The 12 Best Antivirus Software for Mac, Compared and Priced
GBHackers ranks 12 Mac antivirus products, naming Bitdefender best overall and noting Gen Digital owns Norton, Avast, and Avira.
GBHackers scored twelve Mac antivirus products, ranking Bitdefender first at 8.8/10, followed by Intego, Malwarebytes, and ESET. The piece highlights that Gen Digital owns Norton, Avast, and Avira following the NortonLifeLock-Avast merger, so three of the twelve options share one corporate owner. It advises comparing year-two renewal prices rather than discounted first-year pricing and notes macOS already ships XProtect, Gatekeeper, and automatic malware removal. The 2026 Mac threat model described is infostealers harvesting passwords, cookies, and wallets via cracked software, fake installers, and malicious search ads.
- Bitdefender ranked best overall (8.8/10) with top detection at mid-range pricing and low system impact.
- Gen Digital owns Norton, Avast, and Avira, so three shortlist options come from one company.
- Malwarebytes' free scanner is called the most useful free cleanup tool but lacks real-time protection.
- Most vendors raise renewal prices substantially after discounted first years; compare year-two pricing.
- macOS includes XProtect and Gatekeeper; third-party AV adds faster response and adware cleanup.
- Malware
- infostealer
From the original article
8 min read at gbhackers.com
Best value overall: Bitdefender — leading detection at mid-range pricing with a light footprint. Best free option: Malwarebytes’ scanner, which cleans an infected Mac without costing anything. Best macOS specialist: Intego.
By Kavichselvan · gbhackers.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.