Avast Secure Browser For Mac

Oct 11, 2018  Avast Secure Browser is one such program that allows you to access websites without the fear of being tracked, and it proposes a clutter-free user interface that could appeal to a lot of users. Avast safe zone browser free download - 360 Browser, TheWorld Browser, Dolphin Web Browser - Adblock, Safe & Private, and many more programs. We use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your repeat visits and preferences, to measure the effectiveness of campaigns, and improve our websites. Mac Tip #3 — Set your browser’s security settings Whether you are using Safari or something else, open up Preferences and find the tab(s) for security and privacy. Read through your options, and select all that turn off website tracking.

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(Last updated on August 28th, 2019)

McAfee or Avast, which antivirus software is a better pick in 2019?

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During the past few months, we evaluated and reviewed over 50 antivirus suites from the biggest names in cybersecurity. We did this so you can confidently choose the best antivirus software to protect yourself and those whom you love.
Overall, Bitdefender is our #1 antivirus software for 2019 (and beyond), because of its excellent, flawless performance in all independent lab evaluations, particularly those conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.
Right now, we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package available in the market. Apart from providing excellent anti-malware protection, it offers all the advanced premium features and utilities that must be there in a high-end package -- and best of all, it offers excellent value for money. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with just one license.
If you need protection for more than five devices, we highly recommend Bitdefender Family Pack 2019. It will cover all the internet-capable devices in your household with the Total Security suite, so your family is protected no matter what goes wrong.

In this guide, we’ll go over McAfee and Avast and compare the two in a head-to-head competition to see which software is a better option.

In a rush? Look at the breakdown below. It’ll give you a quick summary of the winners in each category. You can scroll down to the individual categories for details.

A Quick Rundown of Winners in Each Category

1. Features
Winner: McAfee. McAfee offers all the advanced security-related features and utilities with its flagship premium product, while Avast reserves its important features and tools for its high-end products.

2. Malware Protection
Winner: McAfee. Overall, McAfee offers better anti-malware security than better than Avast, as evidenced by independent lab tests.

3. System Performance
Winner: Tie. Independent tests confirm that both McAfee and Avast are excellent in terms of the impact on system performance; both software put a very minimal (almost negligible) strain on systems.

4. User-Friendliness
Winner: Tie. Both McAfee and Avast offer a simple, easy-to-use user interface.

5. Pricing
Winner: McAfee. McAfee gives you more bang for your buck; you can get more licenses for less money through McAfee.

6. Customer Satisfaction
Winner: McAfee. McAfee has slightly better customer satisfaction ratings than Avast.

Short Verdict

Both Avast and McAfee offer several feature-rich antivirus suites to meet your protection needs. Independent tests prove that both software provide top-notch protection against all sorts of malware threats, but McAfee is slightly better than Avast in terms of the impact on system performance.

Our recommendations: If you want to get the highest level of security and performance, there's no better choice than Bitdefender, which protects over 500 million computers worldwide.
We have reviewed and rated most (if not all) antivirus software packages out there, and we think that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus package you can buy right now. You can protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, or smartphones) with a single license of this suite.
If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you.
If you're just looking for Mac-specific protection, we recommend Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 2019 for complete peace of mind.

Now, let’s delve into the details.

1. Features

These days, almost all cybersecurity companies offer a slew of advanced security-enhancing features and tools as part of their security packages.

First, let’s see what McAfee brings to the table in terms of features.

McAfee Total Protection (works on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS) is the company’s flagship and most popular security offering. It has a unique purchasing model in that it can be bought in bundles of 1, 5, or 10 devices depending on your preferences. No matter which bundle you select, you will get top-drawer malware protection along with a full set of advanced features and utilities.

The package has a smart two-way firewall that monitors all incoming and outgoing network connections and blocks all sorts of sophisticated attacks. The Vulnerability Scanner is also part of the software; it checks for security flaws and holes that hackers can potentially exploit and use, such as outdated software.

The TrueKey Identity Manager (lets you store all your passwords and sensitive details for in a secure vault) and a file shredder (allows you securely delete confidential files) are also jammed into the suite, along with the Network Manager tool that protects your WiFi against intruders and hackers.

The file encryption utility is also there as well; it lets you encrypt your sensitive files so no one can have access to them without authentication. There’s also a full suite performance optimization features; these features help your computer run faster and more efficiently, so you can focus on doing things that matter to you.

Finally, the suite comes with a full suite of parental controls. These features allow you to monitor the browsing habits of your children and control which websites they can (and cannot) visit. You can also set daily time limits on their computer use, to prevent them from spending all day in front of the computer.

Another suite that the company offers is McAfee LiveSafe. There’s no difference between LiveSafe and Total Protection in terms of features offered, but the former allows you to protect unlimited devices with a single license. But the major downside of LiveSafe is that it comes at a slightly higher price point. (You’ll see prices later in this guide.)

Now, let’s see what Avast offers in terms of features.

Unlike McAfee, Avast offers separate products for Windows and macOS. We’ll cover the Windows-only products first.

Avast Free Antivirus is the company’s first antivirus software. As the name suggests, you can use it for free for as long as you want, but there aren’t any advanced features and utilities jammed into this package. However, the product does protect against different types of digital threats, including viruses, ransomware, worms, spyware.

Next up is Avast Internet Security, the company’s first premium antivirus offering. It offers top-notch protection against all sorts of malware threats, plus several useful advanced features and functions. There’s a smart firewall that protects your computer against unauthorized access and hacking attempts, an email filter that can keep junk mail from clogging up your inbox, and the WiFi Inspector tool that protects your network against hackers and intruders.

The Sandbox utility is also part of the suite; it lets you run suspicious files and software in a secured portion of your computer, so you don’t risk the rest of your computer when installing new software or opening new files. The Real Site utility is also incorporated into the suite; it protects your network and prevents fake DNS routing from taking place, which is a common tactic that hackers use these days to steal financial details and other sensitive information.

Another level up is Avast Premier. This suite includes everything that is found in the previous suites, plus a webcam protector that stops people from secretly spying on you through your webcam and an automatic software updater. The Data Shredder utility is also included; it allows you to securely erase your sensitive files so no one can recover them.

Finally, there’s Avast Ultimate – the company’s top-tier security package. This package has everything that comes with the Premier suite, plus there’s a VPN that you can use to anonymously browse the internet and access content that is restricted in your geographic location.

The Avast Cleanup utility is also jammed into the Ultimate suite; it cleans junk files and improves the performance of your computer.

For Mac users, there’s Avast Security for Mac. This suite comes in two versions, Free and Premium. The freeware is very barebones in terms of advanced features and utilities but does offer “essential malware protection.” The Premium offering comes with advanced ransomware protection and the WiFi Intruder Alert feature.

If you’re interested in Avast’s business-specific solutions, click here for more information.

Winner: McAfee. Overall, McAfee is the winner in this category as it offers all the advanced features and tools with its flagship product. Avast’s best features are only found in its high-end suites.

2. Malware Protection

Malware defense is one of the most important aspects you should consider when purchasing antivirus software.

But how to tell which software boasts better anti-malware defense? We can examine how both McAfee and Avast fared in the recent lab evaluations conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives – two highly regarded independent organizations in the antivirus space.

In AV-Test’s April 2019 evaluations, all antivirus products were evaluated in three different areas: Protection, Performance, and Usability.

In the Protection test, McAfee received a perfect 6 out of 6, showing exceptional anti-malware capabilities.

Avast’s performance was slightly less appealing; it got a 5.5 out of 6, which is a good score but not a perfect one.

AV-Comparatives, another reputable independent organization, also conducts several thorough tests to evaluate the performance of various security software brands.

In their recent Real-World tests, both McAfee and Avast fared exceptionally well; both software received the highest ADVANCED+ award because of their impressive protection rates and low false positives’ count.

Winner: McAfee. It’s a close call, but McAfee is the winner in this category as it fared better than Avast in the AV-Test evaluations.

3. System Performance

There’s no doubt that malware defense is important, but if a security software becomes a burden on your system and slows down your routine tasks and activities, it’s not worth your money.

Let’s examine how much impact both McAfee and Avast on system performance.

In the Performance category of AV-Test evaluations, McAfee came up with another 6-star rating, an excellent system performance score.

Avast also got a full score in these evaluations, matching McAfee.

In the AV-Comparatives April 2019 performance test, both software secured the highest ADVANCED+ award because of their exceptional impact scores.

Winner: Tie. Both McAfee and Avira are neck and neck in terms of system performance.

4. User-Friendliness

All the factors we have discussed so far are important, but if a software has a clunky, outdated user interface, it’s likely that you won’t enjoy using it.

First, let’s examine McAfee’s user interface.

McAfee’s interface is simple, bright, and sleek – in colors of blue, gray, and white. There’s a horizontal menu at the top that allows you to access all the features and functions with just a few clicks. Links to Notifications, News, Help, Settings are also there on the right side of the menu.

On the main screen, you’ll find a large green checkmark in the top left corner if everything is okay. The checkmark will change into a red warning sign when there’s an issue.

At the bottom, there are blocks for running a scan, updating apps, removing browser cookies/trackers.

Now, let’s examine Avast’s interface.

Avast uses a dark, modern-styled interface that is both simple and intuitive.

There’s a vertical menu on the left with four different tabs: Status, Protection, Privacy, and Performance. The Status window is what you see when you open the interface. You will find your protection status in the center, as well as a button to run a quick scan. The other tabs have relevant features and options.

The link to Settings is available in the bottom-left corner.

Winner: Tie. Overall, it’s a tie in this category as both software offer a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Avast Search Browser

5. Pricing

Now, let’s look at the prices of the security suites offered by both companies.

McAfee Total Protection, the flagship product from McAfee, comes at different price points; $24.99 per year for 1 device, $39.99 per year for 5 devices, and $44.99 per year for 10 devices.

McAfee LiveSafe protects unlimited devices for $99.99 per year.

McAfee Security Products	Prices
McAfee Total Protection	Check Price
McAfee LiveSafe	Check Price
McAfee Small Business Security	Check Price
McAfee Business Products	Check Prices

Avast Free doesn’t cost anything, but it doesn’t offer much value. Avast Internet Security, the first worthwhile software from the company, costs $59.99 per year for 1 PC. Avast Premier comes at $69.99 per year for 1 PC.

Avast Ultimate, the full-blown antivirus solution, costs $119.95 per year for 1 PC.

Avast Security for Mac, the company’s only offering for macOS users, costs $59.99 per year for a single Mac.

Avast Security Products	Prices
Avast Pro Antivirus	Check Price
Avast Internet Security	Check Price
Avast Premier	Check Price
Avast Ultimate	Check Price
Avast Security for Mac	Check Price
Avast Business Products	Check Prices

Winner: McAfee. McAfee offers better value for money; you can get more licenses for less money through McAfee than through Avast.

6. Customer Satisfaction

One last aspect we will consider is customer satisfaction. Let’s see what the actual customers of both McAfee and Avast think of their products.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a well-known site that collects customer reviews for all companies and averages them out into an A to F letter grade rating. Both McAfee and Avast have an excellent A+ rating from the BBB, which indicates exceptional customer service and high levels of user satisfaction.

Winner: Tie. Both software have comparable customer satisfaction ratings.

Final Thoughts

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Our recommendations: After reviewing over 50 antivirus suites from some of the biggest names in the cybersecurity landscape, we believe that Bitdefender Total Security 2019 (currently at 50% off) is the best antivirus suite for 2019 in terms of value for money. A single subscription of the suites lets you protect up to five devices (PCs, Macs, and smartphones) in any combination.
Plus, it comes with premium customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you have more than five devices, Bitdefender Family Pack 2019 is the best option for you.

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Bitdefender vs Norton

$59.99

• Pros

  Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Useful bonus features. Ransomware protection. Wi-Fi intruder detection.

• Cons

  Doesn't add much to free edition's features. Expensive. Poor phishing protection for Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.

• Bottom Line

  Avast Security Pro (for Mac) adds ransomware protection and Wi-Fi intruder detection to the features found in Avast's free antivirus, but these additions don't merit its high price.

The myth that Macs can't suffer viruses, Trojans, or other types of malware attack is busted. Oh, the situation isn't nearly as bad as on Windows or Android, but Macs really do need antivirus protection. There are free options available, including Avast Security (for Mac), but commercial antivirus utilities offer more features and do better in testing. Looking at what this product adds beyond the features in the free edition, it's really hard to justify the price.

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This product's main window looks exactly like that of the free edition, except for the absence of the upgrade offer. Plenty of white space surrounds a simple security status indicator. The left-rail menu is also the same as in the free edition. The difference is that clicking Ransomware Shield or Wi-Fi Inspector brings up the component, rather than displaying an upgrade invitation. The look is very different from that of Avast Pro Antivirus, which uses a dark gray background with occasional elements in purple and green.

Pricing and OS Support

Like Bitdefender and Kaspersky, Avast supports macOS versions back to 10.9 (Mavericks). If you have an antique Mac that for some reason can't even run Mavericks, consider ESET, ProtectWorks, or ClamXav—all of which support versions of macOS from 10.6 (Snow Leopard) on. At the other end of the spectrum, Avira, Trend Micro, and Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) require macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or better.

The most common pricing plan for Mac antivirus runs $39.99 per year for one license or $59.99 for three. Bitdefender, ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), Kaspersky, and Malwarebytes all fit this profile. Price-wise, Avast is on the high end, at $59.99 per year or $69.99 for three licenses. That's expensive, considering that the free edition has all the same features except for Ransomware Shield and Wi-Fi Inspector, which I'll detail below.

Shared Features

This utility shares all the features of the free Avast Security (for Mac), and that's saying a lot. I'll briefly summarize those shared features here, and you can should read my review of the free product for more details.

AV-Comparatives certified Avast's Mac malware protection as effective. In testing, it protected against 99.9 percent of Mac malware and 100 percent of Windows malware. AV-Test Institute, the other major lab that tests Mac antivirus, did not include Avast in testing. Note, though, that Bitdefender and Kaspersky earned 100 percent in both tests, and received certification from both labs.

I don't have the same kind of resources for antivirus testing under macOS as I do for Windows. I did try scanning a folder containing my current collection of Windows malware. Avast detected and quarantined 85 percent of the samples, which is quite good. Only Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac), with 86 percent, and Sophos, with 100 percent, have done better. At the low end, McAfee caught 25 percent and Intego just 18 percent.

Avast's full scan finished in 14.5 minutes, which is quite a bit faster than the current average of 24 minutes. The impressive Home Network Security Scanner took less than three minutes to take note of all devices on my network. It found 36 devices and flagged legitimate security problems on two of them.

Phishing websites masquerade as secure sites in the hopes of fooling you into giving away your login credentials. It doesn't matter which browser you use, or which operating system. Avast's scores in my hands-on phishing protection test were extremely poor. The phishing protection systems built into Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer all outperformed Avast, by a long shot.

I learned from my company contacts that phishing protection is fully functional in Chrome and Firefox, but only partly in Safari. The developers are working up a browser-independent version. In a new test using Chrome, Avast scored better than any Mac product except Bitdefender. It tied with Norton and beat out all three browsers. If you're relying on Avast for phishing protection, make sure you use Chrome or Firefox.

The Online Security browser extension marks up search results to flag dangerous links. It also displays a list of all ad trackers and other trackers on the current page, with an option to actively block these. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac includes a similar active Do Not Track feature.

Avast comes with a basic password manager that installs as a separate application. It handles basic functions like password capture and replay, saving secure notes, and generating strong passwords. The app stores passwords locally, but you can set up syncing between all your macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android devices. However, you won't find any advanced features like secure password sharing, two-factor authentication, or password inheritance.

Ransomware Shield

Everything I've described to this point is also available in the free edition. The premium-only Ransomware Shield component simply prevents unauthorized access to files in sensitive folders. By default, it protects the Documents and Pictures folders for the current user. Naturally, you can add other folders if needed. A similar feature in Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac also protects your Time Machine backups.

To test this kind of access control on Windows, I use a small text editor that I wrote myself, something that would never show up on a list of trusted applications. I don't have such a program for macOS, so I had to disable the feature that automatically trusts Apple and App Store applications.

Operation is very simple. When an untrusted program tries to modify a protected app, Avast pops up a warning. If you've just installed and launched a new photo editor, click Allow. If you don't recognize the program, click Block. Note that clicking Allow only makes the program trusted temporarily. To ensure that new photo editor doesn't get blocked, you must manually add it to the list of Allowed Apps.

This type of access control is an effective tool for ransomware protection, one used by many security tools both on Windows and macOS. However, it does require vigilance on your part. When you see the Ransomware Shield popup, examine it carefully, and only click Allow if you're absolutely sure the program is legitimate.

Wi-Fi Inspector

As noted, you get the Home Network Security Scan even in the free edition. The premium edition adds a component called Wi-Fi Inspector. Despite the name, the main function of this component is to alert you when new devices join the network. It maintains its own simple list of devices. If you click Deep Scan, it launches the Home Network Security Scan.

Wi-Fi Inspector's device list doesn't identify security issues the way the security scan does. On the plus side, it lists the MAC address and IP address for each device, along with the name. For many devices, the name is a clear identification, like neils-ipad or all-in-one-pc, but some come out with names like unknown6542990b6483. If you have basic network skills, you can use those addresses to figure out which device corresponds to a weird name. Bitdefender Home Scanner (a Windows utility) lets you edit such entries to give them a friendly name, and even remembers the name on subsequent scans. With Avast, you'll just have to keep a list of which device matches which weird name.

I did encounter a serious problem with the device list. It found 36 devices on my network, but I couldn't scroll down to see more than the first bunch of devices. My Avast contact confirmed this as a bug. It's not such a big problem, as you can see all your connected devices in network scanner.

The real point of Wi-Fi Inspector is to alert you when a new device connects. Just after installation, you'll probably see quite a few of these, as devices that were turned off during the initial scan wake up. Once you get past that shakeout period, you should pay close attention to the new-device notifications. If you don't recognize the device, it could be a neighbor mooching your Wi-Fi, or even a hack attempt.

If you determine that the new connection isn't legitimate, there's not a lot you can do about it. Wi-Fi Inspector offers notification, but no direct way to act on that information. Your best bet is to snap a screenshot of the notification and then find a friend who's a network whiz. Your buddy can use the info from the screenshot to log into your router's settings and ban the device from the network.

Doesn't Add Enough

Avast Security Pro offers certified Mac malware protection, a network security scanner, and a password manager, but those features also come with the free Avast Security. The Pro edition adds ransomware protection that works by banning untrusted applications from modifying your files. It also adds real-time notification of new connections to your network, but offers no way to do anything if you determine the new connection is perfidious. That's not much for $59.99 per year. The only reason to buy this product is if you want to protect your Macs in a business setting, but in that case, you can get better protection for less.

Avast Secure Browser For Mac

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac has certification from two labs, excellent phishing protection, an anti-ransomware feature much like Avast's, and more. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac also has two certifications, and it comes with a full parental control system, excellent anti-phishing, protection against webcam peepers, and more. These are our Editors' Choice products for macOS antivirus, and they both costs $20 less than Avast.

Bottom Line: Avast Security Pro (for Mac) adds ransomware protection and Wi-Fi intruder detection to the features found in Avast's free antivirus, but these additions don't merit its high price.

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