Avast Security for Mac Premium is a step up from its Essential version, though both offer excellent internet security for your Mac desktops and laptops. The Premium solution, however, comes with a few extra tools like a VPN, system scanner and password manager.

ESET Cyber Security Pro didn’t do as well in our in-house detection tests as it did in other independent laboratories.

Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac earned top scores for detecting and protecting against Mac malware and received and high score for detecting Windows threats on Mac computers.

Norton Security Standard is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers and laptops, and it works on iOS and Android cellphones and tablets.

Panda Security struggled a bit during our malware detection tests of the best antivirus software. It detected 97 percent of the 300-plus malware samples we used, but moving the malware to quarantine took several steps.

Avira Free Security Suite is our choice for the best free antivirus solution. It did better detecting and blocking malware than other free antivirus programs we tested, catching 98 percent of all threats.

Kaspersky has had its fair share of trouble, butting heads with the U.S. government that has accused Kaspersky of using its software to spy on federal agencies and workers on behalf of the Russian government.

AVG Antivirus scored well in our lab tests for malware protection, though it still struggled to stop several viruses, Trojans and rootkits before they started downloading to our computers.

eScan Anti-Virus doesn’t stop you from visiting malicious websites.

Advanced Encryption Package Pro (AEP) offers the strongest encryption key available.

File Encryption XP is barebones encryption software that is fast, but it complicates the encryption process a bit with some extra steps compared to other programs.

CryptoForge version 5.2.1 has the strongest and most secure encryption algorithm out there, 256-bit key AES, making it a secure file encryption solution. This software is simple to use, though it does lack in security tools.

Review Renee File Protector is a standard encryption program, with a focus on giving you control over your passwords.

Kruptos 2 Professional data encryption software lets you choose to secure all your files with a single, master password, or create individual keys for each file. We encrypted 63 files that totaled 128MB in under 30 seconds.

Espionage 3 is good file encryption software and one of only two solutions we reviewed that is compatible with Mac computers and laptops – the other being Concealer.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been discontinued.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been replaced by another product.