply controls the built-in macOS firewall component.
Pricing and OS Support
There'sa big range of prices for Mac-based antivirus support. At the high end, Integolists at $99.99 per year to protect three Macs, and Norton 360 Deluxe (for Mac) asks $99.99 per year for five cross-platformlicenses. Granted, these two are security suites, going way beyond the featuresoffered by a simple antivirus utility.
Themost common pricing plan among products we've reviewed is $39.99 per year forone license and $59.99 for three. As for Avira, you don't pay a thing. Like Sophos Home (for Mac), it's totally free.
You doneed a modern operating system to use this antivirus. Like Norton and TrendMicro, Avira requires macOS High Sierra (10.13) or better. If you're stuckusing an old operating system for some reason, you may need to consider adifferent Mac antivirus. Intego support runs back to Mountain Lion (10.8),Webroot works on Lion (10.7) or better, and ClamXAV (for Mac) goes all the way back to Snow Leopard (10.6).
Malware Protection Lab Scores Down
Whenevaluating Windows antivirus utilities for malware protection, I use a wide range of tests that I've coded andre-coded over the years. I don't have anything similar for the macOS platform,as my many hand-coded testing tools and my coding skills are both Windows-only.For Mac antivirus, I necessarily rely heavily on the independent testing labsto know which products are the most capable. Fortunately, most of the testedproducts earn good scores.
Antivirus For Mac Reviews
Two ofthe independent antivirus testing labs I follow report on macOS products, andboth have Avira on their test roster. AV-Comparatives certifies Avira for malware protection, with 99.8percent protection against macOS malware, down from 100 percent at my lastreview. Slightly over half the products earned 100 percent. Like Avast,Bitdefender, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, and most tested products, Avira detected 100percent of the Windows malware used in testing. Of course, these samplescouldn’t affect a Mac, but removing them prevents the Mac from becoming acarrier.
Theexperts at AV-TestInstitute rate antivirus utilities on three criteria: howwell they protect against malware, how little they impact performance, and howcarefully they avoid interfering with usability by flagging valid programs asmalicious. With six points available for Protection, Performance, and Usability,the maximum score is 18.
Here,too, Avira’s scores are down from their previous values. Avira took six pointsfor Usability and 5.5 for Performance in the latest test. However, in theall-important Protection category it just managed 4 points this time around,for a total of 15.5. All but one of the other tested products earned a perfect18 points. Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac took 18 points in this test and also earned 100percent from AV-Comparatives.
You maynotice that there aren't any results in the table for Sophos, ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), McAfee, and a few others. These products earnedhigh marks in past test reports, but the labs don’t always test the same set ofproducts, and the latest reports didn't include them.
I ranmy own simple test of Avira’s ability to detect Windows malware, challenging itto clean up a USB drive containing the samples from my Windows-centered testing.It finished quickly, eliminating 87 percent of the samples, including everysingle ransomware sample. That's better than most of the products I've testedin this way, though Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac) caught 100 percent of the Windows samples and ESETmanaged 93 percent.
Protection Against Phishing and Malicious Sites
Phishingpages are frauds that attempt to steal your login credentials by imitatingsensitive websites. It’s pretty easy to craft a fake bank site and fool peopleinto giving away their passwords. Plenty of users don’t have any real clue abouthow to spota phishing scam. Certainly, creating a phishing page is vastly easier thanwriting a Trojan to actively steal those passwords.
Malwareprograms are also platform-specific, while phishing works on any platform. Ifyou’re foolish enough to log into, say, a fake PayPal page on the browser builtinto your smart fridge, you lose your credentials just the same as if youentered them in a browser on your Mac. Preventing access to such pages, or to pagescontaining malicious code, can be the first line of defense for an antivirustool, whether it's Mac or Windows antivirus.
AviraFree Antivirus does not in itself protect against malicious or fraudulent URLs,but it does give users easy access to Avira's Browser Safety extensions forChrome and Firefox. Sorry, Mac purists; there’s no extension for Safari. Iinstalled the Chrome extension and proceeded to test Avira's browser-basedprotection.
Forthis test, I gather the newest phishing URLs I can find, including ones thathaven't yet been analyzed and blacklisted. I use one of my hand-coded tools tolaunch each URL and record results in three browsers, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge,each protected by the browser's own built-in protection. As for the Mac productunder test, my analysis tool works strictly on Windows, so I test by hand onthe Mac. I ran this test simultaneously with my test of Avira Free Security on Windows.
Fortesting purposes, I discard any URL that doesn’t load properly in any of thebrowsers, and any URL that doesn't actively attempt to capture logincredentials. Analyzing the confirmed phishing pages, I found that Avira'sdetection rate came at 93 percent, as it did under Windows. It makes sense thatthe scores match since both used the same Chrome extension.
Avira’sphishing protection has been steadily improving. It earned 66 percent when lasttested, and 47 percent the time before. The current 93 percent brings it intothe top half, score-wise. Even so, others have scored still higher. Kasperskyand Trend Micro came in with a perfect 100 percent, while Bitdefender and McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) earned 99 and 98 percent respectively.
As itdoes on Windows, Browser Safety also actively blocks ads and preventsadvertisers and others from tracking you. A small numeric overlay on thetoolbar button lets you know how many trackers it found on the current page.You can click for more detail, but you don’t get the option to fine-tune what itblocks the way you do with Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and others.
Should You Go Pro?
At thebottom of the main screen's left-side menu is a highlighted item titled'Get Pro.' Clicking it gets you a laundry list of the virtues of thePro edition. These include scanning removable devices and full-scale phonesupport. But the list also includes features that exist in the free edition,such as quarantine management, safe browsing, and an activity log.
As faras I can see, the added benefits don't seem to merit the price. Personal techsupport is nice—free users only get FAQs and community support forums—but not$44.99 per year nice. I didn't see a reason to review the Pro editionseparately.
Free and Simple
ManyMac users have experienced years of hearing the mantra, “PCs get viruses; Macsdon’t.” Even if they now admit that’s not the case, they still may resenthaving to pay for antivirus. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac does a decent job atno cost. Its lab scores are down a bit, but we expect them to go back up. You mightalso look at Sophos Home (for Mac). Admittedly, it doesn’t boast any currentlab test results, but it does well in our hands-on testing.
Mac OS X (Mac OS 10) The current operating system from Apple for the Mac family. Starting in the fall of 2016, Version 10.12 uses the rebranded 'macOS' moniker and not OS X. See macOS and Sierra. OS X Server was introduced in 1999, and the client version came out in 2001. Dictionary app mac os x. Define Mac OS X. Mac OS X synonyms, Mac OS X pronunciation, Mac OS X translation, English dictionary definition of Mac OS X. Hyperfine structure. Mac OS X - definition of Mac OS X by The Free Dictionary. Thesaurus; Medical Dictionary; Legal Dictionary. Financial Dictionary; Acronyms; Idioms. Encyclopedia; Wikipedia. Sep 19, 2011 Download One World Dictionary for macOS 10.6 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. Multilingual Dictionaries for English to Spanish, French, German & Italian ☆ Free Version includes over 100,000 Translations, 1,000 Phrases & 5,000 Verb Conjugations ☆ Comprehensive Dictionaries, Phrase Books and Verb Conjugations available as in-app.
If youhave a little cash to splash on antivirus for your Mac, there are severalchoices. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac bothearned top scores from both labs. Only one lab recently evaluated Norton 360Deluxe (for Mac), but it took the maximum score. Bitdefender includes suchadvanced features as ransomware protection for your documents and backups.Kaspersky is a full suite, with components including parental control andnetwork protection. With Norton 360 you get five cross-platform licenses andfive no-limits VPN licenses. These three are our Editors' Choice products forMac antivirus.
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac Specs
Best Antivirus PicksFurther Reading
Utility • May 22, 2020
Remote working is on the increase, and if you are doing any work on a Mac without antivirus protection – your Mac computer is very vulnerable. And vulnerability might even lead to a bad experience while working from home.
Usually, companies take care of these things, but if you’re on your own now – there’s nothing to worry about. Since there is free antivirus software for Mac you can install right today, there’s no need to put yourself at risk.
If you’re believing in the myth that Mac computers don’t get infected with viruses – you’re putting your computer at a higher risk than you can imagine.
That’s why, in this post, you’ll not only find some of the best free Mac antivirus software we’ve reviewed – but you’ll also find the pros & cons of the free version and whether going for a premium antivirus version is really worth it.
Top free Mac Antivirus Software mentionedAvast Security for Mac (our #1 choice)
Avast is one of the most commonly used free antivirus software, for both Mac and Windows. The installation is fairly simple and once you download the Avast package, the download of the Avast Security will begin which is followed by the installation.
I was able to download it and get it installed in about 15 minutes. Upon the opening of the Avast, the automatic Smart scan starts (which can be skipped) and the free version protects your computer from the following threats:
As you probably know, that’s not everything Avast offers. Even as a free user, you can experience additional benefits that will keep you safe when you’re actually browsing the internet.
There’s a Core Shield addition which includes the following:
Review Of Free Antivirus Software For Mac Os
This means that you will be protected during scanning or opening of any files, as you browse the web, and even when you receive dangerous email attachments.
All of this is free, and there’s also a virus chest where you can find viruses that Avast detected. In there, it’s very simple to take action to delete and remove the virus or take any further actions such as adding a known virus by yourself.
I think that this is very useful for advanced users who might have experienced a rare type of virus and yet would like to let Avast know about it and stay prepared in the future.
And the last great feature of Avast Security is the Wi-Fi Inspector. Avast inspects the network you’re connected to, rates your computer security, and the router security. This is pretty useful to have when you’re using the public network and you don’t have the chance to protect yourself using the Virtual Private Network software (VPN).
Avast Security features a very simple & attractive interface which makes navigation easy even for people who had no prior experience with antivirus software. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of features in the free version which is just one of the reasons Avast Security is categorized as “Our Pick”.
But how about the Premium features? Would you need them and what do they even include?
Just like any free antivirus software, there’s always a premium version you can upgrade to.
In this case, Avast Security Premium offers the following:
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Do you really need the Premium version? I believe that about 75% of users will be fine with the free version of Avast Security. However, if you are an advanced user and you’d like to unlock all features and get the most advanced protection – it’s highly recommended.
But are you going to be fine with Avast Security free version? Absolutely – and that’s why Avast is the safest pick on our list.
Sophos Home (our #2 choice)
Sophos Home has a very simple interface. Or better yet – it doesn’t have a regular interface everyone’s used to.
Once you download and install Sophos Home antivirus, you’ll see it in Mac’s taskbar, just like Avast Antivirus. However, you can’t actually open the Sophos Home interface as there is no actual interface.
It’s a bit of a different approach, but it’s very simple to use. How do you find the needed information? It’s all stored in the cloud!
Oh yes, the good old cloud. For example, when I went to see my activity – I was directed to the Sophos Home cloud space where I could see full history, status, protection, web filtering, and privacy for the antivirus that’s installed on my Mac.
Even though you can’t check much directly on your computer – there are plenty of commands you can use to find exactly what you’re looking for. Browser history recovery software mac.
The free version of Sophos Home is full of features that protect your Mac from three main things:
Once you install Sophos Home, you will automatically get all features enabled, so you can truly test the premium features before you are back on the free version.
A free version is more than enough to keep you protected, however, there aren’t many free features and it’s pretty basic.
On the other hand, there are many premium features that can protect you from a lot of different threats and virus types – however, you will have to upgrade.
Therefore, I consider Sophos Home to be a bit more efficient if you upgrade, but if you’re looking for free antivirus software and you’re fine with the basic protection – Sophos is a good choice.
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac
Avira offers enough free features to keep your Mac protected at all times and I really like how it operates. It’s fairly convenient so once you set the schedule for your scans using the Scheduler feature, you can forget about it.
However, you’ll also stay protected in real-time. The interface is pretty simple and it’s very straightforward, so you won’t waste any time around Avira.
Avira is almost as lightweight as Malwarebytes and yet it offers plenty of free features that can sufficiently protect your Mac at all times.
What I liked the most is that they even have a free version of a mobile app to protect your iOS devices such as an iPhone or an iPad.
Using one account, you can keep an eye on as many devices as you have in one tab which is pretty useful.
AVG Antivirus FREE
I was positively surprised by the AVG’s simple design only to discover a lot of features behind it.
AVG AntiVirus FREE for Macacts both as a powerful virus cleaner but also as real-time anti-virus protection. I believe it’s mostly aimed for people who work on many devices as it offers 3-in-1 protection where you can connect and protect your Mac, Windows, and even smartphone (or a tablet).
Keeping an eye on all your devices regardless of their operating system is pretty neat inside the AVG antivirus software.
A free version is pretty lightweight even though it features plenty of features. One thing you should keep in mind is that it runs in the background, but I’ve rarely noticed any notifications so it’s not disturbing.
If you’re easily distracted during your work and you are all about minimalism – AVG antivirus FREE software might be a great choice.
Malwarebytes for Mac (Free Version)
Malwarebytes is one of the lightest antivirus software you can get for your Mac. It took me only a minute and a half to download it and install it.
The free version is pretty basic and the only thing you can expect is the removal of existing infections on your Mac.
The paid version offers a lot more features (most of the features you can see in other antivirus software).
I find this light yet efficient antivirus software to be great for checking your Mac thoroughly if you suspect that it has been infected. It’s also great to have it installed (even along with another antivirus software).
But you should understand that the free version is pretty limited and it can’t protect your laptop in real-time. However, as I’ve mentioned previously, it’s an ideal antivirus for checking up on your laptop’s health periodically.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac
Bitdefender Virus Scanner is our last recommendation in this post, but this doesn’t mean it’s the least secure one.
This antivirus software works by scanning the critical locations on Mac to find and eliminate viruses that are the most harmful.
It can also do a deep system scan where it scans the whole mac (which might take time!) and then it eliminates all threats it can find so your Mac is 100% clean.
You can also scan a custom location such as the most recently downloaded file to quickly scan new documents for viruses.
It has a very simple interface, it’s very easy to use, and its free version is pretty decent considering some other antivirus software that is all about making the users upgrade to the premium version.
You’ll probably have questions about…Are these free antivirus software safe to use?
Every one of this antivirus software comes from an established software company and almost all companies have been providing efficient antivirus protection for at least a decade now.
Therefore, just because they’re free – doesn’t mean that they’re not safe. Our picks are chosen from the list of only reputable and well-known antivirus software.
However, as you can see, all of them work in a different way and have different features – so you should still wisely choose your antivirus software, regardless of its cost.
Are free antiviruses for Mac good enough?
As you could’ve seen from the antivirus software featured in this review post – there are some pretty decent yet free options to protect your Mac.
For example, Malwarebytes antivirus software might not be good enough if you’re looking for software that will keep protecting your Mac in real-time in the background.
If that’s what you’re looking for, an antivirus software such as Avast Security will give you great coverage.
But if you would only like to periodically run a search for viruses – Malwarebytes, in fact, could be a great option.
Therefore, you should know your needs before determining whether each one of these might be a good choice for your needs.
If you’re really serious about keeping your Mac laptop when browsing the internet – Intego Mac Internet Security X9 might be a great choice. It’s a dedicated antivirus software app that will keep your Mac safe in real-time and even though it has a Premium version – the free version offers plenty of features to protect your Mac on its own.
Why most “free” antivirus software aren’t exactly free?
A great example of free antivirus software that isn’t exactly free is the Bitdefender. As you could’ve noticed, I’ve mentioned that this software is pretty basic, and yet it has plenty of premium features.
Some antivirus companies are dedicated to creating quality & useful versions of their software as both free & paid.
On the other hand, some antivirus software companies are focusing more on the premium version so as a free user – you might feel like you aren’t even able to experience 40% of the actual software.
And I understand that when the security is in question – there’s no room for you to compromise.
But does this mean that you simply shouldn’t stick with free antivirus software? Of course, not!
All you have to do is wisely review each one of this software, ensure you know what you would need from an antivirus software – and then find an option that will fit your needs.
Avast Security and Sophos Home are the top two antivirus software for this reason. They offer a very sufficient free version which won’t make all users feel like they need to upgrade to stay protected.
And as with any other antivirus software, including the ones from this article – all of them have pros & cons and it’s up to you to decide which pros & cons you will be okay with.
Should you consider upgrading to a Premium version?
Investing in security has never been a bad idea, and if your budget allows you – going for a premium version will definitely help you increase the level of your protection and have your Mac secured at all times.
Premium version of the antivirus software includes additional features that can keep you protected as you browse the internet, or even when you’re shopping online from not-very-known online stores.
I highly recommend going with a free version first, see how you like it, but also check out what the premium version offers. If you think you will be benefit form at least half of the premium features and your budget allows you to upgrade – you should definitely invest in the security of your Mac!
Conclusion
You are definitely able to protect yourself well using a free version of antivirus software and even though any of these are a great option – you should take your time to find out which one would fit your needs the most.
Remember, free antivirus software is a lot better than not having antivirus software at all! Going for a premium version of a software isn’t required but some antivirus software offers great deals and includes a bunch of additional features that will cover every type of a Mac user.
Free Antivirus For Mac Computers
Finally, if you are working remotely – by using an antivirus, you aren’t only protecting yourself, yet you’re also protecting everyone else you’re working with, whether you’re a part of the company or a team.
With that being said – I believe that our suggestions are more than enough to efficiently protect yourself. Stay safe!
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