Skilled’s Score
Execs
- Efficient antivirus safety
Cons
- Fees an annual subscription for primary malware safety with no different options
Our Verdict
ClamXAV for Mac affords strong antivirus safety. However for a product that requires an annual subscription, it’s missing in superior options.
Value When Reviewed
$29.95
Finest Costs Immediately:
Canimaan Software program Ltd
$29.95
Some safety packages provide a variety of instruments and superior options to not solely fight malware however to guard you from ransomware, phishing assaults, suspicious web sites, intrusive on-line advertisements, id theft, and extra. Others focus solely on antivirus protection, providing primary AV safety however little else. As designed for macOS, ClamXAV is a product that falls into the latter class.
See our full spherical up of the finest antivirus software program for Mac.
Set up
Putting in ClamXAV is fast and straightforward. Browse to the ClamXAV web site and click on the Free Trial button, and the set up file is mechanically downloaded. The trial model is totally practical and lasts for 30 days. After the guided set up, you’re prompted to click on the Free Trial button to attempt before you purchase or the Buy button ($29.95/£24 a 12 months) if you wish to begin your subscription proper off the bat.
The software program then takes you thru the required steps to grant it permission to your Downloads folder and modify your safety settings in order that it could possibly scan sure folders for malware. The malware database can also be mechanically up to date, able to sort out the newest strains of malware.
After the preliminary setup, you’re positioned on the most important display screen, which is well-designed and straightforward to navigate.
Options
Following the setup or anytime thereafter, you’ll be able to run a handbook scan in your Mac. Right here, ClamXAV affords a number of choices. Operating a fast scan checks solely system information and different areas in your Mac. Deciding on your exhausting drive runs a scan on all folders and information on the disk. Dragging and dropping a single folder or file onto the scanning pane checks it for malware. You may choose an exterior drive or linked USB stick for scanning. And the scanning pane shows a number of key folders—your consumer folder, recents, paperwork, desktop, and downloads—so you’ll be able to scan a selected space.
Foundry
Every kind of scan allows you to tweak sure choices. For instance, you’ll be able to schedule any kind of scan to run on particular days and instances, weekends, weekdays, or day by day. You may determine whether or not or to not quarantine contaminated information. And with some scans, you’re capable of ignore particular information, reminiscent of photos and PDFs in addition to information that match a sure sample.
Foundry
Naturally, there’s additionally a real-time scanning element. Often known as Sentry, this characteristic stays on guard for malware from downloaded information and different sources and mechanically checks any disks or exterior drives that you just join.
By default, any malicious information are mechanically quarantined. By going by the Preferences menu, you’ll be able to open the quarantine folder to see what information had been caught. A studies display screen retains observe of each scan you run and each replace to the definitions database, so you’ll be able to evaluate the historical past.
Foundry
Subsequent, you’re capable of tweak sure settings. You may allow or disable alerts in response to sure occasions, reminiscent of malware detections and accomplished scans, select how typically the definitions database is up to date, and permit the software program to detect non-Mac malware. In any other case, there’s nothing extra to this system past the essential antivirus scanning and choices.
Efficiency
ClamXAV proved efficient at detecting and stopping check malware information. It caught and quarantined the 4 totally different EICAR check information I tried to obtain, together with the eicar.com file, eicar textual content file, and the 2 eicar.zip information. A June 2022 evaluate by AV-Take a look at gave ClamXAV high grades for defense, efficiency, and value.
Backside line
ClamXAV is actually efficient at virus scanning. However that’s a functionality discovered in lots of free and equally efficient safety merchandise for the Mac. By charging an annual subscription (even one as little as $29.95), ClamXAV ought to provide extra than simply the fundamentals. For that cause, you’re higher off turning to a free antivirus program or taking a look at different paid packages in order for you extra superior options.