Best cheap antivirus deals for Mac

Macworld

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.

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:

Dès 24,99 €













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 ($2.08/£1.75 a month) for one Mac: get the deal here.

Intego also regularly discounts the Mac Premium Bundle that includes Mac Internet Security X9 as well as NetBarrier, Washing Machine, Content Barrier and Personal Backup apps. The deal is currently: $29.99/£23.99 a year ($2.50/£2 a month). Get the deal here.

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:

Dès 24,99 €













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.

Norton also has a deal on Norton 360 Deluxe, which is $49.99/£29.99 for the first year. That version covers 5 devices (including Macs, PCs and iOS devices).

But the best deals are 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 a deal on Amazon U.K: get cover for three devices for just £10.99. 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:

Dès 29,95 €













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.

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:

Dès 32,28 € (1 an, 1 appareil)













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. Antivirus Bitdefender pour Mac














Pros

Easy to scan external volumes such as flash drives

Nice user interface


Cons

Occasional freezes

Limited VPN









Price When Reviewed:

Dès 29,99 €













Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers a handy, customizable user interface and good features.

Bitdefender Total Security is currently $29.99 (usually $59.99) in the U.S. for a one-year subscription for three devices. In the U.K. it’s £14.99 (usually £39.99) for a year and one device: get the U.S. deal here / get the U.K. deal here.

Read our full

Antivirus Bitdefender pour Mac review





6. Trend Micro Antivirus pour Mac














Pros

Good malware detection

Low system load


Cons

Fewer extra features than less-expensive options









Price When Reviewed:

Dès 19,95 €













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 $29.95 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 £49.95: Get the U.K. deal here.

Read our full

Trend Micro Antivirus pour 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

























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.

The ESET Home Security Premium is $47.99/£39.99 (usually $59.99/£44.99) for first year for one devices. There’s also money off ESET Home Security Essential: $39.99/£29.99 (usually $49.99/£34.99) for first year for one devices.

Read our full

Eset Home Security Premium review





How to find a good antivirus deal

It can be hard 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.

Many of the offers are for more than one device – do you have multiple devices to protect? Do you need to protect an iPhone as well as your Mac? Do you really need to protect your iPhone at all? Many of the best deals spread payments over a number of years. This can save you money because the price of a deal that covers you for one year can increase significantly in the preceding years. But do you want to be stuck paying every year for the cover?

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.