The best antiviruses for Mac OS in 2022

The number of Apple computers in the world with Mac OS in 2022 is certainly less than on Windows. But according to different statistical reports like StatCounter¹, every tenth PC of the planet operates on the development of a corporation from Cupertino. And in terms of real numbers, these are millions of devices. And they all need protection.

When preparing a review of the best antiviruses for Mac OS in 2022, we relied on the results of independent laboratories that professionally analyze software: the German AV-TEST² and Austrian AV-Comparatives³. These are the two most reputable organizations that review and test antiviruses. As a result, they issue a security certificate to anti-virus programs or refuse a quality mark. In fact, these are a sign that the company has passed an independent audit. Not all companies allow testing their developments.

Editor’s Choice

Avira

Profile foreign press calls it one of the fastest antivirus for Mac⁴. The free version includes not only scanning, but also a fairly fast VPN (however, only 500 MB of traffic per month), a password manager and a service for cleaning up virtual garbage. One of the few best antiviruses that provides real-time protection. If there are suspicious files on the computer that are not yet known to the program’s databases, they are removed to the company’s cloud for analysis. If everything is in order with them, then the file is returned to you on your PC. 

Paid versions of Pro and Prime are also available for Mac OS. They added protection for online purchases, against “zero-day” threats (that is, those that are not yet known to anti-virus software developers), the ability to add mobile gadgets to a subscription, and other solutions for maximum security.

Official site avira.com

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Top 10 best antiviruses for Mac OS in 2022 according to KP 

1.Norton 360

The manufacturer bribes potential users with a promise to remove viruses or return money. There are three versions of the antivirus – “Standard”, “Premium” and “Deluxe”. By and large, they differ only in the number of devices covered by the subscription (1, 5 or 10), and the presence of parental controls and VPN in more expensive samples. 

By default, real-time threat protection is enabled, a built-in firewall for Mac to block unauthorized traffic from the Web. There is a password manager, a cloud for storing important data and a proprietary SafeCam application – it does not allow access to your webcam without the user’s knowledge. And if someone tries, the program will immediately sound the alarm.

Official site en.norton.com

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2.Trend Micro

For home use on a Mac, the Antivirus+ Security version is best. If you have a lot of computers or decide to chip in with your friends, you can check out the Maximum Security version. It adds protection for mobile devices, parental control, password manager. In addition, the manufacturer promises that it is better optimized than Antivirus + Security, which means it consumes less PC resources. 

This antivirus in 2022 protects Mac OS from ransomware, blocks websites that are suspected of stealing data, flags phishing emails, and notifies you if intruders try to access your computer’s webcam and microphone. 

Official site trendmicro.com

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3. TotalAV

The most simple and friendly interface. Antivirus is suitable for an inexperienced user, it has a minimal set of functions, but at the same time it is able to provide good protection. The program lures all users with a free version. Even on the official website, I had to look for a long time to see if they have a paid version. It turned out that this is all marketing and a paid version, of course, is available. And for nothing, a Mac user gets a stripped-down functionality. 

But let’s be honest: even the free version performs its antivirus function, and for the money you get a firewall, VPN, data leakage monitoring, advanced password protection and – important! – real-time protection. That is, the free version only works when you force a scan.

Official site totalav.com

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4. Intego

The company is little known in Our Country, but receives complimentary feedback from Western software reviewers. It has two versions for Mac. The first is simpler – Internet Security. It provides the simplest protection against viruses while surfing the web. The second is called Premium Bundle X9, this is the brand’s crown product. 

There is not only an antivirus, but also a backup (backing up files), cleaning the system to increase performance, parental control in order to protect the children from obscenities on the Internet.

Do you need to pay extra for these options? In general, the set is quite useful, especially since it is cheaper in bulk than looking for these solutions separately.

Official site intego.com

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5. Kaspersky

Independent laboratories favorably evaluate the development. In addition to protection, the basic version of the antivirus, called Internet Security, gives you a VPN (with a traffic limit of 300 MB per day, which is quite a bit), secure online shopping transactions, and blocking phishing links. 

It is both good and bad that the developers of our antivirus offer to buy a large number of protection products: parental control, password manager, Wi-Fi protection. That is, it seems like you can assemble the necessary security package for yourself, but at the same time, the price of each product individually bites.

Official site kaspersky.ru

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6. F-Secure

Antivirus developer from Finland. Analysts, who are a little carried away by the fact that large states like the United States, China and Our Country can use the developments of their companies for surveillance, put this antivirus for Mac OS as a plus for its origin. In 2022, the program can protect against ransomware viruses, make secure purchases on the Web, provide a VPN (unlimited!) And a password protection manager.

The developers have worked on optimizing the consumption of PC resources so as not to overload the system during streams (live broadcasts), games or video processing. There is a parental control option.

Official site f-secure.com

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7. Dr.Web 

The first antivirus that made a product to protect Mac OS is called Security Space. He has a good reputation in the market, he is not in vain ranked among the best. But we cannot place it high in our rating, even taking into account the fact that this is domestic software. The thing is that the company, for some reason, ignores the assessment in independent laboratories. 

At the same time, foreign journalists and users write their reviews on it. But no matter how scrupulous their assessments are, it will not replace full-fledged tests. The program has real-time protection. The software has a good speed of a full anti-virus scan of a personal computer, there is even protection of the monitor settings from unauthorized access.

Official site products.drweb.ru

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8. Malwarebytes

The company put a lot of effort into dispelling the myth that Mac OS computers in 2022 are not susceptible to virus infection. And their software is also used by other antivirus vendors, as their solutions allow you to remove such “worms” that other solutions cannot handle. The antivirus is able to block programs that slow down the PC, aggressive advertising, neutralize ransomware viruses. 

The free version can only scan the PC and kill viruses at the request of the user, but is not updated and does not provide protection while surfing the Web. In foreign forums, we were able to find mentions that Apple support personally asks foreign users to install this antivirus in case of computer infection¹⁷. That is, the device developer himself trusts him.

Official site ru.malwarebytes.com

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9. Webroot

The American company managed to set a couple of records with its products. Firstly, this antivirus for Mac OS weighs unrealistically little for 2022 – only 15 MB – like a couple of photos from your phone. Secondly, it is able to carry out a full computer scan in 20 seconds. And it seems that this statement is not one of the category with an asterisk or reservations.

Foreign analysts in their materials confirm the record speed of work. The best antivirus has built-in protection against “keyloggers” – these are programs that read keystrokes in order to then steal passwords.

Official site webroot.com

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10. ClamXAV

A little-known antivirus in Our Country, but nevertheless a popular product for Mac OS users – it is not available for Windows. It does not offer a wide range of “extra” functions, all protection is strictly to the point. Convenient setting of automatic scanning depending on the time and instant scanner of new files. They update their database quite often. 

Users write that sometimes the archives are updated three times a day, but at the same time without additional load on the system. Unfortunately, for 2022, developers take liberties: they don’t think about the safety of their users on the Internet at all. That is, if a virus attacks your PC, the protection will work, but no blocking of phishing, data leaks, or security of payments on the Web is provided.

Official site clamxav.com

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How to choose an antivirus for Mac OS 

We talked about the best antiviruses for Mac OS, which are presented in 2022. We have also prepared a guide to help you choose security software.

Before answering your questions:

• “Do you choose antivirus for personal use or for the security of company infrastructure?”
• “How often do you interact with external sources? Do you only correspond and use a search engine or download files?
• “Do you store a lot of files and applications on your Mac?”
• “Is additional functionality needed, such as VPN, parental controls?”
• “Are you willing to pay?”

Based on the answers to these questions, you can quite accurately choose a product for your needs. The search process is facilitated by the fact that almost all developers provide the opportunity to test their antiviruses before buying.

Free antiviruses and the price of security

In 2022, you can find free antivirus solutions for Mac OS, but their functionality will be significantly limited. Since the owners of such devices are often solvent people, companies understand that there is no reason to work for “thank you”. At the same time, free programs are often made by those who also have a paid version – it serves as a kind of advertisement for the program’s capabilities.

On average, the price of full anti-virus protection for a computer on Mac OS in 2022 is about 2000 rubles per year. Please note that the subscription is often renewed automatically and money is debited from the card without confirmation. It will be difficult to cancel the transaction. Therefore, either turn off the auto-renewal of the subscription, or set a reminder in the calendar in order to turn off the subscription if necessary.

What parameters should an antivirus for MacOS have?

Ideally, this should be comprehensive real-time protection. Not only scanning files on flash drives and other drives that you insert into your PC or download data from the cloud, but 24/7 protection when the computer is turned on. Antivirus should protect you while using the Internet, have a safe online shopping mode (where without virtual purchases in 2022?). 

Observe how often database updates occur. New viruses appear daily, so the more complete the archive of the program is, the higher the chances of not catching the “worm”.

Interface and control

An important factor is how the program looks externally. Clumsy design leads to the fact that sometimes you will not find the right settings. At the same time, there are overly “colorful” antiviruses with heavy shells that look attractive, but load the system. Although the best antiviruses will do all the work for the user and once again will not disturb him with questions and configuration requirements.

Popular questions and answers 

The director of the PAIR digital agency, which develops and ensures the security of client data, answers questions from readers of the KP, Max Menkov.

Sources of

1. https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide
2. https://www.av-test.org/en/about-the-institute/
3. https://www.av-comparatives.org/about-us/
4. https://cybercrew.uk/software/avira-antivirus-review/
5. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/december-2021/avira-security-1.7-215403/
6. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/avira/
7. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/december-2021/norton-norton-360-8.7-215407/
8. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/december-2021/trend-micro-antivirus-11.0-215409/
9. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/trend-micro/
10. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/december-2021/protectednet-total-av-5.5-215408/
11. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/june-2021/intego-virusbarrier-10.9-215205/
12. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/intego/
13. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/september-2021/kaspersky-lab-internet-security-21.1-215307/
14. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/kaspersky-lab/
15. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/september-2021/f-secure-safe-17.11-215306/
16. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/f-secure/
17. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8021786#:~:text=Apple%20Support%20reps%20use%20Malwarebytes,malware%20that%20is%20self%2Dreplicating
18. https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/webroot/
19. https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-bigsur/september-2021/canimaan-software-clamxav-3.2-215305/