Alternative To Avast For Mac Antivirus
Avast Mac Security is a powerful antivirus, antispam and anti-virus protection for Mac, Avast Mac Security scans and removes a wide range of viruses, constantly updating your computer to keep it safe Avast Mac Security is one of the highly rated antivirus software on Mac OS X. Full list of the top Antivirus Software apps that are similar to Avast Free Antivirus, including Malwarebytes, Panda Free Antivirus, Adaware Antivirus Free, FortiClient, Norton Security Deluxe. Popular Alternatives to Avast! Free Antivirus for Mac. Explore 16 Mac apps like Avast! Free Antivirus, all suggested and ranked by the AlternativeTo user community. Powerful, free security for you and your family. If your looking for more info about Avast! Free Antivirus like screenshots, reviews and comments you should visit our info page about it. Below you find the best alternatives.
Malware, Spyware, and Adware Protection
Summer is winding down. Before you know it, kids will head off to school and come back with homework, notes from the teachers, and…malware? Quite possibly. You've protected your own PCs and laptops, but did you make sure to install antivirus protection on your child's laptop? If not, your kid could pick up more than a head cold at school. Viruses, Trojans, ransomware, or what-have-you, any kind of malware does well in a network populated by youths who aren't thinking about security. We've tested and rated more than 40 antivirus tools so you can pick the right one to protect you and your family from the evil side of the internet.
We call it antivirus, but in
Some nonstandard commercial antivirus utilities proved effective enough to earn an excellent four-star rating alongside their more traditional counterparts. VoodooSoft VoodooShield bases its protection on suppressing all unknown programs while the computer is in a vulnerable state, such as when it's connected to the internet, and also acts to detect known malware. The Kure resets the computer to a known safe state on every reboot, thereby eliminating any malware. If you have malware, one of the ten products in the chart above should take care of the problem.
You may notice that one product in the chart earned just 3.5 stars. The chart had room for one more, and of the seven 3.5-star products, the labs only pay attention to F-Secure and G Data. F-Secure has the added fillip of costing the same for three licenses as most products charge for just one, so it made its way into the chart. The blurbs at the bottom of this article include every commercial antivirus that earned 3.5 stars or better.
These commercial products offer protection beyond the antivirus built into Windows 10; the best free antivirus utilities also offer more. However, Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center is looking better and better lately, with some very good scores from independent testing labs. The combination of good lab scores and a great score in our hands-on malware protection test was enough to bring it up to 3.5 stars.
Listen to the Labs
We take the results reported by independent antivirus testing labs very seriously. The simple fact that a particular vendor's product shows up in the results is a vote of confidence, of sorts. It means the lab considered the product significant, and the vendor felt the cost of testing was worthwhile. Of course, getting good scores in the tests is also important.
We follow four labs that regularly release detailed reports: SE Labs, AV-Test Institute, MRG-Effitas, and AV-Comparatives. We also note whether vendors have contracted with ICSA Labs and West Coast labs for certification. We've devised a system for aggregating their results to yield a rating from 0 to 10.
We Test Malware, Spyware, and Adware Defenses
We also subject every product to our own hands-on test of malware protection, in part to get a feeling for how the product works. Depending on how thoroughly the product prevents malware installation, it can earn up to 10 points for malware protection.
Our malware protection test necessarily uses the same set of samples for months. To check a product's handling of brand-new malware, we test each product using 100 extremely new malware-hosting URLs supplied by MRG-Effitas, noting what percentage of them
Some products earn absolutely stellar ratings from the independent labs, yet don't fare as well in our hands-on tests. In such cases, we defer to the labs, as they bring significantly greater resources to their testing. Want to know more? You can dig in for a detailed description of how we test security software.
Alternative To Avast For Mac Antivirus Review
Multilayered Malware Protection
Antivirus products distinguish themselves by going beyond the basics of on-demand scanning and real-time malware protection. Some rate URLs that you visit or that show up in search results, using a red-yellow-green color-coding system. Some actively block processes on your system from connecting with known malware-hosting URLs or with fraudulent (phishing) pages.
Spyware comes in many forms, from hidden programs that log your every keystroke to Trojans that masquerade as valid programs while mining your personal data. Any antivirus should handle spyware, along with all other types of malware, but some include specialized components devoted to spyware protection.
You expect an antivirus to identify and eliminate bad programs, and to leave good programs alone. What about unknowns, programs it can't identify as good or bad? Behavior-based detection can, in theory, protect you against malware that's so new researchers have never encountered it. However, this isn't always an unmixed blessing. It's not uncommon for behavioral detection systems to flag many innocuous behaviors performed by legitimate programs.
Whitelisting is another approach to the problem of unknown programs. A whitelist-based security system only allows known good programs to run. Unknowns are banned. This mode doesn't suit all situations, but it can be useful. Sandboxing lets unknown programs run, but it isolates them from full access to your system, so they can't do permanent harm. These various added layers serve to enhance your protection against malware.
Firewalls, Ransomware Protection, and More
Firewalls and spam filtering aren't common antivirus features, but some of our top products include them as bonus features. In fact, some of these antivirus products are more feature-packed than certain products sold as security suites.
Among the other bonus
We're seeing more and more antivirus products adding modules specifically designed for ransomware protection. Some work by preventing unauthorized changes to protected files. Others keep
Beyond Antivirus: VPN
Your antivirus utility works in the background to keep out any faint possibility of infestation by malware, but its abilities don't extend beyond the bounds of your computer. When you connect to the wild and wooly internet, you risk the possibility that your data could be compromised in transit. Sticking to HTTPS websites when possible can help, but for full protection of your data in transit you should install a virtual private network, or VPN. This component is important enough that we're starting to see it as a bonus feature in some antivirus tools.
What's the Best Malware Protection?
Best Antivirus For Mac
Which antivirus should you choose? You have a wealth of options. Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus routinely take perfect or near-perfect scores from the independent antivirus testing labs. A single subscription for McAfee AntiVirus Plus lets you install protection on all of your Windows, Android, Mac OS, and iOS devices. And its unusual behavior-based detection technology means Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is the tiniest antivirus around. We've named these four Editors' Choice for commercial antivirus, but they're not the only products worth consideration. Read the reviews of our top-rated products, and then make your own decision.
Note that we have reviewed many more antivirus utilities than we could include in the chart of top products. If your favorite software isn't listed there, chances are we did review it. The blurbs below include every product that managed 3.5 stars or better. All the utilities listed in this feature are Windows antivirus apps. If you're a macOS user, don't despair, however; PCMag has a separate roundup dedicated solely to the best Mac antivirus software.
Editors' Note: We are aware of the allegations of Kaspersky Labs' inappropriate ties to the Russian government. Until we see some actual proof of these allegations, we will treat them as unproven, and continue to recommend Kaspersky's security products as long as their performance continues to merit our endorsement.
Avast For Mac Antivirus Free
Best Antivirus Protection Featured in This Roundup:
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Outstanding scores in independent lab tests and our web protection tests. Multi-layered ransomware protection. Active Do Not Track. Password manager. Banking protection. Offers a virtual private network, or VPN. Many security-centered bonus features.
Cons: Unlimited VPN access requires separate subscription. With all real-time protection disabled, ransomware-specific features missed one uncommon sample.
Bottom Line: With outstanding antivirus test results and a collection of features that puts many security suites to shame, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is an excellent choice for protecting your PC.
Read ReviewKaspersky Anti-Virus Review
MSRP: $59.99
Pros: Perfect and near-perfect scores from four independent testing labs. Perfect score in our phishing protection test. Good scores in our malware-blocking and malicious URL blocking tests. Full-scale phone and live chat support.
Cons: Bonus scans significantly overlap each other.
Bottom Line: Kaspersky Anti-Virus sweeps the antivirus testing labs, with excellent scores across the board. It remains an antivirus Editors' Choice.
Read ReviewWebroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Perfect score in our malware protection test. Very good antiphishing score. Ransomware protection. Light on system resources. Fast scan, tiny size. Advanced features.
Cons: Limited lab test results due to unusual detection techniques. Missed one unique hand-modified ransomware sample in testing.
Bottom Line: Tiny, speedy Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus keeps a light touch on your system's resources. It aces our hands-on malware protection test, and can even roll back ransomware activity.
Read ReviewMcAfee AntiVirus Plus Review
MSRP: $59.99
Pros: Protection for every Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS device in your household. Good scores in hands-on tests. Perfect score in antiphishing test. Includes new ransomware protection and PC Boost, plus many bonus features.
Cons: Ransom Guard missed one hand-modified ransomware sample. PC Boost web speedup works only in Chrome. Mac edition less feature-rich than Windows or Android. Still fewer features for iOS.
Bottom Line: A single subscription for McAfee AntiVirus Plus lets you protect every Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS device in your household. It's quite a deal, and the current edition adds some new and useful features.
Read ReviewESET NOD32 Antivirus Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Very good scores from independent testing labs. Good scores in our hands-on tests. HIPS component blocks exploits. UEFI scanner finds malware in firmware. Comprehensive device control.
Avast Antivirus 2016 Activation Key • C67A0911-L7FVJSAA • C248A0614-X2HSV9AS Avast free antivirus license key 2018 Software is recognized world-wide for it’s robust and active antivirus program as well as other malicious software applications. It provides you with a wide range of tools for performing various tasks such as converting into real multi functional software that meets essential antivirus programs. Avast security v13.3 activation code for mac. This program has a high-security technology with full-time security toward any internet risks. It has new features that help you to discover some missing performance with a separate Grime Fighter module to analyze the county network and identify vulnerabilities on the Wi-Fi network, related products, or perhaps your Internet router.
Cons: So-so phishing protection score. Device control too complex for most users.
Bottom Line: ESET NOD32 Antivirus gets good scores in lab tests and our own tests, and its collection of security components goes far beyond antivirus basics.
Read ReviewSymantec Norton AntiVirus Plus Review
MSRP: $59.99
Pros: Excellent scores in independent lab tests and in our own tests. Includes online backup, spam filter, password manager, and other bonus features.
Cons: First full scan unusually slow. Expensive. No multi-license pricing.
Bottom Line: Symantec Norton AntiVirus Plus gets impressive scores in independent lab tests and our own hands-on tests, but it's expensive and doesn't offer volume pricing. If you want Norton protection, you're better off with one of Symantec's suite products.
Read ReviewThe Kure Review
MSRP: $19.99
Pros: On reboot, restores your PC to a clean, malware-free state. Exempts personal folders from being wiped. Ransomware recovery proved effective in testing. Live-chat tech support built in.
Cons: Malware can act freely until eliminated by reboot. Doesn't offer 24-hour tech support.
Bottom Line: When your PC has The Kure installed, you can wipe out malware just by rebooting. Your own documents aren't affected, and it even has the ability to reverse the effects of encrypting ransomware.
Read ReviewTrend Micro Antivirus+ Security Review
MSRP: $39.95
Pros: Excellent scores in our antiphishing and malicious URL blocking tests. Many good scores from antivirus labs. Multi-layered ransomware protection. New Pay Guard protects online transactions. Many bonus features.
Cons: Poor score in our hands-on malware protection test. Slow full scan. Ransomware protection uneven. Banking protection doesn't kick in automatically. Spam filter works only with Outlook. No multi-device licensing.
Bottom Line: In addition to effective malware protection, Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security offers layered protection against ransomware, a firewall booster, protection for online banking, and more.
Read ReviewVoodooSoft VoodooShield Review
MSRP: $19.99
Pros: Prevents non-whitelisted programs from launching when computer is at risk. New machine-learning tool flags malware. Checks blocked files against 57 antivirus scanners. Free edition for consumers.
Cons: Could possibly whitelist malware running prior to installation. Flagged some legitimate programs as suspicious, some as malicious.
Bottom Line: VoodooShield takes a whitelist approach to antivirus protection, but without getting in the user's way. A new machine-learning component brings it closer to the abilities of a standalone antivirus.
Read ReviewCylance Smart Antivirus Review
MSRP: $29.00
Pros: Easy installation, no configuration. Good scores in our tests.
Cons: Not included in regular independent lab tests. No protection against fraudulent or malicious URLs. Lacks additional protection layers found in many competitors.
Bottom Line: Commissioned lab tests and our own tests show that the machine-learning detection engine in Cylance Smart Antivirus really can identify malware, but it lacks the full range of protection features found in many competitors.
Read ReviewEmsisoft Anti-Malware Review
MSRP: $29.95
Pros: Very good independent lab scores. Excellent score in our malware protection test. Behavioral detection successfully blocked ransomware. Surfing protection is browser-independent. Inexpensive.
Cons: Dismal score in our phishing protection test. Few scores from independent labs. Behavioral detection failed against ransomware launched at startup.
Bottom Line: Emsisoft Anti-Malware effectively handles the basic tasks of malware protection, including ransomware. Its few lab test results are good, as are its scores on our in-house malware protection tests, though it tanked on our antiphishing test.
Read ReviewF-Secure Anti-Virus Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Good scores in independent lab tests and our tests. Behavior-based DeepGuard detects brand-new malware, including ransomware. Advanced network protection. Streamlined, simple interface. Inexpensive.
Cons: Ransomware protection failed against one real-world sample in testing. No antiphishing component.
Bottom Line: F-Secure Anti-Virus's advanced network protection and DeepGuard behavior-based detection system make it a powerful malware fighter, but its ransomware protection missed one sample in our testing.
Read ReviewG Data Antivirus Review
MSRP: $39.95
Pros: Excellent score in our hands-on malware protection test. Protects against banking Trojans, keyloggers, ransomware, and exploits. Includes spam filter.
Cons: So-so scores in our malicious URL blocking and phishing protection tests. Very slow full scan.
Bottom Line: G Data Antivirus gets decent marks from the independent testing labs, and it includes components designed to fight ransomware and other specific malware types. However, it gets mixed scores in our hands-on tests.
Read ReviewMalwarebytes Premium Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Includes exploit protection, ransomware protection, behavior-based detection. Can work in conjunction with traditional antivirus. Works well with Windows Defender.
Cons: Advanced protection systems are difficult to test. Scores poorly in tests designed for traditional antivirus.
Bottom Line: Malwarebytes Premium has so many advanced protection layers that the company deems it an antivirus replacement. However, we still advise using it in conjunction with a dedicated antivirus utility.
Read ReviewSophos Home Premium Review
MSRP: $60.00
Pros: Good scores in our hands-on tests. Protects against ransomware, keyloggers, and exploits. Remote management for up to 10 PCs or Macs. Inexpensive.
Cons: No test results from independent labs. Advanced features require uncommon tech expertise. Parental control and webcam protection limited.
Bottom Line: Sophos Home Premium expands on basic antivirus with protection technology forged in the company's Enterprise-level products, but doesn't have lab results to verify its efficacy.
Read Review
Best Antivirus Protection Featured in This Roundup:
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Outstanding scores in independent lab tests and our web protection tests. Multi-layered ransomware protection. Active Do Not Track. Password manager. Banking protection. Offers a virtual private network, or VPN. Many security-centered bonus features.
Cons: Unlimited VPN access requires separate subscription. With all real-time protection disabled, ransomware-specific features missed one uncommon sample.
Bottom Line: With outstanding antivirus test results and a collection of features that puts many security suites to shame, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is an excellent choice for protecting your PC.
Read ReviewKaspersky Anti-Virus Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Perfect and near-perfect scores from four independent testing labs. Perfect score in our phishing protection test. Good scores in our malware-blocking and malicious URL blocking tests. Full-scale phone and live chat support.
Cons: Bonus scans significantly overlap each other.
Bottom Line: Kaspersky Anti-Virus sweeps the antivirus testing labs, with excellent scores across the board. It remains an antivirus Editors' Choice.
Read ReviewWebroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Perfect score in our malware protection test. Very good antiphishing score. Ransomware protection. Light on system resources. Fast scan, tiny size. Advanced features.
Cons: Limited lab test results due to unusual detection techniques. Missed one unique hand-modified ransomware sample in testing.
Bottom Line: Tiny, speedy Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus keeps a light touch on your system's resources. It aces our hands-on malware protection test, and can even roll back ransomware activity.
Read ReviewMcAfee AntiVirus Plus Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Protection for every Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS device in your household. Good scores in hands-on tests. Perfect score in antiphishing test. Includes new ransomware protection and PC Boost, plus many bonus features.
Cons: Ransom Guard missed one hand-modified ransomware sample. PC Boost web speedup works only in Chrome. Mac edition less feature-rich than Windows or Android. Still fewer features for iOS.
Bottom Line: A single subscription for McAfee AntiVirus Plus lets you protect every Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS device in your household. It's quite a deal, and the current edition adds some new and useful features.
Read ReviewESET NOD32 Antivirus Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Very good scores from independent testing labs. Good scores in our hands-on tests. HIPS component blocks exploits. UEFI scanner finds malware in firmware. Comprehensive device control.
Avast Antivirus 2016 Activation Key • C67A0911-L7FVJSAA • C248A0614-X2HSV9AS Avast free antivirus license key 2018 Software is recognized world-wide for it’s robust and active antivirus program as well as other malicious software applications. It provides you with a wide range of tools for performing various tasks such as converting into real multi functional software that meets essential antivirus programs. Avast security v13.3 activation code for mac. This program has a high-security technology with full-time security toward any internet risks. It has new features that help you to discover some missing performance with a separate Grime Fighter module to analyze the county network and identify vulnerabilities on the Wi-Fi network, related products, or perhaps your Internet router.
Cons: So-so phishing protection score. Device control too complex for most users.
Bottom Line: ESET NOD32 Antivirus gets good scores in lab tests and our own tests, and its collection of security components goes far beyond antivirus basics.
Read ReviewSymantec Norton AntiVirus Plus Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Excellent scores in independent lab tests and in our own tests. Includes online backup, spam filter, password manager, and other bonus features.
Cons: First full scan unusually slow. Expensive. No multi-license pricing.
Bottom Line: Symantec Norton AntiVirus Plus gets impressive scores in independent lab tests and our own hands-on tests, but it's expensive and doesn't offer volume pricing. If you want Norton protection, you're better off with one of Symantec's suite products.
Read ReviewThe Kure Review
MSRP: $19.99Pros: On reboot, restores your PC to a clean, malware-free state. Exempts personal folders from being wiped. Ransomware recovery proved effective in testing. Live-chat tech support built in.
Cons: Malware can act freely until eliminated by reboot. Doesn't offer 24-hour tech support.
Bottom Line: When your PC has The Kure installed, you can wipe out malware just by rebooting. Your own documents aren't affected, and it even has the ability to reverse the effects of encrypting ransomware.
Read ReviewTrend Micro Antivirus+ Security Review
MSRP: $39.95Pros: Excellent scores in our antiphishing and malicious URL blocking tests. Many good scores from antivirus labs. Multi-layered ransomware protection. New Pay Guard protects online transactions. Many bonus features.
Cons: Poor score in our hands-on malware protection test. Slow full scan. Ransomware protection uneven. Banking protection doesn't kick in automatically. Spam filter works only with Outlook. No multi-device licensing.
Bottom Line: In addition to effective malware protection, Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security offers layered protection against ransomware, a firewall booster, protection for online banking, and more.
Read ReviewVoodooSoft VoodooShield Review
MSRP: $19.99Pros: Prevents non-whitelisted programs from launching when computer is at risk. New machine-learning tool flags malware. Checks blocked files against 57 antivirus scanners. Free edition for consumers.
Cons: Could possibly whitelist malware running prior to installation. Flagged some legitimate programs as suspicious, some as malicious.
Bottom Line: VoodooShield takes a whitelist approach to antivirus protection, but without getting in the user's way. A new machine-learning component brings it closer to the abilities of a standalone antivirus.
Read ReviewCylance Smart Antivirus Review
MSRP: $29.00Pros: Easy installation, no configuration. Good scores in our tests.
Cons: Not included in regular independent lab tests. No protection against fraudulent or malicious URLs. Lacks additional protection layers found in many competitors.
Bottom Line: Commissioned lab tests and our own tests show that the machine-learning detection engine in Cylance Smart Antivirus really can identify malware, but it lacks the full range of protection features found in many competitors.
Read ReviewEmsisoft Anti-Malware Review
MSRP: $29.95Pros: Very good independent lab scores. Excellent score in our malware protection test. Behavioral detection successfully blocked ransomware. Surfing protection is browser-independent. Inexpensive.
Cons: Dismal score in our phishing protection test. Few scores from independent labs. Behavioral detection failed against ransomware launched at startup.
Bottom Line: Emsisoft Anti-Malware effectively handles the basic tasks of malware protection, including ransomware. Its few lab test results are good, as are its scores on our in-house malware protection tests, though it tanked on our antiphishing test.
Read ReviewF-Secure Anti-Virus Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Good scores in independent lab tests and our tests. Behavior-based DeepGuard detects brand-new malware, including ransomware. Advanced network protection. Streamlined, simple interface. Inexpensive.
Cons: Ransomware protection failed against one real-world sample in testing. No antiphishing component.
Bottom Line: F-Secure Anti-Virus's advanced network protection and DeepGuard behavior-based detection system make it a powerful malware fighter, but its ransomware protection missed one sample in our testing.
Read ReviewG Data Antivirus Review
MSRP: $39.95Pros: Excellent score in our hands-on malware protection test. Protects against banking Trojans, keyloggers, ransomware, and exploits. Includes spam filter.
Cons: So-so scores in our malicious URL blocking and phishing protection tests. Very slow full scan.
Bottom Line: G Data Antivirus gets decent marks from the independent testing labs, and it includes components designed to fight ransomware and other specific malware types. However, it gets mixed scores in our hands-on tests.
Read ReviewMalwarebytes Premium Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Includes exploit protection, ransomware protection, behavior-based detection. Can work in conjunction with traditional antivirus. Works well with Windows Defender.
Cons: Advanced protection systems are difficult to test. Scores poorly in tests designed for traditional antivirus.
Bottom Line: Malwarebytes Premium has so many advanced protection layers that the company deems it an antivirus replacement. However, we still advise using it in conjunction with a dedicated antivirus utility.
Read ReviewSophos Home Premium Review
MSRP: $60.00Pros: Good scores in our hands-on tests. Protects against ransomware, keyloggers, and exploits. Remote management for up to 10 PCs or Macs. Inexpensive.
Cons: No test results from independent labs. Advanced features require uncommon tech expertise. Parental control and webcam protection limited.
Bottom Line: Sophos Home Premium expands on basic antivirus with protection technology forged in the company's Enterprise-level products, but doesn't have lab results to verify its efficacy.
Read Review