When choosing an antivirus program, it’s important to understand the amount of your computer’s resources this program will use. The best software is one that has little impact on your system’s performance but still provide superior security against malware and viruses.
The majority of antivirus software companies release comprehensive tests in PDF format. The reports give a quick overview of the security efficiency, performance, and usability of each suite. They also contain detailed graphs and charts that display the results of certain test elements. Key figures to look out for include the percent of real-world and reference set malware exposures that are blocked, neutralised or weakened by the software, as well as the number of false positive detections for benign software.
In AV-Comparatives’ tests from June 2023, Avast Free Antivirus for Mac was the most successful in achieving the highest rate of success in blocking Mac malware and PUAs (potentially unwanted programs) and the second highest score for Windows virus detection. It also scored highly in the categories of passive, full-scan and quick-scan.
Of the paid-for programs, Bitdefender Total Security had the tiniest post-installation background system impact which was followed by Kaspersky Total Security and ESET Security Cloud Free. It was the slowest in both full-scans and quick-scans. The program’s low impact on the background could be due to the fact that it doesn’t run as a default application on Windows 10 or 11, like the majority of its rivals.
Intego X10 had the lowest overall background and full-scan system impacts yet it was able to find every single piece of malware tested. It’s rare to find a company that only focuses on Macs and makes it an essential part of any security arsenal.