Malwarebytes for Mac 2025 review: an antivirus and privacy upgrade

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Your Mac computer comes with basic antivirus protection, but Apple’s solution might not be enough in 2025. That’s why it’s worth considering a Malwarebytes antivirus plan for macOS.

The best antivirus software prevents malware and removes virus infections affordably and without a lot of effort. I reviewed Malwarebytes for Mac last year, but with new threats appearing daily, it’s time to take another look at the latest update to see how well this popular antivirus app fares against competitors.

Specs

Tiers and pricing

Malwarebytes offers a free malware scanner so you can clean up a macOS infection. It’s one of the best free antivirus apps for the Mac. However, it’s better to detect and block malware before it becomes a problem, a good reason to consider a Malwarebytes subscription.

There are three premium plans to choose from. For $45 annually, Basic Security features real-time protection and includes the Browser Guard extension for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. That makes it a great deal for well-rated antivirus software.

Premium Plus adds a VPN with selectable location for $15 more, a total of $60 per year. Complete Protection includes extras like $2 million in identity theft insurance and monitoring of social media, the dark web, and up to three credit reports. These added services double the cost to $120 each year.

Unlike most competing solutions, Malwarebytes doesn’t lure you in with a low-cost subscription that increases dramatically the next year. Instead, there’s a discount if you buy a two-year subscription. Also, you can start with a 14-day free trial of Premium to test how well it works on your Mac.

For comparison, the most expensive plan of Bitdefender for Mac costs $90 the first year, but doubles to $180 when you renew. While Bitdefender includes more features, the increase in annual fees might stretch your budget.

Design

I reviewed Malwarebytes Premium Plus with protection for up to three devices, including macOS and Windows computers, as well as iOS and Android devices.

This plan also includes an uncapped virtual private network (VPN) that helps protect my privacy when browsing the web. As a writer, the option to pick a location with a VPN lets me check prices and availability of products in other countries.

Like most antivirus software, Malwarebytes provides an at-a-glance reassurance that my Mac is secure, with a meter showing a green 100% when everything looks good. If there’s a problem, I can check the meter to learn how to improve security.

The dashboard also lets me manually scan for malware, see the detection history, and change VPN settings.

Installation was simple, but I did run into a problem with web protection. As I made my way through the guide and selected the Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension, the Chrome Web Store opened instead of Safari. I do have Chrome installed, but I rarely use it. I found the extension in Apple’s macOS App Store and manually installed it in Safari.

Features

One of the most important measures of cybersecurity software is how reliably it detects a variety of malware. I did some testing by visiting WICAR.org, a website that hosts code that should trigger antivirus software. Malwarebytes blocked the downloads as expected.

I’d prefer to share the results of more robust, ongoing tests from independent security labs. Unfortunately, no third-party test results are available from leading security researchers for the Mac version of Malwarebytes.

The best evidence of ongoing development comes from AVLab test results. The Windows version of Malwarebytes offered 100% protection, with an average remediation time of 54 seconds.

Mac antivirus software should be able to identify Windows malware to prevent the infection of connected PCs. Still, those tests don’t prove the effectiveness of Malwarebytes for Mac against the increasing number of threats to macOS.

I tested the VPN by setting the location to Amsterdam and searching the web. As expected, Google showed results for the Netherlands, with a map and listings for vegan restaurants in Amsterdam. Malwarebytes kept my location private.

The best VPNs do more than hide my location, encrypting online activity and disguising traffic fingerprints without slowing download rates. I checked the performance of Malwarebytes VPN to see how well it stood up to dedicated solutions.

For a local U.S. server, the VPN bundled with Malwarebytes Premium was quite fast, reaching 83% of my native Wi-Fi speed. Overseas connections were inconsistent. Download rates for France were good despite a 28% drop. For the U.K. and Germany, video streaming suffered since 98% of my speed was lost.

It’s not a massive set of features. For example, there’s no password manager or cloud storage included, but Malwarebytes takes care of the basics very well.

Support

Malwarebytes has a help tab in the app that guided me to the website for support. I could browse or search a list of articles for self-service or use the chat button in the bottom-right corner.

I chose chat, and an AI assistant tried to help. I asked for an “agent” and was given the option to get email help or live chat. I picked the latter and got in line behind four other people. I waited about six minutes. It isn’t always so busy. When I reviewed the Windows version, it was only a two-minute wait.

Privacy and security

Malwarebytes is very clear about its privacy policy. Each section has a detailed and simplified explanation. The most important detail is that Malwarebytes won’t sell your data. It’s shared in very limited ways, with service providers and in response to legal requests from authorities.

Security is important, particularly within the antivirus company that’s charged with keeping your computer safe. Malwarebytes has a good track record with customer data, with no recent security issues. I trust Malwarebytes with my personal and financial data.

Is Malwarebytes right for your Mac?

Malwarebytes is one of the best antivirus software solutions for all your devices, but some competitors offer more features and utilities. However, those extras come with a higher renewal price.

Malwarebytes passed my malware spot-check, but more rigorous evaluations are lacking. If you use your Mac for critical work or keep private data on your MacBook, it might be wise to shop around.

For example, Norton 360 for Mac includes cloud storage, and Bitdefender has a password manager. Both of these top competitors back up their protection claims with third-party tests by independent security labs.

Malwarebytes is quick, easy, and offers consistently low prices. If you bought a multi-device Malwarebytes plan for a Windows PC, the included macOS version is a good way to enhance Apple’s XProtect security for free. If you don’t use Windows, there are better solutions for your Mac.