Rundown
Device Tune-Up | Yes |
Device Tune-Up | Yes |
Spyware Protection | Yes |
Anti-Spam | Yes |
Virus Detection | Yes |
VPN | Yes |
Auto Software Updater | Yes |
24/7 Customer Service | Yes |
Back in 2012, Apple dropped its slogan of “we don’t get viruses” and acknowledged that there are several viruses out there that Mac computers can get. MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis are still vulnerable to some viruses and various types of malware.
Online research conducted on malicious programs targeting Mac computers suggested a 1,000% increase in those attacks since 2020. Mac users should always beware of those kinds of attacks and invest in the security of their computers.
To protect your Mac computer, you need an antivirus tool. You can rule out that hackers have turned their attention to Mac, and the point of argument that “antivirus software for mac is unnecessary” has expired.
There is no doubt about this; Apple’s built-in security system performs a reasonable job of protecting your data from malware. However, cybercriminals are getting smarter day by day, and the need for beefing up your antivirus security is increasing.
Why should you Go for Antivirus Software for Mac?
If you are a Mac for your usage or even for business purposes, the following are the reasons why you should get antivirus software for your macOS:
- Modern Malware: Initially, it was challenging to create malware. You needed to rely upon the existing malware or develop malware yourself (which only experts can do). Nowadays, it is much easier as cybercriminals can tweak the current malware and create custom threats by themselves. Thus the threat level is increased, and macOS is not built to deal with these modern threats.
- Expensive Mac: We all know that Mac is more expensive than Windows PCs. This means that cybercriminals generally get the impression that Mac users are wealthier, making them attractive targets. Mac user’s data, financial information, or other data can be used for ransomware (blackmail).
- Apple Brand: Apple is a huge brand and has a massive presence in the market. The company depicts standard, class, and uniqueness, and even though Windows still holds 76% of the market, the usage of Mac is increasing, and attackers are turning their attention to Mac now.
- Windows vs. Mac Security: The reason why Mac became popular was because of its security. It was more secure than Windows. However, a lot has changed since then, and Windows has taken a massive leap over Mac in their latest version. Windows has closed the gap, filled the loopholes, and made their OS a more difficult target for the attacker.
We have already discussed why your Mac needs VPN software and how it protects you from external online security threats, and now the need for the internal security layer has aroused.
MacKeeper Short Review
Clario Tech Limited owns MacKeeper. It has a terrible reputation as once it was initially released, it was heavily criticized with acquisitions like that the company used affiliate marketers and false advertisements. Also, back in 2014, they paid a claim worth $2 million to those Mac users who filed a lawsuit against the company for deceiving them into making payments for unneeded fixes.
Since then, the company has changed its ways of conducting business, and they have started to offer quality services for their product. MacKeeper cleans, protects, is secure, and delivers privacy to its users. It provides protection against viruses, malware, malicious software, and Adware.
MacKeeper is used by 56+ million users from all over the world.
When you look at MacKeeper’s interface, a menu is given at the left-hand side of the software, divided into Cleaning, Security, Performance, and Privacy items. A built-in chat support system is also provided, along with a find & fix option.
It has a big button in the middle of the application, which you can press and run a scan on your macOS. Overall the application’s interface is easy to navigate upon, and even a beginner can start using it without any formal training.
Furthermore, MacKeeper has five main features:
- Antivirus
- Performance
- Disk Cleaning
- Tuning
- VPN (Virtual Private Network)
These features work in coherence and block all types of malware, which are designed mainly for Mac computers. The software works perfectly well in detecting and removing viruses, removing spyware, Adware, and protecting you against ransomware.
Real-time protection delivered by MacKeeper will detect and block viruses containing files and folders before even you open them. Also, it clears unnecessary files like cache files, logs, and languages by safely removing them from your OS. Duplicated files are also removed safely, and the MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller deletes everything unwanted related to installed applications, widgets, and browser extensions.
Sometimes your Mac freezes, MacKeeper speeds up things and unfreeze all of the applications slowing down your system. Your Mac activity is automatically monitored where it takes Mac’s memory under observation and updates installed applications to the latest versions.
A VPN is also built-in when it comes to MacKeeper antivirus software. You can use that VPN feature of MacKeeper to protect yourself when you are browsing online over the internet. It encrypts your internet traffic when surfing online on public Wi-Fi while using the AES-256 bit encryption, which is military-grade encryption, and not even a single soul has yet been able to decrypt it.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Benefits
- Privacy & security features.
- ID Theft Guard.
- Adware prevention.
- Customer support is great
Drawbacks
- Bad reputation.
- Some features might malfunction after some time.
Specifications
One-Click Memory Cleanup | Auto Apps Updates |
Real-Time Antivirus Protection | Adware Removal |
Ad-free Browsing | VPN Connection |
24/7 Password Breach Monitoring | Junk File Removal |
Smart App Uninstaller | Duplicate Files Finder |
Memory Cleaner | Update Tracker |
Safe Cleanup | Login Items |
ID Theft Guard | StopAd |
MacKeeper Pricing Discussion
You can download MacKeeper for free, and it will start scanning your Mac instantly. Currently, MacKeeper is offering three plans that charge significantly less based on the quality of service they are delivering.
The free version only offers the “Find & Fix” feature. You will not gain access to other features which are provided in the premium version of the software.
To gain access to those premium features, you’ll have to subscribe to their premium plans. There is no free trial for the paid versions; however, you can test the app out on the free version.
Instead of offering free trials, the company offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. This means that if you feel like you don’t want to use that software anymore, you will get a full refund for your subscription.
Features
The list of main features offered by MacKeeper are as follow:
Antivirus
MacKeeper works as a fully functional real-time antivirus tool, and you can use it to detect malware and malicious files.
Also, it shows your items placed in quarantine so that you can review them before deletion to pinpoint those files that contain essential data. This way, you can restore them from MacKeeper’s special storage.
Edward Snowden (the whistleblower) revealed that special agencies and sensitive organizations could spy on you via your home laptops, cameras, and mics. They can track your activity, record your videos with audio, and can blackmail you later on with ransomware. MacKeeper virus scan alerts the user instantly about such occurrences to protect themselves from these kinds of spying activities.
Duplicate Finder
MacKeeper’s duplicate finder detects those files & photos which take unnecessary space in your macOS. It can be because malware is duplicating files on your Mac in the background without you knowing about it. The effect can be adverse, and it can make your Mac run out of storage, and your machine will start lagging.
Moreover, this feature lists those files, their respective size, the number of times they appear, and under what names are they stored on your Mac. Once you have the list, you can review and see what files are essential and which are useless.
MacKeeper can also remove the files for you if you permit it to do so. Otherwise, the option of manually reviewing those files still stands. Your Mac will be free of space, thus making your Mac more speed-friendly.
Safe Cleanup
The feature of Safe Cleanup in MacKeeper will scan your Mac’s entire hard disk and create a list of all the junk files and folders your Mac is storing. The list may include:
- Trash
- Logs
- Cache
- Languages
ID Theft guard
Every year millions of people get affected and fall victim to identity theft. You need protection from identity theft as it turns your entire life upside down.
MacKeeper will help you in the identification of any event which can lead to identity theft. For instance, your email account is breached, and from there, your data is getting extracted. In this scenario, if you have MacKeeper installed in your device, it will identify that data breach via its state-of-the-art feature of ID Theft Guard.
The process does not stop there. MacKeeper scans and develops an entire list of accounts to which hackers have access and points you towards the issue causing that breach, like your password might have some specific cases.
Keeping in view the list of problems that MacKeeper’s ID Theft Guard has identified, you can make changes to them and enhance the security wall of your Mac.
You also have the liberty to set MacKeeper in such a manner that it will monitor your email addresses 24/7 and notify you instantly whenever there is a data breach or leak of any kind.
Update Tracker
One of the most vital features offered by MacKeeper is the update tracker. We all have gone through problems of installed software malfunctioning as it had bugs because it was not updated in time. Losing of data, files, documents, and loss of precious time can be frustrating at this particular moment.
MacKeeperr tracks software updates for you, and they have enlisted this feature in the performance-enhancing section of their tool.
Apple is continuously updating its product’s software for security reasons and the increasing cyber threat which Mac is currently going through. They are fixing up holes and breaches all the time. If you do not apply those security patches at the right moment, your Mac becomes vulnerable to external threats.
The update tracker feature of MacKeeper is optimized to update your macOS after every five minutes. It works by running a four-part scan where it applies the function of installing all types of necessary updates automatically to enhance your Mac’s security shield.
Memory Cleaner
The purpose of a memory cleaner feature is to clear up RAM from your memory-hogging applications. MacKeeper’s memory cleaner performs the same function by unloading the RAM and speeding up your macOS’s overall performance.
File Shredder
This feature will permanently delete your file or data from your computer and make it non-recoverable. It works almost in the same way as Smart Uninstaller. If you have files, folders, documents, or data you are looking to delete from your macOS permanently, this feature is an ideal choice for you.
Adware Cleaner
Advertising-supported software of Adware, for short, is a software that functions to generate revenue for its developers by generating ads automatically in the user interface of the software in which it is installed.
Since MacKeeper aims to remove and detect malicious software from your computer. It is integrated with good security features to ensure that none of the Adware finds its way into your macOS. MacKeeper will send you alerts and notify you if it detects some suspicious program taking up space and performs an unwanted activity.
Track My Mac
Several devices nowadays come with a built-in tracker as a security feature for anti-theft purposes. MacKeeper provides you with that feature by the name of Track my Mac. Although, you have to turn it on manually to bear fruit from this feature.
This feature works by taking a picture of the thief trying to log in to your computer by putting in the wrong password. It will capture a photo after every lousy login attempt. You can also perform location tracking for finding your device by logging in to your MacKeeper account.
Further, to make things more exciting and to give you a feeling of safety, the captured photos will be sent to your mobile device directly, plus it will also send a copy to your set email ID.
Smart Uninstaller
When you delete an application, the components of that app remain intact, and it can still cause your computer to lag. So, to deal with this problem, MacKeeper’s smart uninstaller scans your device thoroughly and removes the leftover portions of your:
- Application
- Plugins
- Widgets
- Browser Extensions
The space of your Mac gets freed up, and thus the performance also becomes better.
Login Items
If you are facing a slow startup of your macOS, then remember that Mac is known for its quality in the speed area, so there must be a problem during the startup processing of your system.
MacKeeper shows you all the items, software, and applications launched when you start up your Mac. You can manually select the applications and remove them from launching during your startup as they slow down your Mac’s startup.
Your computer’s booting time will be reduced instantly.
MacKeeper VPN
Very few antivirus software or cleanup software are integrated with such a feature where you get all the perks of a virtual private network or VPN software.
The VPN feature will make you invisible over the internet by encrypting your data once it leaves your macOS and goes over the internet. Your data then travels through a safe tunnel depending upon the server of your choice.
This means that even if you are using public Wi-Fi, no one can track your activity as you will instantly become anonymous over the internet with your VPN connection turned on. Your IP address will be hidden, and anyone looking at you will see the IP address of the server you are connected to.
Also, you can use the VPN function to unblock all kinds of geo-restricted content and watch region-locked content on streaming websites like Hulu, Netflix, HBO, BBC iPlayer, Amazon TV, etc.
MacKeeper contains 300+ servers in 50+ countries of the world. The encryption used by MacKeeper is AES-256 bit encryption which is military-grade encryption and remains unbeatable to this day.
Even though the MacKeeper’s VPN feature is not as impressive in functionality as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Surfhsark VPN, it’s fascinating to find and use such a feature in an application like this.
You can also check the best VPN for mac if you are looking for an extra added layer of security for your system.
User Interface
MacKeeper is user-friendly and is very easy to install. It offers a quick install, and right from there, you are guided on how to run scans and start protecting your macOS. The user interface of the application is pretty straightforward, clear, and offers detailed guidelines.
The left column menu displays the number of items that need attention and the features like Safe Cleanup, Adware Cleaner, and Update Tracker functions with a single click of a button.
Customer Support
You are given the option of live chat on MacKeeper’s official website, and also it is offered in the application itself. There is a separate application called the Remote Support app where customer support agents can get into your application and diagnose the problem more deeply. Support agents connect to your computer remotely with a separate secure ID and password.
They also offer Email and Phone support with toll-free numbers. You can also ask for an on-demand expert to get your queries resolved.
Final Verdict
Undoubtedly MacKeeper holds a lot of features in a single package. If you are one of those who leaned towards easy to set up applications that can run in the background and do not require monitoring, then MacKeeper is the software you should go for.
It offers a free version (which can give subliminal support to your Mac), and the paid plans are also available, which can deliver great value for money if you subscribe to them at least once.