Best Antivirus For Mac In 2024: (Top 5 Pick You Need To Try)

Although Mac users are less vulnerable to viruses than their Windows counterparts, they are not 100% immune to cyberattacks, viruses, and ransomware.

As technology advances, the methods used by cybercriminals to develop viruses, attempt to gain access to their victims' devices and extort money from them also advance.

For Mac Device User, having the best antivirus software for your Mac in 2024 is a crucial defense and may save you from a bad situation in the future.

Macs were once considered immune to viruses, but now, do they still live up to their reputation?

However, as their popularity among users rises, cybercriminals' interest in these devices also increases, so it has become a necessity to protect against viruses on Mac systems.

Today, the market offers a large number of antivirus software options designed specifically for Mac users, each of which is a comprehensive security solution against any possible threat.

This comprehensive guide delves into the strengths, weaknesses, and unique offerings of the best antivirus solutions for Mac in 2024.

Do you need antivirus on a Mac?

Well, this question was asked before on the Apple forum in the form of the following question: Does the MacBook Air need antivirus software?

The following question has been answered, that Apple devices do not require you to install any AVS program or cleaning program on their system.

In addition, it warns that this type of program may cause some performance problems or system malfunctions.

According to the forum's answer, it denies the possibility of Mac devices being exposed to any possibility of being exposed to traditional viruses, and that the problem presented is one of the types of viruses that cannot be controlled, which are advertising viruses, but they can be easily avoided with some preventive measures.

Apple offers some articles describing Apple's built-in malware protection in its devices

macOS—Security—Apple
Malware protection in macOS—Apple Support
Protect your Mac from malware—Apple Support
Ways to avoid malware and harmful apps on your Mac—Apple Support
Gatekeeper and runtime protection in macOS—Apple Support

So, does that mean I don't need to install anti-malware software on my Mac?

The answer is no, and the reason is that this is not guaranteed, and even if Apple provides absolute protection against viruses as it claims through XProtect, which is a built-in antivirus program for Mac devices, it is better to add additional layers of protection to the system.

The misconception that your Mac is immune to malware is just that: a misconception.

Cybercriminals have developed and innovated sophisticated techniques that specifically target vulnerabilities in the macOS operating system.

This has led to the emergence of adware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and other forms of malware targeting Mac users, debunking the myth of absolute invulnerability of owner systems.

What is The Best Antivirus For Mac

Norton Antivirus For mac

AV Norton is considered one of the best antivirus programs available on the Internet, as it provides powerful antivirus features such as real-time protection thanks to the artificial intelligence and machine learning feature integrated within the program.

Built-in AI, machine learning, and real-time protection identify, isolate, and destroy any detected piece of malware before it has a chance to cause any harm to your system.

Norton Defense Norton 360 includes an intelligent firewall, which checks any incoming network traffic and ensures that any data you send is not directed to untrusted sources.
Intrusion prevention system, which monitors any illegal attempts to access your device.

Overall, these features ensure that your Mac Device are safe from any attempt to infect it with any type of malware.

Let's be honest, some key features found on Windows like webcam monitoring, Norton Power Eraser, and the Norton reputation database are not available on the Mac version of Norton.

Well, these features may not be necessary for many, but it would have been nice to have them available on Norton 360 for Mac.

Norton Antivirus Plans Prices

Norton offers four plans that you can subscribe to:

Norton AntiVirus Plus costs about $14.99/Mo for the first year for just one device, but the plan price will increase after the first year to $59.99/Mo, so be sure to keep track of your subscription expiration date if you don't want to renew your plan.

This plan offers you features such as:

1 PC, Mac, tablet, or phone
Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection
100% Virus Protection Promise
2 GB Cloud Backup
Password Manager

Norton 360 standard costs around $19.99/Mo for the first year for only three devices, but the plan price will increase after the first year to $94.99/Mo.

This plan offers you features such as:

3 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones
Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection
100% Virus Protection Promise
2 GB Cloud Backup
Password Manager
VPN private internet connection
Dark Web Monitoring

Norton 360 Deluxe costs approximately $29.99/Mo for the first year and can be installed on 5 devices, but the price of the plan will increase after the first year to $119.99/Mo.

This plan offers you features such as:

5 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones
Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection
100% Virus Protection Promise
50 GB Cloud Backup
Password Manager
VPN private internet connection
Dark Web Monitoring
Privacy Monitor
Parental Control

Norton 360 with life Lock costs $69.99/Mo for the first year and can be installed on 10 devices, but the plan price will increase after the first year to $179.99/Mo.

This plan offers you features such as:

10 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones
Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection
100% Virus Protection Promise
250 GB Cloud Backup
Password Manager
VPN private internet connection
Dark Web Monitoring
Privacy Monitor
Parental Control
LifeLock identity theft protection

If you want more functionality like the built-in Norton VPN, you will need to spend about $40 to get this feature with the program.

In terms of accessibility and performance, Norton on Mac is as easy to use as its Windows counterpart, although it lacks some of that version's more detailed features and functionality found on Windows.

Kaspersky Antivirus For mac

Given the current political situation, Kaspersky Firewall may be somewhat controversial, however, Kaspersky Security remains a very popular all-in-one solution among PC users.

As for Kaspersky for Mac, the program is ok.

Kaspersky's security program has faced some difficulty for some years now to run on Mac devices, but according to Talos this is not an excuse for the difficulty of installing the program on Mac systems.

Unlike installing Kaspersky on Windows, which can be installed as one complete package, installing Kaspersky on Mac requires downloading each part of the program separately.

Tools like Kaspersky Internet Security, Kaspersky Password Manager and Kaspersky Safekids Tool are all separate applications upon installation, which is incomprehensible.

This may not be a big problem, as after installing all the parts and tools of the Kaspersky security program, you will get one application with which you can control all the program’s tools.

As for Use program, this may not be a big problem, as after installing all parts of the Kaspersky protection program, you will get one application with which you can control all the program’s tools.

As for protection in Kaspersky, it offers good to excellent protection, in addition to the real-time protection function that keeps the device protected at all times, in addition to a powerful built-in feature for more security, which is the Kaspersky Safe Mode.

Kaspersky Safe Mode feature, which works to keep all your credentials safe when shopping or conducting online banking transactions.

In addition to the ability to access the built-in Kaspersky VPN network, webcam monitoring, Kaspersky password manager and other features that you can discover.

Kaspersky Protection Plan Price

Kaspersky provides three plans to subscribe to, of course the more you pay, the more you will get additional features and control.

The Kaspersky Standard Plan starts at $34.99/Years for the first year with the ability to operate on three devices, and you will get:

Real-time Antivirus
Online Payment Protection
Performance Optimization

The Kaspersky Plus Plan starts at $47.99/Years for the first year with the ability to run on five devices, and you will get:

Real-time Antivirus
Online Payment Protection
Performance Optimization
Unlimited Superfast VPN
Data Leak Checker

The Kaspersky premium plan starts at $67.99/Years for the first year with the ability to run on 10 devices, and you will get:

Real-time Antivirus
Online Payment Protection
Performance Optimization
Unlimited Superfast VPN
Data Leak Checker
Identity Protection
Expert Virus Check & Removal
Kaspersky Safe Kids1 YEAR FREE

Kaspersky is certainly one of the most comprehensive AV suites available on Mac with a number of great security features, considering the difficulty of installing the software package or poor user experience.

Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac

In contrast to the previous AV suite we mentioned, Bitdefender for Mac is very sun chin, and like Norton AV you will find Bitdefender being featured in a lot of online reviews and comparisons.

In terms of security and antivirus protection, Bitdefender provides very strong real-time protection, but it is strange that it does not provide scheduled scans, but I suspect that many do not use this feature.

The most intriguing feature is Bitdefender Autopilot, a chatbot that appears at the top of the Bitdefender dashboard that offers suggestions on actions that can be taken to ensure the health and safety of your Mac.

Other features include Bitdefender TrafficLight, a Google Chrome extension that monitors internet traffic, as well as Bitdefender VPN, which is limited to 200 MB per day.

In addition to, the Bitdefender anti-track feature, which prevents potential trackers from monitoring your data.

Bitdefender offers a beautiful, modern interface that is easy to control and use on Mac devices, which is a great thing for a device that may not be supported by many of the applications that are available on Windows.

As for the features that are not available on the Mac version, they are Bitdefender password manager, Bitdefender safePay, and Bitdefender wallet, which is unfortunate, and we hope that it will be added to Bitdefender for mac.

Bitdefender AV plans prices

Bitdefender offers three subscription plans, with a Bitdefender discount on each plan:

The Bitdefender Total Security plan starts at $49.99/years, with the ability to install on 5 devices as an offer for the first year only.

With this plan, you will get:

Complete, hassle-free protection across your phones, tablets & laptops
Protection for multiple operating systems, including Macs, iOS & Android
Parental controls across all devices
Extensive privacy protection, including firewall, webcams & microphones
Bitdefender’s standard protection suite, against adware, malware, web attacks & ransomware

The Bitdefender Internet Security plan starts at $44.99/years, with the ability to install on 3 devices as an offer for the first year only.

With this plan, you will get:

Parental controls on your Windows PCs
Extensive privacy protection, including firewall, webcams & microphones
Bitdefender’s standard protection suite, against adware, malware, web attacks & ransomware

The Bitdefender Antivirus Plus plan starts at $34.99/years, with the ability to install on 3 devices as an offer for the first year only. With this plan, you will get:

Bitdefender’s standard protection suite, against adware, malware, web attacks & ransomware

AV Bitdefender offers one of the best security and antivirus experiences on Mac, thanks to its security features, ease of use, and easy and intuitive interface.

Malwarebytes Antivirus For Mac

As for the Free Malwarebytes version provided by Malwarebytes, it is very popular among the owner's users, as it has proven to be quite fast and effective in ridding devices of malware.

AV Malwarebytes can a full system scan within 15 seconds, but the only problem is that you have to tell it what to do if you are using the free version, which means there are no features like real-time scanning.

Certainly, Malwarebytes is a very lightweight program that does not turn your device into a cake oven, but at what cost does that come with? And Should I upgrade to the paid version of Malwarebytes?

The answer may be shocking, and it is no. It may not be necessary to upgrade to the paid version of Malwarebytes.

Certainly, with the premium version you will get features such as real-time scanning and other features.

As for the Malwarebytes protection program, it has not been independently verified for some time, as at times such as 2016 or 2017 it provided great value, but there is no way to know whether the program still offers the same capabilities at the present time.

Malware, viruses, and internal scam are objects that are constantly evolving and taking many forms and becoming more powerful than ever.

However, Malwarebytes is considered a fairly intensive program despite its abstract structure.

AV Malwarebytes Plans & Prices

As for the pricing plans in Malwarebytes, they do not promise you much, and at the same time, they do not cost you much, and you may consider them as one of the best cheap antivirus for Mac.

The plan from malwarebytes Plus-1 starts at $3/mo, or $59.99/years, and is designed to run on three devices, and offers you features such as:

Premium Security: 24/7 antivirus & anti-malware protection
Browser Guard: Extension for a faster, safer, and cleaner browsing experience

The plan from Malwarebytes Plus_2 starts at $6.67/mo, or $79.99/years, and is designed to run on three devices, and offers you features such as:

Premium Security: 24/7 antivirus & anti-malware protection
Browser Guard: Extension for a faster, safer, and cleaner browsing experience
Privacy VPN: Online privacy with faster speeds than traditional VPNs

The plan from Malwarebytes Plus-3 starts at $8.33/mo, or $99.99/years, and is designed to run on five devices, and offers you features such as:

Premium Security: 24/7 antivirus & anti-malware protection
Browser Guard: Extension for a faster, safer, and cleaner browsing experience
Privacy VPN: Online privacy with faster speeds than traditional VPNs

Well, do we recommend the free version of Malwarebytes? The answer is yes, but with loss of some necessary features such as real-time virus detection and other features that are not included in the free version.

Avira Antivirus For Mac

The Avira AV program is very popular among Mac users, mostly due to the free version of Avira, which has proven effective in protecting against malware, and despite Malwarebytes, Avira has some credentials.

Malware detection protocols are fairly standard, as they use signature-based protocols because they have access to a large database that is constantly updated.

What makes Avira antivirus a very good choice for Mac users is its real-time protection, extensive one-click scanning that gets the job done without slowing down your Mac, and a clean, easy-to-use interface.

When it comes to Mac devices, Avira prides itself on a detection rate of up to 99%.

You may think that this is good, but the program may end up with some false positive results, but do not worry, because every file that is reported goes to the quarantine for individual evaluation.

All of these features are present in Avira prime, which means you have to shell out some extra money to access these features.

Avira Subscribe Price

The Avira Antivirus PRO plan starts at $4.99/Mo and offers you features like:

Block threats in real time & repairs files
Clean your Mac and free up space
Customer support

Avira PRIME plan starts at $9.99/Mo and offers you features like:

Block threats in real time & repairs files
Clean your Mac and free up space
Customer support
Auto-generate and store passwords securely
Protect your online accounts
Remove trackers from your Mac
Anonymize your web surfing with unlimited VPN
Install premium mobile apps
Scan for data breaches
Enhances gaming performance

The Avira Internet Security plan starts at $5.99/Mo and offers you features like:

Block threats in real time & repairs files
Clean your Mac and free up space
Customer support
Auto-generate and store passwords securely
Protect your online accounts

Don't expect any additional features like SafePay, plus Avira offers a somewhat no-nonsense approach that, despite its effectiveness, unfortunately results in the lack of some necessary functionality.

Avira is a fairly average protection program that covers all the basic features of antivirus protection at the expense of performance and more comprehensive features. Of course, it is not the most powerful AV on our list, but it is not the worst either.

Choosing the Right Antivirus For Mac

Choosing the best antivirus for your Mac in 2024 depends on aligning features, performance, and privacy aspects with your specific needs.

Consider factors like specialized protection for Macs, comprehensive additional features, and ease of use for optimal cybersecurity.

Conclusion

The types of viruses that emerge every day force us to take a proactive approach to the security of our Macs.

Fortunately, there are many antivirus software options directed at Mac devices, and the list we mentioned are some of the existing programs that can be used.

Your choice should reflect the balance between your unique security needs and the outstanding features provided by these leading antivirus solutions.