Fortunately, there are many fantastic anti-malware platforms designed to give your Mac a booster shot against the latest viruses, adware, and ransomware,. Many of them are made by the same companies that produce the solutions. The best free antivirus for Mac Avast Security for Mac Avast Security for Mac is one of the most popular security suites available, and it’s easy to see why. It’s effective and free for non-commercial use, providing on-demand tools for quickly performing full-system malware scans, as well as sifting through specific email threads, attachments, and various web activities like web pages, downloads, and JavaScripts. Furthermore, it offers drag-and-drop scanning for individual files and phishing protection, along with the ability to scan external drives and attached volumes for potential infections. You can also initiate scans for connected devices like external hard drives. The application’s interface is straightforward and self-explanatory, and features a navigational pane on the left that consists of five primary buttons and a real-time graph that aggregates shield activity and allows users to quickly check the overall stats of their computer. The free version also offers to install two other programs during installation: Avast Internet Security ($30 per year) and Avast SecureLine VPN ($60 per year).
Download Malwarebytes for Mac (the free version) and you get a 14-day trial of the premium version with automatic (real-time) virus and malware protection. After 14 days, your trial reverts to a limited disinfection scanner. Buy the premium version now to prevent infection in the first place.
Neither are necessary for detecting and removing malware, however, so pay attention during installation if you don’t want them. Download it: The rest Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac Windows users have long turned to Malwarebytes’ free version, affectionately known as MBAM, as a backup for always-on malware software. The Mac Malwarebytes version started as an adware removal tool, but as of today, it’s also a full-fledged tool for protecting your machine against other forms of malware. Plus, it’s just as effective in MacOS as it is in Windows, a fact that’s aided by the Malwarebytes team’s constant research on current threats — the company identified the in 2017.
Using the program couldn’t be easier. Just launch it, hit scan, and the software will quickly let you know if you’re infected with any Mac-specific malware — oftentimes. Like the Windows iteration of the free version, though, this is not an always-on solution and is thus more suited for performing deep scans and ridding yourself of particularly pernicious MacOS. There are scheduling and proactive blocks, but these features expire after two weeks if you are using the free version. To get live protection you’d need to pay for the premium version, which starts at $40 for a year.
Download it: Sophos Antivirus Mac Home Edition Straddling the line somewhere between necessity and excess, Sophos offers all the basic utilities you’ve come to expect from quality antivirus software, and a whole lot more. It has custom, on-demand, and scheduled scans for specified files, folders, and drives, along with additional tools for deleting and quarantining any software Sophos deems a potential threat. The software even incorporates real-time protection features that will quarantine unknown files that are exhibiting suspicious behavior. Although the program has a tendency to scan slower than most, it’s fairly lightweight and non-obtrusively performs vital background tasks while barely leeching or exhausting your system’s resources. Despite its robust feature set, Sophos manages to cram all this functionality into a compact interface. Initiating a full-system scan can be done directly from the top of the main menu, and you can configure exemptions quickly from easily navigable menus. The malware definitions also are constantly being updated, ensuring the program is never without the latest knowledge of potential threats.
It’s one of the most hands-off antivirus programs on the market, and as such, sits among the best. Download it: Bitdefender Virus Scanner Built upon Bitdefender’s award-winning antivirus engine, Bitdefender Virus Scanner features a host of scan options, allowing you to quickly perform deep scans of your entire system, or those targeting specific locations. If you grant it access, the streamlined program even provides an option for scanning critical locations — such as your Mac’s launch agents and the entirety of your system library — thus allowing you to bypass lengthier scans when pressed for time.
Moreover, it automatically updates with Bitdefender’s hourly malware definitions prior to scanning, while providing a quick means for blacklisting specific locations from system scans. Bitdefender Virus Scanner automatically tries to disinfect and quarantine suspicious files it comes across, and though the feature is not unique to Bitdefender’s offering, the software can also quickly search for malware within various archives and file types (PDF, PKG, ZIP, RAR, etc.). From the homescreen, you can choose four different scanning options, in addition to an update button and a “view quarantine” button. It’s all very easy to understand and use. Download it: Avira Free Antivirus for Mac Avira strikes a nice balance between ease of use and quick access to advanced utilities, ultimately rendering basic system scans just as simple to execute as those that are scheduled and file-specific. The software is equipped with standard spyware and adware protection, along with the ability to intercept harmful websites and block tracking. If the software finds an infected file or folder, it can repair/delete the problem so you don’t have to worry about it again.
Unlike most of the software in our roundup, Avira is coupled with a moderately lengthy installation and an update process that goes hand in hand with the software’s heavy use of system resources. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker when you consider the nonexistent price tag and its thorough antivirus engine, but it’s an unfortunate downside. Avira’s full-feature interface uses a left-hand navigational bar for viewing the status of your system, scheduling tasks, and viewing past quarantine history, among other options. Virus definitions are updated in a timely fashion, too, regardless of how long the initial updates might take to finish. It’s resource heavy, but capable enough if you’re looking for automation, scan history, and other advanced features.
Yes, Macs can get malware. Beyond traditional viruses, worms, and Trojans, that bombard you with ads and spy on your web browsing, just like on Windows. Macs do have some integrated protection against malware, but it isn’t perfect. Crucially, that protection against malware doesn’t block all the adware and spyware bundled with application downloads. Use Malwarebytes for Mac RELATED: Malwarebytes makes well-regarded security utilities for Windows.
Malwarebytes originally expanded into the Mac security software arena by purchasing and rebranding a popular application named “Adware Medic” that we and others have used successfully in the past. There are now two versions of, a free version and a premium version. The standard scanner that checks for malware on your system and removes it is free. Anyone can manually initiate a scan and remove malware with Malwarebytes for Mac without spending a penny. The Malwarebytes Premium features that will monitor your Mac for malware and spyware, prevent infections before they occur, and automatically download updates do cost money, but Malwarebytes does provide a 30-day free trial. If you want to remove malware, spyware, and other garbage software from your Mac, we recommend you download and run Malwarebyes.
The free version is fine if you just want to check for and remove malware. If you want something that runs in the background, automatically scans your downloads, and monitors your system, you’ll want the paid version. We’ve been happy with Malwarebytes on Windows for years and recommend it, and the Mac version also seems solid. We recommended it back when it was just an “Adware Medic” tool that could only manually scan your system for malware, and we’re happy the automatic protection features are now available for people who want them. How to Avoid Malware on a Mac RELATED: Yes, obnoxious junk software is still a problem on a Mac. Macs do have an anti-malware feature known as, but it only blocks a handful of the most nasty pieces of malware after they’ve become widespread.
It won’t necessarily block anything new, and it won’t stand in the way of all the adware and spyware out there. You need to follow good online safety practices to, just like you do on a Windows PC. Much of the nastiest adware arrives the same way it does on Windows, via junkware-packed installers from application-downloading sites like download.com or via shady advertisements that push you to an unofficial, tainted installer. Get your applications from the Mac App Store or the developer’s website. Avoid running unsigned software—that means only allowing apps downloaded from the.
Unlike on Windows, there’s no Add/Remove programs window where you can go to see what’s installed and quickly uninstall it on a Mac. On Windows, most of the “legal” crapware allows you to uninstall it from here.
On a Mac, it can be tough to know how to uninstall this junk. Malwarebytes should be able to find and uninstall this junkware automatically, which is why it’s so useful. What About Full Mac Antivirus Programs? Quite a few antivirus companies are now also creating (and selling) full antivirus programs for macOS. These applications are similar to their Windows equivalents, featuring full background-scanning of all the applications you run and files you access as well as other features.
Malwarebytes Premium for Mac now functions in this way, too. We’ll be honest here—we’re not completely sure what to recommend if you’re looking for a more traditional antivirus program. There haven’t been as many tests that compare Mac antivirus software as there have for Windows antivirus software. Malwarebytes for Mac is a great quick removal tool and now offers automatic scanning features if you want them. It will remove most of the obnoxious software out there, which makes it our main pick. On Windows, most of the antivirus programs won’t even remove this obnoxious adware and spyware (called ), so we’re not even sure a full antivirus would even be as good as Malwarebytes at battling the most entry points.
If you do stick to the Mac App Store and keep your software updated, you’re probably fine. On the other hand, if you download a lot of software from the web and potentially even bypass your Mac’s protections to install unsigned applications from unknown developers, an antivirus with full background scanning might be a better idea. However, like on a Windows PC, an antivirus that’s always scanning in the background can make your Mac a bit slower and drain battery life.
We recommend as the top free antivirus for Mac. Gave it good grades and it doesn’t try to install any additional software on your PC. It just requires you create a free Sophos account before you can download it. Give it a try if you’re looking for a free, full-featured antivirus with on-demand scanning. If your Mac is already infected, this application can perform a full system-scan for malware, just as they can on Windows. “Macs don’t get malware” and “you don’t need antivirus on a Mac” are old pieces of advice that aren’t necessarily true anymore.
Macs are vulnerable to malware. For example, the Flashback Trojan at one point infected around the world. Macs also now have a problem with adware and other junkware provided in software installers, just as Windows does. Is a solid tool in any Mac user’s toolkit. Full antivirus applications aren’t necessarily as mandatory as they are on Windows yet, but you might want them if you download a lot of applications from the web and are particularly worried.