The 6 Best Mac Antivirus Software for 2024

Bitdefender: Best overall

Bitdefender provides a wide range of antivirus products for Mac, including a free on-demand virus scanner that’s accurate and easy to install, use, and remove. Paid plans add automatic threat detection (including adware and ransomware) and a VPN, as well as protection for Time Machine backups. For small businesses with less than 10 Macs, I recommend the Small Office Security plan, which unlocks access to a centralized, cloud-based management portal for a very reasonable price. Overall, Bitdefender provides a great balance of protection, features, and usability, which is why it earned a perfect score in AV-TEST’s most recent analysis.

Why I chose Bitdefender

Bitdefender offers a great selection of AV products to fit any business size or use case. It earned perfect 6/6 AV-TEST scores for protection, performance, and usability, and the company has a stellar reputation in the IT industry.

SEE: Best Mac Password Managers (TechRepublic)

Pricing

• Free: On-demand virus scanning for one device.
• Total Security: Automated threat protection, adware blocking, ransomware protection, and 200MB per day of VPN bandwidth for $59.99 per year for up to 5 devices or $69.99 per year for up to 15 devices.
• Small Office Security: Adds centralized cloud-based management, webcam, and microphone protection for $104.99 per year for up to 10 devices.
• Ultimate Small Business Security: Adds Scam Copilot, unlimited VPN traffic, and email protection for $189.99 per year for 3 devices (minimum).

Malwarebytes: Best for supplemental threat detection

Malwarebytes first gained popularity in the IT field for providing a free scanning utility that is adept at catching unusual malware other antivirus tools miss. Both its free and paid software are compatible with other AV and security tools (including Xprotect), so you can double-up on protection or run on-demand scans to clean up after a known virus infection. Malwarebytes also works great as a standalone AV solution, with paid plans that include extra features like phishing and rootkit protection and a VPN. There’s even a Teams plan that provides centralized management, monthly security reports for auditing purposes, and priority business support.

SEE: 6 Best Open Source Password Managers for Mac in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Why I chose Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes plays nicely with other antivirus solutions, so it’s a nice supplemental AV for users who need extra protection, such as journalists doing research on the Dark Web. It’s also known for catching unusual threats that other solutions miss, so it’s great for cleaning up after a known infection or breach.

Pricing

• Free: On-demand malware scanning for one device.
• Basic Security: Adds protection from malware, phishing, ads, and rootkits for $44.99 per year per device.
• Security + VPN: Adds VPN for $60 per year per device.
• Family Device Security: Same features as the basic plan but for 10+ devices, starting at $120 per year.
• Teams: Adds centralized management, monthly reports, and priority business support, starting at $119.97 per year for 3 devices.

Avast: Best free antivirus for Mac

Avast is an AV provider for Mac that offers perhaps the most comprehensive free solution on the market. Free users get an on-demand scanner, automatic firewall, browser, email, and ransomware protection, and a utility that scans Wi-Fi networks for vulnerabilities. Paid plans are also very reasonably priced, and businesses can gain centralized management capabilities starting at just $31.37 per year. The app itself is very easy to install and use regardless of technical ability.

SEE: The 7 Best iPhone VPNs (TechRepublic)

My only caveat in recommending Avast is that the company was recently fined by the FTC for improperly collecting and selling user data.

Why I chose Avast

Avast provides a comprehensive free antivirus option that includes extra features you won’t get with XProtect. All versions of the AV app are easy to install and use, with intuitive interfaces even beginners can master with ease.

Pricing

• Free: On-demand malware scanning, ransomware protection, Wi-Fi network inspection, firewall, and browser and email protection for one device.
• Premium Security: Adds email scam protection, advanced ransomware protection, and Wi-Fi network monitoring and threat assessment for $31.19 per year for one device, or $39.99 per year for 10 devices.
• Essential Business Security: Adds centralized management, data theft protection, and 24/5 live support for $31.37 per year for one device, with discounts for additional devices.

ESET: Best for large companies

ESET offers a full range of security products for Mac, including its popular, no-frills NOD32 antivirus that provides real-time and on-demand protection. You’ll need to upgrade to a Premium or Ultimate plan to get extra features like a password manager, VPN, and identity theft protection. Centralized management isn’t available unless you go with one of the ESET PROTECT XDR (extended detection and response) plans. ESET doesn’t offer a free utility, and all of its products are on the expensive side. You can, however, add more devices to any plan (including NOD32) for a steep discount, which isn’t the case with many other options on this list.

SEE: 20 Mac Terminal Commands Every User Should Know (TechRepublic)

Why I chose ESET

ESET provides AV and security products to meet a wide variety of business needs, including an enterprise-grade XDR platform. You can also add an unlimited number of devices to even the most basic AV plan at a steep discount compared to other options.

Pricing

• NOD32 Antivirus: Real-time protection and on-demand scans for $39.99 per year for one device with discounts for additional devices.
• Essential: Adds protection for browsers, smartphones, and smart homes for $34.99 per year (promotional price) with discounts for additional devices.
• ESET Premium: Adds a password manager and data encryption utility for $41.99 per year (promotional price) with discounts for additional devices.
• ESET Ultimate: Adds a VPN, metadata clean-up, and identity theft protection for $125.99 per year for 5 devices with discounts for additional devices.
• ESET Protect Entry: Adds centralized management, next-generation antivirus, network filtering, peripheral device control, and anti-phishing and server security for $211 per year for 5 devices with discounts for additional devices.

Avira: Best customizable AV

Avira is unusual among free AV tools in that it provides real-time protection in addition to on-demand scans, which means it actively scans files and applications for viruses without any user intervention. Avira also offers a paid plan that includes anti-phishing, ad blocking, and ransomware protection for an affordable price. When I installed the Avira app, I was able to select from a large selection of free add-on features and integrations, including a VPN, a secure password generator, and a cloud sandbox analyzer that allows you to execute suspicious files in a safe environment to test for malware before running them on your Mac. What I especially liked was that I could choose not to install extra features that I don’t need, saving space and reducing performance impacts.

SEE: 5 Tips for Securing Data When Using a Personal Mac for Work (TechRepublic)

Why I chose Avira

Avira offers a lot of free add-on features that you usually only find in enterprise-grade solutions. The installer lets you pick-and-choose which features to install, so you can create a customized security solution for your Mac.

Pricing

• Free: Real-time protection, on-demand scans, cloud sandbox analyzer, secure password generator, VPN with 500MB monthly limit, and junk file remover.
• Pro: Web protection, anti-phishing, anti-ransomware, and ad blocking for $26.99 per year for 1 device (promotional price) or $5.99 per month. Discounts for additional devices.

Surfshark: Best lightweight antivirus app

While Surfshark is mostly known for its VPN service, it also offers AV capabilities as part of its Surfshark One security platform. The app is very lightweight, installing quickly and running without taking up too many processing or memory resources. I could easily run a scan while simultaneously using resource-intensive applications for gaming, video streaming, and even VR. While Surfshark lacks features like centralized management, multi-device discounts, and ransomware protection, all plans do include unlimited use of its top-rated VPN service.

Why I chose Surfshark

Surfshark’s lightweight application won’t slow down your device, making it a great option for use cases where performance is the top priority. All Surfshark One plans also include a premium VPN service for no extra charge.

SEE: How to Run a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment in 5 Steps (TechRepublic Premium)

Pricing

• One: Malware protection, webcam protection, VPN, personal data masking, data breach alerts, and an ad-free search engine for $2.69 per device per month for 24 months, $3.39 per device per month for 12 months, or $15.95 per device for one month.
• One+: Adds data removal from company databases and people search sites for $4.29 per device per month for 24 months, $6.09 per device per month for 12 months, or $17.95 per device for 1 month.