Antivirus software for Macs is a topic of ongoing discussion. If you’re still wondering if you should set up an antivirus application on your Mac, the answer is definitely yes. Despite the fact that Macs are less susceptible to infection than PCs, it’s still wise to take precautions.
It’s not necessary to use an excessive amount of antivirus software. In reality, you have a lot of free alternatives to think about. Here are some of the top free antivirus programs for Mac; don’t worry, there are no gimmicks included!
1. AVG Antivirus
The free security offered by AVG is strong enough to guard your Mac against malware and keep you safe online. Additionally, it can stop you from obtaining and spreading any PC or Android viruses. You’ll always have the best security thanks to AVG’s automatic updating of its virus database.
Nevertheless, you won’t need to open AVG every day. It quietly blocks threats like malicious emails, websites, and downloads by operating in the background.
The free version of AVG does not include any parental controls or webcam blockers. For minimal security requirements, it only provides scanning and detection features, which are adequate. Unfortunately, the full system scan slows down your computer, and you can anticipate it to finish in a few minutes (or hours).
2. Intego
My favorite Mac antivirus in 2022 is Intego since it is really simple to use, has excellent malware detection rates, and a variety of helpful features that go above and beyond Apple’s built-in protection.
Intego offers a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, albeit it is not entirely free. You have plenty of time to test out Intego and decide whether it’s the right option for you thanks to this.
Intego features a great firewall that automatically adjusts security settings depending on whether you’re using your home network, business network, or a public Wi-Fi, in addition to identifying both Windows- and Mac-specific malware files throughout all of our testing. Your constant online safety is ensured by this, which is a significant improvement over the built-in firewall on Macs.
A excellent system optimizer is also included with Intego. It assists you in organizing all of the data and programs you have on your Mac by locating and removing outdated, unnecessary, or duplicate files.
A customized backup tool is also available, allowing you to plan when to back up certain files and folders. However, my favorite aspect of this function is that it allows you to save your whole system, including your version of macOS.
Parents may also be pleased to learn that Intego has thorough parental controls. The parental controls include anti-predator alarms, keystroke monitoring, and thorough activity reports in addition to banning harmful material.
Despite the lack of a mobile app from Intego, you may check for viruses and other internet risks by connecting your iOS device to your PC.
3. Avast Security
Any Mac user may benefit greatly from using Avast Security for free. It has a ton of features that actively guard against harmful ransomware, viruses, and spyware that jeopardize the security of your Mac.
Avast Security will alert you while you’re surfing if you come across a potentially harmful website and will also block any web trackers. Additionally, Avast guards against phishing emails and notifies you if your Wi-Fi connection has any security flaws.
Since Avast Security is entirely free on its own, it reserves some additional features, like Wi-Fi intruder alerts and live ransomware shield support, for the paid Premium plan. Simply use caution while installing the free plan. During installation, Avast will attempt to include certain expensive add-on features that you most likely don’t want.
4. Malwarebytes
Good malware detection and removal capabilities are included with Malwarebytes for Mac (Free). Users have a variety of scan types to choose from, including “Threat Scan” and “Custom Scan”. While the Custom Scan can be tailored to only scan a single specific folder or your entire disk drive, the Threat Scan will look for Mac-specific malware in the places where it typically hides.
Malwarebytes successfully identified 90% of the malware on my disk during my testing, even the extremely evasive rootkits. If you have malware on your device and need to quickly clean up your Mac computer, Malwarebytes is a good choice. Malwarebytes’s free plan does not, however, include any other features besides the scanner.
Additionally available for download is Malwarebytes’ free Browser Guard extension, which shields users’ browsers from trackers, ads, and malicious websites. Although Safari is not supported, the extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
5. Bitdefender Virus Scanner
Despite not having many bells and whistles, Bitdefender Virus Scanner is a good free antivirus application for Mac. This antivirus is very good at scanning certain files or applications. You may also exclude files, which speeds up the scanning process. Additionally, Bitdefender will isolate or eliminate any threats it discovers.
Because Bitdefender doesn’t run in the background, you must actively request scans from the application. Thankfully, malware signatures are routinely updated every hour to guarantee you have the most recent defense.
The sole drawback of Bitdefender is the absence of online Mac security capabilities. You could instead look at more comprehensive antivirus software for defense against risky websites and difficult phishing emails.
