AVG Internet Security for Mac review

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Catches an impressive amount of questionable software and acts as a good warning of phishing websites.

Handy 60-day trial period gives you a good amount of time to test the software.

Quick performance, good configuration, easy to schedule a scan or check an external volume.

Cons

Questionable price point for a one-device subscription plan makes one wonder if a VPN client couldn’t be included in the subscription.

Allowed an older copy of a fake Adobe Flash Player to be installed (albeit this was quickly removed via the macOS Gatekeeper feature).

Scheduled scans occur almost entirely as a background function, it would be good to alert the user.

Our Verdict
AVG Internet Security for Mac has a friendly user interface that’s easy to navigate and catches an impressive amount of viral, phishing, and malware activity. Our main complaint is the subscription pricing and packages on offer.

Price When Reviewed
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Price When Reviewed$3.89 a month for 1 Mac ($46.68 for the first year, then $77.99 a year), or $4.99 a month for 10 devices ($59.88 for the first year, then $99.99 a year).

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Sometimes a software package is as good as its reputation. In the case of AVG Internet Security for Mac, what has long been a heavily marketed package proves to be worth its salt, albeit at a somewhat steep price for what’s on the table.

AVG Internet Security is easy enough to download from the AVG website, and the software is available as a free download once an AVG account has been set up and a credit or debit card has been saved on file. AVG Internet Security is currently available at a 57% discounted subscription rate as of this writing, and is available as a 60-day free trial with $0 due at checkout for the free tier, $3.89/£2.79 a month for 1 Mac ($46.68/£33.49 for the first year, then $77.99/£59.99 a year), or $4.99/£4.17 a month for 10 devices ($59.88/£49.99 for the first year, then $99.99/£84.99 a year renewal price).

The software, which requires macOS 13 (High Sierra) or later to install and run, is available as a 60-day trial period before billing begins, downloads and installs easily, and once permissions have been assigned to your entire hard drive, you’re good to go.

Find out how AVG Internet Security compares to other Mac Antivirus options in our round-up of the best. There’s also a free version of AVG AntiVirus for Mac you might like to try: read our AVG AntiVirus for Mac review.

AVG Internet Security features

AVG Internet Security wraps itself around several tools and focuses on four directives (Computer Protection, Web & Email Protection, Hacks Attacks, and Payment Protection), and the overall Smart Scan feature checks your virus definitions to make sure they’re up to date, scans for viruses and malware, then the Ransomware Shield, Network Inspector, and Fake Website Shield features look things over to see where you stand in terms of your overall online presence and security.

A handy set of whitelists and exceptions can be customized to hone in on files you want to scan and leave out areas you want to leave alone, and a quick antiviral scan took a few minutes while a full scan of an entire NVME drive with 821 GB of data on it took just over 5.5 hours to complete.




Screenshot
Foundry

AVG Internet Security performance

Once installed, AVG’s antiviral protection is impressive, but not perfect. The software, combined with macOS’s Gatekeeper functionality, headed off the vast majority of sample malware installations off at the pass, quarantining them quickly and preventing installation.

Scans on external drives and specific folders are easy to set up and execute, the scheduling feature works well, the software can set up location configurations as you travel, and there are enough customization options for network security, albeit you’ll find more in a dedicated package.




Locating and removing malware on an external drive.Foundry

Tests with malware and phishing-based websites went well. The software prevented questionable external code from being loaded on suspect websites and blocked phishing sites from loading. It provides warnings when you’re about to click into a website that offers access to a package delivery you don’t remember ordering that somehow got lost, for which the sender needs your personal information to get it along…

There are a few places for improvement with AVG Internet Security for Mac, but not many. During testing, the software was able to route out and quarantine an impressive array of software, but still allowed a fake version of Adobe Flash Player to be installed. This software was eventually removed via macOS about 20 minutes later after a menu to uninstall it appeared. You can still override the macOS Gatekeeper and AVG security features and install malware such as Genio if you’re determined to do so, albeit AVG Internet Security does a good job of removing these following later scans.




Foundry

If there’s one thing I might change about the software, it’s the fact that while the scheduled scan feature is reliable, it doesn’t activate a main window to readily display that the scan is taking place, and there are both pros and cons to this approach.

Should you buy AVG Internet Security for Mac

Some small fixes aside, AVG Internet Security for Mac stands on its own, catches an impressive amount of viral, phishing, and malware activity for a consumer package, and does its job well, all while wrapped in a bright, friendly user interface that’s easy to navigate. Granted, given the subscription pricing and packages, a VPN client wouldn’t be out of the question, and the price point for a single device moves into questionable territory, but the software still performs well, travels well with its location settings, and this is appreciated. A little more for the money is never a bad idea, but AVG Internet Security straddles this line and is worth your consideration as a consumer package. Have a look at its 60-day trial to see what works, what doesn’t, and what might be right for you.