Below are free Mac antivirus software or Mac Antivirus Free works on Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Avast Security is a free antivirus that stops malware & finds Wi-Fi security weaknesses. Free Download! In order to view this page correctly, you must have a JavaScript-enabled browser and have JavaScript turned on.
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by Macworld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Avast Security Pro for Mac
Learn moreAvast Free Mac Security
Learn more
The big friendly “You Are Protected” green checkmark on Avast Security Pro’s home screen is certainly a plausible statement. The software is a rare breath of fresh air in a sea of anti-virus products that haven’t worked hard enough to keep up to date with current threats, or haven’t updated the interface to meet modern expectations of presentation and usability.
Avast is danged good at catching malware. AV Comparables says Avast detected 99.9 percent of macOS malware and 100 percent of Windows malware. In spot testing, the app did splendidly. Immediately on decompression of macOS malware from an encrypted archive, Avast detected it, deleted it, and notified me. It did as well with malicious files on the web, though it didn’t detect some items at the WICAR test site that require active local components to be dangerous. Siccing it on drives loaded with other anti-virus products, Avast found test malware I’d downloaded that had wound up in cached files that the anti-virus software on those volumes missed.
Note: This review is part of our best antivirus roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.
Avast’s browser component, Web Shield, doesn’t seem to rely on plug-ins (there are none to configure), but uses the program’s kernel extension to check at a low level. It can be managed from the Avast app, and settings apply to all browsers.
If you’re interested in ransomware monitoring, you need to buy the Pro version ($59.99 for one year/one Mac; $69.99 for one year/three Macs; $99.99 for one year/10 Macs), which relies on folder-based ransomware monitoring. It marks the user Documents and Pictures folders as protected by default, and you can add more folders. By default, Avast allows any Apple and App Store apps to manipulate items in those folders, although you can disable those options. Any other app that tries to modify or delete anything in the shielded folders is blocked, giving you an option to whitelist it.
This is an effective way to protect most users’ critical files, but we prefer Sophos’s active monitoring approach, which looks for patterns of behavior and keeps files from being deleted than one that requires anointing folders. Still, it worked well in testing, and most users keep their most precious documents in a few locations. (Avast could expand the list to include a few more locations by default, too.)
Outside of core anti-virus features, the Pro version also offers a Wi-Fi Inspector. This is unique among anti-virus software we tested, and it looks for devices on a network engaged in malicious behavior. Other anti-virus software packaged with network monitors either whitelist local network activity, or treat it the same as any malicious Internet attacks. This seems aimed at helping users understand if they’ve joined a network, such as at a coffeeshop, that has compromised or attacking devices on it.
One negative is the soft but distinct upsell of Avast, which is sensible in its Free version, but not necessarily in a Pro. A Tools item on the lefthand navigation bar mostly displays other available products, like VPN service. A one-time message at installation might be acceptable, but mingling features and items for sale is too heavy-handed in a security product.
While you can create an account at Avast Software, it’s optional. Once created, you can use it to add machines to log in from the software for a computer to join the account. Unfortunately, the account provides no remote mangement or configuration, just reporting.
Bottom line
If you’re looking for a free anti-virus program, Avast is the best choice, edging out Sophos by providing more parity between free and paid version.
While we gave Sophos Home Premium and Avast Security Pro the same 4.5 mice rating, Sophos has a slight edge. The combination of active ransomware scanning makes it somewhat more superior to the folder-based method in Avast, while central configuration and remote control in Sophos can help for a disparate set of family or small-business users. We like Avast’s unique Wi-Fi threat detection, and its native app interface, where Sophos leans heavily on the cloud.
Version 13.4
Avast Security Pro for Mac
Learn moreAvast Free Mac Security
Learn more
New Avast version 2015 R4 has been released, and you may be wondering how to update your Avast Antivirus. Luckily, you can do the program update completely for free. With some other vendors, you would need to actually pay for the update, but not with Avast.
You can perform the update process using one of these two options:
- Run the in-product update, which is pretty straightforward and it only takes five simple steps which are explained below.
- Alternatively you can download the latest Avast 2015 version and run the installer at the top of your current version.
1. Begin the Program Update Process
If your version is out-dated, or if you aren’t sure, you can easily check to see if there is a newer one available. Open your Avast and go to ‘Settings‘ » ‘Update.‘ In the tab ‘PROGRAM,‘ you can check if your Avast is outdated or not – if so, you will see a message ‘A new version of the program is available!’. To begin the actual update process, simply click on the ‘Update‘ button.
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Starting the Update Process from Program Interface
You can also perform the program update via the system tray. There, you will find the orange Avast icon, right-click on it, select ‘Update,‘ and then ‘Program.‘
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Starting the Update Process from Windows Systray
Sometimes, Avast will display a yellow pop-up message informing you about the new program version, and a direct ‘Update now‘ button.
Avast 2015 Update Pop-up Notification
2. Select the Update Type
Before the update process starts, you may get asked to select the type of the program update:
- Essential update – Standard update of the Avast Free Antivirus with no product change
- Essential update + Internet Security – Update which switches you to Avast Internet Security which you may try free for 20 days
It’s totally up to you which update you pick. However, it may be useful to checkout all the advanced features for secure shopping in Avast Internet Security, for free.
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Selecting Update Type
3. Confirm the EULA
Usually, with a new version, the End User License Agreement (EULA) is also updated. You may read it in full PDF version, but in short – Avast collects information from your computer and may share it with a third party; on the other hand, that information can’t be used for targeting or identifying your person. If you agree and accept the new EULA, just click on the blue button ‘Continue‘.
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Reading and Accepting EULA
4. Finish the Update Process and Restart Your Computer
Wait until program finishes the update, and after that just restart your computer. You can do it by yourself or by clicking on the button ‘Yes‘ after the program update is downloaded. Do not try to use Avast before you restart your computer.
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Downloading Program Update
Updating Avast Version 2015 – Restarting Computer
5. Enjoy Peace of Mind with the Latest Version
That’s it, now you should be running on the latest version. You can check that by going to ‘Settings‘ » ‘Update,‘ where you shouldn’t see any message about new versions available, though you will always see the ‘Update‘ button.
Update of Avast Version 2015 Finished – No Newer Version is Available
Free Download of Previous/Older Version of Avast
If for any reason you would like to go back to your previous version, you need to uninstall the program, get the installer for the previous version, and install Avast again. Getting the installer for your previous version may be quite hard as Avast officially offers only the latest version for download.
However, you can still find older versions on some servers like FileHippo (see right column called “Old Versions”). Older Avast version are still receiving the virus definitions updates, same as the latest one.
Here are the free download links for the popular older versions which are still working
- Avast Home Edition v4.8 (4.8.1368) – Note that Avast Free Antivirus was called ‘Home Edition‘ back in 2009
Avast Program Update Release History
Cover every Avast program update which has been released would take many pages. But if you want to check it, you can find it on the official Avast forum. You will find there release dates and changes from 2012 (version 7) to the actual one.
Avast Free Antivirus
The Difference Between Update and Upgrade Explained
Some users are confused with the terms update vs. upgrade. So here is the difference:
- Update – Means actualization to the latest version of the same product. In the case of Avast products, it’s completely free.
- Upgrade – Means migration to a better product from the same vendor. Obviously, upgrades are paid.
Additional Notes
Although we have used Avast Free Antivirus 2019 screenshots in this article, these steps are also applicable for all Avast Antivirus solutions (i.e. also for Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, or Avast Premier) running the latest version available.
Steps are relevant for all Windows versions – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (including Anniversary Update).
Looking for information how to update Avast virus definitions (VPS) manually/offline? Checkout our how-to guide on Avast virus definitions update – How to Manually/Offline Update Avast Virus Definitions (VPS) for Free.
Avast Antivirus Free Download 2015 For Mac
If you’re looking for a guide on updating Avast older versions check the links below:
Avast Free Antivirus 2015 For Mac
- How to Update Your Avast Antivirus to Version 2013 (for going from version 7 to 8)
- How to Update Your Avast Antivirus to Version 2014 (for going from version 8 to 2014)