## Avast One for Mac Review: A Free Antivirus with Paid Perks
Looking for robust antivirus protection for your Mac? Avast One offers a free tier that’s surprisingly powerful, with additional features available for paid subscribers. This review delves into both the free and paid versions, exploring the benefits of each, the app’s performance, and the effectiveness of its security features. We’ll also examine Avast One’s privacy policy and its history with data collection practices to ensure you’re making an informed decision.
### Avast One for Mac: Pricing and Tiers
While Avast One’s website refers to its free tier as ‘Basic,’ the documentation calls it ‘Avast One Essential.’ Regardless of the name, this free version provides solid antivirus protection, including a malware scanner and browser protection to block malicious downloads. You also get access to a free VPN, although the monthly data is limited to 5GB.
For those seeking more features, Avast One offers three paid tiers:
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Avast One Silver:
Starting at $36 annually, Avast One Silver unlocks additional protection, privacy, or performance features. However, be aware that renewal costs significantly increase after the first year, jumping to $80 annually.*
Avast One Gold:
At $60 annually ($130 for renewal), Avast One Gold offers all three feature packs in Silver, giving you a comprehensive suite of protection.*
Avast One Platinum:
For $120 annually ($300 for renewal), Avast One Platinum builds upon Gold by adding identity protection, dark web monitoring, and $2 million in identity theft insurance.It’s worth noting that Avast One also comes in family plans, allowing you to protect multiple devices. Avast One Silver Family covers 30 devices for $84 in the first year and $180 for renewal, while Avast One Gold Family covers 30 devices for $114 in the first year and $280 for renewal.
### Avast One for Mac: Installation and User Interface
Installing Avast One on Mac was a breeze, significantly simpler than my experience with McAfee’s antivirus. The installer launches a Finder window, prompting you to double-click it. After accepting the terms of use and granting necessary permissions, the installer neatly places itself in the trash and launches Avast One for setup.
The initial setup process is straightforward and guides you through enabling Avast access in System Settings. You can quickly get everything up and running within a minute.
The app’s interface is clean and easy to navigate. It provides shortcuts to essential features, including a system scan, VPN, and account settings.
### Avast One for Mac: Security Features and Effectiveness
Avast for Mac boasts an impressive malware protection record, earning near-perfect scores from independent security research lab AV-Test. While Avast One occasionally falls short of a perfect score, its overall protection record is excellent, rivaling leading antivirus solutions like Bitdefender and Norton.
I conducted my own spot checks, visiting Wicar’s malware test website to assess the free web blocker’s effectiveness. Avast One Essential successfully recognized all 13 browser exploits and malware downloads, blocking them at every turn. Even with the VPN switched off, the free app effectively blocked each threat.
### Avast One for Mac: VPN Performance
The free VPN included with Avast One Essential is capped at 5GB per month, which might not be enough for daily use. However, it can be useful for occasional browsing or vacation planning. When testing the VPN, I found it effectively masked my IP address and location, providing a decent level of privacy.
### Avast One for Mac: Paid Features
Upgrading to Avast One Gold unlocks additional features beyond the free tier, including:
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Unlimited VPN:
Enjoy unrestricted VPN usage with the ability to choose servers in different countries to avoid geoblocking.*
Disk Cleaner:
Clean up app caches, trash, and log files to free up valuable storage space.*
Live Chat Support:
Get priority support through live chat, providing faster assistance when needed.### Avast One for Mac: Support Experience
As an Avast One Gold subscriber, I tested the live chat support. While the initial chatbot misunderstood my query, switching to a live agent quickly resolved the issue. However, I encountered some delays in responses and had to repeat my question multiple times. Despite these minor inconveniences, the support team eventually provided the information I needed.
### Avast One for Mac: Privacy and Security
According to Avast’s privacy policy, the free Avast One app might show targeted ads. While I didn’t encounter any ads during my brief test, I quickly switched to a paid plan to complete the review. The end-user license agreement states that Avast may send promotional offers for upgrading to a higher-priced subscription. However, I haven’t received excessive promotional emails, so it’s not a significant concern.
It’s important to acknowledge Avast’s past privacy issues, including Google’s removal of the Avast browser extension in 2019 for data collection practices. However, Avast has since addressed these issues, and its security extensions in the Chrome Web Store are well-rated.
### Conclusion: Avast One for Mac – A Solid Choice for Mac Users
Overall, Avast One for Mac offers a robust free antivirus solution that includes a VPN and browser protection. For users seeking additional features like unlimited VPN usage and live chat support, the paid tiers provide a good value proposition. However, be mindful of the steep renewal costs for paid plans. If you’re looking for an affordable and comprehensive solution, Norton 360 for Mac offers a better subscription package at lower prices.
If you’re a Mac user concerned about online security, Avast One Basic (Essential) provides a solid foundation of protection, and its paid tiers offer a range of features to customize your security needs.