8. Avira Prime
- AV Test, June 2024: 98.3%
Covers: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Like Avast, Avira makes a paid-for and a free version of its antivirus solution. Avira Prime is a security utility designed to keep your Mac safe from potentially unwanted programs; which covers everything from simple scripts designed to compromise and redirect your browser searches through to actual malware. Prices start at $59.99/£51.99/CA$67 for 5 devices for the first year, then $104.99/£90.99/CA$118 a year.
While Avira Free Security for Mac lets you run a quick scan to check out system files and other vulnerable areas, or a full scan to analyze your entire Mac for malware, but not much else.
Avira Prime is designed around several modules: Virus Scans (including Quick Scan. Full Scan and Custom Scan), Protection Options, Quarantine, VPN, Passwords, Cookie Cleaner, Identity Assistant, Junk Cleaner, Uninstaller, and Startup Apps. A single large window presents the various features, from scans to app management and cleanup, although a couple of its features use a separate panel for a web-based console. In our tests, it detected all our compromised files and installers–although we were concerned that it missed the problematic Wave web browser virus. It doesn’t look inside zip archives or disk images, but it pounces as soon as items are extracted from these.
Even while Avira Prime is actively scanning for trouble it has such a small impact on the general performance of our Mac that we wouldn’t notice it without comparing timings.
Avira Prime scored well in June 2023 tests scoring 99% for Mac Malware protection and 99% for Mac PUA Protection, while gave Avira 99.5% in March 2024.
You can get the basics of the security features with Avira Free Security, but Prime’s annual subscription provides useful additional capabilities, including an unlimited VPN, if you can stomach the cost.
Avira Free Security for Mac seems to offer a lot of features for free. But most actually require a paid subscription, so the product’s overall usefulness is limited and the constant sales pitches are annoying.
The free app will run scans daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also create a custom scan. There are also real-time virus protection scans to scan new files saved to your computer or downloaded from the internet. You have to pay to scan a USB drive. Malware discovered is automatically quarantined. Avira was effective at detecting and stopping malware when we tested it.
The free version of Avira also includes the junk cleaner that can identify issues via a smart scan, but you need to pay to actually clean up anything beyond the junk files.
You can get Avira Prime here. Also consider Avira Free Security for Mac.
Read our full Avira Free Security for Mac review.
