Thanks to blazing-fast performance and industry-leading energy efficiency, hundreds of millions of users enjoy exploring the web with Safari. Here’s the short version:Safari is the best way to see the sites on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. I also know which one is truly free in case you can’t afford the premiums. I tested more than a dozen antivirus products and found out which one is the best. We test the top contenders to identify those offering the best Mac.
![]() ![]() Apple Support Best Antivirus Free In CaseI have to admit there was nothing wrong with my laptop, but I pretended that it was slow.The first thing the Apple technician suggested is checking if I caught a virus or not. When I was researching proper steps to fix the MacBook slowness issue, I called Apple support. And what can be more trusted than Apple company itself?And that’s what I did. What it lacks is a proactive element. The whole process took less than 5 minutes.When we verified that there was no malware on my MacBook, he moved to the next step, but that’s beyond the scope of this post.So, if Apple reps suggest using Malwarebytes for their computers, I guess it’s a good sign, right?First, the Free Malwarebytes is good to scan when you suspect that malware is already on your Mac. He directed me through the installation and scanning phases. Apple tries to protect the users and makes it hard to install anything that impacts the operating system. Bitdefender Virus ScannerAntimalware tools are notoriously hard to install.Almost all of them require post-install steps, such as giving Full Disk Access to the helper apps. However, if you want to go with this tool, I strongly suggest investing in the Premium edition (it’s what I have on my MacBook Air).Read more about my review of Malwarebytes free and premium editions. But if you want to scan a flash drive or an external device for viruses, even the premium won’t help you.So, if you are ok with these two problems, then Malwarebytes could be a good choice for you. For instance, if you have a Premium edition and you click on a file infected with a virus, the tool will prevent malware from running and damaging your Mac. You can run scans manually every day, or you can buy the Premium version to schedule.Second, Malwarebytes only scans the memory, but not the storage. The paid edition’s effectiveness was 94.9% in my test. The main goal is to make sure that your Mac is adequately protected.How the Bitdefender stacks up against the competition?I tested both free and paid editions, and I have to tell you that there is a significant difference.First, the malware detection rate of the free scanner is 70%. If you want to install full Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac, you would have to jump through the same hoops, like any other tool.But the easy setup is not the most important in our case. This is the only antimalware app that can be installed from the App Store, which makes the setup process so painless.The interesting thing that this easy install feature only applies to the free Bitdefender scanner. Sometimes, users opt not to install AVs because they are afraid that it will not be safe.One nice exception is the free Bitdefender Virus Scanner. For real-time protection, both for file system and internet browsing, you need the paid tool.The Bitdefender Virus Scanner is not worth installing, even if it’s free. The scanner only scans, so it is worthwhile only when you suspect your Mac is infected. I even reran my test multiple times, but the numbers didn’t change.Second, the difference between Bitdefender Scanner and Antivirus is the same as with Malwarebytes free and premium ones. I always assume that it is easier to have the same engine, which would have the same effectiveness, in both editions. Delete an invoice in quickbooks for macThis free app has three layers of protection for your Mac called core shields: file, web, and mail.While ransomware protection is a good feature, I can live without it as long as I make periodic backups. Avast Security for MacHonestly, Avast impressed me the most during my tests.I don’t know how they make money, but the free version is packed full of features that can be found only in paid programs. And lack of web protection makes the free app less appealing.Read more about difference between free and paid Bitdefender here. Avira Free Security for MacAvira was another app that surprised me in a good day.First, its malware detection rate was almost as good as Avast’s at 98%. I wish it were 100%, but I am good with a 1.7% difference as long as I am not paying a penny.Read my Avast review here. In my test, Avast found and quarantined 98.3% of malware samples. And the cool thing is you don’t even need to provide your information, such as email if you want to install it.And the virus detection rate of free Avast is higher than the rate of the paid Bitdefender. On the other hand, good backup can save you in case of any malware infection.Avast is the only one that comes with real-time protection right out the gate from all free antimalware solutions. If you read horror stories about companies paying millions in Bitcoins, they always do it when they failed to back up their file systems. Scan for viruses.Third, the free Avira comes with real-time protection – a must feature for any security app. It was very easy to navigate and quickly do what you need, i.e. It was simple and clean, without any complications. The app has numerous features which can be tailored to your liking, but most non-technical folks will not be able to take advantage of the granularity of settings because of their complexity.My major complaint about the product is its user interface. Maybe I am wrong, but I think they did not spend enough time on their home line for regular users, like you and me.Since the main focus of the company is corporate users, the decisions they made are not perfect for little guys. Free Sophos for HomeSophos was the last free antivirus I tested.The company behind the product is known as a security software provider for companies. You still can scan external devices manually, but the antivirus does not kick in automatically when you plug in your USB stick or hard drive.Avira has a number of features that require a paid subscription, such as VPN and Startup App, but honestly, I wouldn’t pay for those extras and go with the free version instead.Read my full free Avira review here. And there were several reasons for that.First, the AVG malware detection rate was the same as Avast’s. AVG Free Antivirus for MacFor a long time, Avast was my top choice when it’s coming to free antiviruses.During my test, I caught myself saying “pleasantly surprised” multiple times. With the virus detection rate at 72%, Sophos is a smidge better than free Bitdefender and way worse than Avast.Read my full review of free Sophos for Home. I ran the scans multiple times, but it still missed 33 samples out of 117. You have to log on to the company website, even if you want to unblock the file that was quarantined on your Mac.But, the biggest issue with the software it’s malware detection rate. That’s how Sophos UI works.
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