At a GlanceExpert’s Rating
Pros
Clean, friendly user interface with a good level of customization
Good performance on large-volume scans
Caught and quarantined almost all the test files thrown at it
Cons
Email Guardian allows you to visit questionable websites without warning about phishing, scams, or malware
More advanced network tools needed for complete control over connected devices
Our Verdict
Avast has delivered a good product that can head a ton of malware and viral activity off at the pass, but still needs work in terms of what its Email Guardian feature lets through and allows you to visit with no warning whatsoever. Still, there’s a trial period to be taken advantage of and once again, Avast Premium Security is worth looking into.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Avast Premium Security
At the time of writing (spring 2025) Avast Premium Security has a spring offer of $34.68/£29.19 for the first year for one Mac, Avast says the usual yearly price is $77.99/£64.99, but it’s always discounted when we check for our best Antivirus deals round up. Users can also begin a 60-day free trial by entering a credit or debit card with Avast citing a 30-day money-back guarantee if not satisfied.
Avast Premium Security is centered around several modules (Smart Scan, Virus Scans, Core Shields, Traffic Monitor, Network Inspector, Email Guardian, Ransomware Shield, and Quarantine) with quick access to its storefront, where you can purchase other Avast products should you desire.
Foundry
The user interface is as simple as you could ask for and it’s handy to be able to quickly focus a scan on an external drive without having to dig through options and menus. The Smart Scan quickly looks over your virus definitions, viruses, and malware, and Advanced Issues, which checks your Ransomware Shield and the folders it’s protecting, Network Inspector settings, and Real Site settings, which scans for imposter/phishing-based websites.
The Virus Scans module may be the most impressive element of Avast Premium Security, as the module dovetails beautifully with macOS’ GateKeeper function, caught almost all of the test viruses and malware I could throw at it, and quickly put suspect software into quarantine. Once suspect files are found, they can be readily quarantined and/or deleted. The software can also run tests on external volumes and perform a deep scan to check every file on your hard drive, which may take several hours but is worth it.
Avast has taken an interesting approach to its Traffic Monitor and Network Monitor modules, with the Traffic Monitor showing how much data you’re using and where your bandwidth is going and the Network Inspector quickly scanning the network you’re on, gauging its safety, offering a list of which devices are on the same network, and alerting you as to when an unfamiliar device joins the network. It’s interesting to see where your web traffic is going, which geographic locations it’s pinging to, and how much bandwidth it’s consuming. The Network Inspector offers a handy means of examining your larger network and can point out which devices are on it and if suspect devices might be lurking on your network.
Foundry
The Core Shields feature impressed me when I ran it through a fake/“smishing” website that spawned from a random text message I received claiming a package I hadn’t ordered had been lost, but that clicking on a fake USPS website link would resolve the issue. Avast’s Real Site feature prevented the site from loading and questionable software from being accessed, as the questionable website was written to do. While the text and its links were suspicious, to begin with, this can help avoid future mistakes.
While Avast Premium Security is reasonably priced, there’s a question of semi-dubious marketing to be addressed here, as the website mentions a low monthly rate in bold text with the overall annual payment in subtle, non-bold text. Enter your payment information, and Avast gladly snags the annual rate from your bank account, which is valid but still feels as if the marketing department is going after a customer base that might not have time to read the fine print.
Should you buy Avast Premium Security for Mac?
There’s a good product here, and I was impressed with how much questionable software Avast Premium Security was able to head off at the pass, even though it allowed CrossRat to install fake Java libraries and a fake Adobe Flash Player to be installed, even though it later caught up to them and removed them via a deep scan.
Would I run the company the exact way it’s being run now? No. Would I sit the developers down, ask them to look over the Email Guardian feature, and strongly suggest that the software at least offer some warning before you link over to a spam link rife with grammatical errors that says you’re about to lose your driver’s license unless you pay off an unknown creditor in a foreign country? Yes. But even with these shortcomings, Avast remains a best-of-breed utility and may just be worth your consideration.
