Mac security software adds another layer of protection to what Apple already provides, with features that can help to protect your identity, passwords, and financial details. These are the things that criminals are after, and they’ll often use cunning ways to extract them rather than spending time trying to break past Apple’s defenses in macOS.
Although some of the packages here are solely focused on macOS, others will also protect Android and Windows devices you might also own, and that makes the price of protection much cheaper per computer.
Good security software should warn you before you click on a dangerous website, or open a ‘phishing’ email with a dodgy attachment, which could trick you into handing over your bank details, passwords, or other sensitive information.
Apple does include some built-in antivirus protection, but if you are in two minds about whether you need protection you might like to read Do Macs need antivirus software?
Best antivirus for Mac
You’ll find the following Mac antivirus recommendations in our round-up of the Best antivirus for Mac.
Here are our top Mac antivirus recommendations (click the link to read our reviews):
- Intego Mac Internet Security X9: Currently 65% off, $24.99/£20.99 a year for one Mac, get the deal here.
- Avast Premium Security: Currently $50.28/£39.99 for the first year for one Mac, get the US deal here / get the UK deal here.
- AVG: In the U.S. you can save 38% and get full cover for $46.68 for the first year. The U.K. offer is £33.49 for the first year (then £54.99), get the U.S. deal here / get the U.K. deal here
- Norton 360 Deluxe: Currently 77% off, $49.99/£19.99 for the first year for five devices, get the deal here. There’s an 80% off deal on Amazon U.K. for including three devices for just £14.99. At Amazon U.S. it’s 26% off at $19.99, get the deal here.
- Bitdefender Total Security: Currently 25% off, £29.99 a year in the U.K., and 33% off, $39.99 in the U.S. for a one-year subscription for three devices, get the U.S. deal here / get the U.K. deal here.
- Trend Micro: Currently $29.99 (25% off) for one year for one Mac: Get the U.S. deal here / Currently £19.95 (60% off) for one year one Mac: Get the U.K. deal here.
- McAfee Total Protection: Currently 66% off, five devices are $39.99 for one year in the U.S., and £49.99 a year for five devices for the first year in the U.K., get the U.S. deal here / get the U.K. deal here.
Best free antivirus for Mac
Several companies offer free antivirus software for Mac. However, you should always be cautious using a free antivirus and don’t expect all the features of the paid-for options.
- Avast Security for Mac – offers a free option alongside the Premium plan. Get it here.
- Avira Free Antivirus for Mac – is free and also includes a VPN. Get it here.
- AVG Antivirus For Mac – free version offers basic features. Get it here.
- Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac – is free to use. Get it here.
- Intego VirusBarrier Scanner – free virus scanner. Get it here.
- Malwarebytes Antivirus for Mac – has a free version as well as a paid version. Get it here.
- Sophos Home – there’s a free plan, plus you can get the full version for 30 days trial. Get it here.
Best antivirus deals for Mac
The above are our top recommendations, but you can save even more money than that. Check our the best deals we’ve seen below.
Top 10 Antivirus Deals
Intego Mac Internet Security X9 – 1 year, 1 Mac
Intego is our top pick for Mac antivirus. It’s the fastest we’ve reviewed, and has an impressive clean-up rate. It comes with a brilliant firewall, too.
Intego has just over 50% off right now. The RRP is usually $49.99/£49.99 for one year/one Mac, but it’s $24.99/£20.99 right now.
Read our review: Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review (2021)
Bitdefender Antivirus For Mac – 1 Year, 3 Devices
Bitdefender is one of our best picks for Mac and there is a great discount, so you can get it for $39.99/£29.99 (usually $59.99/£39.99).
That’s a one year subscription for up to three devices. Get that UK deal here. The same deal in the US is here. Note that this is the price for the first year only.
It’s also worth checking out this deal on Amazon.com: you can pick up a great deal on Bitdefender Total Security. You can get two years cover of five devices for $30.99 (usually $149.99) or one year cover for five devices for $19.99. Get the deal here.
Read our Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review and our Bitdefender Total Security 2021 review.
Norton 360 Deluxe – 1 Year, 5 Devices
Norton is one of our top antivirus picks, so it’s good news that you can get the first 12 months for only $49.99. In the UK, that’s just £19.99 until 5 January.
After that, the first-year price goes up by £10, but that still saves you £55 off the usual price.And speaking of that, do note that the renewal price is $104.99/£84.99 after that first year.There’s also the option of a two-year subscription and get two years for $89.99/£89.99 ($44.99/£44.99 a year) which sounds like a worse deal, but don’t forget you’re getting a discount on both years, not just the first, so it is cheaper overall.
Read our review: Norton 360 Deluxe review
Trend Micro Antivirus For Mac – 1 Year, 1 Device
Trend Micro’s online protection is available with 60% off right now for one year in the UK, or 25% off in the US (where it’s already cheaper).
It’s usually $39.95/£49.95 a year.
Read our review: Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac review
Clario Antivirus 1.5 for Mac
Clario is offering its Mac antivirus software for $50 a year – which is 54% off the usual price of $107.88 a year.
The UK pricing is equivalent – normally £107.88 a year, currently discounted to £50 a year.
F-Secure Total – 3 devices
F-Secure is offering a great discount on F-Secure Total. Cover three devices for $67.49/£49.99 (RRP:$89.99/ £79.99).
You can also cover five devices for $82.40/£59.99 (RRP $109.99/£99.99).
Get the US deal hereRead our review: F-Secure Total review
Panda Dome Essential – 1 Year, 1 Device
Panda Dome Essentials includes top-rated antivirus protection, plus a VPN (albeit with only 150MB of data to use per day).
Right now, there’s 40% off, and this applies not just on the Essential plan but also on Advanced, Complete and Premium.
Avira Antivirus Pro – 1 Year, 1 Device
Avira is well known for its free antivirus which is available for macOS as well as Windows. It’s very effective, too and if you pay for the Pro version you get official support, more regular updates, plus email and web protection.
Read our review: Avira Antivirus Pro review
How to find a good antivirus deal
It can be tricky to know where to start with antivirus. Protecting your tech from malware, ransomware and other cyber attacks is such an important thing to do, but most of the services available appear to be very similar to one another, so it’s hard to understand which are the most secure, and which are the best value.
You can rest assured that we will only share deals here if we think they’re good enough to be worth buying. Everything we share here will be a great saving on a service we trust.
We recommend taking a look at our article all about the best Mac antivirus to help you get a better understanding of which services we like most.
You’ll find that antivirus discounts can be huge, often at more than half price for your Mac or mobile devices. Do note that these are typically first-year deals, and at renewal you’ll pay the regular price.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.