Internet-based threats come in many forms these days and things will only get worse, not better. While viruses are still a very real problem, there are other types of attack which a Mac security suite can help to protect you from.
While we all think of antivirus software as something that stops malicious programs being downloaded and run, a modern security app does a lot more than that. It can warn you of dodgy email attachments, sketchy websites and some of the options here will protect other devices you use, since you probably don't use a single Mac exclusively.
But as to the question of which antivirus software you should choose for your Mac, our current top pick is Intego Mac Internet Security. However, you will find seven other recommendations below as well which may suit you better depending upon the type and number of devices that need protection - and also how much you want to pay.
Black Friday Antivirus Deals
Speaking of the cost, with Black Friday upon us antivirus software companies are making their usual discounts even better.
For example has Kaspersky 70% right now, so you can get one year’s worth of protection for five devices for just £17.99/$30.99. RRP: £59.99/$99.99. Get the deal here.
Bitdefener also has more money off than usual, and although they aren’t marking it as a Black Friday we expect that it will revert to the usual saving after this period. Right now you can get 50% off making it £19.99 for one year for three devices. Normally it’s £15 off the RRP, so £29.99. Get the deal here.
Finally, Norton also has a Special Offer for Norton 360 Deluxe that is valid from 18 November 2021 until 30 November 2021 (so basically Black Friday). You can get one year cover for five devices for £24.99/$24.99 (normally the deal makes the 1st year price £34.99 rather than the £84.99/$104.99 RRP.) Get the deal here.
For more discounts and deals see our best Mac antivirus deals round up.
Do Macs need antivirus?
Plenty of Mac aficionados will tell you that Apple computers are inherently secure and don't require protection. We'd argue that they are wrong - or overconfident, at the very least.
Not long ago, the Silver Sparrow malware was detected on Macs powered by the latest M1 processor and infected hundreds of thousands of Macs in total. The bad guys, then, are still very much targeting Mac users and they're getting smarter and greedier. As a result, cyber security is something you can't afford to ignore, and good antivirus is a very good place to start if you want to stay safe.
Macs are generally more secure than their Windows brethren for two reasons. On the technical side, macOS is a Unix-based operating system. As a Unix-based operating system macOS is sandboxed.
Sandboxing is like having a series of fire doors: even if malware gains access to your Mac, it is unable to spread to other areas of the machine. They are more difficult to exploit than Windows PCs, but Macs are not unhackable.
More general advice can be found in our Mac security tips; and those who have been hit by a malware attack should try how to remove a virus from a Mac.
Best antivirus for Mac reviews
How to choose Mac antivirus
Features fundamental to all packages are two ways to find viruses: on-demand protection and via always-on protection. The former finds viruses by examining one file after another during scheduled scans, or when you choose to undertake a scan, perhaps because you're worried your Mac might be infected. The speed at which the antivirus app can do this is important, because some take a long time and also hog the Mac's CPU while they do so. Waiting six hours to find out if your Mac is infected is neither convenient nor relaxing.
Always-on malware protection is what protects the user outside of the times when scans are run. If some malware arrives, perhaps via an email or a downloaded file, then the always-on protection should be able to detect it and either quarantine it (copy it to a safe folder so the user can decide what to do with it), or simply delete it. Usually a notification is shown when malware is detected in this way, but not all antimalware apps show the same amount of explanation of what's happened - and this was one of the factors we examined in our testing.
Outside of direct malware detection, many security suites include additional tools such as ransomware protection. Ransomware is a type of malware that, once it's infected a computer, encrypts all the user's files and then demands a fee to decrypt them. To protect against this infection, anti-ransomware features typically block any app from writing to a user's home folders, such as Documents or Photos, unless the app's preapproved (a process called whitelisting). Lots of apps come already preapproved, of course, such as Microsoft Word, or Apple's own Photos app. But you can add others.
Several products also include virtual private network (VPN) add-ons. These protect an internet connection by encrypting it, and this is useful when utilising unsafe open WiFi such as that provided by a café or hotel. In our experience, these are not replacements for separate paid-for VPN services as many do not unblock video streaming services and some are cut-down versions which constantly nag you to pay extra for the full, premium versions.
Web protection via browser plugins or extensions is also a common component and aims to stop you (or your children) doing anything you regret online, such as visiting fake or infected websites or handing over personal information.
There are usually different options from each vendor, and you get more extras with the top packages, and far fewer with free ones. They might include password managers, parental controls, cloud storage - the list goes on. Generally, the underlying antimalware engine is the same in all products from the same company, so you can save money if you don't need those additional features.
Do bear in mind that all antivirus apps are sold as yearly subscriptions. That's right, you can't just pay once and use forever. Often there's a hefty discount for that first year's subscription, but this can burn you when automatic renewal occurs a year later and the full retail price is charged: often 100% more. Alternatively, you can purchase several years' subscriptions at once for a bigger discount.
Many subscriptions allow you to install the software on more than one computer (including Windows and Android devices), which can sometimes add significantly to the value - all computers, phones and tablets within a household can be protected with one subscription.
