One of the most frustrating interfaces I have seen. On the one hand, the simple interface. Bitdefender is the best Mac antivirus because it does a great job stopping malware before it has a chance even to start downloading. Plus, most threats are instantly scrubbed without ever hitting the quarantine folder. This is because Bitdefender taps into several malware databases to keep tabs on what's out there and block it quickly.
Based on our research, these are the best antivirus tools for macOS computers. Intego is the only provider on this list that specializes solely in Mac security. The result is a well-polished, effective and easy to use product. In independent antivirus tests, Intego is among the top performers.
There are many antivirus and antimalware reviews for Macs on the Internet. They do a good job comparing various aspects of antimalware software, such as price, impact on the performance of the computer, ease of use, detection ratings according to respectable AV test labs.
However, almost none of the reviewers made an effort to infect their Macs with malware and test antiviruses on the real devices.
I went the same route initially when I wrote What to Look for In Antivirus Software post. Not because I was lazy, but because I didn’t know where to find real viruses for a Mac.
But as we know, “Who seeks shall find.”
I was finally able to find more than 100 Mac-specific malware samples, and I spent a week testing 13 malware detection software.
I have to admit that the results surprised me a little. But now, armed with the real data, I can confidently recommend best malware detection app for Mac.
After all, it does not matter how much does AV cost and how easy it is to use if it does not catch 100% of malicious programs.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend a single penny on a program that finds only 90% of threats, because even a single undetected virus can ruin my Mac.
It’s like a cop wearing a bulletproof vest which only protects from certain types of bullets. If I were a cop I wouldn’t want to have the second best vest.
Same with antimalware. It’s the only kind of app where I don’t want a hacked or free version. I want a legally purchased, fully supported software with regular updates. With a hacked software updates are not available and very soon the AV will be outdated and pretty much useless.
Anyway, here is a table with my top picks followed by the test description and results:
Best Malware Detection Software for Mac
Antivirus | Details | Rating |
---|---|---|
Try Norton 360 |
| TOP PICK★★★★★ |
|
| Best for 1 Mac★★★★☆ |
Try VIPRE Advanced Security |
| Best for 3 Macs and PCs★★★★☆ |
I Injected my Mac With 117 Malware Samples
The list of actual active viruses and how tested AVs performed can be found in Appendix A. This list is pretty comprehensive. It includes:
- 27 Adware and PUP (potentially unwanted programs)
- 54 backdoors
- 7 ransomware
- 6 keyloggers
- 6 bitcoin stealers and crypto miners
- 5 worms
- 2 rootkits
- 3 trojan viruses
Each column in the table has the name of the AV tested. If AV failed to identify and disinfect the malware, I would put ‘x’ in the corresponding cell.
The best antimalware is supposed to have no ‘x’ in the table, and there was only one AV that accomplished the goal.
Testing Procedure
In order to create a repeatable environment for the test where all conditions are the same except the antimalware installed, I used my MacBook Pro 13″ with macOS Catalina. Clear updates mac app store.
First, I wiped out the disk and installed a fresh new OS.
Then I took a backup of the disk.
The following steps I repeated more than 13 times (I had to rerun several tests to make sure everything was right):
- Copy malware folder from a thumb drive to the Downloads folder on my Mac
- Install an antivirus
- Scan the Downloads folder if the AV allowed selecting an individual folder, or ran the Full Scan.
- Repeat scans until the results came back clean (according to the AV)
- Save the results
In the end, I compared the results (see Appendix A).
As you understand, it was a lot of work.
I spent exactly a week running tests each night after work, but now I have the best data you could possibly find.
High-level Results
Here are the initial results aggregated by each AV. As you can see, the only AV that deleted 100% of malware was VIPRE Advanced Security.
One program that most AV products did not identify was MacKeeper. Some programs define it as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), but I happened to disagree with this. You can read my post about MacKeeper here, where I explained my point in great detail.
After some consideration, I decided to exclude MacKeeper from the list. After this adjustment the results would be as follows:
So, now we have three solutions with a malware detection rate of 100% for Mac (all US-based companies):
Testing 13 AVs
Here I want to quickly describe my impressions from each antivirus I tested (even the one not included in the final list):
Airo AV
Remote install mac os x leopard app. One of the most frustrating interfaces I have seen. On the one hand, the simple interface they come with may be appealing to non-technical people who just want to set and forget.
But on the other hand, it took me a lot of time to make sure that I ran the scan against the folder where I kept all my malware.
And since I was not sure that Airo picked up the correct folder, I ran the scan multiple times. Still, it missed 10 malicious programs.
Details:
- Company founded in 2017 in Israel.
- 1-year price: $119.98 (first year $49.99) for one Mac. Additional pricing available for two years or monthly.
![What Is The Best Malware App For Mac What Is The Best Malware App For Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134144020/219003966.jpg)
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac
Avast and Malwarebytes are the only truly free AV products. I wrote a detailed post about Avast. In my test, it missed only one sample.
So, if you are looking for a free AV, Avast could be your choice. However, keep in mind that the company was known for spying after its customers, so be aware.
Details:
- Avast was founded in 1988 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- 1-year price for Premium: $69.99 for one Mac or $89.99 for 10 devices (Mac, PC, Android, iOS).
AVG Antivirus
AVG was acquired by Avast, and I suspect that both have the same engine under the hood. So it is not surprising that both have similar results in testing.
I actually liked AVG more than Avast, it was straightforward to use, and the interface is very clean.
Details:
- AVG was founded in 1992 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- 1-year price for AVG Ultimate: $79.99 for 10 devices (Mac, PC, Android, iOS) – $10 cheaper than Avast.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Honestly, I was not impressed with Bitdefender.
Pros:
- One of the cheapest AV products.
Cons:
- it missed 6 samples out of 117
- it took a while to set it up
- the interface was average and not very easy to use
Details:
- Bitdefender was founded in 2001, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania.
- 1 year price: $39.99 (first year $19.99) for one Mac or $59.99 (first year $29.99) for 3 Macs. Additional pricing available for 2 and 3 years.
ClamXAV
One of the simplest user interfaces (one might say not polished). It did a very good job finding viruses (missed only 2).
However, once the malware detected, it depends on the user to take action: I had to delete items manually. Unfortunately, since there was no bulk delete option, I had to delete items one by one (all 100+ of them).
Details:
- The ClamXAV engine is based on free software Clam AV. The same engine was used by macOS.
- 1-year price: $29.99 for three Macs or $49.95 for 9 Macs. Student discounts are available.
ESET Cyber Security
This was the biggest surprise for me. I know Nod32 for a long time since my Windows days. In my test, the program performed extremely poorly (missed 20 samples), and I don’t know why.
I ran the tests multiple times to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. It is entirely possible that I was doing something wrong, and there is a right way to use the product.
However, most people using the product are less technical than I am (I am a software developer, after all).
And if it takes me a while to learn how to use the product, what are the chances that the regular guy or gal can handle it better and won’t be infected?
Details:
- The company was founded in 1987 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
- 1-year price: $39.99 for one Mac
F-Secure
Another poor performing product. F-Secure was so eager to find something on my Mac that it started the scan even before the installation completed. I saw it found a lot of malware; however, I was not able to figure out how to make F-Secure to delete them.
All I could see is No Action as a remedy. In the end, the product displayed the worst results of all tested apps: it missed a whopping 26 samples.
Details:
- F-Secure was founded in 1988, with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland.
- 1-year price: $89.99 for three devices. Other plans are available.
Intego Mac Internet Security X9
This was one of three products that cleared 100% of malware (excluding Mac Keeper). The interface could be simpler, but the end result is good enough.
Details:
- Founded in 1997, with headquarters in Seattle, United States.
- 1-year price: $49.99 (first year $39.99) for one Mac. Plans available for 3 and 5 devices (Mac and PC).
Kaspersky Internet Security
Another well known and pretty old stable AV product. However, it didn’t do well in my test: Kaspersky missed 7 samples, and this disqualified the product from my recommended list.
Details:
- Kaspersky was founded in 1997 in Moscow, Russia.
- 1-year price: $39.99 (first year $29.99) for one Mac or $35.99 for 3 Macs.
What Is The Best Antivirus App For Mac
Malwarebytes
One of two free AV products. Noticed that the results of Malwarebytes are not in the table?
It’s because Malwarebytes does not have Full Scan capability. All it does a Quick Scan (very quick indeed), but I couldn’t point it to scan the folder with all malware samples.
![App App](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134144020/722504048.jpg)
Malwarebytes Premium will trigger when you open a file with a virus, but I don’t think that the free version does it too.
Details:
- Founded in 2004 in Chicago, United States.
- 1-year price: $39.99 for one device (Mac, PC, iOS, Android) or $59.99 for 3 devices.
Norton 360 Deluxe
On the one hand, Norton took longer than any other product to install, but the result was pretty good: it detected 100% malware in adjusted test.
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Norton products since I’ve been using them for more than 20 years, and I generally trust the company.
I rated the AV as the best for the following reasons:
- Norton protects all types of devices: Macs, PCs, Android and iOS
- It is the best deal for 5 devices (and I to have 5 Macs)
- It’s been in the business longer than any other company
- Besides AV, Norton 360 is offering cloud backup to protect from ransomware.
- Additional services: Secure VPN, Cleaner, Credit Monitoring, Identity Theft Protection, etc.
Details:
- Company (Symantec) was founded in 1982 in California, United States.
- 1-year price: $99.99 (first year $49.99) for five devices (Mac, PC, iOS, Android).
Trend Micro
Another solid AV product. It only missed one sample.
Details:
- Founded in 1988 in Los Angeles, United States.
- 1-year price: $39.95 (first year $29.95) for one Mac.
VIPRE Advanced Security
Another US-based company. This one came as a surprise for me. It was the only AV product that cleaned all malware and the only one that hit 100% in both adjusted and non-adjusted results.
The product was very easy to use. The interface is straightforward, and it didn’t require any learning.
Details:
- Founded in 1994, with headquarters in Florida, United States.
- 1 year price: $54.99 (first year $43.99) for one Mac or PC or $64.99 (first year $51.99) for 3 Macs or PCs.
Appendix A
Following is a table with results of the test. Symbol ‘x’ in each cell indicates the instance when the program failed to detect certain malware. Less ‘x’es is better.
VIPRE Advanced Security is the only solution that does not have a single ‘x’ in its column because it detected and removed all malware in the test.
Make your Mac invincible
Get Setapp, a toolkit with fixes for all Mac problems
When you hear that Macs are much safer than their PC counterparts, it’s generally true. But it doesn’t mean that if you own a MacBook you’re completely shielded from all kinds of viruses and malware, as most people tend to think.
Vulnerabilities in Macs still exist, although Apple should get a lot of credit for engineering a sandbox system for macOS, which prevents malware from directly accessing your system. In fact, starting macOS Catalina, Apple has completely separated its system volume from user files so the system would be impossible for hackers to take control of.
What’s left is the user with admin credentials who might knowingly or unknowingly let a virus in. And that’s where Mac malware removal software comes in handy.
How To Check For Malware On Mac
Practically the only way you can get any kind of Mac malware today is by executing an installer, a script, or giving something an unrestricted access to your system.
So before you even think of searching for the best malware removal for Mac, make sure you follow a few time-tested rules to avoid the malware problem altogether:
- Don’t download anything you’re not completely sure about. Get software only at official websites, even if it means spending a little bit of money (supporting indie developers goes a long way).
- Disable the automatic opening of downloaded files in your browser. In Safari, go to Preferences ➙ General and then untick the “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading” box. Now you’ll have an extra step as a buffer to vet all the incoming files.
- Don’t agree to any installs from pop-ups on random websites. Sometimes a certain file will start downloading as soon as you open a link — delete it immediately.
- Don’t open email attachments from senders you’re not 100% sure in, especially when they offer you something that sounds too good to be true
If you always follow the tips above, you’ll be safe in nearly every Mac situation. But it’s never too much to ensure that you’re under complete protection, so getting a Mac virus scan might be useful too.
Learn more how to remove malware from mac
Use Malwarebytes anti-malware for Mac
Googling around for the best malware removal for Mac, you’d probably encounter a few mentions of the Malwarebytes app. And it’s worth taking a look at.
Malwarebytes is a global cybersecurity company that’s been around for over 15 years. Its flagship product, Malwarebytes for Mac, allows you to scan for malware, adware, viruses and then safely get rid of them.
Using Malwarebytes on Mac is easy enough:
- Download a free Malwarebytes app from its website
- Install Malwarebytes by double-clicking on the downloaded file and following a set of instructions
- When you open the app for the first time, make sure to allow it full access by going to System Preferences ➙ Security & Privacy ➙ Full Disk Access and then ticking the Malwarebytes app box
- To scan for malware, simply click Scan and let the Malwarebytes adware and virus detector do its job
- Use the malware removal Mac tool to delete any threat it has discovered
Overall, you might find that Malwarebytes for Mac reviews are positive — it’s a good malware removal Mac app, with a free version available, in which the design is pretty straightforward and commands are swiftly executed. There’s even a Malwarebytes Chrome extension that hides ads and blocks all kinds of trackers on the web.
On the negative side, Malwarebytes Free for Mac lacks proactive security scanner, which is only available for premium users. Additionally, in 2018, the company made a controversial decision to stop guarding against MacRansom, since none had been detected for years prior, to speed up scanning. This alone might be a good reason to look for something more secure.
Guard your Mac with CleanMyMac X
A worthy alternative for how to remove malware from Mac is CleanMyMac X, a top-rated optimization solution that not only protects from viruses and malware but also makes your Mac more productive, frees up disk space, maintains your privacy, and much more.
Using CleanMyMac X for Mac virus scans is just as easy:
- Open the app and navigate to the Malware Removal tab
- Click Scan
- Remove anything suspicious found
Besides a scan for malware, you can also initiate scans for old mail attachments, cleaning up caches and user logs, removing browsing traces, as well as use Space Lens to visualize what’s occupying your hard drive and update or delete apps completely.
Compare Malwarebytes vs. CleanMyMac X
When it comes to detecting viruses and adware Malwarebytes and CleanMyMac X are both doing a good job, so it makes sense to compile a quick side-by-side comparison of the two.
Protection: Both Malwarebytes for Mac and CleanMyMac X take the issue of guarding your laptop very seriously. A single caveat is the lack of MacRansom scanning in Malwarebytes since 2018. Fair to say, CleanMyMac X wins here by a narrow margin.
Price: Malwarebytes has a completely free tier that just misses proactive scanning. With proactive scanning, however, the app will set you back around $40 a year. CleanMyMac X doesn’t have a free tier (apart from the trial) but comes along with more than 170 first-class apps via the Setapp platform for only $9.99 a month. Tie.
Versatility: While Malwarebytes on Mac is good for one thing triggered by one button, CleanMyMac X presents a much more diverse offering, from fixing your hard drives to cleaning RAM and tweaking your Mac’s performance. A resounding win for CleanMyMac X.
Scanning: At the free level both Malwarebytes and CleanMyMac X have to be sprung into action by launching their respective Mac virus scans. At the paid level, however, Malwarebytes does this automatically, so it easily takes this round.
In the end, one for Malwarebytes, one tied, and two for CleanMyMac X. Feel free to check all the categories and judge for yourself.
Protect your privacy with Shimo VPN
Best Mac Malware Protection
When it comes to staying safe on your Mac today, it’s not only literal malware you have to be worried about. Nearly all websites, portals, and apps you encounter collect your private data. Some even restrict their services simply based on where you are (e.g. streaming platforms) or your behavior (e.g. fluctuating airfare prices). To safely sidestep all of this, you need a solid VPN.
Shimo is a VPN (virtual private network) of choice for thousands of people. It acts as a shell, letting you add multiple VPN accounts inside of its simple and unobstructive interface, from Cisco SSL to OpenVPN. Any time you use Shimo, you’re opening a window to bias-free, private, and safe internet.
In the end, even though Macs are highly resistant to viruses, knowing how to check for malware on Mac is essential. And both Malwarebytes for Mac and CleanMyMac X are good ways to do that. Additionally, routinely running a VPN on unsecured networks will make surfing the web much more private and secure.
Best of all, CleanMyMac X and Shimo are available for you to try absolutely free for seven days, as they are both part of Setapp, a platform with more than 170 highly rated Mac apps for any job, from keeping you safe to managing projects, to collecting inspiration. Try all 170-plus apps, including CleanMyMac X and Shimo today at no cost!
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