The best free antivirus software for Mac is a topic of ongoing discussion. If you’re still wondering whether you should set up an antivirus program on your Mac, the answer is indeed 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 fact, you have a lot of free options to think about. Malware and viruses can appear uninvited on any of your devices, including macOS.
Despite being one of the safer operating systems, it is not immune to threats. You need an antivirus because it’s better to be safe than sorry and safeguard your online activity. It can be challenging to select the best antivirus program for Mac in a market flooded with options, and it can be even more challenging to select a free program. The sheer number of Mac and MacBook owners worldwide makes for an enormous potential target that is irresistible to hackers and cybercriminals. Since MacOS is based on Unix and is sandboxed, it can be difficult for viruses to cause significant harm. Below we have mentioned some of the best free antivirus software for Mac.
7 Best Free Antivirus Software for Mac
Bitdefender Antivirus
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac has a user-friendly interface, reasonable pricing, almost perfect malware detection, and a barely perceptible effect on system performance. This makes it our the best free antivirus software for Mac once more.
Bitdefender’s ability to undo ransomware encryption, including on Time Machine backups, is unusual for a Mac antivirus program. Additionally, it provides browser hardening extensions and blocks online trackers to protect your privacy. The Autopilot and Bitdefender Shield functions keep the program running with little assistance from users.
Intego Mac Internet Security X9
If there is one software provider that is familiar with the level of security required for Apple machines, it is Intego, a seasoned antivirus provider that has been protecting Macs for well over two decades. The most recent threats are effectively protected against by Mac Internet Security X9. Independent testing facilities have generally given it high marks. Overall, this is one of the best free antivirus software for Mac that you can download.
Additionally, you get strong protection against Windows malware and scans run fairly quickly. In addition to its strong core malware defence, Internet Security X9 has a smart firewall and anti-spyware safeguards, with the latter closely monitoring outgoing internet traffic. Additionally, Intego contributes to privacy protection by guarding against outside apps that try to steal your data. Download this absolutely free app from the App store now.
Norton Antivirus
Although Norton Antivirus doesn’t offer a totally free plan, you can try out the pro version for free and take advantage of their 60-day money-back guarantee. It will enable you to fully protect your devices with the best antivirus software available. Since Norton is an antivirus industry veteran, it should come as no surprise that it was able to successfully block all threats in lab tests.
As if that weren’t enough, there were also no false positives found. Our tests revealed that while the quick scan function takes 8–9 seconds, it fails to detect malware that is well-hidden. But the system scan discovered every malicious file. It takes some time to set up Norton Antivirus because it requires multiple log-in attempts and device restarts. But after that is finished, everything is flawless. The features are clearly labelled and logically arranged. Currently, this is the best free antivirus software for Mac you can check now.
Avira Free Antivirus
Also, compared to other brands on this list, it best free antivirus software for Mac. These consist of real-time defence, user-friendly system optimization tools, a surprisingly effective password manager, and even a VPN! including trojans, ransomware, spyware, and viruses.
Additionally, because Avira’s malware scanner is cloud-based, it operates without any hiccups in the background, allowing us to continue using program like Photoshop and Ableton Live without any lag. which disables ad trackers, unsafe websites, and ads This extension does a great job of blocking phishing websites, but we are most impressed by its capacity to block obtrusive pop-up ads and annoying YouTube ads.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes guarantees a quick 30-second scan of a typical Mac. You will be given a list of potential threats if it discovers anything suspicious. Then, you can decide whether to have Malwarebytes ignore it or quarantine and delete the files. This is one of the best free antivirus software for Mac.
Malwarebytes’ free version can assist you in quickly identifying malware threats, but it doesn’t provide enough security to be used by itself. Malwarebytes Premium is also available for a 14-day trial; however, if you want to continue using all of its features, you will need to pay. The free plan is a basic antivirus program that only detects and removes threats that are malicious in nature.
Avast Security
Since it best free antivirus software for Mac, Avast Security for Mac has significantly improved. The malware detection rate is now almost perfect, the impact on system performance is significantly reduced, and the intrusive ads that tried to upsell you on Avast’s premium services have been greatly reduced.
Additionally, Avast checks websites for phishing scams and other common threats, and it checks your Wi-Fi network for outdated equipment and unwanted visitors. Although its user interface is appealing and simple to use, some features, such as ransomware rollbacks, are only accessible to paying customers.
Trend Micro Antivirus
Another excellent option for protecting your Mac is Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac, whose antivirus engine is generally regarded by independent testing labs as being on par with the best free antivirus software for Mac of them.
The feature set of this program includes anti-phishing defenses, ransomware protection, parental controls, camera and microphone protection, and a social media privacy checker that keeps an eye on social network usage for the numerous, increasingly serious threats delivered through these channels.
Conclusion
Many best free antivirus software for Mac believe that their computer is virus-resistant. But that’s simply not the case. It’s still possible to spread malware to Windows and Android users even though your Mac is less likely to get a virus, especially if you download your Mac apps from secure websites and avoid making risky security decisions. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to use antivirus software on your Mac to guard against security breaches.
