I was easily able to install the extension on Google Chrome (it’s also available on Opera and Microsoft Edge) and have it block ads, trackers, and other malicious activities across a wide range of URLs. I especially like the Safe Shopping browser, which protects your online transactions and other activities.

Many antivirus brands put useless extra features in their free plans (or don’t bother to include them at all), so I was pleased to find that nearly all of Avira’s extras add plenty of value. While the Smart Scan cleaned up over 2GB of disk space for me, I would have had to upgrade to delete the remaining files and track cookies on my Mac. Unfortunately, Avira’s free version doesn’t allow you to fix every privacy and performance issue that it finds. It took about 23 minutes to run a Smart Scan on my Mac. Smart Scan identifies tracking cookies and other files that could be slowing down your Mac.Īvira’s Smart Scan not only checks your system for malware but also looks for ways to improve your Mac’s overall performance. Avira - #1 Free Mac Antivirus for Advanced Malware Protection Customer support - Lastly, I considered each antivirus’s customer support options and tested their response times.Ĥ Best Antivirus Software for Mac (Tested March 2023) 1.Ease of use - I considered how easy to use the antiviruses are and whether their Mac apps are intuitive enough to be used by someone who isn’t tech-savvy.

Extra features - Mac-specific antiviruses don’t often pack many additional security features, but I chose those that provide several useful features.

The ones that didn’t slow down my Mac noticeably made it to my list.

System performance - I monitored each antivirus’s impact on my system performance.

Malware detection - I pitted each antivirus against 900 Mac-specific malware I downloaded from the web to see which ones gave me a perfect or near-perfect detection rate.

Throughout my testing, I evaluated each antivirus on the following criteria: I tested several antiviruses on my M1 Macbook Air running macOS Monterey 12.3.1. Try Intego risk-free for 30-days How I Tested & Rated the 5 Best Free Antivirus Software for Mac You can also try Intego for free with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best Parental Control for iPhone & iPadīONUS: Intego - It is not free but Intego’s software has been built from the ground up with Mac users in mind so it would be amiss not to mention it.

IPVanish VPN vs Private Internet Access.

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