These Are the Best Antivirus Apps for Macs in 2024
There are certainly fewer viruses around targeting Macs—partly because it makes more sense for bad actors to target Windows, which has a significantly bigger user base—but macOS is certainly not immune to viruses. Don’t think that just because you own an Apple computer, you don’t have to worry about malware.
Your Mac comes with some impressive security features built right in, including XProtect and Gatekeeper, but there’s no harm in installing extra protection for extra peace of mind—the right antivirus tool is only going to improve your Mac’s defenses, and some of the best anti-malware software developers out there offer packages for macOS.
What’s more, they often come with extras besides the virus-fighting capabilities, including web tracker blocking and junk file removal. Here we’ve picked out our current favorites, weighing up everything from the ease-of-use of the interface to the range of features.
Malwarebytes for Mac
Malwarebytes for Mac offers a clean, straightforward interface.
Credit: Lifehacker
Malwarebytes is an antivirus tech veteran, and its Malwarebytes for Mac software comes with a variety of useful features: An at-a-glance look at your computer’s current safety status, basic VPN features to improve the privacy of your web browsing, and quick and easy manual scans that run a comprehensive audit of all the files on your system.
Okay, it’s not the most feature-packed security tool out there, but it does the basics (like scheduled scanning) very well, and couldn’t be any easier to use. The basic Malwarebytes for Mac scanner is free, while the Premium version (from $6.67 a month after a 14-day trial) offers round-the-clock protection and the additional VPN shield for connecting to the web.
Intego Mac Internet Security X9
Intego Mac Internet Security X9 gives you a comprehensive set of features.
Credit: Lifehacker
Few companies take Mac security as seriously as Intego does, and it makes several antivirus packages available for macOS, including Intego Mac Internet Security X9: It’ll protect against viruses and other network attacks, and comes with protections against fraudulent websites and email threats too, all wrapped up in an intuitive interface.
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