Antivirus apps for Mac
Protect your Mac against all forms of malware
Reviewed by NICK PEERS
Group test
ON TEST…
> Avast One Silver
> Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
> Intego Internet Security X9
> Malwarebytes Premium Security
> Norton AntiVirus for Mac
> Trend Micro Antivirus
These days, every Mac needs antivirus
protection.
Despite the hardened security built into macOS itself, there are still opportunities for all kinds of malware, from traditional viruses and spyware to new threats like ransomware and so-called stealer malware. Macs have been particularly targeted by the latter, with Atomic Stealer and Poseidon Stealer both new threats designed to steal sensitive information such as passwords, login details and financial info.
You don’t need to pay for antivirus protection – there are several excellent free tools out there – but doing so provides you with a broader range of protections, such as anti-ransomware tools that take a proactive approach. These work by monitoring key folders and alerting you whenever an app tries to read or write data to them without your explicit say-so.
In this group test we’ve chosen six of the most wellknown tools available and put them through their paces to discover just how much protection they offer, how easy they are to use, and how effective they are at blocking malware.
How we tested
We evaluated each product’s security through a combination of reviewing lab testing from AV Labs and AV Comparatives along with our own malware tests to determine each product’s real-time protection and scanning capabilities.