- Dec 12, 2014 Download AVG AntiVirus for Mac to enjoy worry-free unhackable online life with real-time malware threat elimination within unbreakable Web defense. AVG AntiVirus has had 2 updates within the past.
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AVG TuneUp speeds up your Mac by addressing one of the main causes of a slow computer: it’s simply too full. Hard disk drives and SSDs will both significantly slow down if they reach 100% storage capacity. AVG TuneUp clears out old, unused, and wasted data to ensure that you have plenty of room for the files you do want. Download AVG AntiVirus 2015.0.4819 for Mac from our software library for free. Our built-in antivirus checked this Mac download and rated it as virus free. The following versions: 2015.0, 14.0 and 1.0 are the most frequently downloaded ones by the program users. This free application was developed to work on Mac OS X 10.8 or later.
I thought I knew everything about Mac antiviruses, including which free one is the absolute best after testing more than a dozen products. I have to admit that I was surprised (pleasantly) when I installed AVG.
Everything felt right: installation, ease of use, performance, absence of annoying pop-ups begging me to pay for premium. Is such a thing possible? Is free AVG my new favorite and go-to suggestion for Mac users?
I think so.
Free AVG Antivirus for Mac has one of the best malware detection rates among free antiviruses. AVG is safe and easy to install and easy to use and protects against various types of malware such as viruses, spyware, adware. Ransomware protection is not included in the free version, however.
How to Install AVG on Mac
But let me walk you through my experience.
To install AVG, google “avg antivirus for mac free” and go to the company’s official website.
Click on the Free Download button.
Go to the Downloads folder in the Finder and double click on the DMG file, and then double-click on the “AVG Antivirus” icon to start the installer app.
Follow installer instructions (click Continue and Agree buttons when appropriate).
You will need to enter the Admin password a couple of times. This is ok and safe (as long as you downloaded the install media from the AVG official site). Since AVG works on the system level, it needs permissions to change some system settings on your Mac.
Once the installation is complete, there will be two additional manual things to do.
First, open System Preferences and go to Security and Privacy. Click on the padlock icon in the bottom left corner, next to “Click the lock to make changes,” and enter your password. Click on Allow button next to ‘System software from application “AVG Security” was blocked from loading’ text.
Next, switch back to AVG and click Continue and Open Confirmation Dialog buttons. This will pop up a ‘AVG Security would like to add proxy configurations’ window. Click the “Allow” button.
That’s it. You are ready to scan your computer.
You can also restart your Mac to make sure that everything was installed ok, but it’s not necessary.
AVG Antivirus for Mac Review
By default, you will have Basic Protection enabled with AVG. After installation, click on Mac Scan to run the first scan.
CPU Usage
I found that almost all antivirus programs use a lot of CPU during the first scan.
The only exception probably is Malwarebytes. The difference is how long this high CPU usage process lasts. In the case of AVG, the high processor work wasn’t too long.
After 20-30 minutes, the fan in my MacBook Pro stopped spinning, and since then, AVG behaved properly, even when I was running the full scan.
AVG Virus Scans
Speaking of antimalware scans, AVG has four options to chose from: Mac, Deep, Targeted, and USB/DVD
Mac Scan
There are certain folders, called system, in each operating system. macOS is no exception. That’s why each antivirus app has an option to check only those system folders. Normally, this process is pretty quick (if you don’t have malware).
On my MacBook, the Mac Scan took less than five minutes. On your Mac, it may be faster or slower depending on how many files you have in on Desktop, Downloads, and other common folders.
Deep Scan
Another scan you have to run as soon as you install any antimalware solution is the one that checks every file on the disk.
In the case of AVG, it’s called Deep Scan. When testing, I usually try to run it overnight because some programs take more than a day to finish. Surprisingly, free AVG was pretty quick – it finished in 45 minutes. This was good.
Custom and USB/DVD Scans
Sometimes you get a file or a program from your friend or downloaded from the internet. Some security apps don’t let you pick a folder, e.g., Downloads, to perform a quick check. Others do not have the option to check external devices. I usually refrain from recommending such products.
Fortunately, AVG has both options. You can either select a folder with Targeted Scan or select a removable device with USB/DVD scans.
Scheduled Scans
And finally, the cool feature in AVG is Custom Scans. With custom scans, you can schedule multiple jobs to run. For instance, you may want to set up a Deep Scan once a month at night and Mac Scan to run every morning.
This feature is rarely available in free apps.
For instance, if you want to schedule something like this in Malwarebytes, you have to have the Premium version.
Real-time protection
While scheduled jobs are good, you may not even need them because AVG protects your Mac in real-time.
For example, when I tried to copy viruses from my flash drive to my MacBook (for testing purposes), AVG immediately kicked in and quarantined infected files.
How Good is Free AVG for Mac?
There is a saying that we get what we pay for. For example, there is a huge difference in malware detection between the free Bitdefender scanner and paid version. So, I didn’t expect much from a free version of AVG. And again, I was pleasantly surprised.
The software detected 99% of malware from the sample I use for testing. The performance was similar to the same as Avast. In fact, the only malware AVG did not detect the same one: OSX.Dummy.
After some research, I found that AVG is a subsidiary of Avast. I think the test results mean that both Avast and AVG are using the same malware detection engine.
So, if you were looking for an alternative to Avast, then AVG is a potential substitute.
User Interface
One of the best features of AVG is its user interface.
Very clean, easy to use.
There is a bunch of options you can configure if you need to. Click on the Menu option in the top right corner, scroll down and click on Preferences.
In the General Section, you can turn on/off automatic updates. I recommend having it always On. You can also hide the app icon in the menu bar.
If you are ready to upgrade, you can do it in the Subscription section (or go to Menu -> Activate Paid Features). The free AVG version never expires, however.
In the Privacy section, I recommend unchecking all boxes to avoid AVG from collecting data from your Mac. In the past, AVG and Avast were accused of selling customer data. As far as I know, they do not do this anymore, but I would uncheck the privacy options anyway.
Core Shields reminds me of Avast.
Avast also has file, web, and email shields.
Here you can also add exceptions. For example, if the antivirus keeps complaining about a file that you know is not a threat (this is called false positive), you can exclude it from here. The Web Shield will try to block pages with malicious content. Again, you can exclude certain URLs when needed. Email shield protects your email, as the name suggests.
I already covered multiple scan options. However, you can fine tune options in the app Preferences dialog.
Is It Worth Paying for AVG?
Obviously, no company can survive if all they have is free products.
While free AVG antivirus never expires, it also has some features that are well worth paying for. Compared to the free version, the premium AVG comes with Wi-Fi Inspector and Ransomware Shield. They protect against hacker attacks, such as phishing and stealing your payment data on the internet.
I explained how hackers could get into your Mac in another post. If you suspect that something like this happened or might happen with you, then it makes sense to upgrade.
After the upgrade, you will get access to the Wi-FI inspector feature, which can be used to scan the network devices and routers. For instance, it can scan your Wi-Fi router for malware. You can also see who’s connected to your Wi-Fi network and kick them out if needed.
If you want to save about 40% of the paid AVG, you can use my affiliate link.
AVG Free Alternatives
AVG is not the only free antivirus. There are other alternatives, such as:
I reviewed them all in my best free antivirus for Mac post.
How to uninstall AVG on Mac
There are two easy ways to uninstall AVG on Mac.
Method 1
- Activate AVG
- Click on AVG Antivirus menu
- Scroll down and click on Uninstall AVG Antivirus
- Follow instructions in AVG Uninstaller
- Enter system password when required
- Click Finish
Method 2
Another way to uninstall any app, including antivirus, is to use either App Cleaner or CleanMyMac apps. Check the instructions here.
Takeaway
Several times I mentioned that I was pleasantly surprised when testing AVG.
The things I liked the most:
- You can install it without creating an account.
- The malware detection rate is very good.
- The user interface is simple and easy to use.
- Real-time protection works.
- You get antivirus updates automatically.
- And it’s free.
Read Next: Best Antivirus for Mac
The AVG AntiVirus Free plans focus on providing basic antivirus protections for your personal device and web connection. The free antivirus software is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. AVG AntiVirus for Mac offers excellent protection from viruses, web, and email threats. The app doesn't have much to it aside from on-off sliders, and a few minor settings, but for those who just. AVG for Windows had the same score from AV-Test’s 0-day, web and email threats, as well as the widespread and prevalent malware test. AV Comparatives’ most recent Mac test was in June 2019. AVG for Mac also got 100 percent among 585 Mac samples, and 100 percent against 500 Windows samples in the same test. In our own spot tests, AVG did fine. Looking for honest AVG AntiVirus reviews? Learn more about its pricing details and check what experts think about its features and integrations. Read user reviews from verified customers who actually used the software and shared their experience on its pros and cons.
If Mac’s a crucial part of your daily life, you might have observed that it has significantly slowed down over the past few months or years of your use.
Do you know why?
The reason being when day in and day out you shuffle between files and folders, use browsers to surf the internet and run several applications, over some time clutter your Mac with several things – cache files, log files, trash content, crash logs and duplicate files that are left even after you have uninstalled an application and so on. Because of all this, the memory of your Mac and disk space, in particular, take a lot of beating.
And, if you are planning to declutter your Mac of all this junk, then let us beware you, you are in for some severe headache.
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Why not opt for a more natural way to do this? We have already listed some of the best Mac cleaner apps that can quickly and efficiently optimize and clean your Mac. Yet, there is one Mac cleaner which has garnered a lot of rave reviews for its performance. And, the cleaner we are talking about is AVG Cleaner for Mac.
In this blog, we’ll look at it inside-out and check if it’s worth the hype. Here’s what we shall be looking at –
The Interface
The first thing that meets the eye after you have installed software is its interface. AVG Cleaner for Mac offers a neat, clean and an attractive user interface. Right from the home screen to the actions that ensue after you click on each option, you won’t have any problems comprehending what each of the functions is meant to do.
You instantly get a clear picture of files and folders that are taking up the maximum space. Be it the Disk Cleaner or Duplicate Finder; both are beautifully represented by pie charts that show elements in distinctly colored sections.
Once you click on the Scan Mac under the Disc Cleaner or click on Scan Folders under Duplicate Finder at one glance, you can see how much space you can reclaim after you clean the specified amount as shown in the screenshot below.
How Does The AVG Cleaner Work?
To start with AVG Cleaner for Mac can be installed from the App Store without any hassles. After installation, launch the app. On the home screen, you will see two options namely –
Avg Free Mac Review
(i) Disk Cleaner –
You might not be aware of what junk gets accumulated when you continuously play games, install and use applications and even browse the web. Cache files are arising out of your applications and browsers, several log files coming out of your day-to-day activities and other unnecessary junk. AVG Cleaners displays this junk and helps you clean it in one click.
(ii) Duplicate Finder –
There are two ways you can scan files and folders for duplicates. Either click on the Scan Folders option or drag a folder. In either case, you will be able to catch hold of all the duplicates which are cluttering your Mac.
The screenshot below shows how duplicates are scattered across several different folders. If you try the manual way of finding duplicates, it would probably take a lifetime to sift through each of these folders.
The Cleaning Part
Whether you are in the “Disk Cleaner” or the “Duplicate Finder” you can select multiple items or select them individually for cleaning. Once you are sure of the files or folders that you wish to clean, all you have to do is click on the Clean button that you can see at the top right corner of the screen.
The Goodness Of Zen
AVG Cleaner is powered by AVG Zen Network with the help of which you can remotely view not just the performance of your Mac PC or laptop but other devices as well. Update safari mac os x.
Some Good And Some Not So Good Points
All in all, you won’t be disappointed with AVG Cleaner. It won’t be wrong to say that for something free, AVG cleaner makes for great Mac cleaner. It is effortless to use and helps you get rid of all the junk in your Mac in just one-click. It is exceptionally light on your resources and weighs just a little over 16 MB. It provides you with tips for optimization and Cleaning mac time and again.
But, what you need to worry is the fact that once you hit the Clean button, your files are gone forever. There is no undo button or restore button. We’d suggest that you carefully preview the files before deleting them and it is always recommended to keep a backup handy just in case a mishap occurs.
Free Avg Antivirus For Mac
The Bottomline
Avg For Mac Reviews
Avg For Mac
AVG Cleaner for Mac is a must-have tool if it’s been a while since you decluttered your Mac PC or laptop of junk. You can now focus on more critical tasks and leave the cleaning part to this utility tool. If you’ve already used AVG Cleaner for Mac, do let us know about your experience in the comments section. And, if you use any other Mac cleaner, do let us know how better it is. For more such reviews, troubleshooting content and other tech-related stuff, keep reading Systweak blogs. You can follow us on Facebook and YouTube too.