Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Best Parental Controls
Our Verdict
Kaspersky Net Security for Mac delivers excellent malware protection, simply the weak actress features agree it back.
For
- Affordably priced plans
- Flawless malware protection
- Helpful recommendations system
Against
- Slow scanning
- Somewhat confusing UI
- Actress features are all express
Tom's Guide Verdict
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac delivers excellent malware protection, simply the weak actress features hold information technology dorsum.
Pros
- +
Affordably priced plans
- +
Flawless malware protection
- +
Helpful recommendations system
Cons
- -
Slow scanning
- -
Somewhat confusing UI
- -
Extra features are all limited
Kaspersky Net Security for Mac: Specs
Malware protection: Excellent
System touch on, background: Moderate
System impact, scans: Low-cal
macOS compatibility: macOS 10.12 Sierra or later
Browser extensions: Yes
Firewall: No
Hardened/secure browser: Yes
Parental controls: Yes, but limited
Password manager: Yep, but limited
Ransomware file protection: No
Browse scheduling: Yeah
Webcam protection: Yep
VPN: Yes, but limited to 300MB per day
Support options: 24/7 phone, chat or email support; FAQs and documents
At first glance, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac feels like it volition be an easy recommendation, thank you to its perfect malware performance, extensive features and affordable pricing. But as you dig deeper, yous kickoff to uncover some flaws.
The all-encompassing feature set up is filled out with some extremely express extras, such as a congenital-in VPN, countersign manager and parental controls, the latter two being trial versions that aren't worth your time. All these features are jammed into a user interface that gets disruptive to navigate at times.
The skillful still outweighs the bad, so if you lot are a fan of Kaspersky, I wouldn't specifically tell you to avoid this app. But other options, like Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac or Norton 360 Standard, offering ameliorate overall packages among the best Mac antivirus programs.
Read on for the residue of our Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac review.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Costs and what'southward covered
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac offers bones antivirus protection, phishing protection, privacy features and encrypted browsing for online purchases. It starts at $xl for a single device for one year; you can also cover upwardly to 3 Macs for $lx per year. Unlike well-nigh of its competitors, Kaspersky does non offer discount for purchasing multiple years of service. (Most of these plans give you a large discount for the first year of a subscription.)
If you demand to cover a wider variety of devices, Kaspersky Internet Security adds support for Windows and mobile devices simply otherwise offers identical features. That package starts at $eighty per yr for iii devices or $ninety per year for five devices.
Kaspersky Total Security adds the full versions of Kaspersky Safe Kids and Kaspersky Password Manager along with file backup for Windows users. These plans start at $100 per year for upwardly to five devices or $150 per year for up to 10 devices.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac will run on any Mac with macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Antivirus protection
Kaspersky offers splendid real-time protection against malware. Like most of its competitors, it relies on both machine learning also as its network of more than 400 million computers running Kaspersky antivirus software to notice both known and new malware.
Customers tin can choose whether to upload annihilation detected equally potentially dangerous to the Kaspersky Security Network, but regardless of whether or non you participate, yous benefit from the malware database, which is updated daily.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Antivirus performance
In lodge to determine the overall efficacy of Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac's malware scanning, we relied on the Frg-based AV-Test lab and Austria-based AV-Comparatives lab, which behave regular evaluations of major antivirus apps and services.
During the May-June 2020 round of testing by AV-Test, the most recent fourth dimension it was evaluated, Kaspersky Cyberspace Security for Mac detected 100% of Mac malware too as more than than 99% of potentially unwanted programs for Mac and more 99% of Windows malware, which sometimes lurks on Macs.
During that same round of testing, Avast Free Mac Security (100%), Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac (98.8%), Norton 360 Standard (100%) and Tendency Micro Antivirus for Mac (100%) at best matched Kaspersky's perfect performance.
Intego Mac Net Security X9 was non tested at that time but achieved a Mac malware-detection charge per unit of 98.five% in AV-Exam'southward November-December 2020 round. Avast, Bitdefender, Norton and Trend Micro all scored 100% in AV-Test's March-April 2021 evaluations.
| AV-Test, virtually recent | AV-Test, previous | AV-Comparatives, near recent | AV-Comparatives, previous | |
| Avast | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Bitdefender | 100% | 97.iii% | 100% | 100% |
| Intego | 98.5% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Kaspersky | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Norton | 100% | 100% | Not tested | Not tested |
| Trend Micro | 100% | 100% | 99.six% | 100% |
Kaspersky Net Security for Mac avoid registering whatsoever imitation positives, meaning all its malware detections were accurate, but this was true of its competitors equally well.
This was not a shocking result for Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, which has managed a perfect 100% detection rate each time it has been part of AV-Examination's evaluations since April of 2017.
Turning to the AV-Comparatives testing, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac identified 100% of the Mac malware threats, 96% of the Mac potentially unwanted programs, and 100% of the Windows malware.
Information technology has had perfect Mac-malware detection rates on each of the annual AV-Comparatives tests going dorsum through July 2017. Avast, Bitdefender, Intego and Tendency Micro were all office of the June 2021 test too; the start three also received perfect 100% detection rates, while Trend Micro detected 99.6% of Mac malware. Norton was not tested.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Security and privacy features
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac has an extensive feature set, but as you'll run across, in some cases you lot simply get access to the costless express versions of some of Kasperky's apps, which aren't necessarily worth your time or drive space.
Kaspersky offers its web protection via browser extensions that are bachelor for Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. This provides a variety of protections including basic monitoring for malicious content, tracking blockers and a URL advisor to help you steer clear of dangerous sites before you visit them.
Kaspersky likewise has ane fairly unique tool as part of its browser extensions. Rubber Money defaults yous to HTTPS securely encrypted sites when possible, blocks other extensions, will detect when y'all are going to make a payment online and gives you an onscreen keyboard to enter your payment information to avoid keyloggers.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac also allows you to block your webcam at a software level to ensure it can't be accessed by another application. With our increased reliance on video conferencing, it's particularly overnice to have additional reassurance that you lot aren't being spied on.
Kaspersky Password Managing director is included, just it is only the free version, which is express to merely 15 passwords, and the link to the password managing director just serves as a launcher for the standalone app. You lot tin can unlock the total version of the password managing director for $15 a year, simply you are going to be much meliorate served by one of the best password managers.
Kaspersky'south Secure Connexion VPN is somewhat similar in that it is merely a launcher for the standalone app and is restricted to 300MB of data traffic per twenty-four hours. If y'all are just looking for something to employ when banking or performing some other very minimally data-intensive job, then that modest amount of data might work.
But otherwise, you would need to pay an actress $30 per year to unlock the unlimited version of Kaspersky Secure Connectedness, which too gives you the option to select different server locations. That is pretty reasonable pricing and on par with our value choice for the best VPN, Surfshark.
The concluding of these improver apps is the Safe Kids parental controls. Once over again, this is a costless version of that service, which limits you to monitoring a single child device and lacks premium features such every bit location tracking and real-time alerts. The paid version is only $15 a yr, so if you lot are in the market for an affordable parental-control app, you lot can take a look at our review of Kaspersky Safe Kids to see if information technology'southward right for you.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Performance and system touch on
In social club to measure the operation impact of Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, we ran the Geekbench 5 benchmarking test prior to installing the app and and then ran a series of tests with the tool later on installation. The 2016 MacBook Pro 13-inch laptop that nosotros used for the review had a 2.9Ghz Intel Cadre i5-6267U processor, 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 256GB SSD with 42.18GB of files installed.
Before we installed Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, the MacBook Pro achieved a Geekbench 5 score of 1,868, which dropped to i,816 following the installation of the app.
While not terribly significant by Windows antivirus standards, this was the largest functioning hit we saw after installation of whatsoever Mac antivirus program, with Trend Micro (i%) the but other Mac antivirus app that generated any perceptible background slowdown.
| Post-installation | Full browse | Quick scan | |
| Avast | 0% | 27% | 3% |
| Bitdefender | 0% | 19% | 1% |
| Intego | 0% | 34% | 3% |
| Kaspersky | three% | 12% | 4% |
| Norton | 0% | 12% | 0% |
| Trend Micro | 1% | 46% | 1% |
The total scan went much better for Kaspersky's operation affect, with a mere 12% drop-off, tied with Norton for the most minimal slowdown during a full browse. Bitdefender (xix%) wasn't as well far behind, but from there Avast (27%), Intego (34%) and Tendency Micro (46%) were all far from challenging Kaspersky.
A quick scan saw a return to the bottom of the pile with a 4% drop, which was just behind Avast (3%) and Intego (3%). Bitdefender (i%) and Trend Micro (1%) were nearly perfect on this test, with Norton (0%) crowned the champ.
Kaspersky Net Security for Mac'southward first full scan took 39 minutes and 5 seconds and scanned 808,142 files. This was easily the slowest full browse of any Mac antivirus app that I reviewed, with Bitdefender (27:55) adjacent upward. The rest of the group was notably faster with Trend Micro (12:03), Norton (11:45) and Avast (ten:25) in a cluster and Intego (half-dozen:22) in a commanding first identify position. Fortunately, Kaspersky's total-browse arrangement bear upon is so light that you probably won't notice whatever slowdown.
Kaspersky'due south quick scan looks at the most common areas for viruses or malware. For my system, this scanned 13,339 files in 53 seconds. It avoided another concluding-place cease here with Trend Micro (1:06) sparing it. The residual barely crossed into double digits, including Avast (00:18), Bitdefender (00:16), Norton (00:13) and Intego (00:xi).
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Interface
In the boxing for the most stripped-down and streamlined dashboard interface, Kaspersky well-nigh unquestionably comes out on top, particularly when you consider the number of features information technology actually offers. This holds true throughout the app with a very minimal look to every screen. Yet, as you lot'll see, things can all the same get a little confusing as you try to navigate its full characteristic set.
That main dashboard includes an prototype of a MacBook with a greenish screen and a cheque alongside the text "Your Mac is protected," assuming everything is running as expected. Immediately beneath that is a push to "Open Protection Center," but despite its prominent placement and important-sounding proper noun, this isn't something you'll regularly use. That screen simply confirms whether your virus databases are upwards to date, shows your recommendations and displays app news.
Recommendations are indeed important, but if you accept whatever, they will show up in the center of the dashboard with a link taking yous to the recommendations screen anyway.
Across the bottom of the dashboard are 4 additional icons that take yous to the other major features of Kaspersky Internet Security: Browse, Update, Privacy and Safe Kids.
Scan gives you a pretty typical array of virus scans, and this feature specifically is ane of the clearest and well laid out implementations of any Mac antivirus app that I reviewed.
If you have a specific binder or set of files y'all want to scan, you can simply drag and drop them into the box at the acme of the Kaspersky browse screen. Or you can scan for them using the "Choose" push button and it volition immediately scan them. Beneath the drop box is a trio of buttons to run a full scan, quick browse or set up scheduled total or quick scans to run as oft as daily or only once a calendar week.
Update confirms that your virus databases are upward-to-engagement. This happens automatically in the background, but you lot tin force information technology to check for an update manually equally well. Privacy houses a few features including webcam blocking, web-tracker blocking and a launcher for both Kaspersky Password Manager and Kaspersky Secure Connexion VPN. Finally, the Safe Kids icon naturally will take y'all to the parental-control app, although yous need to click on the launcher on the next screen to become in that location.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac: Installation and support
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac can be downloaded directly from the Kaspersky website. The beachhead installation file is a pocket-size four.1MB, but that simply connects you to download the full 480MB installer app. After you accept Kaspersky'southward privacy policies, the installer app will be downloaded and run. This part of the process took approximately 5 minutes equally Kaspersky'southward download speeds were relatively tedious.
Setup with Kaspersky was the best that I encountered doing this round of Mac antivirus reviews. It gave a very specific, guided view of what you need to practice to grant the appropriate permissions for the Kaspersky antivirus software and its components to run properly.
The only matter that took a bit longer was installing the separate standalone apps for the password manager, VPN and parental controls. All 3 are bundled with Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac but aren't integrated into the app If you lot don't programme on using any or all of them, you tin skip the installation. The App Store has iOS versions of all iii, and Mac apps for the password managing director and the VPN; you tin can also find them on Kaspersky's website.
Kaspersky offers 24/7 technical support via phone, online chat or email. The online knowledge base of operations and articles prepared by the Kaspersky team are fantabulous resources as well.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac review: Bottom line
Kaspersky Net Security for Mac is a solid antivirus app that is slightly held dorsum past its bloatware, slow scans and relatively confusing user interface.
With that said, while I don't consider information technology the best choice, Kaspersky Internet Security isn't a bad option, particularly for those who are willing to pay the extra $thirty to unlock the premium VPN. Seventy dollars a year for both your malware protection and your VPN needs is a good value.
If the VPN component is less critical to you, look to Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac. If you want a meliorate case of a Mac antivirus app with a lot of extra features, including a VPN and a password manager that are unlimited correct out of the box, then consider Norton 360 Standard.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/kaspersky-internet-security-mac
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