Best cheap antivirus deals for Mac
With Apple already including built-in antivirus protection for Macs you might be wondering “Do Macs need antivirus software?” especially when confronted by pricy monthly subscriptions for services. In this article we’ll explain why you need an extra layer of protection and how to get the best Mac antivirus software deals.
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.
Our best deal this month is Intego Mac Internet Security X9 – you can get it for $24.99/£20.99 a year for one Mac, normally $49.99/£49.99 a year get the deal here.
We’ve evaluated many antivirus for Mac solutions from several companies, including free and low-cost options as well as some more feature-packed alternatives. See our round-up of the Best antivirus for Mac. Here we will share the best free antivirus options as well as the best deals we have seen on the paid-for antivirus solutions.
Now is a great time to pick up a good deal on antivirus software. During the Black Friday sales lots of security companies are dropping prices even more than usual. We’ve detailed the best below.
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 (read our review) – offers a free option alongside the Premium plan. Get it here.
Avira Free Antivirus for Mac (read our review) – is free and also includes a VPN. Get it here.
AVG Antivirus For Mac (read our review) – free version offers basic features. Get it here.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac (read our review) – is free to use. Get it here.
Intego VirusBarrier Scanner (read our review) – free virus scanner. Get it here.
Malwarebytes Antivirus for Mac – has a free version as well as a paid version. Get it here.
Cheapest antivirus deals for Mac
You’ll find the following Mac antivirus recommendations in our round-up of the Best antivirus for Mac. We’re just presenting the lower-priced options here, but if you look at the roundup you may find alternative deals that suit you better.
1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9
Pros
Built for Mac
Easy to set up
Cons
No protection from phishing links in email
Price When Reviewed:
From $24.99 for first year, then $49.99 a year (1 Mac) Using our link
Intego Mac Internet Security X9 offers a useful set of security utilities that help keep your Mac safe and running smoothly and its user-friendly interface is right at home with Apple’s macOS aesthetic.
We have a special deal for Intego Mac Internet Security X9 so you can get it for $24.99/£20.99 a year for one Mac: get the deal here. There’s also a two-year intro rate of $42.24/£35.99 that can be chosen at checkout.
Read our full
Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review
2. Norton 360
Pros
Fast, good performance and stability
Minimal performance impact
Cons
Unable to scan .zip archives
Price When Reviewed:
Standard (3 devices): $39.99 for first year, then $94.99 a year; Deluxe (5 devices): $49.99 for first year, then $119.99 a year
The user interface is clean and friendly and the program ran both its foreground and background tasks briskly, with no crashes or slowdowns. There are some differences between the UK and US versions of Norton 360. In the U.S. you pay $39.99 for Norton 360 Standard which gives you protection for 3 devices, but in the U.K. it’s £24.99 for Norton 360 Standard for just one device.
For Black Friday to Cyber Monday Norton has a deal on Norton 360 Deluxe, which is $29.99/£19.99 for the first year. That version covers 5 devices (including Macs, PCs and iOS devices).
We’ve seen deals on Amazon. For example, at Amazon U.S. Norton 360 Deluxe (covering three devices) is $17.99 for a year get the deal here.
In the U.K. there’s also a deal on Amazon U.K. Get cover for three devices for just £12.99. Get the deal here
Read our full
Norton 360 review
3. McAfee Total Protection
Pros
Good, customizable set of security tools
Background scanning feature
Cons
Can be laggy
Price When Reviewed:
Single: $29.99 (1 device) for first year, then $89.99 Essential: $24.99 (5 devices) for first year, then $119.99 a year
McAfee Total Protection offers some good tools with good background protection and customization as well as an easy means of keeping your devices secure.
You can get McAfee Total Protection for five devices for $39.99 for one year in the U.S. – get the U.S. deal here. It’s £34.99 a year for five devices for the first year in the U.K – get the U.K. deal here.
If you are looking to cover a whole bunch of devices, there’s a Black Friday deal for a Premium subscription for 10 devices over two years. That’s $39.99/£35.99 a year for two years.
Read our full
McAfee Total Protection review
4. Avast Premium Security
Pros
Impressive malware detection and network tools
Easy to specify antiviral scan types and target volumes
Cons
Descriptions of suspect files lack detail
Price When Reviewed:
From $31.08 for first year, then $77.99 a year. (Usually $50.28 for first year)
This suite offers a good suite of tools at a good price. The best functions such as VPN, disk cleanup, and anti-tracking tools are only available on the “Ultimate” subscription tier.
Avast will cover for one Mac for $50.28/£39.99 for the first year.
Read our full
Avast Premium Security review
5. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Pros
Easy to scan external volumes such as flash drives
Nice user interface
Cons
Occasional freezes
Limited VPN
Price When Reviewed:
$19.99 (usually $39.99 per year), 1 device
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers a handy, customizable user interface and good features.
For Black Friday Bitdefender Total Security is currently £14.99 (usually £29.99) for a year in the U.K. for one device, and $19.99 (usually $39.99) in the U.S. for a one-year subscription for one device, get the U.S. deal here / get the U.K. deal here.
Read our full
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review
6. Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac
Pros
Good malware detection
Low system load
Cons
Fewer extra features than less-expensive options
Price When Reviewed:
$29.95 for first year, then $39.95 a year (1 Mac)
Trend Micro Antivirus is a good program with well-rated antivirus protection and a simple, straightforward interface that users will appreciate.
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac is currently $29.99 for first year for one Mac, usually $39.95: Get the U.S. deal here / Currently £19.95 for first year for one Mac, usually £49.99: Get the U.K. deal here.
Read our full
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac review
7. Eset Home Security Premium
Pros
Good level of antiviral and real-time protection
Excellent customization options
Cons
Slow drive scan
Didn’t include the promised password manager or encryption features
Price When Reviewed:
From $59.99 a year for one device
ESET Home Security Premium completes its primary task of antiviral and malware prevention and there’s an excellent level of customization. We did encounter a few bugs when we tested it though.
ESET has a 50% off deal for Black Friday. The ESET Home Security Premium is $29.99/£27.49 (usually $59.99/£54.98) for first year for three devices. There’s also 50% off ESET Home Security Essental is $24.99/£22.50 (usually $49.99/£44.99) for first year for one devices.
Read our full
Eset Home Security Premium 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.
