There are so many Mac antivirus vendors that it's sometimes difficult to know who to trust. Here is our new comparison to find out which is the best antivirus for your computer running macOS in 2024. We have tested the major players in cybersecurity.
Before starting this comparison, we need to answer a question: why should you install an antivirus on your Mac? Indeed, if we refer to Apple's promotional campaigns, its computers are so secure that we would come to wonder if an additional level of protection is necessary.
Between disk encryption, the T2 chip which encrypts sensitive data, the microphone which cuts off when you close the screen or the Locate application, it is true that the security guarantees provided by the Apple firm are numerous . That said, a good antivirus for Mac can keep you out of trouble.Apple's VP of engineering, Craig Federighi, himself admitted that Apple computers are susceptible to viruses(unlike iPhones).
Number 1 on Mac
Detects all threats
Little impact on performance
Offer :60% off
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1
World No. 1(500 million customers)
Detects viruses, malware, phishing
The fastest on the market
Special offer:50% off
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2
Easy to use antivirus
100% virus protection
Protection Dark Web
Offer :-80% and 3 devices
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3
Like any operating system, macOS is not inviolable: we can no longer count the mishaps of distracted or unlucky Internet users finding themselves faced with ransomware or whose Mac is infected by cryptocurrency mining software, causing it to slow down. drastically. Whereas with the best antivirus as in our comparison, the risks of encountering such an incident are greatly reduced.
Who needs antivirus for their Mac?
Among the targets who need an antivirus for Mac like those in our comparison, we find above all movie buffs and series fans who download content that usually requires payment. Whether using torrent software (P2P) or simply via an unscrupulous cloud service, the dangers are the same: accidentally downloading a Trojan horse that takes over the Mac in the background, and ultimately losing control over your own files and folders.
© Pexels.com / freestocks.org
That said, they are not the only ones to be victims of hacking. Indeed, having the best antivirus allows anyone to protect themselves during random and classic browsing on the internet. All it takes is for a site (or an email) to make you download a file for your Mac to be infected by a virus. Even the most seasoned cybersecurity users can fall for this trick. You must therefore protect yourself quickly and well.
1) Intego: the best choice of antivirus
Let’s start the comparison of the best antiviruses for Mac with… Intego. Intego is a French company specializing in cybersecurity which has conquered the whole world with its antivirus. Founded in 1997, the cybersecurity group specialized in Mac. He therefore thought about a native antivirus for Apple's operating system and its effectiveness was recognized by all industry experts. Today, more than 40 million people trust it every day.
You have two options: either you take the antivirus alone which will cost you 19.99 euros per year and which includes a firewall; either you take the Mac Premium Bundle security suite which includes all the software published by Intego. There is not only antivirus and firewall, but also a hard drive cleaning tool, cloud backup and a parental control interface. The price is attractive: 29.99 euros per year.
In both cases, you have the same version of the antivirus and you have a 30-day “satisfied or refunded” guarantee. This allows you to enjoy all of Intego's software for a month without having to worry about its effectiveness. It's a good way to take no risks and discover the effectiveness and discretion of the software. No more anxiety-provoking popups from traditional antiviruses, no more slowing down your machine, Intego hides very well and serves as a shield against attacks on Mac. You canlearn more here with our Intego test.
2) Bitdefender: a very good compromise
If you ask around you, among the experts in comparisons ofWhat to Chooseor in the press, you will see that many praise the Bitdefender antivirus, compatible with macOS, iOS, Android and Windows. If you want to protect several devices at the same time, this is a very good choice. If it is one of the antiviruses which has the best malware detection rate on the market, we must not forget that its developer - born in 2001 - is not originally specialized in Macs.
Bitdefender antivirus for Mac costs 19.99 euros per year to cover a device for twelve months. It's a good way to protect your machine with one of the most powerful and well-known tools. No less than 500 million machines worldwide are equipped with Bitdefender.
In addition to its basic antivirus, Bitdefender also has a complete security solution – which allows you to cover 5 devices in parallel (regardless of the OS). BaptizedTotal Security, it allows you to avoid all types of risks that could endanger your data and your Mac. It currently costs 42.49 euros per year and offers an even more advanced level of security. It adds additional features such as a tool that allows you to clean your Mac's hard drive and gain speed.
© Bitdefender
3) Norton Antivirus
Norton's Mac antiviruses, number 3 in our comparison, are offered in 4 different subscriptions. The first is the antivirus alone which is integrated into a formula called Norton AntiVirus Plus. We have a special offer for our readers: it will cost only 14.99 euros for the first year (instead of 19.99 euros) and it includes 3 devices (compared to 1 normally).
Then, you have three plans under the “Norton 360” brand: Norton 360 Standard, costs 29.99 euros per year and above all allows you to have an additional VPN. That said, Norton's VPN is not the most effective and it will be better to turn to a pure-player ofVPNasExpressVPN. With the AntiVirus Plus offer, it is better to choose the latter rather than Norton 360 Standard.
Among the 360 offerings, the most popular is Norton 360 Deluxe. It allows you to cover 5 devices in parallel (all OS combined) with its antivirus, it has a VPN, a tool to see if your data is on the Dark Web and a parental control interface. Above all, it should be noted that Norton is the only player in the industry to offer a guarantee against viruses: if it is not able to eradicate them, it will reimburse you. This is a strong promise that you don't see anywhere else.
© Norton
4) McAfee, le roi du marketing
Who remembers the famous advertising campaigns of John McAfee, creator of the eponymous antiviruses sold as the best on the market a few years ago? Available for Mac, this software sold for 39.95 euros allows you to equip up to 10 devices in your home, the price changing to almost one hundred euros from the second year. This antivirus for Mac protects against both spyware and ransomware while preserving the confidentiality of its users as much as possible, and has already won over millions of customers all over the world, which justifies its place at number three in our comparison .
McAfee Total Protection antivirus for Mac can also protect tablets and smartphones running iO. In the same way, the latest devices are iPadOS are also compatible thanks to an edition of McAfee for the App Store: enough to ensure a complete Pommé ecosystem in one go, where all the other antiviruses for Mac in our comparison n are not necessarily capable of it.
© McAffee
5) Malwarebytes pour Mac
Among all the antiviruses for Mac in our comparison, one of the good examples is also Malwarebytes which, as it indicates, specializes in searching for malware on macOS. Its cyber protection also serves as an ad blocker, while its publisher highlights its speed of execution: it only takes fifteen seconds to scan a Mac and protect it. The free version of Malwarebytes for Mac can clean infected Macs, but the majority of its security features expire after a fourteen-day trial.
6) Avast: the most famous antivirus
We couldn't write this comparison of the best antiviruses for Mac without talking about the giant Avast. Indeed, although it is not the most effective either and has been criticized for reselling private information to GAFAM, this program is known for its free trial version which is installed on many computers. On macOS, six services are now offered. We remind you that Avast is a brand of the Gen Digital group, which itself owns brands like Norton, AVG or Avira.
At Avast, you have two plans: one is free and the other is paid. Avast One Essential is free while Avast One Individual is paid. Although the antivirus is the same on both plans, you are however entitled to more features on the paid version. It includes a limited VPN, a tool to block ad tracking, a tool for monitoring your accounts (on the Dark Web) and a tool for cleaning your hard drives. In terms of value for money, it's worth it.
© Avast
7) Avira, another alternative
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac is a good free alternative to Avast – even though they belong to the same Gen Digital group. Renowned for being ultra-light and not slowing down the computer under macOS, this solution which comes in 7th place in our comparison and recognizable by its red and white logo in the shape of an umbrella and also ensures that it detects 100% of viruses. If necessary, a version for Windows, one for Android and one for iOS are also available.
Avira antivirus for Mac has the advantage of being able to run in the background to automatically update its database (like most antiviruses do). There are also 3 paid versions: Aviras Antivirus Pro costs 34.99 euros for the first year, one of the best prices in our comparison, compared to 59.95 euros for Phantom VPN Pro (no, nothing to do with the DJI drone) and 99.95 euros for Prime, which brings together all of Avira’s offers.
8) AVG: its strengths and weaknesses
Relatively expensive, AVG Internet Security for Mac is an antivirus priced at 54.99 euros per year, but offers one of the best trial periods in our comparison since it lasts 60 days. It also belongs to Gen Digital. This application knows how to secure online transactions, protect files from hackers and act as a shield for your network by analyzing its weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Please note that there is also a free version, but which unfortunately does not offer an anti-phishing barrier.
With this, the AVG Internet Security antivirus for Mac which is in 10th place in our comparison also offers better peace of mind on a daily basis when reading your emails, thanks to malware detection from email attachments. And if the classic formula is not enough for you, you can, by paying 89.99 euros per year, also equip devices running Windows, Android and iOS.
9) F-Secure Safe, a complete antivirus for macOS
Specializing in cybersecurity and launched in 1988, the company F-Secure has since enjoyed success as it is now listed on the stock exchange in Northern Europe, with its headquarters located in Finland. The firm also sells its antivirus for Mac, which therefore concludes the list of our comparison. It costs from just 3.99 euros to receive simple alerts in the event of credential theft, to nearly 120 euros per year to completely protect seven devices for a year.
F-Secure's antivirus for Mac is not considered the best in our comparison, but it has a thirty-day freemium mode covering five devices, which is not insignificant. The only downside: computers running a version prior to macOS 10.13 High Sierra will not be compatible with this antivirus for Mac. You will therefore have to turn to another solution from our comparison if this is your case.
© F-Secure
Bonus : CleanMyMac (ou Intego)
Before investing in an antivirus for Mac by choosing one of the best options from our comparison above, it is wise to clean the contents of your hard drive. Understand that a virus may already be hiding among all the files and applications you have downloaded before. Furthermore, a lot of unnecessary data is stored in macOS memory, which risks slowing down the computer without it even having been infected by software.
To do this, you can useCleanMyMac, our complete test of which can be found at this address. This equivalent to CCleaner, which is unfortunately not available on Mac, will also identify threats and unused documents, in order to optimize the performance of your machine in a few minutes. Additionally, there is also a free version. In short, a very useful tool to have if you own an Apple computer.
© iPhon.fr
For those who don't have 39.99 euros to spend per year, there is an alternative to CleanMyMac which is very successful at the moment. This is the Washing Machine software from the publisher Intego, itself the best antivirus in our opinion. Indeed, this software allows you to clean and speed up a Mac in just a few clicks. It is not sold in the form of an annual license: it costs 19.99 euros (instead of 49.99 euros) and that's it.
For less than 20 euros, you can access this software which can easily speed up your Mac by 30 to 50%. This is a special offer which is not intended to last over time. In addition, Intego offers a 30-day “satisfied or refunded” period, which gives you additional security. But clearly, at this price, you won't be disappointed.
Conclusion: which antivirus in 2024?
So, in summary, what is the best antivirus for Mac in our comparison? The answer is not so simple. In terms of efficiency, everything suggests that Intego and Bitdefender win hands down. The first, which was designed solely for macOS users, gives it a real edge. If it is a real asset, it also has a limit: it is not compatible on other media. That said, if you want to protect yourself, he's the one you should choose.
If you need an antivirus compatible on all OS, then you can turn to Bitdefender, Kaspersky or McAfee, which also have serious experience when it comes to serving as an antivirus on a Mac. Among the outsiders are F-Secure, Norton, Eset and AVG, while CleanMyMac (or the Intego Washing Machine) is one of the best accessories for cleaning macOS content.
As for the best free antivirus for Mac, it is probably Avast, whose reputation is well established given the number of subscribers already convinced. These antiviruses for Mac are therefore recommended for small budgets, such as students who need to secure their courses, which are essential to their success.
