But overall AVG Antivirus for Mac is a great program for stopping malware.ĭashboard (Image credit: Nicole Johnston/ Avast)Īvast has always been one of my favorite programs because of how quickly and accurately it stops malware without causing my computers to slow down. There are moments when these ads become bothersome, like interrupting while watching videos or while downloading programs and sometimes during online chats. While this is very common among free software programs, it does become frustrating having to close these at the most inopportune times. However, because AVG is a free program, I experienced a lot of pop-up ads. Each function is represented by a large icon that glows red when it isn't set up and green when it's ready to use. This free antivirus program is super easy to install and use. This tool looks for outdated programs and drivers - where ransomware tends to sneak in - and gives suggestions on where to download a legitimate patch or updated version. While it doesn't have a lot of extras, this free Mac antivirus impressed me with including a vulnerability scanner. It quarantined the entire folder instead of waiting for each file to download.Įven when I allowed some threat to download completely, AVG was able to find them quickly. I was really impressed with how well AVG recognized the zipped test file as containing malware during the decompression process. This program stopped 100% of Mac threats and 95% of Windows threats during testing. Though AVG Antivirus for Mac is free, it doesn't skip on security features.

Pick the most suitable solution for you, depending on your budget.Screenshots of dashboard (Image credit: Nicole Johnston/ AVG) However, you can get a lot of extras by paying a little more. Many of the lightweight antivirus tools are surprisingly affordable - or even free if you only need the basics. Price: Protecting your Mac doesn’t have to be expensive.And they’re usually more affordable than buying different apps individually. Lightweight options are great for those who are primarily looking to bolster system protection, while more comprehensive tools are best for those who are also in need of system optimization and cleaning, an ad blocker and VPN, and more. Features: Look for an antivirus product that has all the features you really need.

All the options included in this roundup achieve some of the best threat detection scores on Mac.

Effectiveness: Be sure to choose an antivirus package that you can rely on.

With so many to choose from, it can be overwhelming at first, but you can easily separate the solutions that will work for you from those that won’t by deciding what it is you really need. What to look for in the best antivirus softwareĬhoosing the right antivirus software for your Mac doesn’t have to be difficult.

Best free antivirus for mac 2020