Best Antivirus for Mac

What separates the best antivirus for Mac on this page?

Six suites, and the scores run from 8.9 down to 7.5. Protection carries 35 of the 100 points, performance 20, features 15, usability 10 and value 20 — so a suite that slows your Mac down or renews high loses ground even when its detection is fine.

Bitdefender Total Security sits at 8.9 for $49.99. It caught 100% of our malware samples and 49 of 50 phishing pages, and it was the least slowdown of any paid suite at 4% on file copy. The VPN is capped at 200 MB a day unless you pay more, and it renews at $99.99.

ESET HOME Security Essential scores 8.2 at $49.99 with the lowest slowdown in the test at 3% and zero false positives on our 100 clean installers. Few bundled extras, and the interface is dated.

Norton 360 Deluxe (8.1, $49.99) packs an unlimited VPN, a password manager, 50 GB of backup and Norton Family parental controls, but it renews at $119.99 and had the heaviest slowdown of the paid suites in our copy test.

Avast One and Malwarebytes Premium both score 7.7. Avast One's free tier includes real-time protection, a firewall and 5 GB of VPN a week; the paid tier adds a VPN and cleanup tools, and Avast paid $16.5 million to the FTC in 2024 over selling browsing data through Jumpshot. Malwarebytes Premium costs $59.99, removed every adware and potentially-unwanted program on our infected test image, and keeps the same price at renewal — but it missed 3% of our samples on first contact.

McAfee+ Premium is 7.5 at $49.99, covers every device in the household with an unlimited VPN and identity monitoring, renews at $149.99 and slowed our test laptop the most at 13% on file copy.

What should you check before buying antivirus for a Mac?

Look past the first-year price. Four of these six start at $49.99, and the renewal is where they diverge: $99.99 for Bitdefender, $119.99 for Norton, $149.99 for McAfee, while Malwarebytes holds at $59.99.

Then weigh what you actually need:

• Speed: ESET at 3% and Bitdefender at 4% on file copy are the lightest here; McAfee at 13% is the heaviest.
• Detection: Bitdefender caught 100% of samples, Norton 99.5%, Avast 99%, and Malwarebytes missed 3% on first contact.
• Extras: Norton bundles an unlimited VPN, 50 GB backup, a password manager and parental controls; ESET Essential and Malwarebytes keep extras thin.
• Household size: McAfee covers every device in the household; the others are licensed per device.

Which one for whom?

For most people, Bitdefender Total Security: top detection, 4% slowdown, $49.99 in year one. If you want the lightest possible footprint and granular controls, ESET HOME Security Essential. If you need a VPN, backup and parental controls in one box, Norton 360 Deluxe. For a family covering every device, McAfee+ Premium. If you are cleaning up an existing infection, Malwarebytes Premium. If you want a free starting point, Avast One's free tier.

For most Macs, Bitdefender Total Security is the pick: 8.9, $49.99, 100% of our malware samples caught and 4% slowdown. Choose ESET HOME Security Essential if you want the lowest slowdown at 3%, or Norton 360 Deluxe if you need the unlimited VPN, 50 GB backup and parental controls. Malwarebytes Premium suits cleanup duty, McAfee+ Premium suits a whole household, and Avast One's free tier is the place to start for nothing.