AVG AntiVirus for Mac

gigabytes of cache files, Internet history files, and locate and purge large files on your Mac, all with an impressive level of control.

It’s easy to both analyze a hard drive to determine how much space certain files might be taking up. Options include Uninstall, Startup, Erase Free Space, Large File Finder, and Duplicate File Finder. You can customize which cookies you want to save or purge and chose between ‘Normal file deletion’, which is faster or ‘Secure file deletion’, which takes longer.

Our only nitpick is that the user interface makes it feel very much like a Windows port. In fact, CCleaner has had a similar look and feel for the better part of 20 years.

It’s freeware, but there’s an option to pay for a professional version and its appropriate annual license.

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9. MACKEEPER

Price: £71.64 from fave.co/3HRB3U5

We have to start by addressing the fact that MacKeeper doesn’t have the best reputation, although in recent years the company’s new owner – Clario – has tried very hard to rectify that. MacKeeper’s poor reputation wasn’t helped by the fact that it was difficult to uninstall an used scareware tactics to encourage people to upgrade to a paid version.

Those issues should now be in the past. The software has received a good grade from AV-Test and has notarization from Apple, among other things, that should give users confidence. In terms of what it can do, MacKeeper offers 11 tools including an antivirus

scanner, adware

remover, a clean-up

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feature, a duplicate file finder, and a smart uninstaller. There’s also a memory cleaner, a software update tracker, and a start-up item locator. You’ll also find a ID theft guard, a VPN, and an online ad blocker.

There’s a free version, that gives you access to most of the tools, as well as a £5.97 a month for a yearsubscription. A subscription includes 24-7 tech support through which you can email, chat with, or talk to support staff.

You can probably find individual products – and in some cases, more robust products – for each of the features in MacKeeper. But having all these tools under one roof makes for ease and convenience.

Price: Free from fave.co/3WzFS8A

Though so many antivirus and security products charge annual subscriptions, there are still free options out there with little or no strings attached. The freebies typically offer more basic or limited protection, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth using. One such product that fits the bill is AVG Antivirus for Mac. Designed to block viruses and spyware, AVG offers real-time and on-demand scanning to prevent malware from infecting your Mac.

If you are happy to pay there are plenty of options but, for a free program, AVG covers all the bases, blocking viruses and malware from websites, downloads

and email attachments. AVG can scan applications and files on your Mac for potential threats and automatically remove them. Running in the background, the program’s Resident Shield tool checks out every file you open or save to make sure there’s no hidden malware inside. An auto-update feature keeps AVG up to date with the latest virus definitions to combat any new threats lurking about.

INSTALLATION

Installing AVG Antivirus is quick and convenient. After it’s nestled on your Mac, the software alerts you to update certain options in System Preferences (known as System Settings in macOS Ventura) to enable the real-time and on-demand scanning. But the process itself is simple; just click a Fix all button, and the program takes you directly to the necessary screens and shows you exactly how to enable the right options. When you’re done, AVG confirms that you now have basic protection.

FEATURES

AVG’s dashboard is clean and uncluttered, showing you the right amount of information. You can see that your computer, your web browsing, and your email are protected. You’re told if the virus definitions are up to date. And from the dashboard, you can run a manual live scan.

The live scan first checks to make sure that your virus definitions are up to date. Then it scans your folders and files for viruses and malware and finally lets you know whether it discovered any malicious content. Running the scan on my Mac uncovered no malware but AVG did highlight three ‘advanced’ issues, specifically two folders vulnerable to ransomware, my network not being monitored for threats, and my system being vulnerable to fake websites through DNS hijacking.

Unfortunately, resolving any of the advanced issues would have necessitated an upgrade to the paid flavour of AVG, a prospect that costs $2.49 (around £2) per month for a one-year subscription. Free products typically try to convince you to upgrade to the paid edition, so I didn’t mind the sales pitch. But just be aware that the smart scan will try to encourage you to upgrade each time you run it.

From the dashboard, you can also check other features of the software