Mac Even a Mac needs protection. With 2 levels of security, great cleaning tools, as well as a VPN and password protection, this is your one stop shop for your Mac.

Besides the World’s most popular antivirus for Windows, Avast is offering a comprehensive antivirus for Apple Mac OS X (Macintosh). The product is called Avast Free Mac Security 2018 (version 11) and same as the Windows version it’s completely for free. It doesn’t even require the registration, so you can just download, install and use it without any hassle.

• Download Avast Passwords for macOS 10.11 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. ‎Avast Passwords is a free, convenient alternative to committing all your login details to memory. (Unless you love having to memorize and re-type all your login details, that is.).
• AV-TEST studied thirteen antivirus products for Mac, including Avast Security for Mac. As with its PC counterpart, “Avast Security did indeed deliver error-free detection,” states the report. Over 500 MacOS threats attacked the system, and Avast Security detected and blocked 100% of them.

While some Mac users are still questioning the need for the antivirus/security software on OS X, we definitely recommend have Avast installed as the number of hacker attacks on Mac users is rising rapidly.

Avast for Mac Key Features & Benefits

• Award-winning antivirus engine with 100% detection rate (according to the independent test by AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives)
• Real-time protection with 3 layers (File System Shield, Mail Shield, Web Shield)
• Automatic streaming updates of the virus definitions
• Excellent performance – very low on system resources
• Simple and intuitive user interface
• Completely for free – no registration required

Avast for Mac Free Download & Installation

Avast for Mac is unfortunately not available on iTunes or App Store. But you can simply download Avast Free Mac Security using the link below:

From the Official Avast Servers

After you finish the download you can proceed with the installation. The installation process is really easy and doesn’t require any technical skills:

1. Close the Safari browser, locate the setup file called ‘avast_free_mac_security.dmg‘ and run it
2. Confirm the Avast License Agreement by clicking on ‘Agree‘
3. You can customize the installation by clicking on ‘Customize’, click on ‘Install’ to start the installation
4. If prompted enter the administrator name and password
5. Once the installation is complete, you should get the confirmation screen

Please note it’s heavily recommended to uninstall any other antivirus/security software from your Mac before installing Avast.

Avast Security Pro for Mac – Is it worthy to pay extra?

Besides the free version of Mac antivirus, there is also a premium one called Avast Security Pro for Mac. The pro version offers two extra features

• Wi-Fi Alerts – This feature will immediately notify you if someone connects to your Wi-Fi network. This helps you to keep hackers/neighbors out of your network.
• Ransomware Shield – Ransomware shields keep your personal data from being encrypted without your permission.

For these, you need to pay for the premium version which costs $59.99 per year. Is it worthy? We would say yes as ransomware on Mac is on the rise and Avast offers solid protection against it.

Avast for Mac User & Experts Reviews – What others are saying?

Avast Free Mac Security is also really popular among the users and technical experts. It is by far the most downloaded Mac antivirus/security on Download.com with more than 4.5 million downloads! While other competitors don’t have even half a million (Sophos 247k, Avira 80k, Norton 30k, Kaspersky 12k, McAfee 11k, Eset 9k).

Avast Free Mac Security is the most downloaded antivirus for Mac with more than 4.5 million downloads

Also, the user reviews on Download.com are very positive. Avast Free Mac Security 2018 has 4.5 stars (out of 5) from 1,641users.

Avast for Mac is doing really well also in the independent tests. It has been certified with 100% detection rate by the German laboratory AV-TEST. Same results were measured also by the Austrian laboratory AV-Comparatives.

According to Tom’s Guide, Avast Free Mac Security was better in detecting viruses than the other paid solutions: ‘it was better at malware detection than all three of the paid antivirus solutions we reviewed‘.

Avast for Mac System Requirements – Will it run on your Mac?

Avast Free Mac Security Reviews

Minimum system requirements are quite easy to comply and really nothing special. Avast Free Mac Security will run even on the older MacBooks (Air/Pro) and iMacs:

• OS X Version: Apple Mac running macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or newer
• Processor: Intel-based Mac computer with 64-bit processor
• Memory: 128 MB RAM or above (1 GB RAM or higher preferred)
• Free space: 500 MB minimum hard disk free space

Avast for Mac Uninstall – How to remove it from your Mac?

If you decide to uninstall Avast Free Mac Security from your Mac, there is nothing special you would need to do compared to any other Mac application. To remove it simply follow the instructions below:

1. Close Safari browser and open Avast by going to ‘Finder’ » ‘Applications’ and double-click on the Avast orange icon
2. Open ‘Avast Mac Security‘ in the menu bar at the top-left, select ‘Uninstall Avast‘ and confirm (you may need to log in as an administrator)
3. Wait and the uninstall process to finish and Avast Free Mac Security is completely removed

Unfortunately, there is no removal tool or uninstall utility for Mac. Avast Uninstall Utility (AvastClear) is available only for Windows.

Is Avast for Mac free? Well, yes and no. There is a free version. There is also a paid version. What’s the difference? Most digital products today come with a free doppelganger to show customers the value in the paid-for product. Bloggers offer a free e-book to get people to subscribe to their email list. Subscription services offer a free week or month so people can try the services (if you’re a music lover, don’t try Spotify’s three-month free trial. You will be helpless to resist continuing your subscription afterward.)

The point is, these sales methods can be very effective. Free is hard to resist. But free can also be expensive. It all comes down to the simple question – “is it worth it?” Of course, the answer varies depending on your needs and wants. Avast for Mac is no different.

What is Avast for Mac?

Image: Public Domain, Avast Software, via Wikimedia

Avast Antivirus for Mac is a “free” software program that protects your Mac from viruses, malware, spyware, and ransomware. The free version doesn’t do much more than allow you to scan for malware that has already made its way into your system. And you can only scan so often – once a day is typical. Scanning more often than once a day can be cumbersome, especially if you are working on your Mac throughout the day. Malware scanning apps take a lot of processing power and so the rest of your computer will work much slower while a scan is taking place. More complex programs might even grind to a halt.

The paid-for version can do much more than just scan. One of the most significant differences between the free and paid-for versions of Avast for Mac is a feature called real-time protection.

Real-time protection is a proactive method of protecting your Mac. Instead of finding malware and removing it after the fact (which allows enough time for malware to make its way back to a third-party with your information or otherwise accomplish its malicious purpose), real-time protection scans for malicious software in real-time. This way, you’re constantly protected by most threats, so long as you keep the threat database of Avast for Mac updated.

Add-ons for Avast for Mac

So, the free version doesn’t cut it for those who need around-the-clock protection and are constantly using their devices. Avast for Mac is not free if you’re looking for real-time protection. The paid version comes with this feature first and foremost. But it’s not the only option available once you upgrade.

There’s not just one paid-for version – there are multiple different kinds of add-ons. Each addon gives Avast for Mac additional functionality. Let’s see what some of these can do.

Avast Secure line VPN

A virtual-private-network (VPN) provides an encrypted tunnel for all of your web traffic to travel through. This gives you an additional layer of security and privacy.

A VPN can also mask your IP address, making it look like your device is located in another city, state, or country. The farther away the VPN server is from your general location, however, the slower the connection tends to be. All of your traffic has to first arrive at the server before going out to its final destination.

Obviously, Avast is not the only VPN provider in the world. There are dozens of VPNs available, and many reviews for them have been written. We’ll leave it up to you whether or not to choose the VPN offered by Avast for Mac.

Avast File Shield

Avast File Shield is one of the simplest features of Avast for Mac. It simply allows you to permanently delete files forever. You may think simply hitting “delete” on something in the Trash accomplishes this, but it does not. There are ways for erased files to be recovered even years later. But Avast promises to get rid of any trace of sensitive data. Obviously, the average person doesn’t have much use for this.

Avast Wireless Defender

Image: CC0 Creative Commons, 3844328, via Pixabay

Scanning your wireless network for open ports is important. If there is an open port in your wireless access point (home router), this is like an open door for hackers. If you don’t know you have open ports, you could already have someone snooping around on your network without you knowing anything about it.

Avast Security Pro comes with a Wi-Fi scanner to let you know about open ports or any other potential problems. It scans all devices on your network in addition to the wireless access point. Like most everything else, there are free apps for this. But they’re not usually as comprehensive as Avast.

Avast Wireless Defender also lets you see when someone joins your network. This is great but can also get annoying. For example, every time someone walks into your home with a smartphone that is on, you will be notified.

The same thing will happen when someone turns on a tablet or laptop and connects to your Wi-Fi network. You can turn off these notifications for trusted devices, but then there’s not much point in having it in the first place. This feature is made for the most highly security-conscious individuals.

Avast Driver Updater

This software add-on will allow Avast for Mac to automatically update the drivers your computer needs as they become available. Drivers are files that tell your system how a particular piece of hardware should work. Without the proper drivers, you can’t use your video card, sound card, USB devices, or printer. Driver issues can be a source of much frustration for novice and veteran technology users alike.

Although it is possible to download and install the drivers you need on your own, Avast promises to make the process easy and automated. Do you really need this service? Maybe. If you’re a professional in an office setting, it might be worth it just to make sure you never have a problem with printers or Internet of Things (IoT) devices. And if you’re a gamer, your video and sound cards need to always be up-to-date in order to keep video games running smoothly.

Then again, those in office settings probably have IT teams to take care of this. And the average gamer is likely to have the requisite tech know-how to do this on his or her own (interesting and irrelevant side note – at least 30% of all gamers are female!)

Avast Clean up

Avast for Mac can go through your system and help you delete unnecessary files and programs. After identifying anything that might be slowing down your system, it will give you options for dealing with them.

To a certain extent, you can do this yourself by clicking the Apple icon in the upper-left of your screen and choosing “About This Mac.” Select the “Storage” tab and click “Manage.” You will then be given options for reducing the amount of storage space used on your hard drive.

As you can see, many of these add-ons serve functions that can be accomplished by the individual user. Some people might see them as unnecessary. But if you’re less than tech-savvy, don’t want to learn how to do these things on your own, and have a little extra cash, then maybe these products are for you.

Another thing to note is that if you want to have all of these features bundled together in one convenient place, Avast for Mac accomplishes this purpose well. Instead of having a VPN provider, a wireless network scanning app, and updating your drivers by yourself, you can have all of that in one central location. Some things can even be automated, like the updates for your drivers.

Avast Security For Mac Download

Avast for Mac is Both Free and Expensive

In the end, Avast for Mac is not really free. Yes, there is a free version, but all it does is scan for viruses.
For many users, the malware scanning feature of Avast for Mac might be all they really need. But for real-time protection and all the bells and whistles like file shield, driver updater, and more, you will have to pay a price.

Avast Mac Security Free