Although Windows system is much more popular than Apple, antivirus software developers do not forget to create software solutions for MacBooks. And even if you don’t want to pay for protection again, you can always find the best free antivirus for Mac.
Avast – the leading choice among free antiviruses
Avast is one of the most popular antivirus products. This is an effective free antivirus for home use, offering a set of tools for:
- scan system and individual files
- external drives and attached volumes for malware
- email checks
- attachments
- various Internet activities (web pages, downloads, Java scripts, etc.),
It also protects against phishing attacks. The software has an intuitive interface with a navigation panel located on the left, which contains five basic options and a graph that real-time displays the status of the computer.
During the installation of the free version, users are invited to install two additional programs – Avast Internet Security and Avast SecureLine VPN, but this is not free. It is not necessary to install them, so be careful if you do not want to pay extra money.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware or MBAM is a free comprehensive anti-virus, chosen by many owners of Windows-based computers. This is a great deep scan tool that thoroughly checks the entire system.
Although MBAM for Mac was originally offered as a tool to remove unwanted adware, over time, the application has become a full-fledged anti-malware tool. Malwarebytes did a great job turning the Mac version into a tool as effective as MBAM for Windows.
The antivirus is easy to use – run the program, click Scan and the results will be displayed promptly on the screen. By analogy with the Windows version, the Mac option does not provide real-time protection and is more suitable for deep scanning.
Sophos Antivirus Mac Home Edition
This is a full-featured free antivirus that provides the ability to scan certain files, folders, hard drives, and also offers a set of additional options for removing and quarantining any software that the antivirus will consider as a potential threat.
The antivirus also implements real-time protection functions that block and quarantine any suspicious files. Although the scanning process is quite slow, the antivirus unobtrusively runs in the background and uses very few system resources.
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac
Avira Anti-Virus perfectly combines ease of use with the ability to quickly access advanced tools. As a result, users can carry out a basic system scan as easily as a scheduled scan or scan of specific areas. The program offers standard protection against spyware and adware, and can also block malicious sites and tracking (tracking user activity on the Internet). Also, 5 GB of cloud storage and the ability to delete malicious files in one click are available.
Avira is not without drawbacks, among which it is worth noting the relatively long installation process and the intensive use of system resources during the upgrade. Antivirus has a rather cumbersome interface, although it is easy to manage. On the right is the navigation bar, which displays:
- system status
- scheduled tasks
- option to view quarantine and other functions.
The virus signature database is constantly updated, although the process may take a little time. The application consumes a lot of resources, but this drawback is more than paid for by a nonexistent price tag and advanced features.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner
This software developed based on the anti-virus engine of the same name offers several functions that allow you to conduct a deep scan of the system or its specific areas.
With the proper resolution, the program can even check critical areas, such as the Mac bootloader or the system library, which avoids the long scanning process.