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This dropped only two points to 1,854 following the installation of Avast. The 2016 MacBook Pro 13-inch laptop we used had a 2.9Ghz Intel Core i5-6267U processor, 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 256GB SSD with 42.18GB of files installed.īefore we installed Avast Security for Mac, the MacBook Pro achieved a score of 1,856 on Geekbench 5. To measure the performance impact of Avast Security for Mac, we ran the Geekbench 5 benchmarking test prior to installing the app, and then several times afterwards. (For the latter function, check our list of the best ad blockers.)Īvast Security for Mac: Performance and system impact The downside is the loss of a couple of features that came with that extension, such as website ratings and tracker blocking. This feature used to be tied to a Chrome extension, but now there's no need to install anything extra to flag suspicious sites if you attempt to visit them. They'll be kept safely locked away from the rest of your system until you determine what you'd like to do with them.Īvast also offers you phishing protection when using Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
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You can also opt to manually add files to it if you wish. The Virus Chest is the lockup for any threats detected on your system. You can perform a deep scan of your entire system, a targeted scan of specific files or folders, a USB/DVD scan for removable media or a smart scan of just the most likely areas for a malware infection. Most of the features are centered around scanning for malware. Bitdefender, Intego and Kaspersky were all part of the June 2021 test as well and received a perfect 100% each, while Trend Micro scored 99.6% detection.Īvast Security for Mac: Security and privacy featuresĪvast Security for Mac offers antivirus protection that is on par with many of its paid competitors, but as you'll see, the full feature set is less robust. It has scored perfectly on the AV-Comparatives test since receiving a 99.9% detection score in July of 2017. Turning to AV-Comparatives, Avast Security for Mac successfully identified 100% of Mac malware threats.
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These were during the October-November 2018 (96.3%) and August-September 2020 rounds (98.6%). Intego Mac Security X9 and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac had been tested in previous rounds, scoring 98.5% and 100%, respectively.Īvast Security for Mac also avoided any false positives in the latest round of tests, meaning that all detections of malware were accurate, but this was true of its competitors as well.Īvast Security for Mac has fallen short of detecting 100% of Mac malware threats in AV-Test's evaluations only twice since April of 2017. During this same round of testing, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac (100%), Norton 360 Standard (100%) and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac (100%) matched its perfect performance. In order to determine the overall efficacy of Avast Security for Mac's malware scanning, we relied on results from Germany-based AV-Test and Austria-based AV-Comparatives, two independent labs that conduct regular evaluations of major antivirus apps and services.ĭuring the March-April 2021 testing by AV-Test, Avast Security for Mac detected 100% of Mac malware. Avast Security for Mac will also scan your entire network for potential threats.Īvast Security for Mac: Antivirus performance While its primary intent is to protect your Mac, Avast Security for Mac also scans for malware targeting Windows PCs so your Mac doesn't pass on a potential Windows threat over the local network, email or a file-sharing method.Īvast updates its virus definitions automatically at regular intervals, but you can force an update if you prefer. It also leverages Avast's significant user base of 450 million devices to help identify new threats quickly. The other is a feature that actively monitors your home Wi-Fi network and notifies you as soon as anyone joins your it, catching neighbors the moment they gain entry to your network.Īvast Security for Mac supports any Mac running macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or later.Īvast Security for Mac: Antivirus protectionĪvast Security for Mac relies on signature-based malware detection to identify potential threats to your Mac. The most crucial is ransomware protection, which acts to protect your photos and other personal files from being encrypted or changed without your permission. There is an Avast Premium Security tier, available for $70 per year for a single Mac, that introduces a couple of features appealing to those looking for enhanced security.
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