Published on: July 8, 2025
Short on time? Here’s the best free Mac antivirus of 2025:
- 🥇 TotalAV: Detects and blocks all Mac-specific malware and improves macOS’s built-in security features with an advanced firewall, system optimization tools, backup tools, and parental controls. Has a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I spent several weeks testing all of the Mac antiviruses on the market — I managed to find only a couple of free antiviruses that provide decent protection for Mac users.
A lot of free antiviruses are just limited versions of premium antivirus software. And some “free antiviruses” are actually malware in disguise, pretending to protect your system while actually stealing your personal data! So, you need to be very careful when downloading a free antivirus.
But don’t worry!
I’ve managed to find a few trusted antiviruses that aren’t trying to hide anything. The products on this list all offer excellent malware protection and a wide range of internet security protections to help you stay safe online.
All of the antiviruses here give away something for free, but their strongest protections are only available to premium users. So, unless you only need very basic protection, I recommend investing in a low-cost antivirus like Intego — which is my top choice for macOS protection in 2025. Editors' Note: Intego and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick summary of the best free Mac antiviruses in 2025:
- 1.🥇 TotalAV — #1 Mac antivirus for 2025 with system optimization, backup tools, parental controls, and lots more.
- 2.🥈 Norton — Full internet security suite with decent macOS protection.
- 3.🥉 Intego— Advanced Mac cleaning and optimization tools .
- 4. Bitdefender — Fast AI-powered malware scanner.
- 5. Avira — Excellent malware protection with really good internet security features.
- Bonus. Airo AV — Lightweight antivirus designed exclusively for Macs.
- Frequently asked questions about free Mac antiviruses.
How to Choose the Best Free Antivirus Software for Your Mac
Mac computers have built-in security features, but that doesn’t mean they are “malware-proof.”
Macs are now as vulnerable to malware as Windows computers — so it’s very important to protect your data and your device with a good antivirus that adds more functionality to Mac’s built-in security features.
Some Mac antiviruses claim to offer “100% free” malware protection. But there’s always a catch with “free” antivirus products. Either they have limited features that don’t fully protect your Mac, or they are actually malware in disguise — designed to damage your system. In general, you can’t really trust “free” antiviruses to provide a decent level of protection.
A good Mac antivirus should include:
- Real-time malware protection.
- Advanced scanning engine.
- Mac cleaning and optimization tools.
- Anti-phishing protection.
- Wi-Fi network scanner.
- And a lot more…
Unfortunately, no free Mac antivirus includes all of these security features together in one package. However, there are several premium packages that do — and they always come with free trials or money-back guarantees, so you can try them out risk-free.
🥇1. TotalAV — Best Overall Mac Protection in 2025
TotalAV is an easy-to-use antivirus with excellent Mac optimization tools.
TotalAV’s malware scanning engine is very accurate and lightweight, detecting all of my test malware without slowing down my Mac. And TotalAV’s performance optimization and system cleanup tools are among the best around. These tools include:
- Junk file removal.
- Web browser optimization tools.
- Boot program organizer.
During my tests, the junk cleaner removed over 3,700 junk files on my Mac in only a couple minutes. The web browser optimizer cleared nearly 2,500 unnecessary browser cookies on my Safari browser — some of which were tracking my online activity! And using the boot program organizer, I was able to improve my MacBook’s startup time by 30 seconds.
TotalAV’s free version doesn’t offer real-time protection, but you can try TotalAV’s premium plans (with real-time protection, a good VPN, a password manager, and an ad blocker) using a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
TotalAV offers a free virus scanner and Mac optimization tools.
The scanner works really well, detecting all of the test files I placed on my Mac during testing. And the optimization tools are excellent, removing junk files, providing web browser optimization, and improving boot time. TotalAV Free doesn’t have real-time protection or a VPN, but you can try out all of its premium features with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
🥈2. Norton 360 — Decent Protection for Macs
Norton 360 is an overall excellent internet security suite — it has 100% detection rates against all types of malware and a wide range of additional features for Mac computers, including:
- Firewall.
- Anti-phishing.
- VPN (unlimited data).
- Password manager.
- Dark web monitoring.
- Device optimization tools.
While I really like all of Norton’s additional tools, there are a couple of reasons why it’s not higher on this list.
Norton’s Mac software is pretty resource-heavy — when I was performing antivirus and junk cleaning scans, Norton slowed down my system quite a bit.
And the interface also has buttons for features that don’t work on Macs, including parental controls and cloud backup — which is pretty frustrating.
Still, I think Norton is one of the best antiviruses on the market, and you can try out all of its premium features with a risk-free, 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Norton 360 has a perfect 100% malware detection rate and a ton of additional internet security features.
However, Norton isn’t best optimized for Mac, as the Mac version still includes PC-only features on its interface. You can try Norton for 2 months using a risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee.
🥉3. Intego — Best Mac Cleaning & Performance Optimization Tools
Intego is by far the best Mac antivirus I’ve ever used. It has a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can use it on your Mac for 60 days before paying anything.
During my tests, Intego’s malware scanner blocked all of the malware files I placed on my Mac, including Mac-specific spyware and ransomware.
Intego has the best optimization tools I’ve ever used to improve my Mac’s performance — they cleaned over 10 GB of junk files off my hard drive and quickly organized all of my files, which made it much easier to locate my documents in Finder.
Intego also includes:
- Advanced firewall.
- Parental controls.
- Backup tools.
- Phishing protection.
- And more…
I especially like Intego’s firewall that has protection for both private and public Wi-Fi networks — the firewall’s settings automatically change depending on whether you’re connecting to a secure network (home, business office) or to an unsecured public hotspot!
I’m also a huge fan of Intego’s backup tools that provide automatic backups of important files, data syncing between multiple Macs, and even a bootable backup which you can use to load all of your files and your Mac’s OS onto another computer — no other competitor offers this feature!
Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 package includes malware and web protection tools, and the Mac Premium Bundle X9 package adds system optimization, backup tools, and parental controls.
Bottom Line:
Intego is my favorite Mac antivirus in 2025
— it has perfect detection rates against Mac-specific malware as well as a wide range of additional tools that improve on Apple’s built-in security features, including a customizable firewall, backup tools, optimization tools, and parental controls. You can try out Intego for free using a 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. Editors' Note: Intego and this site are in the same ownership group.
4. Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac — Best for Fast Malware Scanning
Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac has one of the fastest malware scanning engines I’ve tested — it scanned my entire Mac in less than 40 minutes, and it blocked almost all of my malware files (99% detection rate against Mac-specific malware).
Bitdefender also includes premium features like:
- Apple Time Machine backup protection.
- Web protections for Safari.
- Advanced ransomware protection tools.
- VPN (200 MB per day).
All of Bitdefneder’s features are easy to use and work well, but I especially like the Apple Time Machine backup protection, which stops malware from making potentially damaging changes to a Mac’s backup files.
Bitdefender’s free version only comes with a malware scanner, but you can try all of its premium features with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all purchases.
Bottom Line:
Bitdefender has great malware protection and additional tools for advanced security.
However, the free version only includes a malware scanner. To get access to real-time protection, anti-phishing, a VPN, and other features, you need to upgrade to a premium plan. All Bitdefender purchases come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Avira Prime — Excellent Cybersecurity Suite for Mac Users
Avira Prime has one of the most advanced malware scanners around — it’s fast, versatile, and scored a perfect 100% detection rate when I tested it against the latest Mac-specific malware.
I’m very impressed with how fast Avira is. Most competitors take anywhere from 2-5 hours to do a full scan, but Avira’s performed a full system scan in less than 30 minutes with perfect accuracy!
During my tests, I barely noticed Avira’s real-time scanner — it ran smoothly in the background, not slowing down my system even during CPU-intensive tasks like streaming and video editing.
Avira also comes with advanced internet security tools like:
- VPN (virtual private network).
- Web safety browser extension.
- Mac optimization and cleaning tools.
- Password manager.
Avira’s VPN is really good — it has 256-bit encryption, a no-logs policy, DNS leak protection, and a killswitch, comes with unlimited data, can be installed on an unlimited number of devices, and is as fast as most standalone VPNs. During my tests, the VPN performed exceptionally well, encrypting my internet connection and allowing me to stream geo-restricted content from various streaming services around the globe.
I’m also a huge fan of Avira’s web safety browser extension which includes anti-phishing and anti-tracking protection, and it even helps you find the best online shopping deals. However, the extension isn’t available for Safari — only for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
You can test out Avira Prime on all of your devices (includes coverage for up to 5 devices, including Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android devices) with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Avira Prime has an advanced malware scanner and excellent internet security protections for Mac users.
Avira comes with a VPN (has unlimited data and can be installed on an unlimited number of devices), a safe web browser extension, Mac optimization and cleaning tools, and a password manager. You can try Avira Prime free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Comparison of the Best Mac Antivirus Software
Editors' Note: Intego and this site are in the same ownership group.
Frequently Asked Questions — Antivirus Software for Mac
Can Macs get viruses?
In short, YES!
Macs are known to be less virus-prone than Windows PCs due to Apple’s “sandboxing” technology — which essentially stops malware from spreading throughout your device.
But, Macs are still prone to a huge range of cybersecurity threats, including ransomware, spyware, adware, and phishing attacks.
And as Macs continue to increase in popularity, cybercriminals will become even more advanced with their hacking techniques.
So, it’s important that you get a trusted antivirus that will provide proper protection for your Mac.
TotalAV is the best antivirus that I’ve tested for Macs. It has a 100% malware detection rate, comes with Mac optimization tools, and you can try it risk-free for 60 days.
Are free antiviruses for Mac safe enough?
Yes and no. If you want very basic protection against common cybersecurity threats, then yes, a free Mac antivirus might be enough.
But a free Mac antivirus won’t fully protect your device from the latest threats, including ransomware, spyware, adware, or phishing attacks.
If you’re looking for complete protection, you should invest in a premium antivirus like TotalAV — but all of the Mac antiviruses on this list provide advanced malware scanning, real-time protection, and a wide range of cybersecurity features to keep your device and data safe online.
Can I just use a free online virus scanner and not download anything?
You can, but you shouldn’t. Most of these online programs which offer free virus scans scare you into thinking your computer has malware — even though it doesn’t — and then they force you to download their product to “remove” it.
Some of these online scanners are in fact malicious, scanning your Mac to steal your data or plant malware on your device.
That’s why you should only download antivirus software from a reputable internet security company. All of my top choices for Mac protection are 100% safe, so you can download their antiviruses worry-free.
Which Mac operating systems (OS) do these antiviruses protect?
Most of the antiviruses on this list are available for macOS X 10.11 and later. But some Mac antiviruses, like TotalAV and Norton offer their products to macOS X 10.9 users as well. And antiviruses like Intego require macOS X10.15 or higher.
However, it’s very important that you always update your macOS to the latest version — this prevents hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in older, outdated operating systems.