Reviews Of Avast Antivirus For Mac

1. Avast Mac Security Free
2. Reviews Of Avast Antivirus For Mac
3. Avast Free Mac Security Review
4. How Good Is Avast Antivirus
5. Consumer Reviews Of Avast Antivirus Software

Even Macs need security.

AV Comparables says Avast detected 99.9 percent of macOS malware and 100 percent of Windows malware. In spot testing, the app did splendidly. In spot testing, the app did splendidly. Like Sophos and Avira, Avast offers full antivirus protection for free. Avast Security Pro (for Mac) costs $59.99 per year for one license or $69.99 for three.

While Apple Mac viruses and malware may not make the news as much as their Windows brethren, they exist, and their numbers are on the rise.

Just like with Windows PCs however, there are any number of options out there to choose from. But what is the best Mac antivirus available?

Don’t panic, we’ve done the hard work and the research and come up with three of the best, so you don’t need to.

But Macs don’t get viruses, right?

Mac operating systems are of course built with inherently better security than the Microsoft option, but the myth that Macs don’t get viruses is just that, a myth. Recent research by Malwarebytes showed that despite a smaller userbase than PCs, malware, ransomware, spyware and phishing attempts, collectively increased by 270 percent in 2017, alone.

Free versus paid for

So basically when it comes to security and peace of mind for your Apple Mac, you have two options; either free or paid for.

Free anti-virus software’s main advantage is just that, it’s free. And that can be a very enticing offer. On the plus side, you get security software that is free, and in many respects is just as good as it’s paid for siblings, at least when it comes to basic security.

On the downside, it does tend to come with advertising, and free versions are also quite often time-limited. There’s also the fact that with free antivirus, there’s a manual element involved. Generally, it’s up to you to remember to run a scan, and you don’t get all the comprehensive protection and added benefits that come with the premium options.

Avast Mac Security Free

If you are on an extremely limited budget, then a free antivirus is a better option than none at all. But, and it’s a pretty big but, the price for complete security and peace of mind, could cost you a lot less than you think.

Paid virus protection systems often include useful extras such as backup and recovery tools, useful if your Mac crashes, but they also invariably come with Mac unique performance enhancement utilities that ensure that your Mac runs as efficiently and optimally as well. There is also the advantage of high quality customer support and technical back-up, often lacking in free software versions.

One more thing before we go any further:

In real terms all of the below choices have scored very highly in independent 3rd party testing. In terms of protection and detecting threats, the difference between all of them in stopping malware dead is literally non-existent, or at least around the same difference as splitting hairs under a microscope. That means we’re not going to go into microscopic detail about all of it. But suffice to say, they are all:

1. Very good antivirus products
2. They will keep your Mac safe
3. They are all very good at what they do
4. They will all give you peace of mind.

Basically, just because you’re on a Mac doesn’t mean you aren’t spoiled for choice. So with that said, here’s what we consider to be……

The best antivirus for Mac as of July, 2018.

Sophos Home Premium

Best Value and Ease of Use for Home and Non-Commercial Use

Sophos Home Premium is a hecking good antivirus for Mac

✅ Great value
✅ Easy to use
✅ 24/7 email and chat support

???? Free version is limited

Sophos Home Premium is a highly recommended and well respected security option for Mac. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Sophos, initially at least, is that it’s free; kind of.

Basically, when you install Sophos you get the full premium version free for 30 days. After that 30-day period, while you’ll get to keep some of the features like real time anti-virus and parental web filtering…some of the premium options will no longer be available.

But that said, Sophos Home Premium does have it all going on, including some features you’d normally only find in separately bought software.

Now, yes, the free version does rate very highly, and is effective. It will keep viruses and malware off your Mac, but the premium version is worth considering. As well as excellent virus protection it also comes with ransomware monitoring, real-time cloud-based configuration protection, and a very modest but generous 10 licenses from only one subscription. Now, while that does bely the fact that this is anti-virus for domestic use, that’s not something to sniff at. Premium also offers that 24/7 email and chat support, which is nice.

Pricing – See latest offers

• A year’s subscription will set you back $40, or £32.

Norton Security Premium for Mac

Anti-Virus option for Mac you’re most likely to have heard of and can trust.

Norton Secure Premier is another strong contender for best Mac antivirus

✅ Quick and easy installation
✅ Great value when on sale
✅ 24/7 email and chat support

???? Most expensive option (when not on sale)

Norton is one of those names in the anti-virus market that has been around forever. It’s the kind of product that was targeting and killing viruses before the internet was really a thing. The company is also still going strong. The chances are also that if you’ve worked in an office at any point in the last 30 years, you’ll have seen Norton somewhere at the bottom of your desktop screen.

Norton Security Premium for Mac could be considered the gold standard for malware protection on Mac. Installation is quick, painless and straightforward. The interface is crisp clean and engenders trust. Don’t worry about the two Safari plugins it kind of insists you install at the same time: Safe Web keeps you safe from the dark side of the Web, and Identity Safe is one of the best password managers around. Both are the kind of software you would expect to see being packaged up and sold as separate products, so to see them here is nice.

As well as this Norton is mostly unobtrusive, and always on protection does come as default always-on. It does scan quicker than Sophos did, but has pretty much the same hit rate when it comes to malware scanning.

A subscription to Norton also Includes 25 GB of secure PC cloud backup, providing additional protection against ransomware, and has great protection for keeping your kids safe on the internet as well. One subscription also gives you the same option to protect up to 10 PCs, Macs, Androids and iOS devices with a single subscription, which is nice, because most households tend to have more than one device.

Pricing – See latest offers

• Usually a year’s subscription would cost you £79.99, but at the time of writing has a 50% offer making it £39.99

Kaspersky Internet Security.

Easiest on system resources and the best one for conspiracy theorists who don’t want anyone tracking them, and just want an antivirus solution without all the bells and whistles…

The Kaspersky Labs option is all about efficiency. Nice , if you like that sort of thing

✅ Low system impact
✅ Stops browser activity tracking
✅ Advanced features

???? Expensive to cover multiple devices

Kaspersky is another one of those names synonymous with Antivirus protection. Don’t be put off by the fact the company is currently having issues with the US government. That’s all mostly to do with politics, and the fact the company is Russian. Seriously, don’t worry about it, it’s fine.

Kaspersky’s major offering above the other two above, is that it has the lowest impact on system resources, and if we had to split atoms, higher malware-detection rates than the other two, if only by micro-millimeters. As you would expect, it has parental controls and also a really nice feature that locks down webcams. (This is a good thing! Don’t believe us, read this article here.)

Kaspersky is also brilliant at stopping websites from tracking browsing activity.

Kaspersky Internet Security can be somewhat troublesome to install if you don’t have much software installation experience. You need to make sure you have the version that works with your version of MacOS, and that’s somewhat disappointing. Both Sophos and Norton do this for you, and in 2018, you’d expect Kaspersky would have automated the process. That said, once you’re past that hurdle, installation and using Kaspersky is a straightforward affair.

As with the others above, it offers protection to keep your financial transaction safe, and helps keep your private life private. Malware detection rates are again very high.

The biggest downside to Kaspersky is its pricing structure – the more devices you want to protect, the more expensive it becomes. When you consider that both Norton and Sophos cover up to 10 devices for one flat rate, it is disappointing.

Pricing – See latest offers

• A 1 year license for 1 device will set you back £39.99.

Conclusions

All three of the above, Sophos, Norton, and Kaspersky are all excellent antivirus packages. Any one of them will keep you and your family safe online. Support for all of them is also excellent. But that said, if we had to choose, we would go with Sophos. Sophos just seems to be the perfect overall package.

And it’s not like you are limited to just these three. Antivirus and malware protection are as much a personal choice as anythng else. So if none of the above tickle your fancy or you’re after something a little bit different, why not check out all the antivirus solutions on FileHippo.com.

Avira Free Mac Security

• Pros

  Certified by AV-Comparatives, with top scores. Full scan ran quickly in our testing. Cleaned most Windows malware in hands-on tests. Free.

• Cons

  Protection against malicious and fraudulent URLs requires separate download. Poor score in antiphishing test.

• Bottom Line

  Avira Free Antivirus for Mac costs nothing, and one lab certifies its macOS protection, but it's not the best free Mac antivirus we've tested.

Though some Mac enthusiasts might argue the contrary, Macs aren't invulnerable. You need antivirus protection on your macOS devices. Sure, Windows and Android are much more popular targets, but Apple machines get hit with malware too, including nasty variants like ransomware. If you don't care to pay for antivirus protection on your Mac, consider Avira Free Antivirus for Mac. It doesn't cost a penny, and it did well in tests by the independent labs.

When you launch Avira's installer, it goes online to get the latest code and malware signatures. The main window features a simple menu down the left, most of which echoes the similar menu in Avira Antivirus and Avira Antivirus Pro. The rest of the window has plenty of whitespace around three main components: a round icon that reflects your security status, a big button to run a full or quick scan, and a drag/drop target so you can quickly scan specific files or folders.

Scanning and Scheduling

On the Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch I use for testing, the quick scan took just a bit over a minute, and the full scan took 25 minutes. That's almost precisely the average among current products for a full scan.

Scheduled scanning is enabled by default, once per week. You can add more scheduled quick or full scans, on a daily or weekly basis.

Clicking Modules in the left-side menu displays the status of four security modules: Real-Time Protection, Protection Cloud, Firewall, and USB Scanner (the last is reserved for the Pro edition of this product). Seeing the label Firewall, you might get the impression that Avira includes a firewall component, like Intego, McAfee, and Norton. However, this component simply controls the built-in macOS firewall component.

Pricing and OS Support

There's a big range of prices for Mac-based antivirus support. At the high end, Intego lists at $99.99 per year to protect three Macs, and Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) asks $89.99 per year for five cross-platform licenses. Granted, these two are security suites, going beyond what a simple antivirus utility offers.

The most common pricing plan among products we've reviewed is $39.99 per year for one license and $59.99 for three. How to deactivate htttps on the avast for the mac. As for Avira, you don't pay a thing. Like Sophos Home (for Mac), it's totally free.

You do need a modern operating system to use this antivirus. Avira requires macOS El Capitan (10.11) or better. If you're using an old operating system, you may need to consider a different Mac antivirus. Sophos support runs back to Mountain Lion (10.8), Webroot works on Lion (10.7) or better, and ESET Cyber Security (for Mac) goes all the way back to Snow Leopard (10.6).

Good Malware Protection Lab Scores

When evaluating Windows antivirus utilities for malware protection, I use a wide range of tests that I've developed over the years. I don't have anything similar in hand for the macOS platform, as my many hand-coded testing tools are Windows-only. For Mac antivirus, I necessarily rely more heavily on the independent testing labs to know which products are effective. Fortunately, most of them do just fine.

Reviews Of Avast Antivirus For Mac

Two of the independent antivirus testing labs I follow include macOS products in their testing, and both have Avira on their test roster. AV-Comparatives certifies Avira for malware protection, with the best possible scores. It achieved 100 percent protection against Mac-centric malware (to be fair, most of the products in this test reached 100 percent).

The experts at AV-Test Institute rate antivirus utilities, both for Windows and macOS, on three criteria: how well they protect against malware, how little they impact performance, and how carefully they avoid flagging valid programs as malicious. With six points available in each category, the maximum score is 18. Avira earned 5.5, 5.0, and 6.0 points in the three criteria respectively, for a total of 16.5 points. Others have done better. Bitdefender, Intego Mac Internet Security X9, and Trend Micro all earned a perfect 18 from AV-Test, as well as 100 percent from AV-Comparatives.

Windows malware can't infect Macs, but the Mac could act as a carrier, so AV-Comparatives also checks for detection of Windows-focused malware. Avira also managed 100 percent in this test, as did Avast, Bitdefender, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, and Trend Micro.

You may notice that there aren't any results in the table for Sophos, ESET, McAfee, and a few others. These products all earned high marks in past test reports, but the labs vary their product selection, and the latest reports didn't include them.

When I challenged Avira to clean up a USB drive containing the samples from my own Windows-centered testing, it finished quickly, eliminating 82 percent of the samples. That's better than most of the products I've tested in this way, though Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac) caught 86 percent and Sophos managed 100 percent. In addition, Sophos jumped right in to scan the USB drive, without waiting for me to request a scan.

Protection Against Phishing and Malicious URLs

Phishing URLs are frauds that attempt to steal your login credentials by imitating sensitive websites. Phishing is a platform-agnostic crime—you can fall victim to fraud using absolutely any device that has a browser. That includes your Mac. Preventing access to such URLs, or to URLs containing malicious code, can be the first line of defense for an antivirus tool, whether it's Mac or Windows antivirus.

Avira Free Antivirus does not in itself protect against malicious or fraudulent URLs, but it does give users easy access to Avira's Browser Safety extensions for Chrome and Firefox. I installed the Chrome extension and proceeded to test Avira's browser-based protection.

For this test, I gather the newest phishing URLs I can find, especially ones that haven't yet been analyzed and blacklisted. I use one of my hand-coded tools to launch each URL and record results in three browsers, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, each protected by the browser's own built-in protection. As for the Mac product, my analysis tool works strictly on Windows, so I test by hand on the Mac. I ran this test simultaneously with my test of Avira Antivirus and Avira Antivirus Pro on Windows.

For testing purposes, I discard any URL that causes an error message in any of the browsers, and any URL that doesn't actively attempt to capture login credentials. Analyzing the remaining URLs, the undeniable phishing URLs, I found that Avira's detection rate came at 66 percent, as it did under Windows. That makes sense; the Chrome plug-in that handles phishing protection isn't platform-specific.

That 66 percent score is better than the 47 percent Avira earned last time I put it to the test. However, it's in the bottom half for macOS antivirus utilities that include phishing protection. McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) recently managed 100 percent protection in this test.

Avast Cleanup and CCleaner are two of the most complete solutions on the market, both of them delivering fast scans, safe repairs and extra tools for a complete computer tune-up. Customer Support Avast Cleanup Premium CCleaner 24/7 Email Live Chat On Call Remote Desktop Community Twitter Facebook Avast Cleanup Avast first became popular because of its antivirus software, but nowadays the company delivers so much more than just that and now has its own VPN, secure browser and registry cleaner. Scanning is fast and doesn’t have a significant impact on the computer’s processor, though unfortunately there is no function for altering any search patterns or choosing a specific area to aim at. Each of them provides their own settings and features and users have no limitations on their use, which allow them to put programs to sleep, manage browser data and more. Is its registry cleaner and the program’s several tools are divided into four areas: Maintenance, Speed Up, Free Up Space and Fix Problems.

Avast Free Mac Security Review

On the plus side, Browser Safety marks up unsafe links in search results, so you can avoid clicking them. It doesn't offer the detailed analysis that you get from Norton, but then, most of the time you don't need to see those details.

Should You Go Pro?

At the bottom 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 the Pro edition. These include scanning USB devices, protecting emails, and full-scale phone support, along with more nebulous benefits such as 'award-winning shields against dangerous threats' and protection enhancement using 'smart learning algorithms.'

As with the free and Pro editions on Windows, perhaps even more so, the added benefits don't seem to merit the price. The free edition's real-time protection scans a file that enters your Mac via USB either when it's copied to the local drive or when it executes. Likewise, when you save or launch a malicious email attachment, real-time protection jumps into the fray. Personal tech support 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 edition separately.

How Good Is Avast Antivirus

Free and Simple

Having heard for years that Macs don't get malware, Mac users may find paying money for antivirus protection hard to justify. It's a false assumption—macOS malware exists—but that still doesn't mean that you must pay. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac does a decent job, and it doesn't cost a dime.

But you should also look at Sophos Home (for Mac). Like Avira, Sophos has certification from two independent labs. It wiped out all our Windows malware samples, beating out even its paid competitors. And in our antiphishing test it does much better than Avira.

If you have a little cash to splash on antivirus for your Mac, take a look at Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac. Both received certification from both labs, Bitdefender with all perfect scores and Kaspersky with near-perfect scores. Bitdefender includes such advanced features as ransomware protection for your documents and backups. Kaspersky is a full suite, with components including parental control and network protection. These two are our Editors' Choice products for Mac antivirus.

Consumer Reviews Of Avast Antivirus Software

Avira Free Antivirus for Mac

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.