The Best Mac Antivirus Software for 2025 (2025)

• Perfect scores from testing labs
• Protects files and backups from ransomware
• Includes VPN
• No-hassle Autopilot mode
• Blocks trackers in browsers

• Full access to VPN features requires separate subscription

Independent antivirus labs put macOS antivirus tools to the test, reporting scores that let us know which ones are the most effective. Both AV-Test and AV-Comparatives routinely give Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac perfect or near-perfect scores, and it earned very good scores in our hands-on tests. In the default Autopilot mode, it does its work while keeping user interaction to a minimum.

This antivirus doesn’t boast the immense feature collection found in its Windows equivalent, but it still goes well beyond the average macOS antivirus. Its tracker-blocking system actively prevents advertisers and others from tracking web surfing activity in your browsers, and, like its Windows counterpart, it actively protects against ransomware. A VPN (virtual private network) gets installed with the antivirus and lets you protect 200MB per day of web traffic. For a separate fee, you can remove that bandwidth cap and unlock other features. In addition to the Web Protection that steers you away from malicious and dangerous web pages, Bitdefender’s Traffic Light browser extension marks up search results with green and red icons to flag safe and dangerous pages.

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• Includes a no-limits VPN
• Perfect score from one independent testing lab
• Excellent detection of phishing frauds
• Cleans up useless and duplicate files

• Privacy monitor is less effective than dedicated personal data removal services

Norton 360 Deluxe is a powerful cross-platform security suite, and Norton 360 Deluxe for Mac goes well beyond antivirus basics. The independent labs verify its effectiveness—AV-Test gave it a perfect score. It also earned a very good score in my own hands-on testing against phishing frauds.

Like Bitdefender, Norton gives Mac users a VPN along with antivirus protection. But unlike Bitdefender, Norton doesn’t require an extra fee for unrestricted VPN use. Out of the box, the VPN has no limits on bandwidth or features. With Norton, you also get a cross-platform password manager, a two-way firewall, and a cleanup tool that, among other things, helps you identify duplicates and near-duplicates in your videos and images.

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• Excellent scores from antivirus labs
• No-limits VPN
• Near-perfect score in our phishing protection test
• Blocks browser fingerprinters
• Bonus security, privacy, and performance features

• Not as feature-rich as its Windows equivalent
• More expensive than many competitors

It’s always nice to know that the experts think you’ve made a good choice; the lab-testing experts think Avast One is just about perfect. At least, it takes the highest possible scores in the latest reports from both labs we follow. It does well in our own tests, earning a phishing protection score within a hair of perfect and 97% detection of Windows-focused malware.

But this program goes well beyond simple antivirus protection. Like Norton, it includes a full-powered VPN with no limits on bandwidth or features. It also offers unusual protection against browser fingerprinting, a technique for tracking your online activities even when you’ve engaged the traditional Do Not Track technology. Its people-centric user interface is a welcome change from big, dark rectangles. Data breach monitoring, a performance enhancement tool, and a cleanup system for your photos are among the other elements of this feature-rich offering.

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• Malware protection certified by independent lab
• Includes full-featured firewall
• Detects Windows and Linux malware

• No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites
• So-so detection of Windows malware

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• Low price
• Straightforward user interface
• Can scan for Windows malware

• No filtering of malicious or fraudulent websites
• No current lab certifications

The virtue of open-source software is that anyone with the necessary expertise can peruse the code to spot problems. ClamXAV isn't itself an open-source project, but it builds on the popular Clam Antivirus, which is. It supplements that protection with its own scanning engine and antivirus database and wraps it all in an attractive user interface.

ClamXAV offers options to scan your whole Mac for antivirus threats or just focus on specific areas like your user folder or Documents. It also scans files in real time, and you can set it to run a regularly scheduled scan. It doesn't add the typical browser-level protection against malware-hosting sites, figuring that its real-time protection will catch any malware you download. It also skips trying to identify and block phishing websites.

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• Many security, privacy, and performance features
• Integrated VPN
• Speedy on-demand malware scan
• All-inclusive premium services are available

• No protection against malicious or fraudulent URLs
• No current lab test scores
• VPN country selection is awkward
• Premium services are disproportionately expensive

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• Extremely fast malware scan
• Excellent phishing protection score
• Strong reputation among tech experts

• No test results from independent labs

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• Cross-platform security suite
• Money-back virus protection pledge
• Perfect phishing protection score

• No current lab test results
• Lacks features found in Windows edition

McAfee Total Protection for Mac is the Mac-oriented manifestation of the cross-platform McAfee Total Protection suite. With your McAfee subscription, you get up to 10 licenses to install antivirus protection for the Macs in your household, as well as Windows, Android, iOS, or ChromeOS devices. For a modern household brimming with devices, McAfee can be a bargain, and it comes with a guarantee. If malware gets past McAfee’s protective shield, the company’s experts will fix the problem remotely or, if they can't, give your money back.

McAfee’s antivirus efficacy is backed by a guarantee, but not at present by lab results. The labs haven’t included McAfee in testing for some years, though it regularly received certification when they did rate it. In my own platform-independent phishing protection test, McAfee managed 100% detection both on macOS and Windows, and its WebAdvisor component also helps you avoid malware-hosting pages and other online dangers.

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• Excellent phishing protection score
• Permission-based ransomware protection
• Numerous bonus features

• No current scores from antivirus testing labs
• One-license model not practical for all-Mac households
• Webcam privacy lacks detail
• Parental control limited to content filtering

Figuring out how well an antivirus works isn’t a task for the average user; you need to call in the experts. In past years, Trend Micro has earned perfect scores from both AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, though it doesn't appear in their latest reports. In my hands-on testing, it finished a full scan more quickly than the average, and it earned another perfect score in my hands-on phishing protection test.

This app is loaded with features beyond just antivirus. Its social network scan ensures you’ve configured your accounts properly for privacy. It fends off ransomware attacks by banning all unauthorized changes to protected files. A warning system helps prevent misuse of your Mac’s camera and microphone. The latest edition adds new privacy and utility tools, though some require a separate payment for full functionality.

Not everyone lives surrounded by a gaggle of computing devices. A Trend Micro subscription offers award-winning protection for your (single) Mac, along with an impressive and growing array of bonus features. But if you’ve got many Macs to monitor, you should look elsewhere.

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• Protects files and backups from ransomware
• Excellent score in our phishing protection test
• Detects and deletes Windows malware
• Browser extension marks up dangerous links

• No direct certification from antivirus labs

Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus for Mac protects your Mac’s files and backups from ransomware, just like Bitdefender. It earns an excellent score in our phishing protection test, though not at the very top. It detects and deletes Windows malware, it offers Autopilot mode, and its browser extension marks up dangerous links in search results, just like Bitdefender. Coincidence? Nope. When Total Defense needed to extend protection into the macOS realm, the company simply licensed excellent Mac protection from Bitdefender.

Bitdefender gets perfect scores from two antivirus testing labs, but the labs make it very clear that their results apply only to the tested app. While we can guess that Total Defense would also excel in these tests, we don’t have hard results. Total Defense also doesn't bring along Bitdefender's VPN component, which is admittedly quite limited unless you pay extra for its premium edition.

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Malicious URL Blocking

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Firewall

• Perfect phishing protection score
• Excellent detection of Windows malware

• No current results from independent testing labs
• Web threat protection only for Chrome and not installed by default
• A bug made the full scan take many hours

On-Demand Malware Scan

On-Access Malware Scan

Website Rating

Malicious URL Blocking

Phishing Protection

Behavior-Based Detection

Vulnerability Scan

Firewall