iAntiVirus is a free program for Mac OS X which works to protect against viruses and malware, and does a reasonably good job of it, at that. It’s developed by PC Tools, an Australia-based company that offers a number of other security applications and utilities for Mac and Windows
The Basics
iAntiVirus requires Mac OS 10.5 or later and an Intel processor. As mentioned before, it’s free for individual users. The commercial license starts at $29.95 US per year, and this includes technical support.
One unique thing about iAntiVirus is that it looks exclusively for Mac-based threats. This may seem unnecessary to some, as it’s often said that Mac users don’t have to worry about viruses or malware, but that isn’t really the case. It’s a good idea to have some protection against this increasingly common problem, as all too many users have recently found out the hard way.
The Pros
There are certain basic features that users have come to expect from antivirus packages, and iAntiVirus has most of them. If you decide to make an impromptu scan, you can choose a Quick option, as well as Normal and Custom scans. You also have a certain degree of control with regard to pre-scheduled scans, although your options are a bit limited in this respect.
iAntiVirus also has real-time protection functionality, not unlike most of the commercial security offerings. Thankfully, this aspect of the program is very unobtrusive. Indeed, this is perhaps iAntiVirus’s greatest strength. It doesn’t come up with a lot of false positives, or annoy you with too many notifications (although it’s possible that some users might prefer to have more). In terms of resource usage, iAntiVirus isn’t overly greedy and most likely won’t significantly affect your computer’s performance.
The Cons
The Mac-specific focus of iAntiVirus might seem like a good thing; after all, you might assume that if that’s all it does, it must do that really well, right? Well, that is true to a certain extent. On the other hand, there are other programs that will do just as good a job of protecting your Mac. The problem with iAntiVirus is that it completely ignores Windows-based viruses and malware. If you’re a Boot Camp user, or if you’re in a work environment which also involves Windows, iAntiVirus is simply inadequate for this reason. Even if you don’t have regular contact with Windows, if iAntiVirus is your only security measure, you may still pick up Windows viruses or malware in your travels, which can then be passed on to others by various means.
It’s also worth noting that iAntiVirus doesn’t have as many features as Norton or other commercial packages, although that’s to be expected. Apart from these issues, iAntiVirus doesn’t have any major weaknesses.
The Verdict
iAntiVirus does a good job of doing what it’s intended to do, which is to keep harmful Mac-based files off your computer. However, even if you’re limited to free options, you may want to consider something like ClamXav instead, which will deal with Windows-based problems as well, for the aforementioned reasons.
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