avast! Free Antivirus for Mac is a free version of the popular anti-virus software that first made its name on Windows.
Although virus issues are not as serious a concern on Macs as they are on Windows, the ease of use and efficiency of the Windows version bodes well. avast! Free Antivirus for Mac is very limited compared to the Windows version and many of the features are blanked out because they are still in development. Of course, it does have the added bonus that it has a slicker OS X style interface.
However, be warned that as with many virus checkers, it's not very clear how to uninstall avast! Free Antivirus for Mac, so make sure you have something like AppZapper to get rid of it if you choose not to keep it. avast! Free Antivirus for Mac is very easy to use and follow allowing you to scan in real time or scan drives individually for problems and errors. Scanning is fast and efficient and you shouldn't experience any hang-ups.
If you want to make sure potentially virus carrying mail attachments are scanned, then you must ensure this option is checked in system preferences. However, it's only available for Apple Mail so there's no support for other big mail clients such as Thunderbird and Entourage. In addition, configuration is messy as it requires you to disable encrypted POP3/IMAP connections in your email client's settings so the traffic can be scanned.
There is still some debate whether a Mac really needs anti-virus software but if you are thinking of using one, avast! Free Antivirus for Mac at least comes from a reliable developer.
